SG: Genome-wide analysis of phylogenetic conflict in the wheat tribe, Triticeae

小麦族（Triticeae）包括大约350种草，包括小麦、大麦和黑麦。物种间的遗传交换在这个群体中发挥了重要作用？人类的进化历史错综复杂，因此，对物种之间关系的清晰理解仍然是难以捉摸的。在交换遗传物质的物种中，基因组可以是来自多个来源的镶嵌体，因此，从遗传数据推断的进化关系可以根据基因组的哪个部分用于推断而不同。基因交换在小麦族中已经有了令人信服的证据，但其程度还不清楚。这项研究通过应用全基因组方法来解决这个问题，从小麦族物种的广泛样本中的整个基因组中采样大量的短DNA序列。基因组采样的密度，结合确定采样序列的基因组位置的能力，将导致更好地评估遗传交换的程度，包括哪些物种参与，以及基因组的哪些区域受到最大的影响。这项工作的结果将为那些依赖杂交和基因交换过程作为作物改良工具的小麦族育种者提供信息。该项目开发的数据分析方法将有助于研究进行基因交换的其他生物群体。这笔资金将支持一名研究生的培训，沿着讨论小组，并为芝加哥的一所少数民族服务的两年制学院--奥利弗-哈维学院的一组选定的本科生提供培训。

The wheat tribe, Triticeae, comprises about 350 grass species, including wheat, barley, and rye. Genetic exchange among species has played a major role in the group?s complicated evolutionary history, so a clear understanding of the relationships among species remains elusive. In species that exchange genetic material, the genomes can be mosaics derived from multiple sources, and as a result, evolutionary relationships inferred from genetic data can differ depending on which portion of the genome is used for the inference. Gene exchange has been convincingly implicated in the Triticeae, but the extent is still unknown. This research addresses the question by applying a genome-wide approach, sampling large numbers of short DNA sequences from throughout the entire genome from a broad sample of Triticeae species. The density of genome sampling, combined with the ability to determine the genomic location of the sampled sequences, will lead to a better assessment of the extent of genetic exchange, including which species are involved, and which regions of the genome are most affected.The results of this work will be informative to Triticeae breeders who rely on the processes of hybridization and gene exchange as tools for crop improvement. The methods of data analysis developed in this project will be useful for studies of other groups of organisms that undergo gene exchange. The funding will support training for one graduate student, along with discussion groups and training for a selected group of undergraduates from Olive-Harvey College, a minority-serving two-year college in Chicago.