Evolution and Adaptation of Wild Emmer Wheat Populations to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses.
The genetic bottlenecks associated with plant domestication and subsequent selection in man-made agroecosystems have limited the genetic diversity of modern crops and increased their vulnerability to environmental stresses. Wild emmer wheat, the tetraploid progenitor of domesticated wheat, distributed along a wide range of ecogeographical conditions in the Fertile Crescent, has valuable "left behind" adaptive diversity to multiple diseases and environmental stresses. The biotic and abiotic stress responses are conferred by series of genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control complex resistance pathways. The study of genetic diversity, genomic organization, expression profiles, protein structure and function of biotic and abiotic stress-resistance genes, and QTLs could shed light on the evolutionary history and adaptation mechanisms of wild emmer populations for their natural habitats. The continuous evolution and adaptation of wild emmer to the changing environment provide novel solutions that can contribute to safeguarding food for the rapidly growing human population.
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Lin
L
Huang
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Dina
D
Raats
The Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
Hanan
H
Sela
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Valentina
V
Klymiuk
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Gabriel
G
Lidzbarsky
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Lihua
L
Feng
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Tamar
T
Krugman
Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; email: fahima@research.haifa.ac.il.
Tzion
T
Fahima
D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D005075:Biological Evolution; D014644:Genetic Variation; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
environmental tolerances; genetic resources; genomics tools; wheat progenitor