A researcher at the Jardin botanique since 2010, Simon Joly studies plant genetics and evolution. He seeks to better understand the biodiversity around us and how plants adapt to their environment.
- Botanist and researcher, Jardin botanique de Montréal
- Director of the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV)
- Laboratory website
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal
- Explore his publications on Google Scholar
- Read his articles on our blog
Areas of research and expertise
- Plant genetics
- Plant evolution
- Adaptation of flowers in urban environments
- Antillean Gesneriaceae
- Evolution of flowers and 3D modeling
Education
Doctorate in plant biology, 2006
Université de Montréal
Understanding plant and flower evolution
Simon Jolyobservesplants in the field and conducts genetic analyses. This often involves reconstructing the genealogy of plants, which then allows testing hypotheses about their evolution.
The botanist’s work primarily focuses on the evolution of flowers. He aims to understand how flowers adapt todifferent typesof pollinators.
He specifically studies a group of tropical species from theGesneriaceaefamily found in the Antilles. The pollination of these plants has undergone several changes, alternating between hummingbirds and bats as pollinators. Heattemptsto discover how and why these variations in form have occurred.
Closer to home, he examines how urban environments might disrupt flower evolution by affecting environmental conditions and insect pollinator communities. For this project, he examines the presence of the spotted jewelweed in several Eastern Canada cities.