Research

Portrait photo of Kathryn Robinson

Aspen (Populus tremula) is a pioneer tree, distributed in cool climatic zones throughout northern Eurasia. The species exhibits vast natural genetic variation in growth, morphology, phenology, phytochemistry and biotic interactions, and is an ideal tool to examine the genetic basis of ecological traits and their genotype x environment interactions.

The genus Populus, to which aspen belongs, is a model in forest tree research with a mature genome sequence and rich genetic resources. High heritability in morphological, biochemical and herbivore community traits has been identified in aspen. Together with my colleagues at UPSC, I am researching the genetic basis of variation in a wide range of complex traits, i.e. those that are controlled by multiple genetic loci, and a small number of traits controlled by few, major effect loci.

Aspen is a common tree on the Swedish landsape. Its leaves have a characteristic tremble owing to biomechanical traits including flattened petioles that enable them to flutter in the slightest breeze. In terms of reproductive mechanisms, aspen is able to self-propagate vegetatively by means of root suckers, enabling the formation of genetically identical clonal stands. Aspen also reproduces sexually; pollen can travel hundreds of kilometers and gives rise to high genetic diversity within the species. The seeds have a cotton-like appearance and are transported by wind and have a short viability. Aspen has desirable properties for wood products, including potential as a bioenergy crop. Aspen has further potential in phytoremediation and landscape restoration projects. 

Larvae of the lesser willow sawfly, Nematus pavidus, feeding on aspen leavesThe lesser willow sawfly, Nematus pavidus, can cause extensive damage to aspen plantations. Here is it pictured feeding on aspen at Våxtorp, Halland. (Photo: K. Robinson.)

As a keystone species, aspen forms part of the diet of large and small herbivores alike, from moose to mites. Its decaying wood is host to a diverse fauna and fungi/epiflora, and its living canopy sustains many morphs of herbivorous arthropods. The leaves and bark contain high concentrations of specialised metabolites including salicinoid phenolic glycosides (SPGs) and condensed tannins. Although these chemicals deter many generalist herbivores from ovipositing on and consuming the foliage, some specialist herbivores have evolved tolerance of these compounds and are able, instead of finding the SPGs toxic, to use them in their own defence against predators. Other aspen defences against herbivores include leaf trichomes and extra-floral nectaries at the leaf-petiole junction that exude nectar to encourage ants to guard the tree against herbivores such as aphids.

Arthropods feeding on aspen have devised different uses of the leaf tissue as camouflage, shelters for larvae and safe homes for eggs; thus it is common to see single or multiple leaves rolled into cigar-shapes or cone-shapes, toughened gall structures on the leaf or petiole, or serpentine mines formed under the epidermis by insect larvae. Larger herbivores feeding on aspen include voles, hares, and numerous cervids. It is understood that SPGs are also involved in resistance to other biotic stressors (e.g. fungi, bacterial cankers), and may act as protection against UV radiation or other abiotic stresses. Identifying patterns of evolutionary selection shaping the high diversity and varied composition of these metabolites is central to our investigations. In the first instance we are working to identify possible selective pressures.

Flushing aspen budsSpring bud flush date is a highly heritable trait in aspen (Photo: N. Street).
Ants and aphids on a contorted aspen leaf Ants and aphids on a leaf contorted by aphid damage (Photo: K. Robinson).
Galls on the petiole of an aspen treeThe midge larva Contarinia petioli induces characteristic galls on the petiole (Photo: K. Robinson).

Our primary study tool is the Swedish Aspen (SwAsp) Collection, a collection of 116 aspen genotypes collected from 12 populations across Sweden from latitudes between approximately 56°N and 66°N. We have collected data from the original wild trees comprising this collection but the main focus is to study these genotypes in two common gardens, where each genotype has been clonally replicated. Using genome-wide association mapping, phenotype data, metabolomics and detailed greenhouse experiments, we seek to examine genetic loci underlying major or complex phenotypic traits ranging from spring phenology to leaf anatomy, from stem growth to specialised metabolism, from interactions with individual arthropod herbivores to the herbivore community, and fungal diseases such as leaf rust and stem blight. 

A further tool is the Umeå Aspen collection (UmAsp), a collection of wild aspens growing within an hour's drive of Umeå, now cloned and growing in two replicated field trials, one near the coast and one inland, in addition to an F1 population produced from two UmAsp parent trees. Through the study of UmAsp using GWAS and the F1 using quantitative trait loci (QTL) we aim to identify causal variants for many phenotypes occurring in wild trees without the constraints of geographic influences, particularly the latitudinal gradients driving important traits such as growth rates, seasonal canopy duration and autumn senescence.

Further to studying Swedish accessions, we are investigating biogeographical variation in aspen leaf morphology and specialised metabolites, using a new collection of samples from northern Europe and Asia.  Additional projects include selection and field testing (together with collaborators at SLU Alnarp) of the highest-yielding 'elite' genotypes from the SwAsp collection, and assessments of genetically modified aspens in the context of natural variation. In addition to research, I curate our aspen collections/data in the field, in vitro, and in silico. Contact me for additional information about the SwAsp and UmAsp collections. 

The larva of notodontid moth Cerura vinula on an aspen tree.The larva of notodontid moth Cerura vinula is a voracious feeder on aspen (Photo: K. Robinson).