Biology subjects

March-Salas, M.

Publications and source records attributed to March-Salas, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Rapid adaptation and extinction across climates in synchronized outdoor evolution experiments of Arabidopsis thaliana

Climate change is threatening species with extinction, and rapid evolutionary adaptation may be their only option for population rescue over short ecological timescales. However, direct observations of rapid genetic adaptation and population dynamics across climates are rare across species. To fill this gap, we conducted a replicated, globally synchronized evolution experiment with the plant Arabidopsis thaliana for 5 years in over 30 outdoor experimental gardens with distinct climates across Europe, the Levant, and North America. We performed whole-genome sequencing on [~]70,000 surviving reproductive individuals and directly observed rapid and repeatable adaptation across climates. Allele frequency changes over time were parallel in experimental evolution replicates within the same climates, while they diverged across contrasting climates--with some allele frequency shifts best explained by strong selection between -46% to +60%. Screening the genome for signals of rapid climate adaptation identified a polygenic architecture with both known and novel adaptive genetic variants connected to important ecological phenotypes including environmental stress responses, CAM5 and HEAT SHOCK FACTORs, and germination and spring flowering timing, CYTOCHROME P450s and TSF. We found evolutionary adaptation trends were often predictable, but variable across environments. In warm climates, high evolutionary predictability was associated with population survival up to 5 years, while erratic trends were an early warning for population extinction. Together, these results show rapid climate adaptation may be possible, but understanding its limits across species will be key for biodiversity forecasting.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Trade-offs between averages and intra-individual variation within vegetative, phenological, and floral traits

O_LIIntra-individual trait variation in plants represents an often ignored but important dimension of phenotypic variation that contributes to functional diversity and the dynamics of ecological communities. It can be expressed differently across plant traits, but the induction of intra-individual variation in different trait types under environmental stresses has not yet been explored. C_LIO_LIWe used the clonal forest herb, Galium odoratum, to investigate intra-individual variation within vegetative, phenological, and floral traits, and trade-offs between trait average and variation under a full-factorial experimental design using drought and shading treatments. C_LIO_LIIntra-individual variation (expressed as CV) differed in magnitude between trait types, with vegetative and floral traits showing the highest and lowest CV, respectively. CV occurring in the different traits responded to the drought and shade treatments. Trade-offs between CV and trait averages appeared across most of traits under the different treatment combinations, whereas trade-offs were less pronounced under control conditions. C_LIO_LIDrought and shading in forest environments induce trade-offs between intra-individual variation and the average trait expression, indicating the relevance of intra-individual variation for functional adaptations of forest plants to climatic changes. Our findings suggest that plastic responses in intra-individual variation may be an important component for mechanistic adjustments of plants to environmental stresses. C_LI

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Garden, greenhouse or climate chamber? Experimental conditions influence whether genetic differences are phenotypically expressed

O_LICommon-environment experiments are important to study genetically-based phenotypic variation within and among plant populations. Such experiments can be performed in an experimental garden, greenhouse or climate chamber. However, phenotypic expression may be strongly affected by the environmental conditions and influenced by parental and storage effects. Hence, it is unclear if results from common-environment experiments are reproducible across multiple experimental setups. C_LIO_LIIn this study, we assessed the effects of three different growth facilities - outdoor garden, greenhouse, and climate chamber -, on phenotypic expression. We compared ancestral and descendant genotypes of the same population of Leontodon hispidus. We also evaluated differences in phenotypic expression between plants grown after one (F1) vs. two (F2) intermediate generations. C_LIO_LIWe observed strong differences among plants growing in different growth facilities. Furthermore, we found that descendants had larger rosettes than ancestors only in the greenhouse and they flowered later than ancestors exclusively in the climate chamber. We did not find significant differences between intermediate generations within the growth facilities. C_LIO_LIOverall, our study demonstrates that environmental variation among growth facilities can dictate the presence and magnitude of phenotypic differences. This implies that absence of evidence for phenotypic differences is not evidence of absence. Experimental systems should be carefully designed to provide meaningful conditions related to the research question. Finally, growing a second intermediate generation did not impact the genetic differences of ancestors and descendants within the facilities, supporting that only one intermediate generation may be sufficient to reduce detectable parental and storage effects. C_LI

ecology↗