Event information
This morning course is aimed at those with some previous experience of either general biology or of horticulture, who would like to learn more about the hows and whys of flowers. We will begin with a brief discussion of participants’ previous experience, to ensure that the course is pitched at an appropriate level.
In this course you will discover the enormous diversity of flower form, discussing why this diversity evolved. We will relate specific flower morphologies to the morphologies and behaviours of different animal pollinators. We will also explore how the first flowers evolved, and at the genetic basis of flower development. We will discuss how geneticists worked out how flowers are built and explore how that information led to an understanding of how the first flowers arose. The morning will include a mixture of taught sections (lecture style but with participation from students and plenty of opportunity for discussion of particular points) as well a walk around the Garden to look at examples of flower types discussed as part of the lecture section.
Beverley Glover, FLS, is Professor of Plant Systematics and Evolution in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Director of Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
Beverley studied plant and environmental biology at the University of St Andrews graduating with a BSc degree in 1993. She did her postgraduate research in plant molecular genetics at the John Innes Centre, and gained a PhD degree in 1997 from the University of East Anglia. Her doctoral thesis was titled “Cellular Differentiation in Plants”. Beverley was a junior research fellow at Queens’ College, Cambridge between 1996 and 1999, when she was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 2005 and reader in 2010. In July 2013, she was appointed Director of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and made Professor of Plant Systematics and Evolution. She holds a number of appointments outside of her university career. She has been a member of the council of the European society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology, the Systematics Association, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. She is a member of the Editorial Board for Current Biology.
Find out more about Beverley’s research here, and find an up-to-date list of her publications here
