Study reveals potato's secret tomato heritage
Turns out one helped create the other: Natural interbreeding between wild tomatoes and potato-like plants in South America gave rise to the modern day spud around nine million years ago, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Cell.
Co-author Loren Rieseberg, a professor at the University of British Columbia, told AFP the findings point to a "profound shift" in evolutionary biology, as scientists increasingly recognize the role of ancient hybridization events in shaping the Tree of Life.
While it was once thought that random mutations were by far the biggest driver of new species, "we now agree that the creative role of hybridization has been underestimated," he said.
Simple, affordable and versatile, the humble potato is now one of the world's most important crops. But its origins have long puzzled scientists.
Modern potato plants closely resemble three species from Chile known as Etuberosum. However, these plants do not produce tubers -- the large underground structures, like those found in potatoes and yams, that store nutrients and are the parts we eat.
On the other hand, genetic analysis has revealed a surprising closeness to tomatoes.
"This is known as discordance, and indicates something interesting is going on!" co-author Sandra Knapp, a research botanist at Britain's Natural History Museum, told AFP.
To solve the mystery, an international team of researchers analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 wild potato species.
Lead author Zhiyang Zhang, of the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, said in a statement: "Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analysed."
- 'Wow' moment -
The analysis revealed that modern potatoes carry a balanced genetic legacy from two ancestral species -- roughly 60 percent from Etuberosum and 40 percent from tomatoes.
"My wow moment was when the Chinese team showed that ALL potatoes, wild species as well as land races, had basically the same proportion of tomato genes and Etuberosum genes," said Knapp.
"That really points to an ancient hybridization event rather than various events of gene exchange later on," she added. "It is so clear cut! Beautiful."
One gene called SP6A, a signal for tuberization, came from the tomato lineage. But it only enabled tuber formation when paired with the IT1 gene from Etuberosum, which controls underground stem growth.
The divergence between Etuberosum and tomatoes is thought to have begun 14 million years ago -- possibly due to off-target pollination by insects -- and completed nine million years ago.
This evolutionary event coincided with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountain range, providing ideal conditions for the emergence of tuber-bearing plants that could store nutrients underground.
Another key feature of tubers is their ability to reproduce asexually, sprouting new buds without the need for seeds or pollination -- a trait that helped them spread across South America, and through later human exchange, around the globe.
Co-author Sanwen Huang, a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, told AFP that his lab is now working on a new hybrid potato that can be reproduced by seeds to accelerate breeding.
This study suggests that using the tomato "as a chassis of synthetic biology" is a promising route for creating this new potato, he said.
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
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Researchers figure out what's caused devastating sea star epidemic
A study published Monday offers clarity on a more than decade-long marine mystery: What has been killing the velvety sunflower sea star? In 2013, something began ravaging sea stars along the West Coast, turning them into decaying, fragmented carcasses. Over the next few years, the wasting disease (SSWD) killed billions of animals along the shore, transforming entire marine ecosystems. A network of researchers formed to focus on recovery. One species was hit especially hard: Pycnopodia helianthoides, more commonly known as the sunflower sea star. Scientists estimate the global population plummeted by 94% since 2013. California alone lost about 99% of its sunflower sea stars. For over a decade, nobody knew what was responsible. In their paper in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers have now identified the culprit behind the devastating epidemic — and with it, a path forward for restoration. 'This was a big deal for us,' said Alyssa Gehman, a marine disease ecologist at Hakai Institute and the University of British Columbia and senior author on the study. 