Data from: Genetic architecture of adaptation to novel environmental conditions in a predominantly selfing allopolyploid plant

Genetic architecture of adaptation is traditionally studied in the context of local adaptation, viz. spatially varying conditions experienced by the species. However, human made changes in the natural environment pose a new context to this issue, i.e. adaptation to an environment that is new for the species. In this study, we used crossbreeding to analyze genetic architecture of adaptation to conditions not currently experienced by the species but with high probability of encounter in the near future due to the global climate change. We performed targeted inter-population crossing using genotypes from two core and two peripheral Triticum dicoccoides populations and grew up the parents and three generations of hybrids in a greenhouse under simulated desert conditions to analyze the genetic architecture of adaptation to these conditions and an effect of gene flow from plants having different origin. The observed in allopolyploid T. dicoccoides low importance of epistatic gene interactions and low probability of hybrid breakdown appear to be the result of permanent fixation of heterozygosity and lack of inter-genomic recombination in this species. At the same time, predominant but not complete selfing combined with an advantage of bivalent pairing of homologous chromosomes appear to maintain high genetic variability in T. dicoccoides, greatly enhancing its adaptive ability

Hitting the Ground Running: Group Simulations within Business School Cohorts

Within an ever more marketised Higher Education (HE) landscape, business students are focusing increasingly on the Graduate Premium, balancing the costs of their programmes against expected benefits such as facilitated entry into, and progression within, fulfilling and well remunerated business careers. As such, educators are charged with differentiating their programmes from those of other institutions, not only to attract more applicants, but also to give their graduates a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The use of simulations as a learning and assessment strategy within business schools is widespread and growing. The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the debate surrounding the use of such technology, identifying pedagogical benefits and potential limitations, and to critique how such technology may be harnessed to provide more transparent pathways to professionalism for today’s diverse and demanding students. In particular, it considers some of the key challenges experienced by students in using simulations, as they adapt to the new social and learning cultures