Adaptive trait variation in the federally endangered Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae), as it relates to genotype and genotype-environment interaction1

AbstractPredicting adaptive-trait variation across species ranges is essential to assess the potential of populations to survive under future environmental conditions. In forest trees, multi-site common gardens have long been the gold standard for separating the genetic and plastic components of trait variation and predicting population responses to new environments. However, relying on common gardens alone limits our ability to extrapolate predictions to populations or sites not included in these logistically expensive and time-consuming experiments. In this study, we aimed to determine whether models that integrate large-scale climatic and genomic data could capture the underlying drivers of tree adaptive-trait variation, and thus improve predictions at large geographical scales. Using a clonal common garden consisting of 34 provenances of maritime pine (523 genotypes and 12,841 trees) planted in five sites under contrasted environments, we compared twelve statistical models to: (i) separate the genetic and plastic components of height growth, a key adaptive trait in forest trees, (ii) identify the relative importance of factors underlying height-growth variation across individuals and populations, and (iii) improve height-growth prediction of unknown observations and provenances. We found that the height-growth plastic component exceeded more than twice the genetic component. The plastic component was likely due to multiple environmental factors, including annual climatic variables, while the genetic component was driven by the confounded effects of past demographic history and provenance adaptation to the climate-of-origin. Distinct gene pools were characterized by different total genetic variance, with broad-sense heritability ranging from 0.104 (95% CIs: 0.065-0.146) to 0.223 (95% CIs: 0.093-0.363), suggesting different potential response to selection along the geographical distribution of maritime pine. When predicting height-growth of new observations, models combining population demographic history, provenance climate-of-origin, and positive-effect height-associated alleles (PEAs; previously identified by GWAs) explained as much variance as models relying directly on the common garden design. Noteworthy, these models explained substantially more variance when predicting height-growth in new provenances, particularly in harsh environments. Predicting quantitative traits of ecological and/or economic importance across species ranges would therefore benefit from integrating ecological and genomic information.

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Genetic and adaptive trait variation in seedlings of European beech provenances from Northern Germany

Silvae Genetica ◽

10.1515/sg-2016-0018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 65-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Markus Müller ◽

Reiner Finkeldey

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Common Garden ◽

European Beech ◽

Small Scale ◽

Northern Germany ◽

Trait Variation ◽

Genetic Population ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Adaptive Trait ◽

Temperature And Precipitation

Abstract European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) will most likely be threatened by climate change. Therefore, more knowledge of its adaptation potential to changing environmental conditions is required. Several studies showed differences in adaptive traits for beech populations from across Europe, but there is also growing evidence for microevolutionary processes occurring within short geographic distances in this species, or even a lack of local adaptation. Hence, a more regional perspective for adaptation research in beech might be appropriate. Here, we investigated the performance (height, height increment and mortality) and genetic structure based on microsatellite markers of 2400 beech seedlings from provenances growing along a temperature and precipitation gradient in Northern Germany in a common garden experiment. Differences for all traits were found among provenances. Provenances from lower precipitation areas did not perform better than provenances from higher precipitation areas at the common garden site, which was located near the lower precipitation limit of beech. Further, neighboring provenances growing on either sandy or loamy soils showed more different adaptive trait variation than distant provenances. We detected minor genetic structure among provenances and a high genetic diversity within them. Thus, small-scale adaptive trait variation in beech can occur, despite low but significant genetic population structure among provenances.

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Association of the phenylpropanoid pathway with dormancy and adaptive trait variation in apricot (Prunus armeniaca)

Tree Physiology ◽

10.1093/treephys/tpz053 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

pp. 1136-1148 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anna O Conrad ◽

Jiali Yu ◽

Margaret E Staton ◽

Jean-Marc Audergon ◽

Guillaume Roch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Phenylpropanoid Pathway ◽

