University of Alberta

Francis C. Yeh

 

Ph.D (Genetics) - University of Calgary

email: francis.yeh@ualberta.ca

 

 

Current Position

Associate Dean (Research)

Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Home Economics, and

Professor of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology

Department of Renewable Resources

University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2H1

Awards

·         NSERC Industry-University Research Chair – 1987

·         McCalla Research Professor – 1999

·         International Union of Forest Research Organization Scientific Achievement Award - 2000

Research Interests

I am most interested in comparative genomics research at the population level.  My work with graduate students, PDFs, research associates and colleagues has focused on genetic improvement and biotechnology, as well as evolutionary, ecological, quantitative, population, and conservation genetics from the theoretical and emperical perspectives. My desire to cover a broad spectrum of genetic disciplines has enabled the graduate students and PDFs with very different educational backgrounds and research interests to interact. This has enabled us to study breeding, improvement and gene conservation with a broad viewpoint and contributed to greater understanding of the forces and mechanisms that maintain genetic diversity. Over the years, I am very privileged to have worked with/supervised a group of very talented individuals who have contributed immensely to the genetics literature. They include Bill Cheliak, Daniel Chong, Yousry Elkassaby, Israel Jiang, John King, David O'Malley, Mei Sun, Harry Wu, Xie Chang-Yi, Alvin Yanchuk, Rong-Cai Yang, Li Changxi, Selvaduri Dayanandan, Wei Run-Peng and among others.

 

Currently, I have the following projects in progress: 

Genomic mapping and QTL.

Gene expression studies in rust resistance and salt tolerance.

Biodiversity and the management of genetic resources.

Selection and development of salt tolerant genotypes and varieties suitable for reclamation and phytoremediation of CT sites.

Molecular population genetics and biosystematics.

Evolution of quantitative traits.

Host-pathogen interactions.

Multilocus genetic structuring.

Mating system and genetic diversity in continuous and fragmented populations.

Genotype-environment interaction and estimate of heritabilities and genetic correlations.

Juvenile-mature correlations and strategies for early genetics selection.

 

Research Support & Facilities

·         Computing

My group has the capability to analyze complex genetic data under Windows, Mac and SUN platforms.

 

·         Laboratory

My group is in the Genetics laboratory of the Department of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. This facility is well equipped for a host of genetic analysis applications for high throughput genome sequencing, genotyping, and linkage analysis.

 

·         Plant Growth Facilities

Plant growth facilities are mainly located at the Agriculture/Forestry Centre campus. These facilities consist of 15 greenhouse compartments, 3 growth rooms, 2 plant tissue culture rooms, and approximately 40 plant growth cabinets. Each greenhouse compartment is connected to a computer-controlled automatic fertigation system and contains high pressure sodium lamps for supplemental lighting. Controlled temperature (5-300C) growth rooms and cabinets range from 0.4-14 square metres. The plant tissue culture rooms contain 48 square metres of lighted growing area, for tissue culture, molecular biology and biotechnology research.

 

  • Free Software From My Group

 

Possibility For Graduate Studies & Post-doctoral Research

Should you be interested in my research and feel that you can contribute to my program, send me an email (francis.yeh@ualberta.ca) detailing your qualifications, research interests and career goals. You may want to find more information about the University of Alberta and the City of Edmonton.

  

Representative Publications Since 2000

 

       FAZEKAS, A. and YEH, F.C. 2006. Postglacial colonization and population genetic relationships in the Pinus contorta complex. Can J. Bot  84:223-234.

 

       YANG, RC and YEH, F.C. 2006. Differential growth and rooting of upland and peatland black spruce, Picea mariana, in drained and flooded soils. Silvae Genetica (In press).

 

Mahmood T, Rahman MH, Stringam GR, Yeh F and Good AG. 2006. Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for oil and protein contents and their relationships with other seed quality traits in Brassica juncea. TAG (Accepted)

 

     YEH, F.C. and Hu, X.S.  2005.  Genetic structure and migration from mainland to island populations in Abies procera Rehd. Genome 48:461-473.

