Does genome size affect plant water-use? - Ecophysiology & phenology in Cape Schoenoid sedges

I presented the core findings of work I've done during the first year of my MSc. I'd like to acknowledge and thank all the funding received for this project (logos on the coverslide). Please see the abstract for this oral presentation here. I won the Southern African Society for Systematic Biology (SASSB) Best MSc Presentation, at the 45th Joint SAAB-AMA-SASSB Congress for this presentation (a three-way tie with Zaynab Shaik (University of Cape Town/South African National Biodiversity Institute) and Devon Main (University of Johanneseburg)). This presentation was created using "rmarkdown", an open source R-package for document preparation, using the beamer presentation output option.

Transcript

1. Does genome size affect plant water-use? Ecophysiology & phenology in Cape Schoenoid sedges @rvanmazijk Ruan van Mazijk Supervised by A/Prof A.M. Muasya, A/Prof A.G. West & A/Prof G.A. Verboom Tetraria involucrata, Observer’s Peak, South Africa, 2018 © Ruan van Mazijk
3. – Homo sapiens: 2,900 Mbp
4. – Homo sapiens: 2,900 Mbp ਿ  – Genlisea tuberosa: 63.4 Mbp
5. – Homo sapiens: 2,900 Mbp ਿ  – Genlisea tuberosa: 63.4 Mbp ੎   – Paris japonica: 150,000 Mbp
6. – Homo sapiens: 2,900 Mbp ਿ  – Genlisea tuberosa: 63.4 Mbp ੎   – Paris japonica: 150,000 Mbp
7. Why? Different kinds of genome size evolution
8. Why? Different kinds of genome size evolution – Small changes – Nucleotides – Genes
9. Why? Different kinds of genome size evolution – Small changes – Nucleotides – Genes – Large changes – Chromosomes – The whole genome ݂ Polyploidisation
10. Does this matter? – The genome is the instruction manual
11. Does this matter? – The genome is the instruction manual – What about the length of the instruction manual?
12. Does this matter? – The genome is the instruction manual – What about the length of the instruction manual? – “Nucleotypic” effects
15. Plant water use Soil ݂ Roots ݂ Xylem ݂ Stomata ݂ Atmosphere – size – density – opening/closure ݂ All affected by cell size
16. Does genome size affect1 plant hydraulic function? 1(or at the very least covary with)
17. The Cape Schoenoid sedges – Tribe Schoeneae, Cyperaceae (sedges) – Major component of fynbos
18. The Cape Schoenoid sedges – Tribe Schoeneae, Cyperaceae (sedges) – Major component of fynbos – Represented in the CFR by Schoenus & Tetraria
19. The Cape Schoenoid sedges – Tribe Schoeneae, Cyperaceae (sedges) – Major component of fynbos – Represented in the CFR by Schoenus & Tetraria – Large vs small genomes
20. S. compar T. thermalis
21. Shifting taxonomy – C.B. CLarke, Flora Capensis 1800s – M. Levyns 1950s – UCT today1 2000s–present 1A.M. Muasya, G.A. Verboom, T.L. Elliott et al.
22. Shifting taxonomy cont. – In the beginning, there was Tetraria… 1800s 1T. cernua (= E. cernua)
23. Shifting taxonomy cont. – In the beginning, there was Tetraria… 1800s – ݋ Epischoenus 1950s 1T. cernua (= E. cernua)
24. Shifting taxonomy cont. – In the beginning, there was Tetraria… 1800s – ݋ Epischoenus 1950s – A genus divided… 2000s – Ca. half of Tetraria ݂ Schoenus – Neotypification of T. thermalis – All of Epischoenus embedded in Schoenus – … except one Epischoenus sp.1 in Tetraria! 1T. cernua (= E. cernua)
27. – Flow cytometry ݂ genome size – SEM ݂ stomatal morphology
28. S. pictus T. bromoides
38. Genome size ݂ ecology? Bigger, “clumsier” stomata ݂
39. Genome size ݂ ecology? Bigger, “clumsier” stomata ݂ – Ecophysiology—wastes water? WUE (ᅮφϯӸ)
40. Genome size ݂ ecology? Bigger, “clumsier” stomata ݂ – Ecophysiology—wastes water? WUE (ᅮφϯӸ) – Habitat? ? – Flowering & growth timing? WIP (A proper tree…)
41. Genome size ݂ How plants work & where they live
42. Thank you! Tetraria ustulata, Marloth NR, WC, SA