To help understand the genetic basis for sphagnum growth and decomposition critical to predicting the eco- system response to climate change, researchers produced high-quality reference genomes for two Sphagnum species – Sphagnum fallax and S. magellanicum . In addition to diving into the moss genomes, the team is also interested in how microbial symbiotes living with the mosses in the peat bogs react to warming tempera- tures. Recent publications presented results related to how bacteria that colonize the roots of sphagnum work to transfer their thermotolerance abilities to the moss 4, 5 . This capacity to survive elevated temperatures that would normally kill the moss may explain how these carbon sink environments can continue to hold onto their carbon, despite global warming. By gaining a better understanding of the symbiotic relationship between sphagnum and microbes, the team can help better predict the implications of climate warm- ing on the peatlands. Identifying the plant genes that allow sphagnum to benefit from microbes could allow research- ers to genetically survey peatlands and determine their level of climate risk. This genetic information could also translate into other systems, like bioenergy feedstocks, to help impart climate resilience through symbiotic relationships with microbial ecosystems in the soil. ■
Jane Grimwood, PhD, is a faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Loretta Purdy Spencer Chair in Genomics, and a co-director of the HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center.
Jeremy Schmutz is a faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and co-director of the HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center. Jeremy also leads HudsonAlpha’s bi-annual spring CROPS confer- ence that brings together thought leaders in crop improvement.
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