International research team uses 1.8 billion genetic codes to reveal giant tree of life of plant DNA

Scientists have observed the parasite Pilostyles etiopica living on other plants and visible only during flowering. DNA sequencing reclassified the groups to which these plants belong. Image credit: Sidonie Bellot, RBG Kew

An international team of 279 scientists, led by Kew, published a new paper today (24 April) in the journal Nature offering new insight into The People's tree plant.

This remarkable achievement uses 1.8 billion genetic codes from more than 9,500 species, covering the names of nearly 8,000 flowering plants (about 60%), to provide information about the evolutionary history of flowers and their increasing ecological dominance of the world. new content. The authors of the

study believe the information will be useful in future attempts to identify new species, refine the classification of plants, find new medicines and save plants in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.

This major breeding project was led by Kew and involved 138 international organisations, producing 15 times more data than similar studies on the flowering plants of Life. The DNA of more than 800 of the species linked in the study had never been combined before.

The knowledge revealed by this research is so great that it would take a computer 18 years to do it. This is a major step in creating the tree of life for all 330,000 known flower gardens; This is Kew Gardens. Tree of Life A high decision. Dr Alexandre Zuntini, a researcher at

RBG Kew, said: “It is extremely difficult to analyze such large datasets to decipher the information hidden in millions of DNA sequences. But it also opens a new window into the complexity of plant evolution, providing a unique opportunity to measure and expand our knowledge of the tree of life.

The Angiosperm Tree of Life produced 15 times more information than a similar study involving more than 9,500 different flower species. Image source: RBG Kew

Unlocks plant history models for segment research

The tree of life of flowers, like our family tree, allows us to understand the relationship between different species. Just like the molecular fossil record, the tree of life is discovered by comparing the DNA sequences of different species to identify mutations that have accumulated over time.

As DNA sequencing technology advances, our understanding of the tree of life is rapidly evolving. In this study, new genomic technology was developed that can detect hundreds of genes and hundreds of thousands of letters of the genetic code from each sample compared to the previous procedure.

One of the main advantages of this team's approach is the ability to generate many old and new plants, even if their DNA is very large. The world's herbarium stockpile contains a vast collection of dried plant material, including approximately 400 million scientific plant specimens currently available for genetic research.

Using this method, the team was able to successfully process a sample of sand (Arenaria globiflora) collected in Nepal nearly 200 years ago and place it in the Tree of Life despite its weak DNA. The

team even identified extinct plants such as the Guadalupe Island olive (Hesperelaea palmeri), which had not been seen since 1875. 511 of them are in danger of extinction, including three other Hesperelaea species that are already extinct plants. Professor William Baker, Principal Investigator at

Tree of Life, said: "This new approach allows us to collaborate in many ways with previous zoologists, using the rich record of historical herbarium specimens, some of which have been collected as early as

." Our predecessors failed to see that these samples were so important in today's genome research. Even DNA had not been discovered during their lifetime!

"Our work shows how important these botanical museums are for the study of life on Earth. Who knew other scientific methods were not available? What's in them?"

More than 3,400 of the 9,506 species listed were obtained from material obtained from 163 herbariums in 48 countries. Additional materials from collections around the world (such as DNA banks, genes, genetic material) will be important in collecting and providing new information important to the historical evolution of flowering plants. The team also drew from published data on more than 1,900 species, highlighting the value of open science for future genome research. Chapter

Uncovering Darwin's disgusting mystery

Individual flowers make up 90% of all known plant life on land and can be found almost everywhere on earth, from the rainiest places to the rocks of the Antarctic Peninsula. But our understanding of how these plants could be controlled so quickly after their emergence has influenced generations of scientists, including Charles Darwin.

Flowering plants appeared more than 140 million years ago and have since replaced other vascular plants, including their close relatives the gymnosperms (non-flowering plants with seeds such as cycads, conifers, and ginkgo).

Darwin was surprised by the sudden emergence of diversity in the fossil record. In an 1879 letter to his close friend Joseph Dalton Hooker, director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, he wrote: "The rapid growth of all higher plants in geological time is not very long. This is, as far as we can judge, an incredible fact."

Using 200 fossils, the authors measured trees of life over time and showed how vegetation changed during different geological periods. They found that there was an explosion in diversity of early-blooming plants, with more than 80 percent of the major organisms existing today appearing shortly after their arrival.

However, this trend decreased at a steady rate over the next 100 million years until biodiversity increased again about 40 million years ago with the decline in global temperature. These new insights would have pleased Darwin and will certainly help today's scientists face the challenge of understanding how and why species diversify.

truly global collaboration

The collection of such a living tree would not have been possible without the collaboration of Kew scientists with many partners around the world. A total of 279 authors representing 138 organizations from 27 countries participated in the research. These include the Genomics of Australian Plants (GAP) consortium, a leading technology group that is working closely with Kew Gardens to increase the number of Australian plant species in trees. Dr Mabel Lum,

Bioplatforms Australia and GAP Alliance Project Manager, said: “We are proud to be a key partner and partner in RBG Kew's efforts to build a global research network to advance our understanding of the fruits of this productive life. The collaboration underscores our commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration in scientific research and provides a springboard for future discoveries that will help us understand the natural world for many generations.

Alstonia spectabilis, an important medicinal plant for the native Teton people, has been grown successfully for the first time. Image source: RBG Kew Chapter

Take care of the tree of life

The tree of life has great potential for biodiversity research. Therefore, just as the nature of things can be predicted by their position in time, an animal's position on the tree of life allows us to bid for its goods. New knowledge is therefore invaluable for progress in various fields of science and beyond.

To achieve this aim, the tree and all supporting information will be published and made available free of charge to the public and the scientific community (for example, through the Kew Tree of Life Explorer). The authors of the study believe that this open access is important for the freedom of scientific knowledge worldwide.

Open access will also help scientists make the most of these data; For example, it will combine this data with artificial intelligence to predict which plants may contain molecules with therapeutic potential. Similarly, the Tree of Life can be used to better understand and predict how pests and diseases will affect the UK flora in the future. Finally, the authors note that the use of these data will be guided by the expertise of the researchers receiving them. Dr Peters, senior research director at

RBG Kew, who was not an author of the study but will use the data in his research. Melanie-Jayne Howes said: “Phytochemicals have inspired many medicines but still have great potential. The challenge is knowing what research to do when looking for new drugs in California. 330,000 types of flowers.

“At Kew we are using artificial intelligence to predict which plant species have the potential to treat fever. In plants.

The new tree of life reclassifies the family and genus Ophiopogonaceae, a small tree with unusual fruits. Photo credit: Danilo Tandon

Characteristics of Flowers on the Tree of Life Published in

due to wild goat: Hesperelaea palmeri, also known as Guadalupe Island olive (olivo de la Isla de Guadalupe). The sequenced plant specimens from Kew were collected in 1875 by physician Edward Palmer on Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico. It is a tree belonging to the olive family (Oleaceae) that has become extinct due to overgrazing by non-native goats.

The next oldest model: Arenaria Globiflora, also known as Nepal sand grass. Listed by Nathaniel Wallich from plants collected at Kew in 1829. These best examples come from Himalayan plants that grow at altitudes above 3,600 m.

Parasitic plant family mystery solved: Pilostyles etiopica, a member of the Apodanthaceae family. Sequencing of tissues collected in Zimbabwe in 2012 by Sidonie Bellot of Kew. These strange insects live on the branches of other plants and are only visible when they bloom. It turns out that the plant, which was previously thought to be related to pumpkins and begonias (Cucurbitales), belongs to the Malpighiales order.

Reclassification of exotic tropical trees: Medusanthera laxiflora, a member of the pale yellow beech family (Fagaceae). The ranking is based on Kew Herbarium specimens collected in New Guinea, Indonesia, in 1993. The new tree of life reclassifies its genera and families in a new order.

Bamboo from Hooker's Himalayan expedition in the 1850s: Cephalostachum capitum, a member of the grass family (Poaceae). The ranking is based on botanical specimens collected in India in 1850 by Joseph Hooker, the second director of RBG Kew, and his friend Thomas Thomson.

First medicinal plant: Alstonia spectabilis, also known as Kroti methane, from the Tetons. The ranking is based on Kew Herbarium specimens collected in Papua New Guinea in 1954. Its DNA has never been processed before, although it is useful in treating malaria and was an important source of wood for the Teton people in West Timor.