Polyploidy is a mechanism that multiplies the chromosomal content of an organism, a process that is particularly important in plants. Approximately 70% of all plants have a polyploid origin, and major crops like wheat and cotton owe their agricultural productivity to recent polyploid events. Little is known, however, about the evolutionary fate of polyploid genes, and this is a broad gap in our understanding of plant genetics. This study focuses on genetic variation in Zea perennis, a polyploid that is a close relative of maize (corn). The goals of the study are to: i) measure genetic variation in polyploid genes, ii) analyze the pattern of genetic variation to determine the population forces acting on duplicated genes, and iii) determine whether the polyploid process occurred once or multiple times. Genetic variation will be measured by sequencing DNA of 3 genes from 30 individuals representing Zea perennis and its presumed ancestor, Z. diploperennis. The data from this project will be analyzed with data from previous studies of maize and other wild relatives.
As the first study of its kind, the proposed work has the potential to provide unique and general insights into a broad array of issues, such as the way polyploids form, the mode of inheritance of polyploid genes, and the relative importance of evolutionary processes like recombination, mutation and natural selection in shaping genetic diversity in a polyploid.
H:popbioabstractsfy19999815855 (Gaut abstract)
