R. Ford Denison
 Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Ph.D., Cornell University, 1983
Contact Information
Phone: 612-626-6462
Fax: 612-624-6777
E-mail: denis036@umn.edu
Graduate Faculty Memberships
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Plant Biological Sciences
Research Interests
Evolution of legume-rhizobium mutualism;
agricultural implications of past and ongoing natural selection;
life-history tradeoffs as a possible explanation for stress-induced longevity.
Statement
Research in my lab is often inspired by W.D. Hamilton's theoretical work on evolution of cooperation, aging, etc., but with a view to eventual practical applications. We frequently use microcosms and domesticated species or noncharismatic microfauna, but include wild species and field research when that will expand the applicability of our results. I hope to welcome one or possibly two new students in autumn 2010.
Selected Publications
Denison, R.F. 2010. Darwinian agriculture: where does nature's wisdom lie? Book in preparation for Princeton University Press.
Ratcliff, W.C., P. Hawthorne, M. Travisano, R.F. Denison. 2009. When stress predicts a shrinking gene pool, trading early reproduction for longevity can increase fitness, even with lower fecundity. PLoS One 4:e6055.
Oono, R., R.F. Denison, E.T. Kiers. 2009. Tansley review: Controlling the reproductive fate of rhizobia: How universal are legume sanctions? New Phytologist 183:967-979.
Ratcliff, W.C., R.F. Denison. 2009. Rhizobitoxine producers gain more poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in symbiosis than do competing rhizobia, but reduce plant growth. ISME Journal 3:870-872.
Kiers, E.T., and R.F. Denison. 2008. Host sanctions, cooperation, and the stability of plant-rhizosphere mutualisms. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 39:193-213.
Kiers, E.T., R.A. Rousseau, S.A. West, and R. Ford Denison. 2003. Host sanctions and the legume-rhizobium mutualism. Nature 425:78-81.
Denison, R.F., E.T. Kiers, and S.A. West. 2003. Darwinian agriculture: when can humans find solutions beyond the reach of natural selection? Quarterly Review of Biology 78:145-168.
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