The Genomics of Wood Formation in Angiosperm Trees

Abstract

Advances in genomic science have enabled comparative approaches that can evaluate the evolution of genes and mechanisms underlying phenotypic traits relevant to angiosperm forest trees. Wood formation is an excellent subject for com- parative genomics, as it is an ancestral trait for angiosperms and has undergone significant modification in different angiosperm lineages. This chapter discusses some of the traits associated with wood formation, what is currently known about the genes and mechanisms regulating these traits, and how comparative evolution- ary genomic studies can be undertaken to provide more comprehensive views of the evolution and development of wood formation in angiosperms.