Transcriptome assembly and polymorphism detection in Silene ciliata (Caryophyllaceae)

Silene ciliata (Caryophyllaceae) is a key species to test evolutionary hypotheses in a global warming context. The recent advances in Next Generation Sequencing technologies can help in providing clues about climate-mediated local adaptation. In the present study, we analysed the full transcriptome of six individuals of S. ciliata from Central Spain, by aligning it with the transcriptome of S. latifolia. We aimed (a) to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the transcriptome of the species, (b) to describe the biological function of the polymorphic genes expressed and (c) to identify loci that may be involved in local adaptation processes at optimal and marginal populations of the species. We identified a total of 147,118 SNPs distributed throughout 12,688 sequences. The number of polymorphic sequences annotated was 8023. One hundred thirty sequences containing polymorphisms strongly associated with optimal and marginal conditions were selected. Gene ontology searches were successful for 118, and many of these were related to responses to stress (n = 19) and abiotic stimulus (n = 16). Genomic data generated provide a starting point for further research on the identification of candidate genes related to local adaptation and other processes in the species.This work was supported by projects AdAptA (CGL2012-33528) and EVA (CGL2016-77377-R) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). CLR was supported by a Juan de la Cierva post-doctoral fellowship (MINECO: FJCI-2015-24712) and by a European Science Foundation ESF Exchange Grant (Reference No. 4794) within the ESF activity entitled ‘Conservation Genomics: Amalgamation of Conservation Genetics and Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics'. SSB was supported by a FPI pre-doctoral fellowship (MINECO: BES-2017-082317)

Differential patterns of within- and between-population genetically based trait variation in Lupinus angustifolius

Background and aims Within-population genetic and phenotypic variation play a key role in the development of adaptive responses to environmental change. Between-population variation is also an essential element in assessing the evolutionary potential of species in response to changes in environmental conditions. In this context, common garden experiments are a useful tool to separate the genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variation. We aimed to assess within- and between-population phenotypic variation of Lupinus angustifolius L. in terms of its evolutionary potential to adapt to ongoing climate change. Methods We evaluated populations’ phenotypic variation of foliar, phenological and reproductive traits with a common garden experiment. Patterns of functional trait variation were assessed with (1) mixed model analyses and coefficients of variation (CVs) with confidence intervals, (2) principal component analyses (PCAs) and (3) correlations between pairs of traits. Analyses were performed at the population level (four populations) and at the latitude level (grouping pairs of populations located in two latitudinal ranges). Key Results Phenotypic variation had a significant genetic component associated with a latitudinal pattern. (1) Mixed models found lower specific leaf area, advanced flowering phenology and lower seed production of heavier seeds in southern populations, whereas CV analyses showed lower within-latitude variation especially in phenological and reproductive traits in southern populations. (2) PCAs showed a clearer differentiation of phenotypic variation between latitudes than between populations. (3) Correlation analyses showed a greater number of significant correlations between traits in southern populations (25 vs. 13). Conclusions Between-population phenotypic variation was determined by contrasting temperature and drought at different latitude and elevation. Southern populations had differential trait values compatible with adaptations to high temperatures and drought. Moreover, they had lower within-population variation and a greater number of trait correlations probably as a result of these limiting conditions, making them more vulnerable to climate change.This work was carried out thanks to the financial support of the EVA project (CGL2016-77377-R) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and by the Community of Madrid in the framework of the Multiannual Agreement with the Rey Juan Carlos University in line of action 1, ‘Encouragement of Young Phd students’ investigation’ Project Ref. M2178 Acronym GAFE. Carlos Lara-Romero was supported by a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación post-doctoral fellowship (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades: IJC2019-041342-I). Sandrá Sacristán was supported by a pre-doctoral contract (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades: BES-2017-082317).Peer reviewe

Population origin determines the adaptive potential for the advancement of flowering onset in Lupinus angustifolius L. (Fabaceae)

In the present framework of global warming, it is unclear whether evolutionary adaptation can happen quick enough to preserve the persistence of many species. Specifically, we lack knowledge about the adaptive potential of the different populations in relation to the various constraints that may hamper particular adaptations. There is evidence indicating that early flowering often provides an adaptive advantage to plants in temperate zones in response to global warming. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the adaptive potential for advancing flowering onset in Lupinus angustifolius L. (Fabaceae). Seeds from four populations from two contrasting latitudes in Spain were collected and sown in a common garden environment. Selecting the 25% of the individuals that flowered earlier in the first generation, over three generations, three different early flowering selection lines were established, involving both self-crosses and outcrosses. All artificial selection lines advanced their flowering significantly with respect to the control line in the northernmost populations, but not in the southern ones. Selection lines obtained from outcrossing had a greater advancement in flowering than those from self-crossing. No differences were found in the number or weight of the seeds produced between control and artificial selection lines, probably because plants in the common garden were drip irrigated. These results suggest that northern populations may have a greater adaptive potential and that southern populations may be more vulnerable in the context of climate warming. However, earlier flowering was also associated with changes in other traits (height, biomass, shoot growth, specific leaflet area, and leaflet dry matter content), and the effects of these changes varied greatly depending on the latitude of the population and selection line. Assessments of the ability of populations to cope with climate change through this and other approaches are essential to manage species and populations in a more efficient way.We thank Cristina Poyatos for the help with the experiments. We also thank Carlos Díaz, José Margalet, and Victoria Calvo for the technical support in the CULTIVE facility laboratory greenhouse. We are in debt with Alastair Plant for language editing. This work has been carried out thanks to the financial support of the EVA project (CGL2016-77377-R) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Carlos Lara-Romero was supported by a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación postdoctoral fellowship (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades: IJC2019-041342-I). This work was also partially funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union under grant agreement number: 774271 (Farmer's Pride project).Peer reviewe