Announced originally on June 1, 2017 by President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Markel also sponsored a MOPGA- German Research Initiative program in Germany. Our collaborative project on the "Genomics and Epigenomics of Plant Invasion” with Professor Oliver Bossdorf (U Tübingen) and Professors Bo Li and Ji Yang (Fudan University in China) was one of the 13 grants awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The project will use genomics to understand how one of the world’s most invasive species, Japanese knotweed, is able to tolerate diverse environmental challenges. The research will span four years, starting in 2019 and ending in 2022 (see http://www.cas.usf.edu/news/s/853/).
Ecological genetics and genomics
Evolutionary ecophysiology in native and invasive plants.
Understanding how plants are able to respond to natural selection in stressful environments requires an understanding of which ecological factors are important, the physiology that underlies response to environment and the genetic basis of that response. We investigate the importance of phenotypic plasticity and natural selection on response to native and invasive habitats.
Ecological genomics and systems biology in model and non-model plant systems. We use RT-PCR, microarray and next gen sequencing technologies to compare genome wide gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana and non-model plants in controlled and natural conditions. Understanding the emergent properties inherent to genome function requires an integrated approach of data from all levels of biology. We are using systems biology to more fully address the question of how organisms respond to environment by incorporating real field settings and experimental manipulation of relevant environmental factors.
Ecological epigenetics
Epigenetics in model, native and invasive species. We use bisulfite sequencing and experimental approaches to identify epigenetic effects. Invasive species are able to adapt to novel, sometimes stressful environments with limited genetic variation or through hybridization, so epigenetic mechanisms could provide an important source of phenotypic variation. Similarly, native salt marsh plants may adjust quickly to stressful changes with epigenetic mechanisms.