Tomato genetics study sheds light on plant evolution

Scientists have created a study in which tomatoes are genetically modified. This study so far has help shed light on plant evolution as a whole.

"The vast biodiversity we observed in tomato species was not the result of simply one evolutionary or environmental factor. It is the result of a complex set of genetic resources that we can distinguish with large-scale genomic data," said Pease, who joined the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

The research that was done may contribute to future studies and efforts to create better crops. These better crops could be more bug resistant and even more cold or hot resistant depending on the weather. These would be made by crossbreeding and not be genetically modifying them.

The tomato can adapt rapidly to ecological change, in which the scientists have found three major genetic strategies that support how it can adapt so quickly. These genetic strategies are: the recruitment of genes from a common ancestral pool, the trading of genes between species through a form of natural crossbreeding called intogression, and the rapid accumulation of new genetic mutations. Or, in other words, diversity from their ancestors, trading genes between species, and new evolutionary changes.