Publications by authors named "Billie A Gould"
Environmental stress is a major driver of ecological community dynamics and agricultural productivity. This is especially true for soil water availability, because drought is the greatest abiotic inhibitor of worldwide crop yields. Here, we test the genetic basis of drought responses in the genetic model for C perennial grasses, Panicum hallii, through population genomics, field-scale gene-expression (eQTL) analysis, and comparison of two complete genomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Understanding how and why genetic variation is partitioned across geographic space is of fundamental importance to understanding the nature of biological species. How geographical isolation and local adaptation contribute to the formation of ecotypically differentiated groups of plants is just beginning to be understood through population genomic studies. We used whole genome sequencing combined with association study of climate to discover the drivers of differentiation in the perennial C4 grass Panicum hallii.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Local adaptation plays a crucial role in ecological specialization and the emergence of new species, but the specifics of gene regulatory divergence in this context are not well understood.
- In a study involving the yellow monkeyflower, researchers found significant gene expression differences between coastal and inland populations, with 73% of surveyed genes showing differential expression.
- The research identified extensive cis-regulatory variation and some trans effects, indicating that gene expression flexibility across different habitats may help alleviate fitness trade-offs related to local adaptation, alongside evidence suggesting a chromosomal inversion could influence gene expression patterns based on habitat.
Article Synopsis
- - The early stages of speciation involve the creation of partially isolated ecotypes that adapt to different habitats, making it tough to pinpoint specific genes responsible for these changes.
- - Researchers used whole-genome pooled sequencing on different populations of the yellow monkeyflower to find genetic differences between coastal and inland ecotypes, discovering two chromosomal inversions with significant variation.
- - Their findings highlight key genes linked to differences in morphology, growth, and salt tolerance, indicating that chromosomal inversions play a critical role in adaptation and the formation of new plant ecotypes.
Herbaria archive a record of changes of worldwide plant biodiversity harbouring millions of specimens that contain DNA suitable for genome sequencing. To profit from this resource, it is fundamental to understand in detail the process of DNA degradation in herbarium specimens. We investigated patterns of DNA fragmentation and nucleotide misincorporation by analysing 86 herbarium samples spanning the last 300 years using Illumina shotgun sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates if similar genetic components drive the evolution of flowering time in both native and introduced populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.
- It reveals that key genetic variants influencing flowering time in the native range aren't under strong selection in the introduced range, suggesting different evolutionary pressures.
- Researchers identified 38 new candidate genes related to flowering time, indicating that the evolution of this trait may not rely on the same genetic variants, highlighting a potential for divergent evolution despite similar traits.
The distribution of effect sizes of adaptive substitutions has been central to evolutionary biology since the modern synthesis. Early theory proposed that because large-effect mutations have negative pleiotropic consequences, only small-effect mutations contribute to adaptation. More recent theory suggested instead that large-effect mutations could be favoured when populations are far from their adaptive peak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe goal of identifying the genes or even nucleotides underlying quantitative and adaptive traits has been characterized as the 'QTN programme' and has recently come under severe criticism. Part of the reason for this criticism is that much of the QTN programme has asserted that finding the genes and nucleotides for adaptive and quantitative traits is a fundamental goal, without explaining why it is such a hallowed goal. Here we outline motivations for the QTN programme that offer general insight, regardless of whether QTNs are of large or small effect, and that aid our understanding of the mechanistic dynamics of adaptive evolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Tropical glaciers, like the Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru, are rapidly retreating due to climate change, exposing ancient plant remains since 2002.
- Researchers conducted genetic analysis on plant remains dating back 4,576 to 5,222 years to identify the ancient species.
- They discovered five types of wetland plants that currently grow at lower elevations, suggesting a diverse ecological community existed and could potentially reestablish as ice continues to melt.