The defining trait for the invasive annual foxtail species-group is its ability to precisely time it germination and emergence over vast geographic (north temperate earth) and extensive temporal (hour to decades)scales. Heterogeneous germination-dormancy seed phenotypes shed by parent plants are the biological basis of a seedling emergence "hedge-betting" strategy ensuring both fitness and enduring occupation of a site. The motive mechanism behind this strategy appears to be a trade-off interaction of two seed factors (membrane controlled diffusion; oxygen scavenging protein) within a gas-water impermeable morphology.

For the past decade I have studied this highly successful group of plants and have an extensive empirical and theoretic view of its seed behavior. Two years ago I presented a first CAS seminar about this organism with the purpose of soliciting mathematical, computational and statistical cooperation with other ISU researchers. The present seminar is the second CAS iteration presenting the essence of the biology of this complex adaptive system, the mathematical insights provided in cooperations with ISU biologists and bioinformaticists and (most importantly) new opportunities for mathematical and algorithmic formalization of the foxtail seed system.

http://www.agron.iastate.edu/~weeds/Fox/foxbiopgm.html