Diploid Populations Research Articles

A discussion of bisexual populations with Wolbachia infection as an evolution algebra

In this paper, Wolbachia infection in a bisexual and diploid population with a fixed cytoplasmic incompatibility rate w and maternal transmission rate d is studied as an evolution algebra. As the cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) of the population causes deaths in the offspring, the evolution algebra of this model is not baric, and is a dibaric algebra if and only if the cytoplasmic incompatibility rate w is 1 and d = 1 . The idempotent elements are given in terms of d and w. Moreover, this algebra has no absolute nilpotent elements when CI expression w ≠ 1 .

Integrative multi-omics analysis reveals genetic and heterotic contributions to male fertility and yield in potato.

The genetic analysis of potato is hampered by the complexity of tetrasomic inheritance. An ongoing effort aims to transform the clonally propagated tetraploid potato into a seed-propagated diploid crop, which would make genetic analyses much easier owing to disomic inheritance. Here, we construct and report the large-scale genetic and heterotic characteristics of a diploid F2 potato population derived from the cross of two highly homozygous inbred lines. We investigate 20,382 traits generated from multi-omics dataset and identify 25,770 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Coupled with gene expression data, we construct a systems-genetics network for gene discovery in potatoes. Importantly, we explore the genetic basis of heterosis in this population, especially for yield and male fertility heterosis. We find that positive heterotic effects of yield-related QTLs and negative heterotic effects of metabolite QTLs (mQTLs) contribute to yield heterosis. Additionally, we identify a PME gene with a dominance heterotic effect that plays an important role in male fertility heterosis. This study provides genetic resources for the potato community and will facilitate the application of heterosis in diploid potato breeding.

Chromatin Accessibility and Gene Expression Vary Between a New and Evolved Autopolyploid of Arabidopsis arenosa.

Polyploids arise from whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, which have played important roles in genome evolution across eukaryotes. WGD can increase genome complexity, yield phenotypic novelty, and influence adaptation. Neo-polyploids have been reported to often show seemingly stochastic epigenetic and transcriptional changes, but this leaves open the question whether these changes persist in evolved polyploids. A powerful approach to address this is to compare diploids, neo-polyploids, and evolved polyploids of the same species. Arabidopsis arenosa is a species that allows us to do this-natural diploid and autotetraploid populations exist, while neo-tetraploids can be artificially generated. Here, we use ATAC-seq to assay local chromatin accessibility, and RNA-seq to study gene expression on matched leaf and petal samples from diploid, neo-tetraploid and evolved tetraploid A. arenosa. We found over 8,000 differentially accessible chromatin regions across all samples. These are largely tissue specific and show distinct trends across cytotypes, with roughly 70% arising upon WGD. Interestingly, only a small proportion is associated with expression changes in nearby genes. However, accessibility variation across cytotypes associates strongly with the number of nearby transposable elements. Relatively few genes were differentially expressed upon genome duplication, and ∼60% of these reverted to near-diploid levels in the evolved tetraploid, suggesting that most initial perturbations do not last. Our results provide new insights into how epigenomic and transcriptional mechanisms jointly respond to genome duplication and subsequent evolution of autopolyploids, and importantly, show that one cannot be directly predicted from the other.

Chromosome Study of Six Populations of Trifolium tumens Stev. ex M. B. in IRAN

Trifolium tumens Stev. ex M. B is a perennial legume with long‐lived and deep rooting from the Vesicaria section in Trifolium genus. It is distributed in Iran. The base chromosome number (x = 8) in the population, confirmed the views of the previous researchers. In this study, the number of chromosomes in the mitotic metaphase stage in the meristematic cells of the root ends were counted in six populations of Trifolium tumens. Also, chloroplast count of stomata guard cells, morphological studies, pollen grain size and flowcytometry were studied in six accessions. Our results showed that this species has ploidy level (2n=16, 2n=32). and the tetraploid state in the species T. tumens is reported. Through flowcytometry, chloroplast count of stomata guard cells and compare the pollen grain, different characters were showed between diploid and tetraploid populations, too. Based on the results, this new cytotype is reported from Iran.

