Deciphering the evolutionary origins and maintenance of plant diversity in the Alpine Biodiversity Hotspot using next-generation sequencing and high performance computing. We build on an intensive inventory and sampling of nearly all vascular plant species occurring in the Alps, a biodiversity hotspot harbouring 20% of the European flora. From a low coverage shotgun sequencing of genomic DNA, we will assemble for each taxon the whole- chloroplast genome and nuclear ribosomal sequences. This high quality data, generated at an unprecedented scale for the plant kingdom, will be used for plant phylogeny, comparative analyses of organelle genome evolution, new plant barcoding references and ultimately analyses of biodiversity patterns and mechanisms of species coexistence in the face of global changes.
Publications :
- High resolution ancient sedimentary DNA shows that alpine plant diversity is associated with human land use and climate change. Nature Communications 2022, vol 13, issue 1
- Jan Smyčka et al. Tempo and drivers of plant diversification in the European mountain system. Nature Communications 2022, vol. 13, issue 1
- Charles Pouchon et al. ORTHOSKIM: In silico sequence capture from genomic and transcriptomic libraries for phylogenomic and barcoding applications. Molecular Ecology Resources 2022
- Cristina Roquet et al. Evolutionary origins and species delineation of the two Pyrenean endemics Campanula jaubertiana and C. andorrana (Campanulaceae): evidence for transverse alpine speciation. Alpine Botany 2021
- Inger Greve Alsos et al. The Treasure Vault Can be Opened: Large-Scale Genome Skimming Works Well Using Herbarium and Silica Gel Dried Material Plants 2020, vol. 9, issue 4
- Matheus E Bianconi et al. Continued Adaptation of C4 Photosynthesis After an Initial Burst of Changes in the Andropogoneae Grasses Systematic Biology 2019, vol. 69, issue 3