Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages

Elphinstone, C.; Sandler, M.; Stone, P.; Torres Jimenez, M. F.; Henn, J. J.; Zhang, X.; Birkeland, S.; Brochmann, C.; Henry, G. H. R.; Todesco, M.; Bacon, C. D.; Rieseberg, L. H.

doi:10.64898/2026.10.26.762098

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.26.762098

Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages

Elphinstone, C.·Sandler, M.·Stone, P.·Torres Jimenez, M. F.·Henn, J. J.·Zhang, X.·Birkeland, S.·Brochmann, C.·Henry, G. H. R.·Todesco, M.·Bacon, C. D.·Rieseberg, L. H.

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Abstract

Extreme environments impose strong selection pressures that can drive convergent adaptation among distantly related species. Arctic plants survive low temperatures, 24-hour light in summer and darkness in winter, short growing seasons, limited precipitation, nutrient-poor soils, and extreme seasonal variation. To test if these conditions are associated with shared genomic signatures, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for Oxyria digyna and compared it with existing reference genomes for three distantly related Arctic species (Cochlearia groenlandica, Draba nivalis, Dryas octopetala) and for 16 non-Arctic species from the same families. We identified 214 orthogroups with signatures of positive selection in all Arctic species, 1.6 times the number shared among the non-Arctic species. Although no gene ontology (GO) categories remained significantly enriched after multiple-testing correction, descriptive annotations included genes involved in general functions including protein folding, glycolysis, transcription, and oxidative-stress responses. Orthogroups showing copy number variation were associated with biotic interactions, sexual reproduction, and nutrient acquisition, suggesting that species may respond to biotic and nutrient stresses by shifts in gene copy number. Arctic and alpine genomes contained lower proportions of some repetitive elements, including terminal inverted repeats, and smaller regions of centromeric repeats than non-Arctic genomes. Overall, we see shared genes under positive selection, similar functions of genes with high copy number variation, and lower counts of some repetitive elements in the Arctic plant genomes. Our findings reveal a shared genomic signature of Arctic adaptation across deeply diverged plant lineages, suggesting that evolution in extreme environments repeatedly targets similar genomic features.

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Elphinstone, C., Sandler, M., Stone, P., Torres Jimenez, M. F., Henn, J. J., Zhang, X., Birkeland, S., Brochmann, C., Henry, G. H. R., Todesco, M., Bacon, C. D., Rieseberg, L. H.. 2026-10-29. Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.26.762098

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