Harnessing the Power of University Botanical Gardens and Global Partnerships for Genomics Research

Botanical gardens are often celebrated for their beauty, and they also serve as important centers for scientific research. At the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden (UBCBG), our living plant collections do more than delight visitors—they help scientists understand the plant world and why it is important to protect it. 

Established in 1916, UBCBG is the oldest continuously operating botanical garden in Canada. Today, it spans three sites on UBC’s Point Grey campus—the Botanical Garden near Thunderbird Stadium (Fig. 1), the Nitobe Memorial Garden, and the Botanical Garden Nursery—and houses living plant collections from around the world. Organized into the Asian, Alpine, and North American Gardens, alongside amenity collections such as medicinal and food plants, the Garden represents more than 5,000 plant taxa across 195 families and over 1,000 genera, encompassing approximately 8,000 accessions. 

By bringing together plants from diverse regions and evolutionary lineages, many of which would otherwise be challenging to study side by side, the Garden provides unique opportunities for research in a variety of fields, including ecology, evolution, conservation, and chemistry. Scientists from around the world work with UBC Botanical Garden to study plants both in cultivation and at the molecular level, including analyses of plant chemistry and DNA. 

Advances in genome sequencing technology have transformed how scientists study plants. Although genomics is often linked to crop improvement or human health, it is just as powerful for understanding plant ecology, evolution, and biodiversity. By analyzing plant DNA, researchers can measure genomic diversity, monitor population health, clarify evolutionary relationships, and identify traits that help plants adapt to changing environments—such as tolerance to drought, pests, or disease. This knowledge is essential for guiding conservation and restoration efforts and has wide-ranging implications for protecting natural plant populations and supporting the future of agriculture and biodiversity. 

 

Global Initiatives for Genomic Research 

At UBC Botanical Garden, we have been supporting plant genomic research by providing well-documented material from our living collections to national and international initiatives, including the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative (1KP), BGCI’s Global Genome Initiative for Gardens (GGI Gardens), and the Canadian Biogenome Project (CBP). Through these partnerships, the Garden helps expand global genomic resources and deepen our understanding of plant diversity. 

 

The Global Genome Initiative for Gardens (GGI-Gardens) 

As part of BGCI’s GGI Gardens network, UBCBG received a 2023 award to help address gaps in plant genomic representation worldwide. To identify priority species, we evaluated more than 1,100 plant genera in the Garden’s collections, focusing on taxa absent from major repositories such as GenBank and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN). Using conservation status and documented wild origin as key criteria, we worked closely with curators and horticulture staff to select healthy, well-documented plants for sampling. 

This effort resulted in 48 genome-quality tissue samples representing 48 genera from 41 plant families, now preserved at the National Cryobank of Canada, along with 28 new herbarium vouchers deposited at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum (Fig. GGI-1). Notably, several plant families were represented for the first time in any biorepository, including Akaniaceae (the turnipwood family), Calceolariaceae, Nothofagaceae (the southern beeches), and Tapisciaceae—groups of evolutionary and conservation interest. 

The project supported the work of UBC graduate student Connor Wardrop in Sean Graham’s lab, who coordinated sampling, storage, and shipping, and was led in the Garden by Daniel Mosquin and Adriana López-Villalobos, with support from UBCBG students Teagan Maclachlan, Chloe Leash and Juliana Dioquino, who received training in flash-frozen tissue collection, collections-based research and herbarium specimen vouchering (Fig. GGI-2). Together, this work demonstrates how living plant collections can play a direct and meaningful role in advancing research and global conservation genomics. 

 

The Canada BioGenome Project 

The goal of the CBP, a national initiative within the International Earth BioGenome Project, is to generate high-quality reference genomes for Canadian species, including plants. Species are nominated by a committee of experts from across the country and selected based on four criteria: (1) cultural significance; (2) conservation status, including species at risk or requiring active management; (3) scientific importance; and (4) significance as an essential component of the local, regional, or national economy. 

In 2024 and 2025, UBC Botanical Garden contributed 58 tissue samples representing 57 plant species. Of these, 52 samples were collected directly from UBC Botanical Garden accessions, while six were collected by Garden staff and partners from natural habitats. In addition, 57 new herbarium specimens corresponding to the sampled species were collected and deposited at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum Herbarium (UBC), providing voucher references linked to the project’s genome libraries.  

At UBC, the project was led by faculty members Sean Graham and Marco Todesco, with additional faculty, staff, and students contributing to species nomination, sampling, and sample storage. Through this initiative, the samples collected by UBC-BG will be associated with reference genomes, some already published and some others in progress, many of which are the first available for their species. Researchers and people from the general public can consult species’ statuses on the CBP website.  

These de novo genomes will enable scientists to investigate the unique adaptations and biodiversity of Canadian native species for a wide variety of applications. For example, Rubus spectabilis and Rubus parviflorus—commonly known as salmonberry and thimbleberry—are of interest because of their close relationship to cultivated Rubus species (especially raspberry). Salmonberry also exhibits a distinctive fruit colour dimorphism that is associated with differences in avian feeding preferences. Plants representing both the golden and red fruit morphs were collected at UBC Botanical Garden, and the resulting genomic resources are currently being used by the Todesco Lab to investigate the genomic basis of this trait and further understand its ecological implications.  

Symphoricarpos albus (snowberry) provides opportunities to study the genetic/genomic mechanisms underlying horticulturally and ecologically valuable traits. The species contributes to erosion control and produces showy fruits that serve as an important food source for mammals and birds; it is also used in First Nations traditional medicine. Similarly, Gaultheria shallon (salal), which is abundant in the understory of Pacific Coast temperate rainforests, has long been used by Indigenous communities for both its leaves and berries. The berries containflavonoids and proanthocyanidins (tannins) that are studied for their bioactive properties, including potential cardiovascular benefits. Notably, salal typically has higher concentrations of proanthocyanidins than its close relative, the cultivated common blueberry, and genomic studies of salal may therefore inform efforts to improve blueberry cultivation.  

Written by:

Adriana Lopez-Villalobos

Research Technician GIS

UBC Botanical Garden 

and

Teagan Maclachlan

Collections and Research Assistant