Biogeographic, climatic, morphological, cytological and molecular data reveal a new diploid species from China in the genus Xanthocyparis (Cupressaceae)

AbstractThe genus Xanthocyparis was described in 2002 for a new conifer species X. vietnamensis from northern Vietnam, which became well‐known for its rarity. Recently, natural diploid populations were found in a small area of northern Guangxi, China, whereas material from Vietnam plus newly discovered populations from southern Guangxi were determined to be tetraploids. We integrated evidence from multiple data sources to perform a taxonomic evaluation of the two ploidy levels present in Xanthocyparis. Morphometric analyses detected statistically significant differences in cone and leaf characters, whereas microsatellite and transcriptome analyses revealed clear genetic divergence between diploid and tetraploid material. Furthermore, analysis of bioclimatic variables confirmed divergence in ecological niches. Gene trees from homologous sequences indicate that tetraploid material might have arisen via allopolyploidy from the extant diploid material and a third, possibly extinct lineage. Therefore, we recognize and describe a new diploid species from northern Guangxi China: Xanthocyparis guangxiensis.

A metabolic perspective on polyploid invasion and the emergence of life histories: Insights from a mechanistic model.

Whole-genome duplication (WGD, polyploidization) has been identified as a driver of genetic and phenotypic novelty, having pervasive consequences for the evolution of lineages. While polyploids are widespread, especially among plants, the long-term establishment of polyploids is exceedingly rare. Genome doubling commonly results in increased cell sizes and metabolic expenses, which may be sufficient to modulate polyploid establishment in environments where their diploid ancestors thrive. We developed a mechanistic simulation model of photosynthetic individuals to test whether changes in size and metabolic efficiency allow autopolyploids to coexist with, or even invade, ancestral diploid populations. Central to the model is metabolic efficiency, which determines how energy obtained from size-dependent photosynthetic production is allocated to basal metabolism as opposed to somatic and reproductive growth. We expected neopolyploids to establish successfully if they have equal or higher metabolic efficiency as diploids or to adapt their life history to offset metabolic inefficiency. Polyploid invasion was observed across a wide range of metabolic efficiency differences between polyploids and diploids. Polyploids became established in diploid populations even when they had a lower metabolic efficiency, which was facilitated by recurrent formation. Competition for nutrients is a major driver of population dynamics in this model. Perenniality did not qualitatively affect the relative metabolic efficiency from which tetraploids tended to establish. Feedback between size-dependent metabolism and energy allocation generated size and age differences between plants with different ploidies. We demonstrated that even small changes in metabolic efficiency are sufficient for the establishment of polyploids.

The limit to evolutionary rescue depends on ploidy in yeast exposed to nystatin.

The number of copies of each chromosome, or ploidy, of an organism is a major genomic factor affecting adaptation. We set out to determine how ploidy can impact the outcome of evolution, as well as the likelihood of evolutionary rescue, using short-term experiments with yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in a high concentration of the fungicide nystatin. In similar experiments using haploid yeast, the genetic changes underlying evolutionary rescue were highly repeatable, with all rescued lines containing a single mutation in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway. All of these beneficial mutations were recessive, which led to the expectation that diploids would find alternative genetic routes to adaptation. To test this, we repeated the experiment using both haploid and diploid strains and found that diploid populations did not evolve resistance. Although diploids are able to adapt at the same rate as haploids to a lower, not fully inhibitory, concentration of nystatin, the present study suggests that diploids are limited in their ability to adapt to an inhibitory concentration of nystatin, while haploids may undergo evolutionary rescue. These results demonstrate that ploidy can tip the balance between adaptation and extinction when organisms face an extreme environmental change.

The coalescent in finite populations with arbitrary, fixed structure

The coalescent is a stochastic process representing ancestral lineages in a population undergoing neutral genetic drift. Originally defined for a well-mixed population, the coalescent has been adapted in various ways to accommodate spatial, age, and class structure, along with other features of real-world populations. To further extend the range of population structures to which coalescent theory applies, we formulate a coalescent process for a broad class of neutral drift models with arbitrary – but fixed – spatial, age, sex, and class structure, haploid or diploid genetics, and any fixed mating pattern. Here, the coalescent is represented as a random sequence of mappings C=Ctt=0∞ from a finite set G to itself. The set G represents the “sites” (in individuals, in particular locations and/or classes) at which these alleles can live. The state of the coalescent, Ct:G→G, maps each site g∈G to the site containing g’s ancestor, t time-steps into the past. Using this representation, we define and analyze coalescence time, coalescence branch length, mutations prior to coalescence, and stationary probabilities of identity-by-descent and identity-by-state. For low mutation, we provide a recipe for computing identity-by-descent and identity-by-state probabilities via the coalescent. Applying our results to a diploid population with arbitrary sex ratio r, we find that measures of genetic dissimilarity, among any set of sites, are scaled by 4r(1−r) relative to the even sex ratio case.

