The Russian Science Foundation has announced the results of its latest grant competitions for researchers under 35. Mikhail Skaptsov, a biologist and leading researcher at the South Siberian Botanical Garden of Altai State University, was among the winners of one of the competitions—a competition for projects led by young scientists. Annual grant support ranges from 3 to 6 million rubles.

The RSF expert committee selected 348 projects led by young scientists, including Project No. 26-74-10074, Biogeographical and Phylogenetic Aspects of Polyploid Complexes Based on Model Taxa of Angiosperms and Higher Spore Plants of Northern Eurasia, led by Mikhail Skaptsov. This comprehensive study will help clarify how plants evolved in Siberia and the Russian Far East. The project involves eight researchers, each highly qualified in their respective areas of plant science. All project participants are proficient in the latest methods of molecular genetics, cytogenetics, and field research.

"Over the course of three years, we will conduct both field research to collect material in various parts of Siberia and the Russian Far East, and laboratory research using modern molecular genetic methods to study plant genome sizes, their distribution, and evolution. The project's goal is to address the gap in plant research in Siberia using flow cytometry. This is important for identifying new genotypes, cytotypes, and polyploid forms. There are also many unresolved questions related to the systematic position of some complex taxa. By analyzing monoploid genome variability and studying the ploidy levels of species at the boundaries of their ranges, it will be possible to reconstruct the evolutionary patterns and distributions of individual plants and suggest their centers of origin. The discovery of previously unknown polyploid forms in the study region will expand our knowledge of biodiversity and evolution." Analyzing how climatic conditions influence the frequency and distribution of polyploid plants will help establish links between ploidy level and environmental conditions, which will improve understanding of the mechanisms of plant adaptation to different environments, explains Mikhail Skaptsov.

According to the head of the RSF project, the model plant genera selected are those with wide geographic ranges and morphologically complex genera characterized by widespread hybridization or polyploidy. These primarily include Allium, Potentilla, Aconitum, Paris, and Selaginella. However, it's likely that other genera will be analyzed during the study in order to parameterize the genome size for as many plant species as possible.

"Our project wasn't selected on the first attempt, but on the third or even fourth submission. The review results came back, and we refined it based on all the comments. The last time, the reviews were excellent, and the expert council selected the best projects from among the best. Therefore, the main thing, I believe, is not to give up and not to e discouraged if you are not supported the first time." "Those who don't participate will never win," says Mikhail Skaptsov.

Mikhail Skaptsov is a specialist in plant cytometry, a high-throughput method for rapidly analyzing the physical and chemical properties of isolated cell nuclei (ploidy, genome size) in a liquid flow using lasers. Cytometry enables highly accurate measurement of genome size and determination of plant ploidy levels. This data is essential for distinguishing between closely related species, identifying polyploid complexes, studying hybridization and speciation processes, and characterizeing the impact of environmental factors on plants.