Cryptic genetic variation for arabidopsis thaliana seed germination speed in a novel salt stress environment

Wei Yuan, Jonathan M. Flowers, Dustin J. Sahraie, Michael D. Purugganan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The expansion of species ranges frequently necessitates responses to novel environments. In plants, the ability of seeds to disperse to marginal areas relies in part to its ability to germinate under stressful conditions. Here we examine the genetic architecture of Arabidopsis thaliana germination speed under a novel, saline environment, using an Extreme QTL (X-QTL) mapping platform we previously developed. We find that early germination in normal and salt conditions both rely on a QTL on the distal arm of chromosome 4, but we also find unique QTL on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, and 5 that are specific to salt stress environments. Moreover, different QTLs are responsible for early vs. late germination, suggesting a temporal component to the expression of life history under these stress conditions. Our results indicate that cryptic genetic variation exists for responses to a novel abiotic stress, which may suggest a role of such variation in adaptation to new climactic conditions or growth environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3129-3138
Number of pages10
JournalG3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
Volume6
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016

Keywords

  • Abiotic stress
  • QTL
  • Salinity tolerance
  • Salt stress
  • bulk segregant analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)

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