Local climate and vernalization sensitivity predict the latitudinal patterns of flowering onset in the crop wild relative Linum bienne Mill.

Landoni, Beatrice; Suárez-Montes, Pilar; Habeahan, Rico H F; Brennan, Adrian C; Pérez-Barrales, Rocío

Abstract

Background and aims: The timing of flowering onset often correlates with latitude, indicative of climatic gradients. Flowering onset in temperate species commonly requires exposure to cold temperatures, known as vernalization. Hence, population differentiation of flowering onset with latitude might reflect adaptation to the local climatic conditions experienced by populations.

Methods: Within its Western range, seeds from Linum bienne populations (the wild relative of cultivated L. usitatissimum) were used to describe the latitudinal differentiation of flowering onset to determine its association with the population´s local climate. A vernalization experiment, including different crop cultivars, was used to determine how vernalization accelerates flowering onset, and the vernalization sensitivity response among populations and cultivars. Additionally, genetic differentiation of L. bienne populations along the latitudinal range was scrutinized using microsatellite markers.

Key results: Flowering onset varied with latitude of origin, with southern populations flowering earlier than their northern counterparts. Vernalization reduced the number of days to flowering onset, but vernalization sensitivity was greater in northern populations compared to southern ones. Conversely, vernalization delayed flowering onset in the crop, exhibiting less variation in sensitivity. In L. bienne, both flowering onset and vernalization sensitivity were better predicted by the population´s local climate than latitude itself. Microsatellite data unveiled genetic differentiation of populations, forming two groups geographically partitioned along latitude.

Conclusions: The consistent finding of latitudinal variation across experiments suggests that both flowering onset and vernalization sensitivity in L. bienne populations are under genetic regulation and might depend on climatic cues at the place of origin. The association with climatic gradients along latitude suggests that the climate experienced locally drives population differentiation of the flowering onset and vernalization sensitivity patterns. The genetic population structure suggests that past population history could have influenced the flowering initiation patterns detected, which deserves further work.

Keywords: climate change; crop wild relative; flax; flowering phenology; genetic differentiation; latitudinal gradients; local adaptation; vernalization.

Citation

Landoni, B., Suárez-Montes, P., Habeahan, R. H. F., Brennan, A. C., & Pérez-Barrales, R. (2024). Local climate and vernalization sensitivity predict the latitudinal patterns of flowering onset in the crop wild relative Linum bienne Mill. Annals of Botany, 134(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae040

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 13, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Mar 14, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 3, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 16, 2024
• Journal: Annals of Botany
• Print ISSN: 0305-7364
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-8290
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 134
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 117–130
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae040
• Keywords: Plant Science
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2385506