Whole Genome Resequencing Provides Insights into Adaptation through De-Domestication in Weedy Rice (Oryza sativa)

Weedy strains of rice (Oryza sativa L.) have evolved multiple times in different world regions from different domesticated varieties and wild relatives. De-domestication has played a major role in this process, and the independent evolution of weed strains from different cultivated ancestors provides opportunities to examine the relative roles of shared vs. different genetic mechanisms in this process. Recent insights into the origins and adaptive evolution of US and Asian weed strains are discussed based on whole genome sequencing, comparative QTL mapping and candidate gene analysis. The morphological similarity of weedy rice strains around the world belies a complexity of different ancestries and distinct genetic architectures underlying weediness traits. In regions of Southeast Asia where wild Oryza populations occur, wild-to-weed introgression further contributes to the dynamics of weedy rice evolution.