Pine Genomic Signatures of Resiliency to MPB

The ability of MPB to continue spreading north and east through Canada depends, in part, on the genes of the host that provide different levels of defence against attack. Previous work in the TRIA-Net collaboration has identified several genomic regions under selection at the leading edge of the population expansion. This project will identify the functional significance of these regions, to improve understanding and management of future spread of MPB.

Objectives

1. Determine if lodgeole pine pines that survived the MPB hyper-epidemic in central BC have a genetic makeup that differentiates them from MPB killed lodgepole pines from the same stands
2. Determine if MPB-attacked lodgepole and lodgepole x jack pine hybrids at the leading edge of the outbreak have a genetic makeup that differentiates them from un-attacked trees in the same stands
3. Identify genomic signatures that distinguish lodgepole pine in historic and novel MPB habitats and determine if a subset of these signatures are shared with the genomic signatures of MPB resilience and susceptibility identified in Objectives 1 and 2 and / or associated with environmental variables that help differentiate historic and novel MPB habitats.