'When we started these experiments, I knew we would learn more, but I honestly wasn't convinced we would actually find the causative agent of disease.' The breakthrough came during a routine meeting between Gehman and two collaborators, Grace Crandall and Melanie Prentice. They had recently tested whether heat-treated coelomic fluid — the internal body fluid of a sea star — could still trigger the disease when injected into a healthy sea star. When it didn't, and the injected sea stars stayed healthy, it confirmed that the disease was being caused by something that was alive. To find out what that "something" was, the team turned to a set of techniques that reveals which genes are being expressed by what microorganisms. When they compared healthy and infected animals, one group consistently stood out—the Vibrios, a type of bacteria commonly found in marine environments. Knowing there are many Vibrios, the researchers were curious whether the wasting sickness could be tied to one in particular. Prentice ran the species-level analysis, and the result floored them. 'The whole list was Vibrio pectinocida. And it was in all of our six stars and it was in none of our controls,' Gehman said. It was "mind-blowingly clear" that this bacteria was causing the disease, she said. For California's kelp forests, and the conservation groups trying to save them, this news is a major turning point. Sunflower sea stars are considered a keystone species, meaning they are critical in regulating the stability and diversity of their ecosystems. One of their most important roles is controlling purple sea urchin populations, a species with a notoriously voracious appetite. 'They can mow down a kelp forest and then actually remain in that ecosystem without a food source,' said Prentice, a marine biologist and study co-author. 'They enter almost like a zombie state until the kelp regrows, and then they eradicate it again.' Sunflower sea stars used to prey on the urchins, keeping them in check. But when wasting disease effectively wiped out their main predator, the sea urchins exploded in number, decimating kelp forests and transforming once-lush underwater habitats into so-called 'urchin barrens.' 'Kelp forests are the most important ecosystem on our coast because they house over 800 species of animals,' said Nancy Caruso, marine biologist and founder of the nonprofit Get Inspired. 'Essentially, they're the condos and apartment complexes of the animals that live on our coastline. When they disappear, the animals have no place to live.' Kelp forests also filter water, store carbon, and protect coastal communities from storms and erosion, making them an ally in addressing climate change, Prentice said. Since the 2013 outbreak, areas like Northern California have lost more than 95% of their kelp forest cover. Several sites are still considered ecological collapse zones. Some scientists trying to recover sunflower sea stars see the finding as a strong guide for future research — and efforts to boost the decimated keystone species. For example, it could help address concerns California wildlife officials have had that stars bred in captivity might have the disease and carry it into wild waters if they are moved, conservationists said. Prentice is currently developing something similar to a COVID rapid test that could help screen animals and seawater for the presence of Vibrio pectinocida before they're introduced into the ocean. That beats the cumbersome process of monitoring them to make sure they're healthy enough to be released. 'That's going to be powerful not just for research, but for management,' she said. 'Now we can actually test animals before we move them, or test the water at a potential outplanting site and say, is this a good place for reintroduction?' Researchers also plan to investigate whether certain stars are resistant to the disease, opening the door to breeding animals that are more resilient. Could exposing them to a low dose of the disease do the trick? Already there have been promising strides in conservation. Starting in 2019, Jason Hodin, a senior research scientist at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, spearheaded an effort to see if the hefty stars could be raised in captivity. They could, and the success paved the way for a network of scientists trying to recover the species. 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'It sharpens our focus on what it might take to reintroduce these animals in a way that is thoughtful, informed, and sustainable,' said Johnathan Casey, the aquarium's curator of fish and invertebrates. 'With each new piece of the puzzle, we feel we're getting closer to a future where sunflower stars can once again thrive along our coastline.' Sunflower sea stars used to be everywhere — on sand, rocks, kelp beds, and seagrass beds. For Gehman, that's the point. She hopes the findings help people realize that even the most abundant species can disappear very quickly. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Warner wrote in an X post on Friday that 'many questions remain.' post of the day THE FUTURE IN 5 LINKS Stay in touch with the whole team: Aaron Mak (amak@ Mohar Chatterjee (mchatterjee@ Steve Heuser (sheuser@ Nate Robson (nrobson@ and Daniella Cheslow (dcheslow@
Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
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Researchers figure out what's caused devastating sea star epidemic
