Environmental Genomics
Origins of biodiversity
Adaptation - Genetic response to climate change
How species at the very limits of their distribution range respond to the environment could provide insight into future responses to climate change.
Scientists studied how temperature affected the flowering time of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a close relative of many crop species.
This plant is found throughout Eurasia, from the Arctic to temperate climates, and getting the flowering time right is essential to its survival. Too early in the Arctic and the plant will freeze; too late in the Mediterranean and the plant will wither before flowering is complete.
Genomic tools made it possible for scientists to locate the specific gene that regulates flowering time. Most variation is associated with a single gene and the scientists revealed how it works in combination with other genes that mediate an environmental response. The next step will be to investigate how this gene influences flowering time in other species.