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Plasticity genes and plasticity costs: a new approach using an Arabidopsis recombinant inbred population
Author(s) -
Callahan Hilary S.,
Dhanoolal Natalie,
Ungerer Mark C.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01368.x
Subject(s) - vernalization , biology , quantitative trait locus , population , genetics , plasticity , genetic variation , locus (genetics) , phenotypic plasticity , selection (genetic algorithm) , arabidopsis , trait , evolutionary biology , gene , mutant , demography , physics , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science , programming language , thermodynamics
Summary• Earlier flowering is triggered by vernalization in some but not all Arabidopsis ecotypes, often reflecting allelic variation at the FRIGIDA ( FRI ) locus. Using a recombinant inbred (RI) population polymorphic at FRI , we examined fitness consequences of variation for plasticity. • Flowering and fitness were scored for 68 RI genotypes following full and partial vernalization treatments. Within‐environment and mixed‐model anova s estimated variance components for a genotype effect and a G × E term, respectively. Selection analyses examined whether delayed bolting increases fitness; a plasticity costs analysis asked whether increased plasticity lowers fitness. We also explored whether trait QTL had environment‐specific effects, colocated in the immediate vicinity of FRI, or overlapped with fitness QTL. • Selection may favor fri alleles and constitutive early flowering, especially in conditions that only partially vernalize plants. Plasticity costs, detected only after partial vernalization and only marginally significant, were nonetheless consistent with FRI‐FLC function. • We discuss how information about QTL with environment‐specific effects, fitness QTL, and knowledge about plasticity genes can improve interpretation of selection or plasticity cost analyses.