DNA methylation in the wild: epigenetic transgenerational inheritance can mediate adaptation in clones of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Author:

Sammarco Iris1ORCID,Díez Rodríguez Bárbara234ORCID,Galanti Dario56ORCID,Nunn Adam78ORCID,Becker Claude910ORCID,Bossdorf Oliver6ORCID,Münzbergová Zuzana111ORCID,Latzel Vít1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Zámek 1 252 43 Průhonice Czechia

2. Natural Resources and Climate Area, CARTIF Technology Centre Parque Tecnológico de Boecillo parc. 205 47151 Boecillo Valladolid Spain

3. Department of Biology Philipps‐University Marburg Karl‐von‐Frisch Strasse 8 D‐35043 Marburg Germany

4. Department of Forest Genetics Albert‐Ludwigs‐Universität Freiburg Bertoldstraße 17 79098 Freiburg i. Br. Germany

5. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond UK

6. Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 5 72076 Tübingen Germany

7. ecSeq Bioinformatics GmbH Sternwartenstraße 29 04103 Saxony Germany

8. Department of Computer Science University of Leipzig Härtelstraße 16‐18 Leipzig 04107 Germany

9. Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC) Dr Bohr‐Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria

10. LMU Biocenter, Faculty of Biology Ludwig Maximilians University Munich Grosshaderner Str. 2‐4 82152 Martinsried Germany

11. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science Charles University Benátská 2 128 01 Prague Czechia

Abstract

Summary Due to the accelerating climate change, it is crucial to understand how plants adapt to rapid environmental changes. Such adaptation may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation, which could heritably alter phenotypes without changing the DNA sequence, especially across clonal generations. However, we are still missing robust evidence of the adaptive potential of DNA methylation in wild clonal populations. Here, we studied genetic, epigenetic and transcriptomic variation of Fragaria vesca, a predominantly clonally reproducing herb. We examined samples from 21 natural populations across three climatically distinct geographic regions, as well as clones of the same individuals grown in a common garden. We found that epigenetic variation was partly associated with climate of origin, particularly in non‐CG contexts. Importantly, a large proportion of this variation was heritable across clonal generations. Additionally, a subset of these epigenetic changes affected the expression of genes mainly involved in plant growth and responses to pathogen and abiotic stress. These findings highlight the potential influence of epigenetic changes on phenotypic traits. Our findings indicate that variation in DNA methylation, which can be environmentally inducible and heritable, may enable clonal plant populations to adjust to their environmental conditions even in the absence of genetic adaptation.

Funder

Akademie Věd České Republiky

Grantová Agentura České Republiky

Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Plant Science,Physiology

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