The impact of genomic regulation in Neotropical plants adapted to environmental stress gradients: key questions of global changes

• Grant number: 24/18110-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Clarisse Palma da Silva
• Grantee: Lucas Alexandre de Souza Costa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02205-3 - The impact of regulatory elements in the genome of Amazonian ground-herb on adaptation to a waterflooding gradient: key issues of global change., AP.R

Abstract

In the riparian forests of the Amazon, the distribution of species is predominantly influenced by their tolerance to flooding. The flood gradient shapes habitats and delineates distinct types of rainforest, creating vital hydrological refuges for plants during periods of drought. However, these areas also face disturbances due to climate change. Ischnosiphon puberulus, which belongs to the Marantaceae family, occurs in different environments in the flooded forests of the Cupari River riparian zone, in the Brazilian Amazon. Evolutionary studies based on intraspecific variation are crucial for understanding processes of biological diversification and for developing conservation strategies in the face of climate change. Advances in large-scale sequencing technologies have made it possible to better understand these processes, allowing access to the genomic diversity present in a species. The team sequenced and assembled the reference genome for the species, and obtained transcriptomes from 41 naturally occurring individuals in two different types of forests in Amazonian wetlands: Igapó Forest, subject to predictable and long-lasting monomodal flood pulses, and Terra Firme forests, with short and unpredictable polymodal flood pulses. The aim of this project is to access the intraspecific genomic diversity of I. puberulus in flooded environments in order to understand the processes of adaptation and evolution of this species. The data will be used to identify genes related to adaptability to these contrasting conditions. In addition, with the aim of studying their variation and regulation in natural populations, repetitive elements (REs) of the genome will be annotated to assess their impact on genomic regulation, as their expression can be highly variable between individuals of the same species. It is expected that these studies will contribute to a deeper understanding of the diversification processes, thereby aiding in the formulation of conservation and management strategies within the context of flood environment.