Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
Short read sequencing in studies of natural variation and adaptation
Ben Hunter1, Kevin M Wright, Kirsten Bomblies
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Today's high throughput sequencing approaches, coupled with equally revolutionary advances in bioinformatics, allow us to describe and analyze genomes in unprecedented detail. Short Read Sequencing (SRS) approaches have been especially instrumental in bringing genomic analysis to a wide range of questions and species in plant biology. We can now connect genotypes and phenotypes with greater efficiency, and investigate the molecular basis of natural variation and adaptation in a genomic framework. New and creative applications of SRS and other genomic approaches are not only reshaping how we study natural variation, but also our overall understanding of gene and genome evolution. Here we discuss examples of the application of SRS technologies to the characterization of genetic diversity, genome evolution and adaptation in plants.
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