Rapid evolutionary changes in gene expression in response to climate fluctuations.

ABSTRACT: There is now abundant evidence of rapid evolution in natural populations, but the genetic mechanisms of these changes remain unclear. One possible route to rapid evolution is through changes in the expression of genes that influence traits under selection. We examined contemporary evolutionary gene expression changes in plant populations responding to environmental fluctuations. We compared genome-wide gene expression, using RNA-seq, in two populations of Brassica rapa collected over four time points between 1997 and 2014, during which precipitation in southern California fluctuated dramatically and phenotypic and genotypic changes occurred. By combining transcriptome profiling with the resurrection approach, we directly examined evolutionary changes in gene expression over time. For both

SUBMITTER: Hamann E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7818422 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature