The aim is to sequence the genomes of a closely related pair of C3 and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species of Yucca (Asparagaceae). While CAM has been studied for over four decades, little is known about the genetic molecular mechanisms regulating this adaptive photosynthetic pathway. Whereas over 35 independent transitions from C3 to CAM have been described in flowering plants, the evolutionary steps involved in this transition are unknown.
Proposer: Karolina Heyduk, University of Georgia