Leaf economics guides slow-fast adaptation across the geographic range of A. thaliana

Sartori, K. F. R.; Vasseur, F.; Violle, C.; Baron, E.; Gerard, M.; Rowe, N.; Ayala-Garay, O.; Christophe, A.; Garcia De Jalon, L.; Masclef, D.; Harscouet, E.; Del Rey Granado, M.; Chassagneux, A.; Kazakou, E.; Vile, D.

doi:10.1101/487066

bioRxiv · 10.1101/487066

Leaf economics guides slow-fast adaptation across the geographic range of A. thaliana

Sartori, K. F. R.·Vasseur, F.·Violle, C.·Baron, E.·Gerard, M.·Rowe, N.·Ayala-Garay, O.·Christophe, A.·Garcia De Jalon, L.·Masclef, D.·Harscouet, E.·Del Rey Granado, M.·Chassagneux, A.·Kazakou, E.·Vile, D.

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Abstract

The slow-fast continuum describes how resource allocation constrains life-history strategies in many organisms. In plants, it is reflected by a trade-off at the leaf level between the rate of carbon assimilation and lifespan, the so-called Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES). However, it is still unclear how the LES is connected to the slow-fast syndrome, and reflects adaptation to climate. Here, we measured growth, morpho-physiological and life-history traits at both leaf and whole-plant levels in 384 natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. We examined the extent to which the LES continuum parallels the slow-fast continuum, and compared trait variation to neutral genetic differentiation between lineages. We found that the LES is tightly linked to variation in whole-plant functioning, relative growth rate and life history. A genetic analysis further suggested that phenotypic differentiation is linked to the evolution of different slow-fast strategies in contrasted climates. Together, our findings shed light on the physiological bases of the slow-fast continuum, and its role for plant adaptation to climate.

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Sartori, K. F. R., Vasseur, F., Violle, C., Baron, E., Gerard, M., Rowe, N., Ayala-Garay, O., Christophe, A., Garcia De Jalon, L., Masclef, D., Harscouet, E., Del Rey Granado, M., Chassagneux, A., Kazakou, E., Vile, D.. 2018-12-04. Leaf economics guides slow-fast adaptation across the geographic range of A. thaliana. https://doi.org/10.1101/487066

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