Pelargonium CAM genome project
Investigating the genetic basis of CAM in southern African Pelargonium species.
Pelargonium, “wild geraniums” or “Pellies,” are economically important ornamental plants native to arid southern Africa. By comparing the genomes of multiple Pelargonium species, we are describing the genetic elements responsible for Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), an adaptation that increases drought resilience by enhancing the water use efficiency of photosynthesis. Dissecting the recent emergence of CAM in Pelargonium will, for the first time, illuminate critical steps in CAM evolution and facilitate the genetic engineering of CAM into other systems, while providing a model for the evolution of plant stress responses.
Funding:
- Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute Community Science Award for New Investigators: The genomics of rapidly evolving CAM photosynthesis in Pelargonium (2025 – 2028)
- Collaborators: Dr. Robert VanBuren (MSU), Dr. Karolina Heyduk (UCONN), Dr. Cynthia Jones (UCONN)
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