The effect of introgressive hybridization on stress responses in Poplars
Conference Year
2023
Abstract
Our rapidly changing climate has resulted in a variety of consequences, yet there are currently limited studies that directly link phenotypic variations with fitness effects. This study aims to investigate the transferability of useful genes between related species of Populus through hybridization by performing a cross between parental generations to directly connect stress tolerance genes and phenotype. Interestingly, admixed plants with higher percentages of P. balsamifera ancestry were more sensitive to heat and drought, suggesting that these genes may not be beneficial under stress conditions. Next steps involve conducting molecular work using PCR to determine if the plants of higher fitness inherited specific candidate genes from their parents.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Stephen Keller
Graduate Student Mentors
Baxter Worthing
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Second Student College
Patrick Leahy Honors College
Program/Major
Environmental Sciences
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
The effect of introgressive hybridization on stress responses in Poplars
Our rapidly changing climate has resulted in a variety of consequences, yet there are currently limited studies that directly link phenotypic variations with fitness effects. This study aims to investigate the transferability of useful genes between related species of Populus through hybridization by performing a cross between parental generations to directly connect stress tolerance genes and phenotype. Interestingly, admixed plants with higher percentages of P. balsamifera ancestry were more sensitive to heat and drought, suggesting that these genes may not be beneficial under stress conditions. Next steps involve conducting molecular work using PCR to determine if the plants of higher fitness inherited specific candidate genes from their parents.