Omics in Forest Trees Ecology and Its Applications to Genetic Resources Conservation and Breeding

Dear Colleagues,

Genome diversity is the result of complex interplay between demographic history and adaptation to ever-changing environments. Forests are particularly affected by rapid climatic changes because of the longevity and low migration ability of their keystone tree species. Understanding the relationships between the (epi)-genomic level and higher levels of organization (e.g., RNA and macro-phenotype) with the environment is of paramount importance in order to understand, or even predict and anticipate, the impact of environmental change on forest trees and therefore protect the resource they represent.

In the last decade, the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has opened a wealth of new perspectives with both theoretical and practical implications. To name a few, it is now possible to i) quantify genome-wide responses to natural selection, ii) describe the genetic architecture of adaptations and, to some extent, iii) predict population/species responses to climate change based on current genetic diversity. The identification of conservation units and conservation strategies is now informed by genetic data, and genomic selection and phenotypic predictions are widely used in tree breeding programs. In this issue, we welcome studies investigating such questions using -omics data (e.g., SNPs, structural variants, epigenetics, RNA), possibly coupled with phenotypic or ecological data. Simulation, modeling-based, and methods-focused studies are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Pascal Milesi
Guest Editor

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