Date Palm Evolutionary Genomics

Understanding natural variation within and between species is important to comprehend how species evolve and adapt to various environments. We are studying the genomic diversity of date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) and its wild relatives to understand its domestication and evolution, and to identify genes that may help in breeding and trait improvement. Some projects include studies of population genomics, genetic mapping, comparative genomics of Phoenix species, ancient DNA studies, and ethnobotany.

Learn more about Michael Purugganan's Lab.