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The
Rhododendron genome and chromosomal
organization provide insight into shared whole
genome duplications across the heath family
(Ericaceae) by
Valerie L. Soza, Dale Lindsley, Adam Waalkes,
Elizabeth Ramage, Rupali P. Patwardhan, Joshua N.
Burton, Andrew Adey, Akash Kumar, Ruolan Qiu, Jay
Shendure, and Benjamin Hall
Soza and colleagues have assembled the first
chromosome-scale genome for Rhododendron
using R. williamsianum. This genome
assembly verified the 13 chromosomes previously
observed in the genus and identified genes that
occur along each chromosome. Using this
information, they found evidence for two whole
genome duplications (WGDs) within the
Rhododendron genome. In some cases, a
block of genes on one chromosome had up to 5
copies of this region on other chromosomes. Other
publicly available genomes from close and distant
relatives were used to estimate the timing of
these WGDs. By comparing the R.
williamsianum genome to other plant genomes,
they found that these two WGDs are ancient, shared
WGDs. The five copies of chromosomal segments
identified in R. williamsianum
corroborate that these WGDs likely resulted from a
known tripling event that occurred approximately
120 mya and, more recently, from a known doubling
event that occurred around 85 mya. Evidence of
ancient WGDs in plants is increasingly being
discovered and tied to the creation of new genes
that were important for the evolution of major
plant groups. Knowledge of the DNA sequence and
genes and their chromosomal location will
facilitate future studies of this horticulturally
important and morphologically diverse genus.
Click HERE
to read the full article.
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Reproductive phenology
of Himalayan Rhododendron
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Reproductive
Phenology of Himalayan Rhododendrons: Influence of
abiotic, biotic factors and
evolutionary historyby Shweta
Basnett Plant's phenology events are
considered to be highly plastic due to their
flexible response to environmental cues and have
therefore gained importance in the context of
climate change. However, a high variation in
flowering time among species occupying similar
environments indicates that phenological responses
may be additionally mediated by pollination. For
my doctoral thesis, I tested the role of abiotic,
biotic factors and evolutionary history on the
reproductive phenology traits of ten
Rhododendron species in the Sikkim,
Himalaya. Budding, flowering, and initial
fruiting, which occurred during the early
favorable month of the year, exhibited a strong
phylogenetic signal. In contrast, mature fruiting,
and fruit dehiscence, which occurred during the
months of harsh weather over the year were more
associated with the abiotic factor. Lower
elevation species with longer corolla length and
higher nectar volume were visited more by birds
and high elevation species with higher nectar
concentration and shorter corolla length was
associated with bumblebee and flies visits. Along
the elevation, an increase in flowering
segregation and pollinator's similarity was also
observed. Overall, my study illustrates a complex
interplay of abiotic, biotic and evolutionary
history in determining the reproductive phenology
of Rhododendrons along the elevation
gradient. Currently, I am looking out for a
Postdoctoral position to further advance my
interests in plant-pollinator interactions and
phenology. Click HERE
to read the full article, or contact Dr.
Basnett directly at mailto:shweta.basnett@atree.org?subject=Your%20article%20in%20the%20R-RN%20Newsletter |
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ARS 2020 - Abstract
deadline extended to March 1,
2020
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Present
your Rhododendron Research at
the American Rhododendron Society 75th Anniversary
Convention April 29 - May 3 2020, hosted by the
Portland Oregon Chapter. The R-RN is
hosting a poster session, Saturday May 2nd from
2-5 pm. Submit your poster abstract by March 1,
2020 to be included, space limited. Other
activities of interest to researchers will
include: oral presentations in subject areas
ranging from horticulture and conservation to
genetics and evolution, field trips to local
Rhododendron hot-spots, and R-RN working group to
discuss collaborative grants and experiments, as
well as a variety of opportunities to meet and
collaborate with specialists from a
across disciplines working in
Rhododendron. For more information about
research-related activities at the ARS 2020
meeting, please contact Juliana Medeiros
(jmedeiros@holdenfg.org). Click HERE
for poster abstract submission instructions.
Click HERE to
view the Conference
Webpage. |
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ARS Research Foundation
proposals due March 1,
2020
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The Research Committee
of the Research Foundation of the American
Rhododendron Society invites proposals, due March
1, 2020.
The Committee accepts proposals
for both basic and applied studies, with
particular interest in projects that comport value
for Rhododendron growers, including but not
limited to: genetics, physiology, ecology,
conservation, breeding, propagation, and
systematics.
