| Description |
Polyploidization is one of the key drivers of species divergence and evolution, to date, more than 70% of flowering plants are considered to be polyploids. Compared to diploid relatives, polyploid species often exhibit phenotypic novelty, including larger adult size, higher tolerance of abiotic stress and broader ecological adaptation. Therefore, polyploids are over-represented in crop domestication owing to many agriculturally favourable traits. However, it remains largely unknow the genomic consequences and underlying mechanisms for generating evolutionary novelty and morphological diversity associated with polyploidization. In this project, we will work on the only tetraploid species in an important plant resource genus Orychophragmus with diverse uses and high economic value, O. taibaiensis. By performing transcriptome sequencing, whole-genome methylation sequencing and small RNA sequencing, together with genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) analyses, firstly we aim to determine the polyploid origin of O. taibaiensis. We will further investigate the consequences of selection efficacy on patterns of polymorphism, dynamic changes in gene expression and the underlying epigenetic regulatory modifications associated with polyploidization. The results will not only advance our understanding of the mechanistic basis of phenotypic novelty for O. taibaiensis, but will also have far-reaching implications for agricultural, ecological, and evolutionary research for other polyploid wild species. |
