In the frame of the the EXOTICA project, Nathalie Rodde, Robin Schwartz and Stéphane Cauet, have collected plant materials in the Massane forest, guided by Joseph Garrigue, its curator and Moaine El Baidouri ( UMR 5096 - CNRS/UPVD), the project leader.

Funded by the ANR, the EXOTICA project aims to identify horizontal transfers of nuclear DNA between plants.

One of the tasks of the project is to characterize the existing horizontal transfers within a panel of species that grow in close contact in the natural state in the preserved ecosystem of the Massane forest, a natural reserve located in the South of France.

The strategy relies on the production of high quality assembled genomes for this set of plant species to detect horizontal exchanges of genetic material using bioanalysis methods.

In the project, the CNRGV takes over steps of in situ plant sampling, DNA extractions and assembly of 12 high-quality genomes. For this, we will assemble Hifi sequencing data (PacBio) and optical maps (Bionano) produced at CNRGV.

The EXOTICA project, with its wide scope, will allow major advances in the knowledge on the frequency, evolutionary impact and mechanisms of horizontal transfers in plants.