Population Genomics of Plant Species

This chapter addresses fundamental questions in population genomics and molecular evolution of plants and their domesticated relatives. We review the evolutionary forces that shape genetic diversity within and among species and highlight recent exceptional examples from the literature to illustrate how whole genome sequencing of entire populations of plant genomes has accelerated the pace of discovery of the mechanisms of plant genome evolution. Throughout the chapter, we emphasize the role of mating system and population size in plant genome evolution and discuss why plant genomes frequently show limited evidence of adaptation and display features that are inconsistent with simple models of linked selection. We close by highlighting recent studies that illustrate a range of discoveries enabled by sequencing of populations of plant genomes.