Jazmin Ramos Madrigal

Plant domestication allowed the rise of complex societies. Large efforts have been made to understand the evolutionary processes behind plant domestication. However, a key aspect of plant domestication remains mainly unexplored: the role of the root microbiome. In this project, we will use legumes to study the coevolution of the plant-root microbiome interaction throughout the domestication process. As legumes recruit beneficial soil bacteria into specialised root structures, they provide and ideal contained system to study the plants and their microbiomes jointly through time. Using modern and ancient genomes, we will study wild and domesticated plants and their root microbes, characterise their domestication history, identify selection signatures correlating with changes in root microbial diversity, identify co-dispersion patterns, and develop an integrative model for plant domestication. By reconstructing the evolutionary history of plants’ beneficial associations with microbes, we will contribute to drawing a blueprint for replicating solutions evolution came up with, ultimately bringing us closer to robust sustainable agriculture.