Seminar “Understanding evolution and domestication through genome dynamics”

Seminars “Understanding evolution and domestication through genome dynamics”. Taught by Dr. Aureliano Bombarely (Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, IBMCP, UPV-CSIC, Valencia). For Thursday, December 12 at 12:00h, in the Assembly Hall of the Institute of Bioengineering Campus of Elche of the University Miguel Hernández (UMH).

Plant domestication is a fascinating topic with hundreds of questions waiting to be answered with new genomic tools. My research interests focus on the genomic changes produced in plant species during domestication, from the selection of genes with desirable traits to the events that shape the genome of these plants, such as polyploidy, hybridizations, introgressions, transposon activation and genomic rearrangements, and how these processes translate into the amazing phenotypic diversity we can find today.

Furthermore, this approach not only provides a deeper understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms that gave rise to modern crop diversity, but also allows us to identify new strategies to improve agricultural productivity and disease resistance, two key aspects to address the global challenges of food security and climate change. Research in this field has the potential to reveal how plants have responded to human and environmental selection pressures over time, and how we can use this knowledge to design more efficient and sustainable crops.