Prunus Armeniaca ◽

Trait Variation ◽

Adaptive Trait ◽

Improvement Programs ◽

Floral Bud

Abstract Trees use many mechanisms to adapt and respond to stressful conditions. The phenylpropanoid pathway in particular is known to be associated with a diverse suite of plant stress responses. In this study, we explored the relationship between the phenylpropanoid pathway metabolite production, gene expression and adaptive trait variation associated with floral bud reactivation during and following dormancy in Prunus armeniaca L. (apricot). Concentrations of eight phenylpropanoid metabolites were measured during chill accumulation and at developmental stages corresponding to the emergence of sepals and petals in floral buds of varieties that differ phenotypically in bloom date (BD). A significant interaction effect of chill hours and BD phenotype on the concentration of each of the compounds was observed (mixed analysis of variance, P < 0.05), with the concentration of most phenylpropanoid metabolites dropping precipitously when sepals and petals emerged. While phenylpropanoid biosynthetic gene expression patterns were more variable in general, expression changed over time and was impacted, although to a lesser degree, by BD phenotype. Furthermore, separation of BD phenotypic groups was most pronounced when early and late BD varieties were at different developmental stages, i.e., 800 chill hours. Taken together, these results suggest that the phenylpropanoid pathway is associated with floral bud reactivation in apricot. Furthermore, we show that the phenylpropanoid pathway is also impacted by phenological trait variation associated with dormancy. A better understanding of how apricot and other perennial tree species respond and adapt to environmental perturbations will be critical for improvement programs aimed at identifying and breeding trees more suitable for rapidly changing environments.

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Evolutionary quantitative genomics of Populus trichocarpa

10.1101/026021 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Ilga Porth ◽

Jaroslav Klapste ◽

Athena D McKown ◽

Jonathan La Mantia ◽

Robert D Guy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Resistance ◽

Molecular Basis ◽

Population Genomics ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Detection Methods ◽

Forest Trees ◽

Adaptive Traits ◽

Trait Variation ◽

Adaptive Trait ◽

Quantitative Genomics

Forest trees generally show high levels of local adaptation and efforts focusing on understanding adaptation to climate will be crucial for species survival and management. Merging quantitative genetics and population genomics, we studied the molecular basis of climate adaptation in 433 Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood) genotypes originating across western North America. Variation in 74 field-assessed traits (growth, ecophysiology, phenology, leaf stomata, wood, and disease resistance) was investigated for signatures of selection (comparing QST -FST) using clustering of individuals by climate of origin. 29,354 SNPs were investigated employing three different outlier detection methods. Narrow-sense QST for 53% of distinct field traits was significantly divergent from expectations of neutrality (indicating adaptive trait variation); 2,855 SNPs showed signals of diversifying selection, and of these, 118 SNPs (within 81 genes) were associated with adaptive traits (based on significant QST). Many SNPs were putatively pleiotropic for functionally uncorrelated adaptive traits, such as autumn phenology, height, and disease resistance. Evolutionary quantitative genomics in P. trichocarpa provides an enhanced understanding regarding the molecular basis of climate-driven selection in forest trees. We highlight that important loci underlying adaptive trait variation also show relationship to climate of origin.

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Self-other agreement in disgust sensitivity

10.31234/osf.io/dymqk ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Annika Karinen ◽

Joshua M. Tybur ◽

Reinout E. de Vries

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

Political Attitudes ◽

Romantic Partners ◽

Disgust Sensitivity ◽

Trait Variation ◽

Self And Other ◽

Self Reports ◽

Moral Disgust ◽

Sexual Disgust ◽

Moral Condemnation

A broad literature indicates that pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust sensitivity relate to, among other things, political attitudes, moral condemnation, and symptoms of psychopathology. As such, instruments measuring disgust sensitivity have been widely used across subfields of psychology. Yet, surprisingly little work has examined whether self-reports in disgust sensitivity reflect systematic trait variation. Here, we present the first study to examine self-other agreement in pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust sensitivity. Romantic partners (n1 = 290), friends (n2 = 212) and acquaintances (n3 = 140) rated each other on these three domains of disgust sensitivity and on the HEXACO personality dimensions. Correlations between dyad partners’ self- and other-ratings were calculated to estimate the magnitude of self-other agreement. We found self-other agreement in all domains of disgust sensitivity (r’s of .36, .46, and .66 for moral, pathogen, and sexual disgust sensitivity, respectively), with this agreement only slightly inferred from personality perceptions (percentages mediated by HEXACO were 15%, 7%, and 33% for pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust sensitivity, respectively). These results suggest that pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust sensitivity reflect systematic trait variation that is detectable by others and distinct from broader personality traits.

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