Abstract
To date, Populus ranks among a few plant species with a complete
genome sequence and other highly developed genomic resources. With
the first genome sequence among all tree species, Populus has been
adopted as a suitable model organism for genomic studies in trees.
However, far from being just a model species, Populus is a key renewable
economic resource that plays a significant role in providing raw materials
for the biofuel and pulp and paper industries. Therefore, aside from
leading frontiers of basic tree molecular biology and ecological research,
Populus leads frontiers in addressing global economic challenges related
to fuel and fiber production. The latter fact suggests that research aimed
at improving quality and quantity of Populus as a raw material will likely
drive the pursuit of more targeted and deeper research in order to unlock
the economic potential tied in molecular biology processes that drive
this tree species. Advances in genome sequence-driven technologies,
such as resequencing individual genotypes, which in turn facilitates large
scale SNP discovery and identification of large scale polymorphisms are
key determinants of future success in these initiatives. In this treatise
we discuss implications of genome sequence-enable technologies on
Populus genomic and genetic studies of complex and specialized-traits.
