Groundbreaking new study has identified DNA underpinnings responsible for whether a species is well equipped to change with its environment.
The research was undertaken by Gregor Mendel Institute [GMI] of Molecular Plant Biology, former GMI group lead Kelly Swarts, now of Sweden’s Umeå Plant Science Centre, and Masaki Shimamura at Hiroshima University. First appearing in Current Biology last week, the analysis has wanted to understand how genetics caused certain ‘adaptive qualities’ in flora – for example, heat resistance or unique seed sizes.
Comparing a DNA in populations of Marchantia polymorpha in Europe, America and Japan, a number of underlying variants were found that contribute to adaptive qualities. Differences were significant in some cases. So while species in widespread European locations presented similar makeups to one another, there were big variations between the individual plants themselves. In comparison, those in isolated Japanese settings had unformed profiles, removed from their Western counterparts. This means different reproductive strategies could be used in the two continents.
‘Comparing populations in Europe and Japan, we found genetic variants associated with warmer and colder summer temperatures, as well as with the amount of summer precipitation,’ explains Liam Dolan. ‘These adaptations could be crucial for optimizing reproduction in different conditions.’
‘We’re eager to expand this database with samples from around the globe, enhancing the robustness of future research,’ he added. ‘Our platform opens up exciting possibilities for addressing a wide range of biological questions related to plant growth and development.’
Image: ANIRUDH / Unsplash
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