The Evolutionary Genetics of the Genes Underlying Phenotypic Associations for Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda, Pinaceae)

A primary goal of evolutionary genetics is to discover and explain the genetic basis of fitness-related traits and how this genetic basis evolves within natural populations. Unprecedented technological advances have fueled the discovery of genetic variants associated with ecologically relevant phenotypes in many different life forms, as well as the ability to scan genomes for deviations from selectively neutral models of evolution....