A two-step adaptive walk rewires nutrient transport in a challenging edaphic environment

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  • Emmanuel Tergemina
  • Ahmed F. Elfarargi
  • Paulina Flis
  • Andrea Fulgione
  • Mehmet Göktay
  • Neto, Célia
  • Marleen Scholle
  • Pádraic J. Flood
  • Sophie Asako Xerri
  • Johan Zicola
  • Nina Döring
  • Herculano Dinis
  • Ute Krämer
  • David E. Salt
  • Angela M. Hancock

Most well-characterized cases of adaptation involve single genetic loci. Theory suggests that multilocus adaptive walks should be common, but these are challenging to identify in natural populations. Here, we combine trait mapping with population genetic modeling to show that a two-step process rewired nutrient homeostasis in a population of Arabidopsis as it colonized the base of an active stratovolcano characterized by extremely low soil manganese (Mn). First, a variant that disrupted the primary iron (Fe) uptake transporter gene (IRT1) swept quickly to fixation in a hard selective sweep, increasing Mn but limiting Fe in the leaves. Second, multiple independent tandem duplications occurred at NRAMP1 and together rose to near fixation in the island population, compensating the loss of IRT1 by improving Fe homeostasis. This study provides a clear case of a multilocus adaptive walk and reveals how genetic variants reshaped a phenotype and spread over space and time.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereabm9385
JournalScience Advances
Volume8
Issue number20
Number of pages15
ISSN2375-2548
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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