Details of Award

NERC Reference : NER/A/S/2003/00329

DNA sequence diversity within and between populations of the plant Arabidopsis lyrata.

Principal Investigator:: Professor D Charlesworth, University of Edinburgh, Inst of Evolutionary Biology
Grant held at:: University of Edinburgh, Inst of Evolutionary Biology

ENRIs:: Natural Resource Management; Biodiversity
Science Topics:: Environmental Genomics; Population Genetics/Evolution; Systematics & Taxonomy

Abstract:: The proposed work is a study of DNA sequence diversity in Arabidopsis. lyrata ssp. petraea populations over its distribution range in Europe. The aim is to obtain enough loci to determine which populations are closest to demographic equilibrium and thus suitable for comparing and testing patterns of selection using comparisons with A. thaliana. I propose adding coding sequence data from 30 loci, in addition to the small number so far surveyed, in order to get a large enough representative sample of genes, and to sequence these genes from multiple populations. Currently, different loci have been studied in different populations, so that it is unclear whether southern or northern populations are closest to equilibrium (our previous data suggest that diversity in northern populations may be inflated by introgression between former isolates of A. lyrata, but even more severe inflation may exist in southern populations, due to introgression from the related species A. halleri). In addition, I propose to sequence the same genes from several potentially suitable outgroup species (including Capsella rubella), as a basis for selecting the best outgroup to complement Brassica as a distant outgroup, and to perform comparisons with homologous A. thaliana and Brassica sequences.

Authorised funds only

This grant award has a total value of £202,277

Total - T&S	Total - Staff	Total - Other Costs	Total - Indirect Costs
£3,037	£110,555	£37,831	£50,856

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