Paleogenomics: reconstruction of plant evolutionary trajectories from modern and ancient DNA

How contemporary plant genomesoriginated and evolved is a fascinating question. One approach uses reference genomesfrom extant species to reconstruct the sequence and structure of their common ancestors over deep timescales. A second approach focuses on the direct identification of genomic changes at a shorter timescale by sequencing ancient DNApreserved in subfossilremains. Merged within the nascent field of paleogenomics, these complementary approaches provide insights into the evolutionary forces that shaped the organization and regulation of modern genomes and open novel perspectives in fostering genetic gainin breeding programsand establishing tools to predict future population changes in response to anthropogenic pressure and global warming.