1. Local adaptation in marginal high
mountain populations
A. García Fernández 1,2, J. Morente 1, C. Lara-Romero 1 , M.L. Rubio 1 & J. M. Iriondo 1
1 Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
2 Institut Botanic de Barcelona, I.C.U.B.-C.S.I.C., Barcelona, Spain

2. Mediterranean mountains:
a) Local biodiversity.
b) High number of endemics.
• Unfavorable periods.
• Altitude gradient:
a) Temperatures.
b) Precipitations.
c) Soil properties.
d) Vegetal community.
Study zone
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

3. WinterSpringSummer
Study zone
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

4. Study zone
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.
Model species: Silene ciliata:
• Mediterranean mountain ranges.
• Rear margin distribution.
• Facultative outcrosser.
• Several levels of ploidy.
• Late flowering.

5. Intermediate
population
Low
population
High
population
Gimenez-Benavides et al. (2007) New Phyto.
Study zone What do we know?
Floral asynchrony
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

6. Intermediate
population
Low
population
High
population
Study zone What do we know?
Floral asynchrony Local adaptation
Gimenez-Benavides et al. (2007) Ann. Bot. Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

7. Study zone What do we know?
Floral asynchrony Local adap. Drought resistance
García-Fernández et al. (2012) Plant Bio. Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.
Fv/Fmphtosynteticstatus
Days without water supply
Low pop.
Inter. pop.
High pop.

8. Study zone What do we know?
Floral asynchrony Local adap. Drought resistance Inbreeding
García-Fernández et al. (2012) Oikos Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.
High
Pop.
Interm.
Pop.
Low
Pop.
Surveys
%Survival
Self-cross
Within-cross
Betw-cross

9. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA
New project:
Evaluate the importance of peripheral
populations vs. central populations.
• Population size.
• Genetic diversity.
• Gene flow.
• Potential adaptation.
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.
Altitude
Ecker et al. (2008) Mol. Eco.

10. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA
New project:
Questions:
1. Is there local adaptation between
central and peripherial populations?
How important is peripheral population
size?
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

11. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA
New project:
Questions:
2. Which gene flow is more benefical for
peripheral popualtions, central-
peripheral or peripheral-peripheral?
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

12. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA
New project:
Questions:
3. Can local adaptation be detected
through differential gene expression?
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

13. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments
Experiment 1: Population size effect
1. Generate F1 in greenhouse to avoid maternal
effects.
2. Set seeds from manual pollinations, F2.
3. Reciprocal sowing and monitoring.
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

14. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments
Experiment 2: Gene flow C-P vs. P-P
1. Generate F1 in greenhouse to avoid maternal
effects.
2. Seeds from manual pollinations, F2. All crossings.
3. Reciprocal sowing and monitoring.
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.

15. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments
Experiment 3: Transcriptome analysis
1. Generate F1 from central and marginal populations.
2. Sow in low altitude peripheral location or similar
artificial conditions.
3. Analyze seedling transcriptome, Illumina.
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.Blavet et al. (2011) BMC Genomics

16. Study zone What do we know? AdAptA Experiments Questions
Experiment 3: Transcriptome analysis
• Best conditions to grow seedlings?
• Next Generation Sequencing Plataform?
Local adaptation in marginal high mountain populations.
Ex situ
Greenhouse
In situ
Field sowing
In situ
Jiffy pots