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Evolutionary History Of The Angiosperm Npf1 Gene Subfamily: Duplications, Retention And Functional Implications For Root Symbioses And Development, Giovanna Sassi
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
ABSTRACT
The success of land plants can be attributed to the evolution of beneficial associations between plant roots and soil microbes. Root-microbe mutualisms extend the range of plant nutrient acquisition delivered through the hyphal network of mycorrhiza, an ancient and widespread plant symbiosis, or by the more recent adaptive innovation of nitrogen-fixing nodule symbioses. A plant’s genetic toolkit governs its selection of beneficial symbionts and the developmental extent of these intimate interactions. However, the evolutionary origins and function for only a few symbiotic signaling components have been explored. The central aim of this dissertation is to resolve the evolutionary events …