What is plant molecular diversity – �and why study it?��Meredith C. Schuman (Merry)�meredithchristine.schuman@uzh.ch��Spatial Genetics�Departments of Geography and Chemistry�University of Zurich
Schneider et al. 2017 Nature Communications
NSF
BII
Molecular diversity is biodiversity through a molecular lens.
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What is plant molecular diversity –
and why study it?
Metabolites
Genetic (DNA, RNA)
Proteins
Plant trait space
External
Resources (nutrients, water)
NH4+
NO3-
Molecular diversity encodes important information.
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What is plant molecular diversity –
and why study it?
Zu et al. 2020 Science; Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve (Wikipedia, Aedrake09)
Chamela-Cuixmala
Biosphere Reserve
We need to scale up our access to that information...
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What is plant molecular diversity –
and why study it?
Swiss Re Institute 2020; image: Schneider et al. 2017 Nature Communications
We lack “available global datasets at a resolution consistent with other ecosystem services”
(square m to square km, 20-60 y)
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A collaborative interdisciplinary team:
Spatial Genetics + Remotely Sensing Ecological Genomics
Cheng Li
Genotype-spectral phenotype mapping
Camilla Stefanini
F. sylvatica population genetics
Dr. Marylaure de la Harpe
Fagus ecological genomics
… with excellent internal and external collaborators
Ewa Czyż
F. sylvatica genetic and spectral diversity
Prof. Michael E. Schaepman
Remote Sensing
Prof. Bernhard Schmid Biodiversity
Dr. Felix Morsdorf
Biodiversity monitoring via LiDAR and spectroscopy
Isabelle Helfenstein
Sensing biodiversity across scales
Zhaoju Zheng
Individual- and pixel-based biodiversity
Julia Joswig
Global plant trait distributions
Nemish Murawat
Deep learning spectroscopy and genetics
Prof. Meredith C. Schuman
Spatial Genetics
Jakob Lang
Spatial chemical ecology in crop systems
Dr. Blanka Bucsella
Analytical method development
Dr. Pengjuan Zu
Information ecology