Strawberry is not only one of the favorite crops, but also a widely distributed genus with a complex evolutionary history, variable sexual systems and ploidy levels. In this collaborative effort together with Ticao Zhang, Qin Qiao, Patric Edger and Yves Van de Peer groups, we investigate the evolutionary history of the Fragaria genus. Our specific interest is in the ploidy-driven genomic changes in the context of the extreme, high altitude environment in Tibet.