Desert transcriptomics: assessing the genetic basis of adaptation to aridity in desert dwellers (B07)

• Subject Area: Plant Genetics and Genomics
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 268236062

The subproject investigates the genetic basis of desert plants of the family Loasaceae. Our genome and transcriptome-based analyses found several desert species specific candidate genes, which will provide a baseline in the upcoming funding period. A correlation of gene expression patterns of Huidobria chilensis from the Atacama Desert with their population structure and our RNASeq analyses revealed transcriptomic patterns related to the plant individual’s environment, e.g., substrate composition. Preliminary major and trace element analyses of surrounding Atacama soil and H. chilensis plant material from controlled cultivations hint at an influence of the genotype on nutrient uptake by the plant - specifically with regards to the potential interplay of nutrient element accumulation and environmental drought stress tolerances of desert plants.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1211: Earth - Evolution at the Dry Limit
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Co-Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr. Julia Bechteler; Professor Dr. Dietmar Quandt; Professor Dr. Thomas Wiehe