Journal Article

Landscape genetics reveals that adaptive genetic divergence in Pinus bungeana (Pinaceae) is driven by environmental variables relating to ecological habitats

He, Yan-Xia, Liu, Ying, Li, Jia-Xin, Zhang, Xue-Xia, Li, Yong, Qian, Zhi-Hao, Liu, Bao-Guo

2019

Overview

Background Understanding the genetic basis of local adaptation has long been the concern of biologists. Identifying these adaptive genetic variabilities is crucial not only to improve our knowledge of the genetic mechanism of local adaptation but also to explore the adaptation potential of species. Results Using 10 natural populations and 12 start codon targeted (SCoT) markers, a total of 430 unambiguous loci were yielded. The Bayesian analysis of population structure clearly demonstrated that the 10 populations of P. bungeana could be subdivided into three groups. Redundancy analysis showed that this genetic divergence was caused by divergence selection from environmental variables related to the ecological habitats of “avoidance of flooding” and “avoidance of high temperature and humidity.” LFMM results indicated that Bio1, Bio5, Bio8, Bio12, Bio14, and Bio16, which are related to the ecological habitat of P. bungeana , were correlated with the highest numbers of environment-associated loci (EAL). Conclusions The results of EAL characterization in P. bungeana clearly supported the hypothesis that environmental variations related to the ecological habitat of species are the key drivers of species adaptive divergence. Moreover, a method to calculate the species landscape adaptation index and quantify the adaptation potential of species was proposed and verified using ecological niche modeling. This model could estimate climatically suitable areas of species spatial distribution. Taking the results together, this study improves the current understanding on the genetic basis of local adaptation.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adaptation / Adaptation potential / Adaptive genetic divergence / Animal behavior / Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography / Bayesian analysis / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Codons / Distribution / Divergence / Ecological niche modeling / Entomology / Environment-associated loci / Environmental aspects / Evolution & development / Evolutionary adaptation / Evolutionary Biology / Flooding / Floods / Genes / Genetic analysis / Genetic divergence / Genetic diversity / Genetic research / Genetics / Genetics and Population Dynamics / Genomes / Geographical distribution / Habitats / High temperature / Humidity / Hypotheses / Life Sciences / Natural history / Natural populations / Niches (Ecology) / Pinaceae / Pinus bungeana / Population / Population structure / Research Article / SCoT marker / Spatial distribution / Speciation and evolutionary genetics / Species / Variables