The Genomics for Australian Plants Framework Initiative (GAP) consortium, formed by Bioplatforms Australia in partnership with researchers from the Australian State and National Herbaria and Botanic Gardens is a major partner and collaborator with the Royal Botanic Garden Kew’s Plant and Fungal Trees of Life Project (PAFTOL). In 2024, a Nature publication presenting the most comprehensive understanding of the global flowering plant tree of life was published.
The publication stems from a global partnership of 138 organisations that generated data from 9,500 species covering almost 8,000 known flowering plant genera (approximately 60% of the total known). The GAP consortium contributed genomic data for more than 750 genera. Flowering plants (angiosperms) represent 90% of all plants on Earth, covering the majority of food crops and commonly grown flora for decorative purposes. Plants are important for maintaining our ecosystems and play a critical role in providing food and shelter.
The PAFTOL team are currently preparing the final data release of this phase of the project, which ends in April 2026 after a full decade. A new global tree of life containing 90% of all angiosperm genera across approximately 20,000 samples will be publicly accessible along with all the underpinning genomic data contributed, including those from the GAP consortium and all of PAFTOL’s global collaborators. A publication describing the final data release is anticipated to follow.
The outcomes from RBG Kew’s PAFTOL are important to Australia’s effort in the understanding and conservation of Australia’s rich biodiversity. Data from PAFTOL will contribute significantly to the GAP consortium’s Australian Angiosperm Tree of Life (AAToL) and Bioplatforms Australia’s Australian Tree of Life Informatics Capability, a digital framework which aims to bridge the gap between the generation of genomics data and on-the-ground decision making through the application of genomics data to more effectively manage and safeguard Australia’s unique biodiversity.
The Genomics for Australian Plants Framework Initiative consortium is supported by funding from Bioplatforms Australia enabled by the Federal Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), the Ian Potter Foundation, Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation (Victoria), Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, CSIRO, Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia.