Abstract Detail

Revolutionizing systematics: Herbaria in the Genomics Age

Edwards, Erika [1], Goolsby, Eric [2], Moore, Abigail [3], Hancock, Lillian [4], de Vos, Jurriaan [5].

Targeted bait enrichment with herbarium specimens reveals the molecular evolution of key genes during transitions to C4 and CAM photosynthesis.

Next-generation sequencing facilitates rapid production of well-sampled phylogenies built from very large genetic data sets, which can then be subsequently exploited to examine the molecular evolution of the genes themselves. We present an evolutionary analysis of 83 gene families in the portullugo clade (Caryophyllales), a diverse lineage of mostly arid-adapted plants that contains multiple evolutionary origins of all known photosynthesis types in land plants (C3 and the carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCM): CAM, C4, C4-CAM, and various intermediates). Contrary to expectations, there were no significant differences in the levels of positive selection detected in CCM versus non-CCM genes. However, we documented a significantly higher level of convergent amino acid substitutions in CCM genes, especially in C4 taxa. We discuss both the advantages and challenges of using targeted enrichment sequence data for exploratory studies of molecular evolution.

1 - Yale University, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
2 - Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 165 Prospect St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
3 - University Of Oklahoma, Department Of Microbiology And Plant Biology, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Rm. 208, Norman, OK, 73019, United States
4 - EEB, 80 Waterman Street, Box G-W, Providence, RI, 02912, United States
5 -

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C10, Revolutionizing Systematics: Herbaria in the Genomics Age
Location: 103/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Wednesday, July 25th, 2018
Time: 11:30 AM
Number: C10014
Abstract ID:1228
Candidate for Awards:None