Local Adaptability Test Research Articles

The Semi-dwarf Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Variety ‘Noeulchal’, with Increased Digestibility

Other SectionsAbstractThe sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) variety ‘Noeulchal’ was developed and registered by the Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science, in 2019. This variety was developed from the cross between ‘RTx2907’, with white grain, and ’Sodamchal’, with brown grain and semi-dwarf traits. The yield performance of ‘Noeulchal’ was 3.71 MT/ha in a local adaptability test run for two years. It had a culm length of 93 cm, which is 11 cm longer than that of ‘Sodamchal’, a panicle length of 29 cm, a culm 22 mm thick, and a panicle exsertion of 9 cm. It could reduce the lodging problem experienced with current cultivars, and is also adapted to mechanized cultivation. ‘Noeulchal’ has a waxy endosperm with 3.2% amylose and contained high levels of rapidly digestible starch. The rapidly digestible starch with gluten-free flours could contribute to the development of foods with different properties (Registration No. 9105).Keywords : Sorghum bicolor L., Semi-dwarf, Noeulchal, Waxy endosperm, Variety

Current Status of Persimmon Industry and Prospect of the Korea-bred new Persimmon Varieties in Australia

The market of persimmon fruits in Australia is expanding in line with consumer's strong interest in functional healthy foods, increased immigrants from Asian countries and its exporting market expansion. However, it is hard to expect the Australia’s main sweet persimmon varieties, ‘Fuyu’ and ‘Jiro’, to meet the expanding market needs, due to their limited harvest period. Therefore, the Australia's persimmon growers want the new varieties with various harvest times, and are trying to introduce Korea-bred new sweet persimmon varieties, such as ‘Fantasy’, ‘Gampung’, ‘Wonmi’ and ‘Wonchu’. Presently, ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Gampung’ have obtained patents for cultivar protection in Australia, and their local adaptability test is underway. ‘Wonmi’ and ‘Wonchu’ have also been applied for cultivar protection patent in Australia. In future, all these, due to their early and medium-maturity fruits and excellent quality, are expected to be the new key persimmon varieties in Australia.

Low genetic differentiation despite high fragmentation in the endemic serpentinophyte Minuartia smejkalii (M. verna agg., Caryophyllaceae) revealed by RADSeq SNP markers

Minuartia smejkalii is an obligate serpentinophyte plant endemic to the Czech Republic. Since the 1960s, the species’ habitat has undergone strong human-mediated fragmentation, resulting in extinction of some populations and dramatic size reduction of the remaining populations. Thus, contrary to the typically stable serpentine habitats, M. smejkalii habitats underwent a recent and severe decline, which can exacerbate the effects of fragmentation on population genetic structure. We examined the genetic structure of all known M. smejkalii populations and two populations of M. corcontica and M. caespitosa, which are closely related, using RADSeq. The results indicate low, but clear differentiation among the three species, thus supporting the status of M. smejkalii as an independent taxon, though more extensive analysis of the whole group is needed. We further show high genetic diversity within M. smejkalii populations, low to moderate among-populations differentiation, and moderate regional differentiation. This could be due to the outcrossing mating system of M. smejkalii promoting high levels of gene flow and historical factors (multiple founder events, a recent bottleneck and/or a genetic time lag). We finally demonstrate that 2–3% of the markers show differentiation patterns consistent with divergent selection, suggesting that some local adaptation might have occured in M. smejkalii. Based on our observations, but without any experimental testing for local adaptation, if a conservation action is to be carried out, we recommend strictly separating the material from the two regions, and if possible, separating the populations within a region.

Testing for local adaptation in adult male and female fitness among populations evolved under different mate competition regimes.

Mating/fertilization success and fecundity are influenced by sexual interactions among individuals, the nature and frequency of which can vary among different environments. The extent of local adaptation for such adult fitness components is poorly understood. We allowed 63 populations of Drosophila melanogaster to independently evolve in one of three mating environments that alter sexual interactions: one involved enforced monogamy, while the other two permitted polygamy in either structurally simple standard fly vials or in larger "cages" with added complexity. Adult male and female reproductive fitness were measured after 16 and 28 generations, respectively, via full reciprocal transplants. In males, reciprocal local adaptation was observed between the monogamy and simple polygamy treatments, consistent with the evolution of reproductively competitive males under polygamy that perform poorly under monogamy because they harm their only mate. However, males evolved in the complex polygamy treatment performed similarly or better than all other males in all mating environments, consistent with previous results showing higher genetic quality in this treatment. Differences in female fitness were more muted, suggesting selection on females was less divergent across the mating treatments and echoing a common pattern of greater phenotypic and expression divergence in males than females.

Local adaptation in mainland anole lizards: Integrating population history and genome-environment associations.

