| Abstract Detail
Recent Topics Posters Zhou, Wenbin [1], Foster, Bryn [2], Fierro, Carolina Elizabeth Armijos [2], Milling, Hugo Valdebenito [2], Proaño, María De Lourdes Torres [2], Jones, Corbin [2], Jones, Alan [2]. Hybrid genome sequencing to reveal genomic evolution associated with different environmental niches in Grasses. Plants have diversified into many different environmental niches, e.g. warm vs. cold, dry vs. wet, shade vs. sunny. How plants adapt and respond to the physiological challenges of each of these niches remains obscure, especially at a genome-wide scale. Here, we are investigating this question in grasses and related taxa. Poaceae has over 11000 species, which grow in many different niches, including rain forests, mountains, and coastal areas. With this diversity, Poaceae can be a perfect system for studying the genome evolves in response to the environment. Here, we collected 32 species from Ecuador and North Carolina, including some closely related species pairs which cover multiple different ecotypes. We applied both short reads (Illumina) and long reads (Nanopore) for genome sequencing. Our ultimate goal is to use the whole genome sequence data to find out many different genomic evolution patterns under different environmental niches. As a prelude, we assembled the plastid genome and repeated the ancestral reconstruction analysis on several important ecological traits for 78 species that have whole genome data from NCBI including the new 32 species we are studying. The result showed a consistent pattern with previous finding that the ancestor of Poaceae, is likely, growing in warm, humid, shade areas at low altitude. That said, we also revealed strong parallel patterns of trait diversification associated with invasion of novel environments by the Poaceae. This straight-forward plastid ancestral reconstruction result suggests that our future whole genome data will help define the genetic mechanisms underlying how environmental niches shape ecologically important biological traits.
1 - North Carolina State University, Plant & Microbial Biology, Box 7612, 100 Derieux Place Gardner Hall 2115, Raleigh, NC, 27695, United States
2 - North Carolina State University
Keywords:
none specified
Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Number: PRT023
Abstract ID:1424
Candidate for Awards:None |
