scholarly journals Phenotypic diversity created by a transposable element increases productivity and resistance to competitors in plant populations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vít Latzel ◽  
Javier Puy ◽  
Michael Thieme ◽  
Etienne Bucher ◽  
Lars Götzenberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Plant Populations ◽  
Natural Plant ◽  
Copy Numbers ◽  
Diversity Effects

AbstractAn accumulating body of evidence indicates that natural plant populations harbour a large diversity of transposable elements (TEs). TEs provide genetic and epigenetic variation that can substantially translate into changes in plant phenotypes. Despite the wealth of data on the ecological and evolutionary effects of TEs on plant individuals, we have virtually no information on the role of TEs on populations and ecosystem functioning. On the example of Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that TE-generated variation creates differentiation in ecologically important functional traits. In particular, we show that Arabidopsis populations with increasing diversity of individuals differing in copy numbers of the ONSEN retrotransposon had higher phenotypic and functional diversity. Moreover, increased diversity enhanced population productivity and reduced performance of interspecific competitors. We conclude that TE-generated diversity can have similar effects on ecosystem as usually documented for other biological diversity effects.

scholarly journals Heat-induced transposition leads to rapid drought resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Thieme ◽  
Arthur Brêchet ◽  
Yann Bourgeois ◽  
Bettina Keller ◽  
Etienne Bucher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Drought Resistance ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Plant Evolution ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Copy Numbers ◽  
Drastic Increase ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Rate Of Photosynthesis

Plant genomes comprise a vast diversity of transposable elements (TEs) (Tenaillon et al. 2010)⁠. While their uncontrolled proliferation can have fatal consequences for their host, there is strong evidence for their importance in fueling genetic diversity and plant evolution (Baduel et al. 2021)⁠. However, the number of studies addressing the role of TEs in this process is limited. Here we show that the heat-induced burst of a low-copy TE increases phenotypic diversity and leads to the rapid emergence of more drought-resistant individuals of Arabidopsis thaliana. We exposed TE-high-copy-(hc)lines (Thieme et al. 2017)⁠ with up to ~8 fold increased copy numbers of the heat-responsive ONSEN-TE (AtCOPIA78) (Ito et al. 2011; Cavrak et al. 2014; Tittel-Elmer et al. 2010)⁠ in the wild type background to desiccation as a straightforward and highly relevant selection pressure. We found evidence for a drastic increase of drought resistance in five out of the 23 tested hc-lines and further pinpoint one of the causative mutations to an exonic ONSEN-insertion in the ribose-5-phosphate-isomerase 2 gene. This loss-of-function mutation resulted in a decreased rate of photosynthesis and water consumption. This is one of the rare examples (Esnault et al. 2019)⁠ experimentally demonstrating the adaptive potential of mobilized stress-responsive TEs in eukaryotes. Our results further shed light on the complex relationship between mobile elements and their hosts and substantiate the importance of TE-mediated loss-of-function mutations in stress adaptation, particularly with respect to global warming.

scholarly journals The Role of Stochasticity in the Origin of Epigenetic Variation in Animal Populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1544-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Biwer ◽  
B Kawam ◽  
V Chapelle ◽  
F Silvestre
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Mutation ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Epigenetic Variability ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Environmental Variance ◽  
Animal Populations

Synopsis Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation modulate gene expression in a complex fashion are consequently recognized as among the most important contributors to phenotypic variation in natural populations of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Interactions between genetics and epigenetics are multifaceted and epigenetic variation stands at the crossroad between genetic and environmental variance, which make these mechanisms prominent in the processes of adaptive evolution. DNA methylation patterns depend on the genotype and can be reshaped by environmental conditions, while transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has been reported in various species. On the other hand, DNA methylation can influence the genetic mutation rate and directly affect the evolutionary potential of a population. The origin of epigenetic variance can be attributed to genetic, environmental, or stochastic factors. Generally less investigated than the first two components, variation lacking any predictable order is nevertheless present in natural populations and stochastic epigenetic variation, also referred to spontaneous epimutations, can sustain phenotypic diversity. Here, potential sources of such stochastic epigenetic variability in animals are explored, with a focus on DNA methylation. To this day, quantifying the importance of stochasticity in epigenetic variability remains a challenge. However, comparisons between the mutation and the epimutation rates showed a high level of the latter, suggesting a significant role of spontaneous epimutations in adaptation. The implications of stochastic epigenetic variability are multifold: by affecting development and subsequently phenotype, random changes in epigenetic marks may provide additional phenotypic diversity, which can help natural populations when facing fluctuating environments. In isogenic lineages and asexually reproducing organisms, poor or absent genetic diversity can hence be tolerated. Further implication of stochastic epigenetic variability in adaptation is found in bottlenecked invasive species populations and populations using a bet-hedging strategy.

scholarly journals Environmental Heterogeneity and Phenotypic Divergence: Can Heritable Epigenetic Variation Aid Speciation?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Flatscher ◽  
Božo Frajman ◽  
Peter Schönswetter ◽  
Ovidiu Paun
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Environmental Heterogeneity ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Adaptive Traits ◽  
Phenotypic Differentiation ◽  
Genome Wide

The dualism of genetic predisposition and environmental influences, their interactions, and respective roles in shaping the phenotype have been a hot topic in biological sciences for more than two centuries. Heritable epigenetic variation mediates between relatively slowly accumulating mutations in the DNA sequence and ephemeral adaptive responses to stress, thereby providing mechanisms for achieving stable, but potentially rapidly evolving phenotypic diversity as a response to environmental stimuli. This suggests that heritable epigenetic signals can play an important role in evolutionary processes, but so far this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested. A promising new area of research focuses on the interaction between the different molecular levels that produce phenotypic variation in wild, closely-related taxa that lack genome-wide genetic differentiation. By pinpointing specific adaptive traits and investigating the mechanisms responsible for phenotypic differentiation, such study systems could allow profound insights into the role of epigenetics in the evolution and stabilization of phenotypic discontinuities, and could add to our understanding of adaptive strategies to diverse environmental conditions and their dynamics.

The Role of Race Specific Resistance in Natural Plant Populations

Oikos ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Burdon ◽  
A. Wennström ◽  
T. Elmqvist ◽  
G. C. Kirby ◽  
A. Wennstrom
Keyword(s):  
Specific Resistance ◽  
Plant Populations ◽  
Natural Plant

scholarly journals Resistance variation in natural plant populations

2002 ◽  
Vol 38 (SI 1 - 6th Conf EFPP 2002) ◽  
pp. S145-S150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Burdon ◽  
P.H. Thrall
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Wild Plant ◽  
Plant Populations ◽  
Natural Plant ◽  
Multiple Populations ◽  
Resistance Variation ◽  
Pathogen Populations

The general outcomes of long-term trajectories of coevolutionary interactions between specific hosts and pathogens are<br />set by the interaction of their life histories. However, within those outcomes the speed of co-evolutionary responses and<br />the extent of their expression in the resistance/virulence structure of wild plant and pathogen populations respectively,<br />are highly variable characters changing from place-to-place and time-to-time as a result of the interaction of host and<br />pathogen with the physical environment. As a consequence, understanding of the role of diseases in the evolution of their<br />hosts requires approaches that simultaneously deal with host and pathogen structures over multiple populations within a<br />metapopulation framework.

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