Project Details
Projekt
Genomische Diversität für die Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen den Klimawandel - TREEvolution II
Subject Area
Forestry
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 512413528
Genome-wide association (GWA) is a powerful tool to gain insights into the genetic basis of traits such as disease or drought resistance, especially in long-lived organisms that can only be studied as juveniles in crossing experiments. However, GWAs require high sample numbers to reach sufficient power, and often, the generality of their results remains unclear. Here, we propose an approach using the Biodiversity Exploratories to infer the generality of GWA results by studying the genetic basis of the widespread vitality loss in the European beech. We will replicate the analysis in three populations to differentiate between population-specific associations and those arising by chance from those associations with a high repeatability in the European beech populations in Germany. To this aim, we will increase the number of sequenced European beech genomes per forest EP to a total of 14, resulting in 518-546 per Exploratory (total n = 1582). In addition, we will characterize the symptoms of European beech vitality loss by crown transparency, leaf discoloration (both from ground and drone perspective), leaf chlorophyll, leaf phosphorus, and visible fungi or Phytophthora infections. This will allow us to carry out GWAs with these symptoms. Also, we will evaluate stand fragmentation status with remote sensing and assess whether the position of trees within a stand, their exposition to southwest, and their dominance status contribute to the severity of symptoms. We will use this information as covariates to improve the GWA models and to upscale crown transparency to the entire European beech stands and follow it through time using the available airborne lidar datasets. For this project, the Biodiversity Exploratories provide an excellent experimental environment, with three European beech populations sampled in a stratified random manner, including a range of forestry intensity levels within each region. Furthermore, the available environmental data for these plots and the potential collaborations with other projects working on the same plots make the Biodiversity Exploratories a unique opportunity to gain deeper insights into such complex study subjects as the European beech complex disease.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
Subproject of
SPP 1374:
Biodiversity Exploratories
Co-Investigator
Dr. Kezia Goldmann
