POLYPLOIDY & ADAPTATION
Genomics of Extreme Adaptation in Polyploids
A. lyrata habitat
photo credit to Nikita Tichomirov
Siberian Arabidopsis lyrata growing at MPIPZ
Tetraploid Australian burrowing frog Neobatrachus sudellae
photo credit to Stephen Mahony
Arabidopsis lyrata at Lena river bank
photo credit to Nikita Tichomirov
Diploid Australian burrowing frog Neobatrachus pictus; the reference genome for Neobatrachus genus
photo credit to Stephen Mahony
Research
Polyploid organisms have more than two sets of chromosomes as a result of a whole-genome duplication or a whole-genome hybridization. Polyploidy is often associated with extreme environments, where it can be triggered by external stress and in case of a successful establishment, can provide an adaptive advantage in harsh conditions. At the same time, the establishment of polyploid populations includes cellular adaptation to another extreme condition — polyploidy itself. We study the interplay between adaptation and polyploidy to understand molecular mechanisms of adaptation to doubled genomes, genomic and organismal consequences of polyploidization, and its ecological importance.
