The Conifers (Pinophyta) ; Economic Importance, Breeding Objectives and Achievements; Cytogenetics; Neutral Patterns of Genetic Variation and Applications to Conservation in Conifer Apecies; Genetic Mapping in Conifers; Patterns of Nucleotide Diversity and Association Mapping; Integration of Molecular Markers in Breeding; Transcriptomics; Recent Advances in Proteomics and Metabolomics in Gymnosperms; Toward the Conifer Genome Sequence; Future Prospects Conifers represent 650 species, some ranking as the largest, tallest, and longest living non-clonal terrestrial organisms on Earth. They are a source of raw materials for different uses and also provide important environmental services (carbon sequestration, energy production, water cycle, etc.) The genetic improvement of some of these species started about 60 years ago. This book presents the implications of the genomic revolution for conifers, which go all the way from a better understanding of the evolution of these organisms to new knowledge about the molecular basis of quantitative trait variation, both playing important roles in their domestication. Internationally reputed researchers in this field have contributed to this book, reviewing the genetics, genomics and breeding of conifers.
