背景:尽管它对人口动态和进化有影响,野生种群的遗传和表型变异之间的关系仍不清楚。这里,在两个不同环境条件的常见花园实验中,我们估计了一年生植物拟南芥的生活史特征和适应性的变化和可塑性。我们使用了来自六个伊比利亚种群的306个母本自交系,这些种群具有低基因型和高基因型(基于全基因组序列)和生态(植被类型)多样性。
结果:在伊比利亚边缘和核心环境中发现了低和高基因型和生态多样性,分别。鉴于在边缘环境中,选择预计会更强,并且生态多样性可能会增强表型变异和可塑性,我们预计基因型多样性与表型变异和可塑性呈正相关。然而,母系线,无论其起源人口的基因型和生态多样性,所有性状均表现出大量的表型变异和可塑性。此外,在两个实验中的一个实验中,所有人群都具有针对更恶劣的环境条件的规范化(稳健性)或敏感性的母系。
结论:总体而言,我们得出的结论是,每个种群的环境属性可能决定了它们的基因型多样性,但是所有种群都保持着大量的表型变异和所有性状的可塑性,这代表了在不断变化的环境中可以承受的资产。
BACKGROUND: Despite its implications for population dynamics and evolution, the relationship between genetic and phenotypic variation in wild populations remains unclear. Here, we estimated variation and plasticity in life-history traits and fitness of the annual plant Arabidopsis thaliana in two common garden experiments that differed in environmental conditions. We used up to 306 maternal inbred lines from six Iberian populations characterized by low and high genotypic (based on whole-genome sequences) and ecological (vegetation type) diversity.
RESULTS: Low and high genotypic and ecological diversity was found in edge and core Iberian environments, respectively. Given that selection is expected to be stronger in edge environments and that ecological diversity may enhance both phenotypic variation and plasticity, we expected genotypic diversity to be positively associated with phenotypic variation and plasticity. However, maternal lines, irrespective of the genotypic and ecological diversity of their population of origin, exhibited a substantial amount of phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits. Furthermore, all populations harbored maternal lines with canalization (robustness) or sensitivity in response to harsher environmental conditions in one of the two experiments.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we conclude that the environmental attributes of each population probably determine their genotypic diversity, but all populations maintain substantial phenotypic variation and plasticity for all traits, which represents an asset to endure in changing environments.