Development of near homozygous lines for diploid hybrid TPS breeding in potatoes

Diploid inbred-based F1 hybrid True Potato Seed (DHTPS) breeding is a novel technique to transform potato breeding and cultivation across the globe. Significant efforts are being made to identify elite diploids, dihaploids and develop diploid inbred lines for heterosis exploitation in potatoes. Self-incompatibility is the first obstacle for developing inbred lines in diploid potatoes, which necessitates the introgression of a dominant S locus inhibitor gene (Sli) for switching self-incompatibility to self-compatibility. We evaluated a set of 357 diploid clones in different selfing generations for self-compatibility and degree of homozygosity using Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. A subset of 10 KASP markers of the Sli candidate region on chromosome 12 showed an association with the phenotype for self-compatibility. The results revealed that the selected 10 KASP markers for the Sli gene genotype could be deployed for high throughput rapid screening of self-compatibility in diploid populations and to identify new sources of self-compatibility. The homozygosity assessed through 99 KASP markers distributed across all the chromosomes of the potato genome was 20–78 % in founder diploid clones, while different selfing generations, i.e., S0, S1, S2 and S3 observed 36.1–80.4, 56.9–82.8, 59.5–85.4 and 73.7–87.8 % average homozygosity, respectively. The diploid plants with ∼80 % homozygosity were also observed in the first selfing generation, which inferred that homozygosity assessment in the early generations itself could identify the best plants with high homozygosity to speed up the generation of diploid inbred lines.

Polyploidy Promotes Hypertranscription, Apoptosis Resistance, and Ciliogenesis in Cancer Cells and Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Various Origins: Comparative Transcriptome In Silico Study.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) attract an increasing amount of attention due to their unique therapeutic properties. Yet, MSC can undergo undesirable genetic and epigenetic changes during their propagation in vitro. In this study, we investigated whether polyploidy can compromise MSC oncological safety and therapeutic properties. For this purpose, we compared the impact of polyploidy on the transcriptome of cancer cells and MSC of various origins (bone marrow, placenta, and heart). First, we identified genes that are consistently ploidy-induced or ploidy-repressed through all comparisons. Then, we selected the master regulators using the protein interaction enrichment analysis (PIEA). The obtained ploidy-related gene signatures were verified using the data gained from polyploid and diploid populations of early cardiomyocytes (CARD) originating from iPSC. The multistep bioinformatic analysis applied to the cancer cells, MSC, and CARD indicated that polyploidy plays a pivotal role in driving the cell into hypertranscription. It was evident from the upregulation of gene modules implicated in housekeeping functions, stemness, unicellularity, DNA repair, and chromatin opening by means of histone acetylation operating via DNA damage associated with the NUA4/TIP60 complex. These features were complemented by the activation of the pathways implicated in centrosome maintenance and ciliogenesis and by the impairment of the pathways related to apoptosis, the circadian clock, and immunity. Overall, our findings suggest that, although polyploidy does not induce oncologic transformation of MSC, it might compromise their therapeutic properties because of global epigenetic changes and alterations in fundamental biological processes. The obtained results can contribute to the development and implementation of approaches enhancing the therapeutic properties of MSC by removing polyploid cells from the cell population.

