Polyploids have more than two sets of chromosomes in result of a massive genomic change: whole-genome duplication (WGD). The frequency of polyploid origins and the manifestation of adaptive potential of polyploidy is dependent on the thermal environment. A cold environment promotes the formation of unreduced gametes, directly affecting polyploid formation and establishment, and it alleviates the initial meiotic shock by restoring fertility in nascent polyploids, providing novel opportunities for polyploid adaptation and expansion. In this Ph.D. thesis, the student will use multiple established autotetraploid lineages of Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa from Central Europe and the arctic to test if harsh environments trigger unreduced gamete formation in the diploid ancestors of polyploids. Second, the Ph.D. student will test if there is temperature-dependent meiotic adaptation to WGD, by studying the association between colder temperatures and meiosis stabilisation. Finally, the Ph.D. student will test for differential performance of A. lyrata and A. arenosa autotetraploids, including synthetic polyploids, in cold environment using experiments with manipulated temperature and phenotyping a wide range of fitness traits. The project will be done in close collaboration with the group of Polina Novikova, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany. including short term research stays.

 

Five relevant publications of the research group: (§ corresponding author, * shared first author)

 

Bohutínská M§, Vlček J, Yair S, Laenen B, Konečná V, Fracassetti M, Slotte T, Kolář F§ (2021): Genomic basis of parallel adaptation varies with divergence in Arabidopsis and its relatives. – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118: e2022713118.

Bohutínská M, Handrick V, Yant L, Schmickl R, Kolář F, Bomblies K, Paajanen P (2021): De novo mutation and rapid protein (co-)evolution during meiotic adaptation in Arabidopsis arenosa. Molecular Biology and Evolution 38: 1980–1994.

Morgan EJ, Čertner M, Lučanová M, Deniz U, Kubíková K, Venon A, Kovářík O, Lafon Placette C, Kolář F§ (2021): Disentangling the components of triploid block and its fitness consequences in natural di-tetraploid contact zones of Arabidopsis arenosa. – New Phytologist 232: 14491462.

Marburger S, Monnahan P, Seear PJ, Martin SH, Koch J, Paajanen P, Bohutínská M, Higgins JD, Schmickl R§, Yant L§ (2019): Interspecific introgression mediates adaptation to whole genome duplication. Nature Communications 10: 5218.

Monnahan P*, Kolář F*, Baduel P*, Sailer C, Koch J, Horvath R, Laenen B, Schmickl R, Paajanen P, Šrámková G, Bohutínská M, Arnold B, Weismann C, Marhold K, Slotte T, Bomblies K, Yant L§ (2019): Pervasive population genomic consequences of genome duplication in Arabidopsis arenosa. – Nature Ecology and Evolution 3: 457–468.

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