Environmental gradients constrain physiological performance and thus species’ ranges, suggesting that species occurrence in diverse environments may be associated with local adaptation. Genome–environment association analyses (GEAA) have become central for studies of local adaptation, yet they are sensitive to the spatial orientation of historical range expansions relative to landscape gradients. To test whether potentially adaptive genotypes occur in varied climates in wide‐ranged species, we implemented GEAA on the basis of genomewide data from the anole lizards Anolis ortonii and Anolis punctatus, which expanded from Amazonia, presently dominated by warm and wet settings, into the cooler and less rainy Atlantic Forest. To examine whether local adaptation has been constrained by population structure and history, we estimated effective population sizes, divergence times, and gene flow under a coalescent framework. In both species, divergence between Amazonian and Atlantic Forest populations dates back to the mid‐Pleistocene, with subsequent gene flow. We recovered eleven candidate genes involved with metabolism, immunity, development, and cell signaling in A. punctatus and found no loci whose frequency is associated with environmental gradients in A. ortonii. Distinct signatures of adaptation between these species are not associated with historical constraints or distinct climatic space occupancies. Similar patterns of spatial structure between selected and neutral SNPs along the climatic gradient, as supported by patterns of genetic clustering in A. punctatus, may have led to conservative GEAA performance. This study illustrates how tests of local adaptation can benefit from knowledge about species histories to support hypothesis formulation, sampling design, and landscape gradient characterization.

Differences between populations in host manipulation by the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus - is there local adaptation?

Host manipulation whereby a parasite increases its transmission to a subsequent host by altering the behaviour of its current host is very far spread. It also occurs in host-parasite systems that are widely distributed. This offers the potential for local adaptation. The tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus modifies its first intermediate copepod host's predation susceptibility to suit its own needs by reducing its activity before it becomes infective and increasing it thereafter. To investigate potential differences in host manipulation between different populations and test for potential local adaptation with regard to host manipulation, I experimentally infected hosts from two distinct populations with parasites from either population in a fully crossed design. Host manipulation differed between populations mostly once the parasite had reached infectivity. These differences in infective parasites were mostly due to differences between different parasite populations. In not yet infective parasites, however, host population also had a significant effect on host manipulation. There was no evidence of local adaptation; parasites were able to manipulate foreign and local hosts equally well. Likewise, hosts were equally poor at resisting host manipulation by local and foreign parasites.

Evidence for microbial local adaptation in nature.

Local adaptation is an outcome of divergent selection on microbial populations and has been linked to the immense genetic diversity of microbes observed in nature. Because it is difficult to study microbes in their natural habitats, most tests of microbial local adaptation have been performed in model laboratory systems; as a result, microbiologists have limited understanding of local adaptation among natural microbial populations. In this review, we summarize the evidence for microbial local adaptation in nature. Local adaptation has been most frequently studied, and most frequently found, in host-pathogen systems. We argue that more research is needed to understand the prevalence of local adaptation in free-living microbial populations. However, researchers will need to overcome a variety of logistical and conceptual challenges when studying natural microbial local adaptation, including a lack of solid understanding of many microbes' natural histories. We propose strategies to facilitate future natural history research on divergent selection. We also summarize laboratory experimental work investigating the ecological and evolutionary processes leading to local adaptation. Microbiologists' ongoing challenge is to integrate the valuable knowledge gained from laboratory experiments into well-designed field experiments. Such integration will help us understand the prevalence of, and circumstances leading to, local adaptation among microorganisms.

Testing for local adaptation and evolutionary potential along altitudinal gradients in rainforest Drosophila: beyond laboratory estimates.

Predicting how species will respond to the rapid climatic changes predicted this century is an urgent task. Species distribution models (SDMs) use the current relationship between environmental variation and species' abundances to predict the effect of future environmental change on their distributions. However, two common assumptions of SDMs are likely to be violated in many cases: (i) that the relationship of environment with abundance or fitness is constant throughout a species' range and will remain so in future and (ii) that abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, humidity) determine species' distributions. We test these assumptions by relating field abundance of the rainforest fruit fly Drosophila birchii to ecological change across gradients that include its low and high altitudinal limits. We then test how such ecological variation affects the fitness of 35 D.birchii families transplanted in 591 cages to sites along two altitudinal gradients, to determine whether genetic variation in fitness responses could facilitate future adaptation to environmental change. Overall, field abundance was highest at cooler, high-altitude sites, and declined towards warmer, low-altitude sites. By contrast, cage fitness (productivity) increased towards warmer, lower-altitude sites, suggesting that biotic interactions (absent from cages) drive ecological limits at warmer margins. In addition, the relationship between environmental variation and abundance varied significantly among gradients, indicating divergence in ecological niche across the species' range. However, there was no evidence for local adaptation within gradients, despite greater productivity of high-altitude than low-altitude populations when families were reared under laboratory conditions. Families also responded similarly to transplantation along gradients, providing no evidence for fitness trade-offs that would favour local adaptation. These findings highlight the importance of (i) measuring genetic variation in key traits under ecologically relevant conditions, and (ii) considering the effect of biotic interactions when predicting species' responses to environmental change.