Identification of two mutant JASON-RELATED genes associated with unreduced pollen production in potato

Key messageMultiple QTLs control unreduced pollen production in potato. Two major-effect QTLs co-locate with mutant alleles of genes with homology to AtJAS, a known regulator of meiotic spindle orientation.In diploid potato the production of unreduced gametes with a diploid (2n) rather than a haploid (n) number of chromosomes has been widely reported. Besides their evolutionary important role in sexual polyploidisation, unreduced gametes also have a practical value for potato breeding as a bridge between diploid and tetraploid germplasm. Although early articles argued for a monogenic recessive inheritance, the genetic basis of unreduced pollen production in potato has remained elusive. Here, three diploid full-sib populations were genotyped with an amplicon sequencing approach and phenotyped for unreduced pollen production across two growing seasons. We identified two minor-effect and three major-effect QTLs regulating this trait. The two QTLs with the largest effect displayed a recessive inheritance and an additive interaction. Both QTLs co-localised with genes encoding for putative AtJAS homologs, a key regulator of meiosis II spindle orientation in Arabidopsis thaliana. The function of these candidate genes is consistent with the cytological phenotype of mis-oriented metaphase II plates observed in the parental clones. The alleles associated with elevated levels of unreduced pollen showed deleterious mutation events: an exonic transposon insert causing a premature stop, and an amino acid change within a highly conserved domain. Taken together, our findings shed light on the natural variation underlying unreduced pollen production in potato and will facilitate interploidy breeding by enabling marker-assisted selection for this trait.

Morphological and habitat differentiation between diploids and tetraploids of a Drakensberg near‐endemic taxon, Rhodohypoxis baurii var. platypetala (Hypoxidaceae)

AbstractEnvironmental factors may shape the spatial distribution of ploidy levels. Here, we undertook a cytogeographical study of Rhodohypoxis baurii var. platypetala (Hypoxidaceae), a Drakensberg near‐endemic taxon. We addressed the following questions: (1) Are there mixed‐ploidy populations or is each population represented by a single ploidy level? (2) Is there a pattern in the environmental distribution of ploidy levels? (3) Are there specific environmental variables associated with each ploidy level locality? (4) Are plant traits similar or different within and among ploidy levels across populations that experience different environmental factors? We measured leaf and flower traits of individuals that were sampled for flow cytometry from 17 populations across the KwaZulu‐Natal and Free State provinces in South Africa. We extracted daily climate data for 13 variables and collected soil samples to evaluate pH and nutrient properties to characterize the sampled populations to test for relationships with ploidy level distributions. Twelve populations were found to contain only diploids, four populations contained only tetraploids, and only one population was ‘mixed ploidy’ (both diploid and triploid individuals present). There was an overlap in the altitudinal range of diploid and tetraploid populations, but diploids reached the highest altitudes recorded for the current study. We also found that R. baurii var. platypetala occurs in acidic soils and that tetraploids occurred in soils with marginally higher nitrogen and phosphorus than soils where diploids occur. Tetraploids generally occurred in warmer conditions, in drier soils, and possessed broader leaves and larger flowers than diploids. Our study suggests that soil factors and temperature at a small (within localities) spatial scale likely shape ploidy level distributions in the Drakensberg grasslands.

Polly: An R package for genotyping microsatellites and detecting highly polymorphic DNA markers from short-read data.

Highly polymorphic markers, such as microsatellites, are invaluable for the study of natural populations. However, contemporary methods for genotyping highly polymorphic variants have serious drawbacks that impede their efficiency. We created Polly, an R package with C++ source code that uses Illumina short-read data to genotype microsatellites, detect highly polymorphic variants and identify clusters of highly polymorphic SNPs, indels and microsatellites. We tested Polly on short-read data from Xiphophorus birchmanni (Teleostei: Poeciliidae) and Arabidopsis thaliana, finding it to be efficient and accurate both for microsatellite genotyping and polymorphic marker detection. This program can be applied to any diploid population for which there exists short-read data and at least one scaffolded reference genome.

Enhancing xylose-fermentation capacity of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae by multistep evolutionary engineering in inhibitor-rich lignocellulose hydrolysate.

Major progress in developing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that utilize the pentose sugar xylose has been achieved. However, the high inhibitor content of lignocellulose hydrolysates still hinders efficient xylose fermentation, which remains a major obstacle for commercially viable second-generation bioethanol production. Further improvement of xylose utilization in inhibitor-rich lignocellulose hydrolysates remains highly challenging. In this work, we have developed a robust industrial S. cerevisiae strain able to efficiently ferment xylose in concentrated undetoxified lignocellulose hydrolysates. This was accomplished with novel multistep evolutionary engineering. First, a tetraploid strain was generated and evolved in xylose-enriched pretreated spruce biomass. The best evolved strain was sporulated to obtain a genetically diverse diploid population. The diploid strains were then screened in industrially relevant conditions. The best performing strain, MDS130, showed superior fermentation performance in three different lignocellulose hydrolysates. In concentrated corncob hydrolysate, with initial cell density of 1g DW/l, at 35°C, MDS130 completely coconsumed glucose and xylose, producing±7% v/v ethanol with a yield of 91% of the maximum theoretical value and an overall productivity of 1.22g/l/h. MDS130 has been developed from previous industrial yeast strains without applying external mutagenesis, minimizing the risk of negative side-effects on other commercially important properties and maximizing its potential for industrial application.

Gamete sex and elevation affect genetically based variation for unreduced gamete production in a mixed-ploidy plant.

Unreduced gametes are the primary mechanism of neopolyploid formation. Their production in diploid populations is arguably maladaptive, but the magnitude and patterns of genetically based variation maintained in natural populations are poorly understood. We examined variation in male and female unreduced gamete production among plants from different elevations in fireweed, Chamerion angustifolium, grown in a common environment. Using seeds from three high-elevation and three low-elevation diploid populations in one study, and a single diploid population in another, we estimated realized rates of unreduced male (sperm) and female (egg) gamete production by reciprocally pollinating diploid and tetraploid plants and estimating the incidence of tetraploid seeds using flow cytometry. Unreduced gamete frequencies per plant were similar in the two studies (0.12% vs. 0.08%). High-elevation populations had a greater percentage of fruit with seeds from unreduced gametes, but a lower percentage of seeds per fruit than low-elevation populations. Female unreduced gamete frequencies differed among elevations, but male frequencies did not, and the gamete sexes were not correlated at the plant level. We conclude that genetically based variation for unreduced gametes is maintained within and among natural populations, despite their fitness disadvantages, suggesting that local selection may be ineffective at purging them under some conditions.

Cryptic diploid lineage of Betula ermanii at its southern boundary populations in Japan.

Polyploidy is thought to enable species diversification and adaptation to extreme environments. Resolving the ecological differences between a taxon's ploidy levels would therefore provide important insights into local adaptation and speciation. The genus Betula includes many polyploids, but estimates of their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history are uncertain because of cryptic lineages and species. As one of the southern boundary populations of Betula ermanii in Japan has been shown to have distinctive genetic characteristics and traits, the differences in ploidy levels between three southern boundary and various other Japanese B. ermanii populations were investigated using flow cytometry. Leaf and seed morphologies were also compared. Apart from individuals in southern boundary populations, all those sampled were tetraploid. Individuals from the southern boundary populations were mostly diploid, apart from a few from lower altitude Shikoku populations, which were tetraploid. Leaf and seed morphologies differed between tetraploids and diploids. Diploid individuals were characterized by leaves with a heart-shaped base and many leaf teeth, and seeds with relatively longer wings. The diploid populations could be considered a cryptic relict lineage of B. ermanii, and there is a possibility that this lineage is a diploid ancestor of B. ermanii and a relict population of the Sohayaki element. Further investigation of the Japanese Betula phylogenetic relationships would enable an informed discussion of taxonomic revisions.

New diploid populations of the Chrysanthemum zawadskii complex (Asteraceae) in natural habitats of Korea

Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich is widely distributed from northern Europe to East Asia. It has been reported that various ploidy levels ranging from diploid (2n = 2x = 18) to decaploid (2n = 10x = 90) are distributed in Korea. The diploid populations of C. zawadskii, however, have limited habitats, with only four populations from two locations compared to polyploids that are widely distributed in Korea. During recent biodiversity research on the C. zawadskii complex, new habitats of diploid populations of C. zawadskii not reported earlier in Korea were identified. To understand the speciation mechanism accompanying polyploidization of the C. zawadskii complex, it was necessary to investigate the features of these new populations as to whether they identical to or different from previously reported diploid populations. For this purpose, we identified the number and karyotypes of somatic chromosomes in four new diploid populations and compared the morphological features. It was found that the new diploid populations differed slightly in terms of the size and color of the flowers and in the shape of the leaves, with continuous variations. Representative karyotypes of the new populations were included in previously reported diploid karyotypes, but the numbers and locations of satellite chromosomes differed. In addition, we found that one of them is a sympatric population with different ploidy levels, including diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid. From these results, it was confirmed that morphological and cytological variations exist among diploid populations in the C. zawadskii complex.

