Local adaptation of Nothofagus pumilio along the latitudinal gradient of the Andes
Final Report Abstract
In our project LocalAdapt we aimed to identify the genetic and phenotypic basis of local adaptation and to determine the scale at which natural selection, gene flow, and major environmental drivers affect genetic diversity and local adaptation in Nothofagus pumilio, a widespread tree species in the Patagonia region. For that purpose, we used a targeted sequencing approach in a set of ~1,200 candidate genes in 20 populations across the species’ Andean range, performed parental and gene-flow analyses by means of microsatellite markers, and used dendroecology on the 500 target trees for phenotypic characterizations. We identified pathways linked to climatic parameters along the latitudinal and precipitation gradients and found that limited gene flow and the environmental gradients along the Andes lead to pronounced local adaptation. Specifically, patterns of local adaptations were found in relation to the long latitudinal day length and to the temperature differences among populations. Analyses of the variability in trees' stress response towards episodic stress and stress events and their genetic basis are currently still ongoing. The results of LocalAdapt will inform targeted management strategies of forest genetic resources, such as the identification of provenance zones for N. pumilio.
Publications
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Molecular bases of responses to abiotic stress in trees. Journal of Experimental Botany, 71(13), 3765-3779.
Estravis-Barcala, Maximiliano; Mattera, María Gabriela; Soliani, Carolina; Bellora, Nicolás; Opgenoorth, Lars; Heer, Katrin & Arana, María Verónica
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Temperature and day length drive local adaptation in the Patagonian foundation tree speciesNothofagus pumilio. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Sekely, Jill; Marchelli, Paula; Arana, Verónica; Dauphin, Benjamin; Mattera, María Gabriela; Pastorino, Mario; Scotti, Ivan; Soliani, Carolina; Heer, Katrin & Opgenoorth, Lars
