Long-read sequencing of wild Populus trichocarpa, P. balsamifera, and their hybrids
We are using natural hybrids of two wide-ranging sister species, Populus trichocarpa and P. balsamifera, as a model to understand how structural variation (SV) leads to trait variation and possibly hybrid vigor/incompatibility. We sampled the parental taxa and hybrids across six east-west transects arrayed across 15 degrees of latitude, and sequenced a subset of 40 with HiFi long-reads. Our analyses of these data are expected to enhance our understanding of the relationship among SVs, introgression and fitness across environments.