Evolutionary Genetics and Plant Physiology

How can plant cope with continuously changing environment as a sessile organism? What evolutionary histories did shape the current variable traits of each plant? We approach these questions in evolution by various approaches, from the viewpoint of genetics, ecology, physiology, bioinformatics and so on.

Among many factors affecting evolution, our main focus is to elucidate how polyploidization have contributed to generating the diversity in the history of life, by merging multiple genomes with distinct characters. We put emphasis on the studies both lab experiment in vitro and filed experiment in natura to reveal how they adapt to the location genetically and epigenetically, and consider how it is achieved by polyploidization.

Head of group: Dr. Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi

Research themes

• Molecular mechanism of adaptive radiation through polyploidization
• Evolution of polyploid genome after polyploidization event
• Role of epigenetics in evolution/adaptation