Polygenic adaptation of rosette growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: The rate at which plants grow is a major functional trait in plant ecology. However, little is known about its evolution in natural populations. Here, we investigate evolutionary and environmental factors shaping variation in the growth rate of Arabidopsis thaliana. We used plant diameter as a proxy to monitor plant growth over time in environments that mimicked latitudinal differences in the intensity of natural light radiation, across a set of 278 genotypes sampled within four broad regions, including an outgroup set of genotypes from China. A field experiment conducted under natural conditions confirmed the ecological relevance of the observed variation. All genotypes markedly expanded their rosette diameter when the light supply was decreased, demonstrating that environmental plasticit

SUBMITTER: Wieters B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7861555 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature