Prof. GUO Yalong from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences visited IHB on April 21, 2023. (Credit: IHB)

Prof. GUO Yalong from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences visited the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 21, 2023. During his visit, he delivered a lecture titled "Genetic Variation in Plant Adaptive Evolution".    

Evolutionary biology has always played a crucial role in various fields. Prof. Guo focused on three key questions during his lecture: "How do plants adapt to environmental changes?", "What are the genetic mechanisms behind adaptive evolution of key traits or characteristics?", and "How does genetic variation affect plant adaptability?" He provided examples from his research team's findings to illustrate these questions.    

Prof. Guo also emphasized the important role of transposon insertions, natural selection, and gene family contraction (pseudogenization) in regulating phenotypes.    

Prof. Guo is currently working at the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and holds a position as a professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His main research focuses on evolutionary biology.