Effect of Drought on Herbivore-Induced Plant Gene Expression: Population Comparison for Range Limit Inferences.

ABSTRACT: Low elevation "trailing edge" range margin populations typically face increases in both abiotic and biotic stressors that may contribute to range limit development. We hypothesize that selection may act on ABA and JA signaling pathways for more stable expression needed for range expansion, but that antagonistic crosstalk prevents their simultaneous co-option. To test this hypothesis, we compared high and low elevation populations of Boechera stricta that have diverged with respect to constitutive levels of glucosinolate defenses and root:shoot ratios; neither population has high levels of both traits. If constraints imposed by antagonistic signaling underlie this divergence, one would predict that high constitutive levels of traits would coincide with lower plasticity. To test this predict

SUBMITTER: Gill GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4844423 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature