Genome-Scale Phylogeny of Sagebrush Leaf Associated Fungi
Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Leonora Bittleston (Mentor), Boise State University
Abstract
Finding where organisms fit in the evolutionary tree of life can be a challenging task. Historically, the most informative qualities used to infer relationships between living things were visible characteristics that could be compared to determine relationships between specimens. As genetic sequencing has become more accessible, specific regions of DNA that are both highly conserved and variable can be amplified and compared to a similar end. However, finding these short and specific DNA regions for groups of organisms can be difficult and may not tell us the entire evolutionary story. The sequencing and assembly of complete genomes is becoming more common and we can now compare them in their entirety. The Bittleston Lab at Boise State University has sequenced the genomes of eight fungi isolated from Sagebrush(Artemisia tridentata) leaves collected at the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed in the Boise foothills. We can now explore the evolutionary history of these Sagebrush-associated microbes by comparing their genomes to publicly available genomes of related fungi.
Genome-Scale Phylogeny of Sagebrush Leaf Associated Fungi
Finding where organisms fit in the evolutionary tree of life can be a challenging task. Historically, the most informative qualities used to infer relationships between living things were visible characteristics that could be compared to determine relationships between specimens. As genetic sequencing has become more accessible, specific regions of DNA that are both highly conserved and variable can be amplified and compared to a similar end. However, finding these short and specific DNA regions for groups of organisms can be difficult and may not tell us the entire evolutionary story. The sequencing and assembly of complete genomes is becoming more common and we can now compare them in their entirety. The Bittleston Lab at Boise State University has sequenced the genomes of eight fungi isolated from Sagebrush(Artemisia tridentata) leaves collected at the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed in the Boise foothills. We can now explore the evolutionary history of these Sagebrush-associated microbes by comparing their genomes to publicly available genomes of related fungi.