A study published Monday offers long-awaited clarity on a more than decade-long marine mystery: What has been killing the sunflower sea star? In 2013, something began ravaging sea stars along the West Coast, turning them into decaying, fragmented carcasses. Over the next few years, the wasting disease (SSWD) killed billions of animals along the shore, transforming entire marine ecosystems. One species was hit especially hard: Pycnopodia helianthoides, more commonly known as the sunflower sea star. Scientists estimate the global population plummeted by 94% since 2013. California alone lost about 99% of its sunflower sea stars. For over a decade, nobody knew what was responsible. In their paper in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers have now identified the culprit behind the devastating epidemic — and with it, a path forward for restoration. 'This was a big deal for us,' said Alyssa Gehman, a marine disease ecologist at Hakai Institute and the University of British Columbia and senior author on the study. 'When we started these experiments, I knew we would learn more, but I honestly wasn't convinced we would actually find the causative agent of disease.' The breakthrough came during a routine meeting between Gehman and two collaborators, Grace Crandall and Melanie Prentice. They had recently tested whether heat-treated coelomic fluid — the internal body fluid of a sea star — could still trigger the disease when injected into a healthy sea star. When the injected sea stars stayed healthy, it confirmed that the disease was being caused by something that was alive. To find out what that 'something' was, the team turned to a set of techniques that reveals which genes are being expressed by what microorganisms. When they compared healthy and infected animals, one group consistently stood out—the Vibrios, a type of bacteria commonly found in marine environments. Knowing there are many Vibrios, the researchers were curious whether the wasting sickness could be tied to one in particular. Prentice ran the species-level analysis, and the result floored them. 'The whole list was Vibrio pectinocida. And it was in all of our six stars and it was in none of our controls,' Gehman said. It was 'mind-blowingly clear' that this bacteria was causing the disease, she said. For California's kelp forests, and the conservation groups trying to save them, this news is a major turning point. Sunflower sea stars are considered a keystone species, meaning they are critical in regulating the stability and diversity of their ecosystems. One of their most important roles is controlling purple sea urchin populations, a species with a notoriously voracious appetite. 'They can mow down a kelp forest and then actually remain in that ecosystem without a food source,' said Prentice, a marine biologist and study co-author. 'They enter almost like a zombie state until the kelp regrows — and then they eradicate it again.' Sunflower sea stars used to prey on the urchins, keeping their population in check. However, when wasting disease effectively wiped out their main predator, the sea urchins exploded in number, decimating kelp forests and transforming once-lush underwater habitats into so-called 'urchin barrens.' 'Kelp forests are the most important ecosystem on our coast because they house over 800 species of animals,' said Nancy Caruso, marine biologist and founder of the nonprofit Get Inspired. 'Essentially, they're the condos and apartment complexes of the animals that live on our coastline — and when they disappear, they have no place to live.' Kelp forests also filter water, store carbon, and protect coastal communities from storms and erosion, making them, as Prentice described, 'an ally in our fight against the climate crisis.' Since the 2013 outbreak, areas like Northern California have lost more than 95% of their kelp forest cover. Several sites are still considered ecological collapse zones. Researchers say recovery can now be more targeted. Prentice is currently developing a diagnostic test similar to a COVID rapid test, which could help screen animals and seawater for the presence of Vibrio pectinocida before conservationists reintroduce sea stars into the wild. 'That's going to be powerful not just for research, but for management,' she said. 'Now we can actually test animals before we move them — or test the water at a potential outplanting site and say, is this a good place for reintroduction?' Other teams are looking at breeding disease-resistant sea stars. Surviving populations may have natural immunity, which could help shape more resilient captive-rearing programs. At the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which cares for some of the surviving sunflower stars, the new findings could help reshape priorities. 'It sharpens our focus on what it might take to reintroduce these animals in a way that is thoughtful, informed, and sustainable,' said Johnathan Casey, the aquarium's curator of fish and invertebrates. 'With each new piece of the puzzle, we feel we're getting closer to a future where sunflower stars can once again thrive along our coastline.' Sunflower sea stars used to be everywhere — on sand, rocks, kelp beds, and seagrass beds. For Gehman, that's the point. She hopes the findings help people realize that even the most abundant species can disappear very quickly.
