Population genomic analysis reveals domestication of cultivated rye from weedy rye

Rye(Secale cereale)is an important crop with multiple uses and a valuable genetic resource for wheat breeding.However,due to its complex genome and outcrossing nature,the origin of cultivated rye remains elusive.The geneticist N.I.Vavilov proposed that cultivated rye had been domesticated from weedy rye,rather than directly from wild species like other crops.Unraveling the domestication history of rye will extend our understanding of crop evolution and upend our inherent understanding of agricultural weeds.To this end,in this study we generated the 8.5 Tb of whole-genome resequencing data from 116 worldwide accessions of wild,weedy,and cultivated rye,and demonstrated that cultivated rye was domesticated directly from weedy relatives with a similar but enhanced genomic selection by humans.We found that a repertoire of genes that experienced artificial selection is associated with important agronomic traits,including shattering,grain yield,and disease resistance.Furthermore,we identified a composite introgression in cultivated rye from the wild perennial Secale strictum and detected a 2-Mb introgressed fragment containing a candidate ammonium transporter gene with potential effect on the grain yield and plant growth of rye.Taken together,our findings unravel the domestication history of cultivated rye,suggest that interspecific introgression serves as one of the likely causes of obscure species taxonomy of the genus Secale,and provide an important resource for future rye and wheat breeding.

Atmospheric Structure Observed over the Antarctic Plateau and Its Response to a Prominent Blocking High Event

Studies on the atmospheric structure over the Antarctic Plateau are important for better understanding the weather and climate systems of polar regions.In the summer of 2017,an observational experiment was conducted at Dome-A,the highest station in Antarctica,with a total of 32 profiles obtained from global positioning system(GPS)radiosondes.Based on observational data,the atmospheric temperature,humidity,and wind structures and their variations are investigated,and compared with those from four other stations inside the Antarctic circle.Distinguished thermal and dynamic structures were revealed over Dome-A,characterized by the lowest temperature,the highest tropopause,the largest lapse rate,and the most frequent temperature and humidity inversion.During the experiment,a prominent blocking event was identified,with great influence on the atmospheric structure over Dome-A.The blocking high produced a strong anticyclone that brought warm and moist air to the hinterland of the Antarctic Plateau,causing a much warmer,wetter,and windier troposphere over the Dome-A station.Meanwhile,a polar air mass was forced out of the Antarctic,formed a cold surge extending as far as southern New Zealand and affected the weather there.Our results proved that there would be a direct interaction between the atmosphere over the hinterland of the Antarctic Plateau and mid latitudes with the action of a blocking high.Further studies are needed to explore the interaction between the atmospheric systems over the Antarctic and mid latitudes under intense synoptic disturbance,with longterm data and numerical modeling.