Biodiversity Genomics
A main focus of our group is to understand how large chromosomal rearrangements that lead to changes in chromosome numbers evolve and how they might impact speciation. For this we focus on species that have holocentric chromosomes, i.e. chromosomes that lack a centromere. Holocentricity has repeatedly evolved in animals and plants in some of the most diverse branches of the tree of life such as the sedge family Cyperaceae and the order Lepidoptera. Holocentric chromosomes are especially interesting because large chromosomal rearrangements may be more likely to be retained in the first place.
Our group combines comparative genomics with phylogenomic approaches to decipher the genomic architecture of chromosomal rearrangements and understand their evolutionary impacts both at a micro- and macroevolutionary scale. Our aim is also to understand the epigenomic architecture that underlies chromosomal rearrangements in holocentric species. For this we study both butterflies and sedges of the genus Carex.
Prof. Dr. Kay Luzek
University of Neuchâtel
Institute of Biology
2000 Neuchâtel
Phone: +41 32 718 3010