Speciation genomics of peat mosses (Sphagnum) - testing speciation-with-gene-flow hypotheses in a highly diverse genus
Informations
- Funding country
Norway- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 1/1/2016
- End date
- 12/31/2019
- Budget
- 599,748 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRIMEDBIO - Independent projects - Medicine, Health Sciences and Biology | Grant | - | - | 599,748 EUR |
Abstract
Understanding speciation has been one of the most fundamental scientific questions being pursued the last 200 years. Traditionally, the two main types of speciation has been classified as allopatric and sympatric speciation. Allopatric speciation that takes place when there is a physical barrier that prevents interbreeding between populations, while sympatric speciation is two populations diversifying and becoming genetically isolated while remaining at the same place. In plants, including bryophytes, speciation can also take place through hybridization events with a doubling of the chromosome number of the new species. Peat mosses (Sphagnum) are the main peat producers and carbon sink in terrestrial boreal ecosystems, and understanding their diversity and ecological function is of crucial importance. Peat mosses consist of 300-500 species worldwide, and Sphagnum taxonomy is notoriously difficult, not least due to frequent hybridization between taxa. We hypothesize that gene flow between species occurs relatively frequently among these plants. We want to develop a large number of genetic markers (whole genome sequences), and use these to estimate levels of within species and between species gene flow. We will test what factors are associated with within species gene flow in 12 species known not to be of hybrid origin. We will also see how much between species gene flow exist. The degree of incomplete lineage sorting, due to recent speciation events, is evaluated in light of between species gene flow. Finally, we will see how structural evolution proceeds in genome regions experiencing varying levels of gene flow due to hybridization (introgression), selection and recombination. This project is expected to answer fundamental questions in evolutionary biology related to how biodiversity originates in species, how it is maintained and what defines species in an ecologically important and highly diverse genus.