The resilience of black spruce explained by its genome

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Researchers, including from Laval University, have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the black spruce. (Archive photo)

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Black spruce trees, including those in the Ragueneau sector on the North Shore, are at the heart of an important scientific advance as researchers from three universities have succeeded in completely sequencing the genome of this conifer.

< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">Scientists have sequenced 18 billion base pairs of DNA to decode the black spruce genome. We are talking about a genome six times longer than the human genome, marvels one of the authors of the study in an interview withBoréale 138, Jean Bousquet.

Sequencing is a bit like drawing a road map of genes and finding out what they do, explains the professor in the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences at Laval University.

We now know the black spruce much better.BROADCAST HERE PREMIÈRE.Boréale 138.

We now know much better about the black spruce

BROADCAST HERE PREMIÈREBoréale 138

Listen to the audio (We now know the black spruce much better. 8 minutes 50 seconds)

This achievement allowed researchers to identify 35,000 genes that are specific to the species. The details were published in the scientific journal G3 Genesm Genomes and Genetics.

A genome is the set of genes that are contained in the chromosomes of an organism.

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Shooting leaves one dead and around twenty injured at Super Bowl parade -4 hnvfyV”>From a drop of DNA that scientists extracted from black spruce buds or needles, they obtain the genomic profile of each individual. The idea is to identify thousands of trees, including some in Ragueneau, and select around thirty per region, summarizes the professor.Open in full screen mode

Jean Bousquet is a professor at Laval University and is one of the researchers who sequenced the black spruce genome. (Archive photo)

By targeting genes and their properties, researchers can more effectively select black spruce trees that will be most able to adapt to climate change, in the future, depending on the regions where they will be planted for reforestation purposes.

The black spruce is the conifer with the greatest spectrum of ecological adaptation in North America, says Mr. Bousquet. The conifer also has a very wide distribution on the continent. And some of its genes are linked to resistance mechanisms against diseases or heat.

On the North Shore, notes Jean Bousquet, the climate is drier. On the contrary, we record a more humid climate in Gaspésie, he says. The professor indicates that black spruce trees that are resilient to drought and temperature rises will need to be planted in the region.

The Great Seed Orchard ;black spruce, located in Ragueneau, cultivates seeds intended for reforestation. Researchers and the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources have identified, using the seeds, the subjects that will produce the best seeds for the region.

Instead of waiting to plant 10,000 trees and waiting 40 years to evaluate them, it saves us time. It takes about 60 years for a black spruce to grow, says Mr. Bousquet.

We can use this information to better manage our forests.

A quote from Jean Bousquet, professor in the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences at Laval University

The Ministry of Forests and Natural Resources will choose the seeds whose genomic profile appears to be the best based on the climate of the region in order to produce seed plans. black spruce intended for reforestation.

In Quebec, approximately 70 million black spruce plants are planted each year, including more than 10 million on the North Shore, according to researcher Jean Bousquet.

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