Funding for research is
provided by the ARS Research Foundation. Since
1976 over 150 awards have been made, representing
a substantial contribution to the body of
knowledge on Rhododendron.
Click HERE
to learn more about this funding program and
access the submission forms.
Also,
please consider supporting our ongoing commitment
to research:
Become
an ARS member or Make
a donation
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Research
HighlightA Global Conservation
Consortium for RhododendronImage: Rhododendron
adenosum is extinct in the
wild, but this Joseph Rock 1929
introduction is still growing at Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh, and now in the GCCR
micropropagation pipeline.
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Established in 2018,
the Global Conservation Consortium for
Rhododendron (GCCR) is one of the four Global
Conservation Consortia established so far by BGCI.
These consortia have specialist knowledge of
particular genera that are technically challenging
to conserve and manage.
Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh along with 16 institutions from
13 countries formed the GCCR after an initial
meeting in Oaks Springs in early 2018. The
consortia currently includes botanic gardens with
diverse Rhododendron collections in Europe, the
USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, along with
botanical institutions in the centres of
Rhododendron diversity in China, India, Nepal,
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. We are working
together to achieve the following objectives:
- Establish
and foster a network of experts
- Identify
and prioritise species of greatest conservation
concern
- Establish
and manage coordinated ex situ collections of
high conservation value
- Undertake
and facilitate applied research (e.g.
conservation biology, population genetics,
population structure, taxonomy)
- Ensure
that threatened species are conserved in
situ
- Build
capacity to empower and mobilise in-country
partners in diversity centers
- Increase
public awareness and
engagement
Click HERE to learn more about the
micropropagation techniques being used in this
project as described in Davidson, N. (2019).
Micropropagation of Heritage Rhododendron
Collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Sibbaldia: The Journal of Botanic Garden
Horticulture, (17), 189-200.
For more
information, please Contact Alan Elliott,
Biodiversity Conservation Network Manager, Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh, aelliott@rbge.org.uk,
Twitter: @alan_ellliott
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Dr.
Emily Gillespie appointed as R-RN
representative | | |
The R-RN Steering
committee has appointed Dr. Emily Gillespie as the
new representative for International
Scientists.
This position is focused on
building connections and improving communication
within the Rhododendron research community, and
Dr. Gillespie is excited to start connecting
researchers across the globe. Her first efforts
will be focused on expanding our contact list to
include more researchers.
Dr. Gillespie is
an Assistant Professor and Curator of the Friesner
Herbarium at Butler University, where her lab
group focuses on investigating evolutionary
relationships among species within Ericaceae,
especially Rhododendron. Dr. Gillespie uses
molecular techniques and population genetics to
interpret morphological traits and understand
recent speciation events.
Click HERE
to learn more about Dr. Gillespie's research.
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Steering
Committee approves 2020 Action
Items | | |
2020 promises to be a
busy year for members of the Rhododendron Research
Network, as we implement Action Items approved by
the Steering Committee in the following key
areas.
Research Resources:
Building on efforts in 2019 to identify existing
on-line research resources, we are taking the
first steps toward developing an online tool for
searching Rhododendron genomes and adding
links to other on-line resources on the R-RN web
site. In addition, we will work to identify
potential funding sources for R-RN
activities.
Conferences and
networking: To address
the challenges in connecting the
global Rhododendron research community, we
will embark on several projects aimed at
facilitating communication, including: identifying
new contacts for our mailing list and
investigating ways to engage mailing list members,
creating online chat capabilities and a blog page
on the R-RN web site for members, increasing
the visibility and engagement of the R-RN
through Twitter, and organizing an R-RN poster
session and working group discussions at the
American Rhododendron Society 2020
Convention.
Integrating R-RN
activities into the American Rhododendron Society
(ARS): Our parent organization, ARS,
brings together Rhododendron enthusiasts from all
professions and walks of life, giving R-RN members
a chance to share their research both with other
Rhododendron scientists and a highly engaged
public audience. In support of this,
we invite R-RN network members to submit
articles aimed at a public audience to the
Journal of the American Rhododendron Society (to
submit articles, contact Editor Glen Jamieson, arseditor@ars.org).
Visit
the R-RN Webpage to learn more
about network governance.
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Advance
and inspire your research and collaborations on
Rhododendron | | |
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Submit Your Newsletter Items
Submit your news
items by June 15 to be included in the July
edition.
Jobs,
grants, publications, collaborative
projects, or any news about
Rhododendron research, to: Juliana
Medeiros,
jmedeiros@holdenfg.org
You
are invited to share this newsletter
via email or social
media: |
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