Resurrecting ancestral gene networks in duckweed

Duckweed is a family of small aquatic plants, and over the course of evolution there have been genome duplications but also a loss of structural complexity, including a loss of root growth. Auxin is a key plant hormone involved in many developmental processes, such as organogenesis. In the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, root development relies on AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 5/MONOPTEROS (ARF5/MP). The ancestral rooted duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza has an orthologue of MP, whereas the more recently derived, rootless duckweed Wolffia australiana lacks an orthologue of MP. This project focuses on understanding how duckweeds respond to auxin and resurrecting auxin signaling gene networks using bioinformatics, transcriptomics, and genetic transformation.