Birch Genomics

About the project

Betula pubescens Ehrh. (mountain birch) is the only forest-forming tree in Iceland. Since human settlement (874 AD), the continuous 25,000-30,000 km2 forest has shrunk to 1.200 km2 of fragmented patches, making it a good object to study population genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation and disturbance. Further, genetic studies have also shown that hybridization between the tetraploid (2n=56) B. pubescens and the diploid (2n=28) Betula nana L. (dwarf birch) occurs among Iceland’s natural populations. This project assesses the genetic variation within and among birch forests remaining across Iceland. Information on the distribution of genetic variation of birch in Iceland is essential for its conservation and to establish genotype-phenotype associations to predict responses to new environmental conditions imposed by climate change and novel biotic/abiotic stressors.

  1. Population structure and genetic variation of fragmented mountain birch forests in Iceland.
  2. The colonization of downy birch in early succession at Skeiðarársandur south of Vatnajökull, origin traced with help of genetics.
  3. Whole genome sequencing of Mountain birch Betula pubescens.

Keywords: Conservation genomics, Population genetics, NGS, WGS, SNP

Funded by Rannsóknarsjóður Háskólans á Akureyri (1,3), Náttúruverndarsjóður Pálma Jónssonar (1,3) and RANNIS grant nr. 173688-051 (2)

  • Kristinn Pétur Magnússon, Professor of molecular genetics
  • Faculty of Resource Sciences, University of Akureyri and specialist at Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Akureyri Iceland

Collaborators

  • Pawel Wasowicz, Botanist at Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Akureyri, Iceland
  • Starri Heiðmarsson, Botanist at Náttúrustofu Norðurlands Vestra, Sauðárkrókur Iceland
  • Snæbjörn Pálsson, Professor of population biology at University of Iceland, Reykjavík Iceland
  • Þóra Ellen Þórhallsdóttir, Professor of plant ecology at University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
  • Krístín Svavarsdóttir, Plant ecologist at The Soil Conservation Service of Iceland (SCSI), Iceland

Publications

Snæbjörn Pálsson, Pawel Wasowicz, Starri Heiðmarsson and Kristinn Pétur Magnússon. Population structure and genetic variation of fragmented mountain birch forests in Iceland, Journal of Heredity, 2022;, esac062.

K.P. Magnússon, S. Pálsson, Þ.E. Þórhallsdóttir and K. Svavarsdóttir, 2020. The search for the origin of the nascent birch forest on Skeiðarársandur: genetic comparison with the neighboring birch woodlands south of Vatnajökull. Veggspjald kynnt á norrænu vistfræðiráðstefnunni, 4th Conference on the Nordic Society Oikos, 3.–5. mars 2020, Reykjavík.

Kristinn P. Magnússon, 2019. The colonization of downy birch (Betula pubescens) in early succession at Skeiðarársandur south of Vatnajökull is originated from Skaftafell. Erindi flutt á VISTÍS, ráðstefnu Vistfræðifélags Íslands, Hólum í Hjaltadal, 29.–30. apríl 2019.

Umfjöllun um verkefnið í Landanum á RÚV 24. september 2017.

Viðtal við Kristinn P. Magnússon í Landanum á RÚV 30. mars 2020.