Stable epigenetic effects impact adaptation in allopolyploid orchids (Dactylorhiza: Orchidaceae).

ABSTRACT: Epigenetic information includes heritable signals that modulate gene expression but are not encoded in the primary nucleotide sequence. We have studied natural epigenetic variation in three allotetraploid sibling orchid species (Dactylorhiza majalis s.str, D. traunsteineri s.l., and D. ebudensis) that differ radically in geography/ecology. The epigenetic variation released by genome doubling has been restructured in species-specific patterns that reflect their recent evolutionary history and have an impact on their ecology and evolution, hundreds of generations after their formation. Using two contrasting approaches that yielded largely congruent results, epigenome scans pinpointed epiloci under divergent selection that correlate with eco-environmental variables, mainly related to water av

SUBMITTER: Paun O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2955735 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature