Dr. Jessica Abbott
Biological and related sciences , Evolutionary biology, Evolutionary genetics
Agriculture, Biological and related sciences
Genetics, Plant Breeding
Polyploidy, hybridization, speciation, evolution, cytogenetics, crop improvement
Grants
DFG – "Recreating Genomically Stable Rapeseed", 2017 – 2020
DFG Emmy Noether – "Hybrid Speciation in Brassica", 2015 – 2019
Australia-India Strategic Research Fund: Biotechnology – "Creating a new Brassica crop species for food and biofuel", 2013 – 2016
University of Queensland Early Career Researcher Award – "Evolution of species through chromosome change", 2013 – 2013
Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (ARC DECRA): "New Brassica crop species through evolutionary breeding", 2012 – 2014
CASS Foundation Travel grant, 2013
AAS – France-Australia Science Innovation Collaboration (FASIC) Program Early Career Fellowships, 2012
Grains Research and Development Council (GRDC) Travel Award, 2012
Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship, 2010
School of Plant Biology Postgraduate Conference prize for best student presentation, 2009
Convocation Postgraduate Travel Award, 2009
Mike Carroll Travelling Fellowship, 2008
Canola Breeders Western Australia (CBWA) prize for best student presentation, 2007
Value Added Wheat CRC 4th year/Honours student prize, 2006
English, German
Mirzaghaderi G., Mason A.S. (2017) Revisiting pivotal-differential genome evolution in wheat. Trends in Plant Science https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2017.06.003
Mason A.S., Batley J. (2015) Creating new interspecific hybrid and polyploid crops. Trends in Biotechnology 33 (8), 436-441
Mason A.S., Pires J.C. (2015) Unreduced gametes: meiotic mishap or evolutionary mechanism? Trends in Genetics 31 (1), 5-10
Allohexaploid Brassica
Although the Brassica genus contains both diploid (2n = 2x; one set of chromosomes/genome) and allotetraploid (2n = 4x; two sets of chromosomes/genomes) species, no naturally occurring three-genome allohexaploid exists. We aim to synthesise novel allohexaploid Brassica genotypes and investigate genome stability and fertility in these lines. A new allohexaploid Brassica crop will hopefully demonstrate improved hybrid vigour and adaptability, allowing incorporation of useful traits from all six cultivated Brassica diploid and allotetraploid species.
Hybrid speciation
Presence or absence of additional chromosomes (aneuploidy) is a phenomenon found to be increasingly common in nature. We are interested in whether aneuploidy can lead to speciation, or at least formation of new, stable karyotypes in Brassica. Chromosome and allele inheritance in different populations of novel interspecific hybrid types are being tracked across generations to determine what role aneuploidy may play in hybrid speciation in Brassica, or if new, stable genomes can be established over time.
Recreating genomically stable rapeseed
In order to increase genetic diversity in highly inbred crop rapeseed (Brassica napus), a common method is to “recreate” this species by making new hybrids between rapeseed progenitor species B. rapa and B. oleracea. However, these hybrids also have unstable genomes due to poor control of meiosis, and lose chromosomes, and hence essential genetic information for plant growth and fertility, from generation to generation. The reason for this genome instability is unknown, particularly since “natural” B. napus is genomically stable. We aim to investigate genomic stability in a large set of human-made hybrid rapeseed genotypes using high-throughput marker genotyping, fertility phenotyping and cytogenetics. Identification of the mechanism/s of genomic stability in B. napus will not only provide fascinating insights into the evolutionary history of this species, but will be immediately useful for informing and assisting in transfer of useful genetic diversity into rapeseed.
Press releases (Australia)
Quinton, S. ‘‘Super canola seen as key to tougher crops” (25th Nov 2009) The West Australian, pg. 44
Celenza, L. “It’s all in the genes” (13th August 2009) Countryman, pg. 21
Cant, B. “Eight of the best in agricultural research” (16th of July 2009), Farm Weekly pg. 18
In Short: “Fellowship awarded” (23rd of April 2009) Stock Journal, pg. 21
“Super Brassica findings” (20th of April 2009) Country News, pg. 18
“Super scholar for brassica crop gene research” (19th of March 2009), Farm Weekly pg. 16
“Mason’s super brassica design takes her to France” (10th of March 2009), Albany Advertiser pg. 5
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Biological and related sciences , Evolutionary biology, Evolutionary genetics
Biological and related sciences , Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Microscopy
Biological and related sciences , Molecular biology, molecular microbiology, biochemistry, membrane protein biochemistry
Biological and related sciences , Environment, Plant Ecology, Conservation Biology, Landscape Genomics