 

  Mahmood T, Rahman MH, Stringam GR, Yeh F and Good AG. 2005.  Molecular markers for yield components in Brassica juncea – do these assist in breeding for high seed yield.  Euphytica 144:157-167.

 

  RWEYONGEZA,D.M., F.C.YEH and N.K. DHIR. 2005. Heritability and Correlations for Biomass Production and Allocation in White Spruce Seedlings. Silvae Genetica 54:229-235.

 

WEI, R.P., HAN, S.D., DHIR, N.K. and YEH, F.C. 2003. Population variation in growth and 15-year-old shoot elongation along geographic and climatic gradients in black spruce in Alberta. Can J For Sci 34: 1691-1702

 

YE, T.Z., YANG, R.C. and YEH, F.C. 2003. Co-evolution in natural pathosystems: effect of dominance on host-pathogen interactions. Phytopathology 93:633-639. 

 

MAHMOOD, T., EKUERE, U., YEH, F., GOOD, A.G., and STRINGAM, G.R. 2003.  RFLP linkage analysis and mapping genes controlling the fatty acid profile of Brassica juncea using reciprocal DH populations.  TAG 107:283-290.

 

MAHMOOD, T., YEH, F., GOOD, A.G., and STRINGAM, G.R. 2003.  Molecular mapping of seed aliphatic glucosinolates in Brassica juncea.  GenomeTAG 46:753-760.

 

RWEYONGEZA,D.M., F.C.YEH, B.P. DANCIK and N.K. DHIR. 2003. Genetic variation in height, branch and needle lengths of Pinus sylvestris L. from Siberia tested in Alberta, Canada. Silvae Genetica 52:52-60.

 

WANG, K., HIRUKI, C, YEH, F. 2003. Molecular evolution of phytoplasmas based on polymorphisms in the 16S rRNA genes and the 16/23S spacer regions. Proc. Japan Acad. 79(B): 155-162.  

 

LI, C. and YEH, F.C. 2002. Mapping quantitative trait loci controlling Western Gall Rust Endocronartium harknessii) Resistance in Lodgepole Pine (P. contorta spp. latifolia).  Forest Genetics 9:139-146.

 

WEI, R.-P., Yeh F.C. and Dhir N.K. 2002. Investigation of status number following selection from populations under different mating designs. Silvae Genetica 51:87-92.

 

YE, T.Z., YANG, R.C. and YEH, F.C. 2002. Population Structure of a Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and Jack Pine (P. banksiana) Complex as Revealed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA. Genome 45:530-540. 

 

LI, C., YEH, F.C. and Hiratsuka, Y. 2001. Random amplified polymorphic DNA variability among geographic isolates of western gall rust fungus in CanadaCan J For Res 31: 1304-1311.

 

FAZEKAS, A. and YEH, F.C. 2001.  Random amplified polymorphic DNA diversity of marginal and central populations in Pinus contorta spp. Latifolia. Genome 44:13-22.

 

LI, C. and YEH, F.C. 2001. Construction of a framework map in Pinus contorta spp. latifolia using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Genome 44: 147-153.

 

WEI, R.P. and YEH, F.C. 2000. Maximizing gain at restricted group coancestry in selection from populations with a hierarchical structure. Silvae Genetics 46:281-290.

 

WU, H.X., YEH, F.C., DANCIK, B.P., PHARIS, R.P. and DHIR, N. K. 2000. Study of early selection in tree breeding: 3. A case study using early information to enhance selection efficiency in later trait in lodgepole pine. Silvae Genetica 49:152-158.

 

JONSSON, A., ERIKSSON, G., YE, Z and YEH, F.C. 2000. A retrospective early test of Pinus Sylvestris L. grown at wide and dense spacing. Can J For Res 30:1443-1452.

 

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