Climate influences genetics in a model plant species Since plants have limited mobility, climate plays an especially important role in their survival and reproduction. EU researchers have studied how genetic changes allow a model plant species to adapt to environmental change. Climate Change and Environment © ajafoto, Thinkstock Adaptation to environmental change is particularly important in plants, which are largely immobile and have limited ways of avoiding stress. Given the potential future stresses of climate change, there is a need to understand the genetics of how plants adapt. The EU-funded initiative CLIMATE_ADAPTATION (Genetic adaptations to climate in Arabidopsis thaliana) identified genetic variations that allow the model plant Arabidopsis to adapt to different climates across its range. To do this, researchers used a computer model that combines population genetics, ecological modelling and statistical techniques to search for genetic signatures of local adaptation. First, CLIMATE_ADAPTATION sequenced the genomes of various Arabidopsis strains and then compared this genetic data to information about the climate where the plants live. Thus, the researchers could identify genetic characteristics linked to climatic factors. The results show that environmental variables related to rainfall had the strongest genetic link to climatic changes. This was consistent with the important role of drought tolerance across the range of Arabidopsis in Asia and Europe. Project researchers could also show that most variants of Arabidopsis likely represent the expansion of the species after glaciers covering the plant's range in the past receded. These findings help to explain the genetic variation of Arabidopsis across its range in Asia and Europe, and how it adapts to different conditions. As Arabidopsis is a model study species, this information will assist scientists studying the effects of climate change on other plants. Keywords Genetics, plants, environmental change, CLIMATE_ADAPTATION, Arabidopsis
