Colin Quinn

Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Cohort: 2011-2012

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology

Research Summary: I study the ecology of selenium in plants. Selenium is a naturally occurring element that is a required nutrient for many animals, including humans, but also toxic at high concentrations. The gap between toxicity and deficiency is narrow, and both are problems worldwide. Although plants do not require selenium, many plant species take up large quantities of selenium. Through increasing our understanding of how selenium in plants affects their ecological partners, such as herbivores and pollinators, we can increase our ability to help manage selenium rich agricultural and natural environments.