Background Massively parallel sequencing of cDNA is now an efficient route for generating
enormous sequence collections that represent expressed genes. This approach provides a …

Background In today's age of genomic discovery, no attempt has been made to
comprehensively sequence a gymnosperm genome. The largest genus in the coniferous …

Background Genome evolution in the gymnosperm lineage of seed plants has given rise to
many of the most complex and largest plant genomes, however the elements involved are …

The conifers are a diverse and ancient group of seed plants of monophyletic origin that
arose more than 300 million years ago (Rothwell and Scheckler 1988). They are uniformly …

Background Polyploidization is a major evolutionary process in plants where hybridization
and chromosome doubling induce enormous genomic stress and can generate genetic and …

The family Pinaceae is made up mostly of diploid species (2 n= 24). Systematization of
karyotype analysis was developed to make comparison of intra-and interspecific karyotypes …

Background Pinus sylvestris, P. mugo, P. uliginosa and P. uncinata are closely related but
phenotypically and ecologically very distinct European pine species providing an excellent …

Despite their prevalence and importance, the genome sequences of loblolly pine, Norway
spruce, and white spruce, three ecologically and economically important conifer species, are …

The economic and ecological importance of forest trees, as well as their unique biological
features, has recently raised the level of interest in studies on their genomes, including …

Genetic and epigenetic modifications resulting from different genomes adjusting to a
common nuclear environment have been observed in polyploids. Sequence restructuring …