Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations

A. García Fernández 1,2, J. Morente 1, C. Lara-Romero 1 , M.L. Rubio 1 & J. M. Iriondo 1

1 Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.2 Institut Botanic de Barcelona, I.C.U.B.-C.S.I.C., Barcelona, Spain

Mediterranean mountains:a) Local biodiversity.b) High number of endemics.• Unfavorable periods.• Altitude gradient:

a) Temperatures.b) Precipitations.c) Soil properties.d) Vegetal community.

Study zone

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

WinterSpringSummer

Study zone

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Model species: Silene ciliata:• Mediterranean mountain ranges.• Rear margin distribution.• Facultative outcrosser.• Several levels of ploidy.• Late flowering.

Intermediate population

Low population

High population

Gimenez-Benavides et al. (2007) New Phyto.

Study zone What do we know?

Floral asynchrony

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Intermediate population

Low population

High population

Study zone What do we know?Floral asynchrony Local adaptation

Gimenez-Benavides et al. (2007) Ann. Bot.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know?Floral asynchrony Local adap. Drought resistance

García-Fernández et al. (2012) Plant Bio.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Fv/

Fm p

htos

ynte

tic

stat

us

Days without water supply

Low pop.Inter. pop.High pop.

Study zone What do we know?Floral asynchrony Local adap. Drought resistance Inbreeding

García-Fernández et al. (2012) Oikos Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

High Pop.

Interm. Pop.

Low Pop.

Surveys

% S

urvi

val

Self-cross

Within-cross

Betw-cross

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA

New project:Evaluate the importance of peripheral populations vs. central populations.• Population size.• Genetic diversity.• Gene flow.• Potential adaptation.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Alt

itud

e

Ecker et al. (2008) Mol. Eco.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA

New project:Questions:1. Is there local adaptation between

central and peripherial populations? How important is peripheral population size?

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA

New project:Questions:2. Which gene flow is more benefical for

peripheral popualtions, central-peripheral or peripheral-peripheral?

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA

New project:Questions:3. Can local adaptation be detected

through differential gene expression?

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments

Experiment 1: Population size effect1. Generate F1 in greenhouse to avoid maternal

effects.2. Set seeds from manual pollinations, F2.3. Reciprocal sowing and monitoring.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments

Experiment 2: Gene flow C-P vs. P-P1. Generate F1 in greenhouse to avoid maternal

effects.2. Seeds from manual pollinations, F2. All crossings.3. Reciprocal sowing and monitoring.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments

Experiment 3: Transcriptome analysis1. Generate F1 from central and marginal populations.2. Sow in low altitude peripheral location or similar

artificial conditions.3. Analyze seedling transcriptome, Illumina.

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.Blavet et al. (2011) BMC Genomics

Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments Questions

Experiment 3: Transcriptome analysis• Best conditions to grow seedlings? • Next Generation Sequencing Plataform?

Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

Ex situGreenhouse

In situ Field sowing

In situJiffy pots