Identification and analysis of speciation genes in island plants

在当前的基因组学革命中，我们现在能够研究突变、选择和基因流动如何促进表型进化和物种起源（Seehausen et al. 2014）。研究这个问题的一个极好的场景是适应不同海拔的物种的起源，在不同的海拔，陡峭的生态选择梯度在短的地理距离上变化。通过分析整个相关物种基因组的遗传变异，我们可以确定与生殖隔离或生态分化相对应的基因（例如Ellegren et al. 2012）。该项目将分析在加那利群岛发现的一种植物Descurainia的物种形成基因组学。一些物种是特有的，显示了岛屿内部和岛屿之间的生态物种形成（物种通过适应新环境而起源）。参考基因组正在实验室中组装和注释，SPITFIRE项目将生成和分析来自所有地方性物种的多个个体的测序数据。

In the current genomics revolution we are now in a position to investigate how mutation, selection, and gene flow contribute to phenotypic evolution and the origin of species (Seehausen et al. 2014). An excellent scenario in which to study this is the origin of species that are adapted to divergent altitudes, where steep ecological selection gradients vary over short geographic distance. By analysing genetic variation throughout related species' genomes, we can pinpoint genes that correspond to reproductive isolation or ecological differentiation (e.g. Ellegren et al. 2012). This project will analyse speciation genomics in Descurainia, a plant genus found throughout the Canary Islands. Several species are endemics, showing ecological speciation (the origin of species by adaptation to novel environments) within and between islands. A reference genome is being assembled and annotated in the lab and the SPITFIRE project will generate and analyse sequencing data from multiple individuals of all the endemic species.