Comparative analyses identify adaptive genetic variation in crops and crop wild relatives

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Persistent link to this item

Statistics
View Statistics

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Title

Comparative analyses identify adaptive genetic variation in crops and crop wild relatives

Published Date

2013-12

Publisher

Type

Thesis or Dissertation

Abstract

Comparative population genetic analyses provide a means of identifying adaptive genetic variation. In this dissertation, I apply population genetic approaches to identify putatively adaptive variants in the genomes of crops and crop wild relatives. These approaches have the potential to identify genetic variants that are under selection and thus potentially contributing to local adaptation. As a background to the dissertation, I present in Chapter 1 the state of research in this field at the time I started my PhD and give a brief introduction to the projects described in this dissertation. In Chapter 2, I report a ~50-Mb chromosomal inversion in the wild ancestor of maize - teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) and characterized its distribution and abundance in natural populations using population genetic approaches. This is also the first study in plants to apply population genetic approaches to identify chromosomal structural variation. In Chapter 3, I used a population genetic approach to identify genomic regions that contain adaptive mutations resistant to Fusarium head blight in a barley experimental breeding population. The successful application of comparative population genetic approaches in this study suggests this approach can also be used to identify genomic regions that are under selection in other breeding populations. In Chapter 4, I studied the geographic differentiation in wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum). I found two genomic regions contribute disproportionately to the population structure in wild barley. These same regions, with reduced evidence of recombination, are strongly associated with environmental variables. Population genetic evidence and previous cytological and genetic studies suggest these two genomic regions may be chromosomal structural rearrangements.

Description

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. December 2013. Major: Plant Biological Sciences. Advisor: Peter L. Morrell. 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 172 pages.

Related to

Replaces

License

Collections

Series/Report Number

Funding information

Isbn identifier

Doi identifier

Previously Published Citation

Suggested citation

Fang, Zhou. (2013). Comparative analyses identify adaptive genetic variation in crops and crop wild relatives. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/171093.

Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.