Exploring the intratumoral heterogeneity of DNA ploidy in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is morphologically and molecularly heterogeneous. Genomic heterogeneity might be mirrored by variability in DNA ploidy. Aneuploidy is a hallmark of genomic instability and associated with tumor aggressiveness. Little attention has been paid to the biological significance of the diploid tumor cell population that often coexists with aneuploid populations. Here, we investigated the role of DNA ploidy in tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution. Three radical prostatectomy specimens with intratumoral heterogeneity based on nuclear features on H&E were selected. DNA content of each subpopulation was determined by DNA image cytometry and silver in situ hybridization (SISH). Genomic evolution was inferred from array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Additionally, immunohistochemistry was used to examine the stemness-associated marker ALDH1A1. Nuclear morphology reliably predicted DNA ploidy status in all three cases. In one case, aCGH analysis revealed several shared deletions and one amplification in both the diploid and the aneuploid population, suggesting that these populations could be related. In the other two cases, a statement about relatedness was not possible. Furthermore, ALDH1A1 was expressed in 2/3 cases and exclusively observed in their diploid populations. In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate the feasibility to predict the DNA ploidy status of distinct populations within one tumor by H&E morphology. Future studies are needed to further investigate the clonal relationship between the diploid and the aneuploid subpopulation and test the hypothesis that the aneuploid population is derived from the diploid one. Finally, our analyses pointed to an enrichment of the stemness-associated marker ALDH1A1 in diploid populations, which warrants further investigation in future studies.

Ecological niche modeling of diploid flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) in the United States

Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) is an invasive perennial monocot found along the United States (U.S.).–Canadian border which can grow into large monotypic mats that can cause water use issues. Currently, there are two known cytotypes, diploid and triploid, within the invaded range; however, basic ecological research is lacking on the diploid cytotype. Ecological niche modelling (ENM) was done on three known populations of the diploid cytotype, alongside a global site model, to determine site-specific abiotic influences and potential suitability within the U.S. The ENM was constructed using climatic and soil variables from public sources with resultant models compared to currently known populations of flowering rush throughout the U.S. Diploid flowering rush populations and the global site models were highly reliant on precipitation in the driest month (27–39% model contribution) and one site was highly reliant on precipitation seasonality (38% model contribution). Diploid flowering rush populations in this study displayed different responses towards abiotic factors; however, seasonal signaling of precipitation patterns are highly important. Furthermore, diploid flowering rush is predicted to invade numerous areas with less than suitable habitat which should warrant further monitoring to prevent further spread.

Adaptive differentiation on serpentine soil in diploid versus autotetraploid populations of Biscutella laevigata (Brassicaceae)

Serpentine soils exhibit extreme properties (e.g. high magnesium content) influencing plant growth and survival, and have been repeatedly documented to promote adaptive edaphic differentiation in plants. Individuals from four pairs of nearby diploid and autotetraploid populations of Biscutella laevigata sampled on serpentine versus non‐serpentine soils in a factorial design are used to assess the genetic and phenotypic changes associated with edaphic origin and ploidy level. Individual samples from natural populations were subjected to soil elemental analysis and genotyping using restriction site‐associated DNA sequences (RAD‐seq) to link genetic variation with contrasting soils and ploidy levels. In diploids, genetic variation was consistent with demographic contraction and a pattern of isolation by environment with respect to the ratio of calcium/magnesium concentrations, whereas tetraploids presented evidence of expansion with limited edaphic differentiation. The genetic basis of tolerance and adaptation to serpentine was further assessed experimentally on seed‐grown individuals from all populations subjected to high (serpentine‐like) versus low (control) concentrations of magnesium in hydropony. Fitness‐related phenotypic traits under experimental cultivation were consistent with adaptive differentiation among diploid ecotypes but not among the tetraploids that similarly grow in both habitats and consistently present higher investment in roots. Further work comparing experimentally resynthesized polyploids to natural diploids and polyploids would help to tease the role of whole genome duplication apart from the effects of post‐polyploidy evolution.