The evolution of genomes at large

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Achieving a detailed understanding of the large-scale features of genomes represents one of the premier objectives of twenty-first century biological science.  Though the rapid rise of complete genome sequencing has justifiably garnered considerable attention both within and outside the scientific community, analyses of specific DNA sequences and the search for protein-coding genes in model organisms represent only one aspect of "comparative genomics".   Despite tremendous recent progress in other areas of genomics, explanations for variation in some of the most basic properties of genomes, such as size and composition, remain elusive.  For example, even after more than half a century of continuous study, it remains an unresolved puzzle why the amount of DNA contained within different animal genomes (i.e., genome size) ranges more 3,300-fold.  The research program outlined here seeks to advance our understanding of large-scale genome evolution by dealing directly with the long-standing enigma of genome size variation.  Specifically, the research proposed here will shed light on this important issue in several major ways: 1) by improving the efficiency and accuracy by which genome size data can be obtained from a diverse array of animal taxa, 2) by filling some major gaps in the current genome size datasets for mammals, birds, and fishes, 3) by performing the first large-scale survey of genome sizes in insects, and 4) by testing some specific hypotheses about the relationships between genome size and such features as cell size, metabolism, and development.  Through linkages with emerging biodiversity initiatives and with use of novel DNA quantification technology, my lab will be poised to generate genome size data on an unprecedented scale.  In larger terms, these important initial studies will represent the seed of a much larger program in "genomic diversity" that I will strive to cultivate within the new Biodiversity Institute of Ontario.  Overall, this program will provide data of practical significance to biologists working in a range of biological disciplines, in addition to answering some of the most fundamental questions about the evolution of genomes at large.