Phylogenomics of polyploidy in the Brassicales

改良农作物可以通过创造杂交种来实现。 有些杂交种，如骡子，是不育的，因为父母有不同的染色体数目。 在植物中，一些不育的杂种在染色体数目加倍时可以变得可育，这一过程称为多倍性。许多重要的农作物，如苜蓿、棉花、马铃薯和小麦是最近的多倍体，而其他的，如玉米、大豆和卷心菜，保留着古代多倍体事件的痕迹。 该项目将研究多倍体如何产生新的性状，例如对昆虫的抗性，在菜花目（花椰菜，muclidae，刺山柑，木瓜和亲戚）。 该项目的研究人员开发了新的基因组学方法，可以了解物种之间的进化历史，同时确定它们是否是多倍体。在全球快速变化给农业和自然景观中的植物带来前所未有的压力的时候，科学家们必须超越单一学科进行思考。系统基因组学已成为生物科学中的一种跨学科方法;然而，学习生物学中所需的基因组和生物信息学工具的机会很少。 为了弥补这一差距，该项目将开发本科课程模块;创建一个使用计算方法的跨学科研究环境;并通过年度研讨会与系统生物学家进行外联。这里提出的所有研究都涉及从代表性不足的群体中招募和指导学生。

Improving crop plants can be accomplished by creating hybrids. Some hybrids, like mules, are sterile, because the parents have different chromosome numbers. In plants, some sterile hybrids can become fertile when their chromosome number is doubled, a process called polyploidy. Many important crop plants, such as alfalfa, cotton, potato, and wheat are recent polyploids while others, such as maize, soybean, and cabbage, retain the vestiges of ancient polyploid events. This project will investigate how polyploidy can give rise to novel traits, such as the resistance to insects, in the order Brassicales (broccoli, mustards, capers, papaya, and relatives). The investigators of this project have developed new phylogenomics methods that allow one to understand the evolutionary history of how species are related while simultaneously determining whether or not they are polyploid.At a time when rapid global changes are placing unprecedented pressure on plants in agricultural and natural landscapes, it is imperative that scientists think beyond a single discipline. Phylogenomics has emerged as an interdisciplinary approach in the biological sciences; however, there are few opportunities to learn the genomic and bioinformatics tools becoming required in biology. To address this gap, this project will develop modules for undergraduate courses; create an interdisciplinary research environment that uses computational methods; and engage in outreach to systematic biologists by annual workshops. All research proposed here involves recruiting and mentoring students from underrepresented groups.