Breeding of mulberry variety "Shimgang" showing resistance to popcorn disease

We bred a mulberry cultivar named Shimgang, through local adaptability test, which is under registration as a new cultivar for fruit production. Local adaptability test had been carried out at four local places(Suwon, Chuncheon, Buan and Jinju) for five years from 2011. This variety 'Shimgang' belongs to Morus Microphylla Buckl. selected from seedlings imported from USA. Shimgang was resistant to popcorn disease and high yielding variety in fruit productivity by 111% compared to control cultivar 'Shimheung(Morus alba L.)' for three years. Although fruits of 'Shimgang' was smaller in size and lower in sugar content of mulberry fruits, it showed stronger resistance than that of 'Shimheung'. It is adaptable to every where except the places where cold and late frost damage happen frequently.

Venom Resistance as a Model for Understanding the Molecular Basis of Complex Coevolutionary Adaptations.

SynopsisVenom and venom resistance are molecular phenotypes widely considered to have diversified through coevolution between predators and prey. However, while evolutionary and functional studies on venom have been extensive, little is known about the molecular basis, variation, and complexity of venom resistance. We review known mechanisms of venom resistance and relate these mechanisms to their predicted impact on coevolutionary dynamics with venomous enemies. We then describe two conceptual approaches which can be used to examine venom/resistance systems. At the intraspecific level, tests of local adaptation in venom and resistance phenotypes can identify the functional mechanisms governing the outcomes of coevolution. At deeper evolutionary timescales, the combination of phylogenetically informed analyses of protein evolution coupled with studies of protein function promise to elucidate the mode and tempo of evolutionary change on potentially coevolving genes. We highlight case studies that use each approach to extend our knowledge of these systems as well as address larger questions about coevolutionary dynamics. We argue that resistance and venom are phenotypic traits which hold exceptional promise for investigating the mechanisms, dynamics, and outcomes of coevolution at the molecular level. Furthermore, extending the understanding of single gene-for-gene interactions to the whole resistance and venom phenotypes may provide a model system for examining the molecular and evolutionary dynamics of complex multi-gene interactions.

Extensive variation, but not local adaptation in an Australian alpine daisy.

Alpine plants often occupy diverse habitats within a similar elevation range, but most research on local adaptation in these plants has focused on elevation gradients. In testing for habitat‐related local adaptation, local effects on seed quality and initial plant growth should be considered in designs that encompass multiple populations and habitats. We tested for local adaptation across alpine habitats in a morphologically variable daisy species, Brachyscome decipiens, in the Bogong High Plains in Victoria, Australia. We collected seed from different habitats, controlled for maternal effects through initial seed size estimates, and characterized seedling survival and growth in a field transplant experiment. We found little evidence for local adaptation for survival or plant size, based on three adaptation measures: Home versus Away, Local versus Foreign, and Sympatric versus Allopatric (SA). The SA measure controlled for planting site and population (site‐of‐origin) effects. There were significant differences due to site‐of‐origin and planting site effects. An important confounding factor was the size of plants directly after transplantation of seedlings, which had a large impact on subsequent seedling survival and growth. Initial differences in plant width and height influenced subsequent survival across the growing season but in opposing directions: wide plants had higher survival, but tall plants had lower survival. In an additional controlled garden experiment at Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, site‐of‐origin effects detected in the field experiments disappeared under more benign homogeneous conditions. Although B. decipiens from different source areas varied significantly when grown across a range of alpine habitats, these differences did not translate into a local or habitat‐related fitness advantage. This lack of local advantage may signal weak past selection, and/or weak adaptive transgeneration (plasticity) effects.

Testing for Local Adaptation to Spawning Habitat in Sympatric Subpopulations of Pike by Reciprocal Translocation of Embryos.

We tested for local adaption in early life-history traits by performing a reciprocal translocation experiment with approximately 2,500 embryos of pike (Esox lucius) divided in paired split-family batches. The experiment indicated local adaptation in one of the two subpopulations manifested as enhanced hatching success of eggs in the native habitat, both when compared to siblings transferred to a non-native habitat, and when compared to immigrant genotypes from the other subpopulation. Gene-by-environment effects on viability of eggs and larvae were evident in both subpopulations, showing that there existed genetic variation allowing for evolutionary responses to divergent selection, and indicating a capacity for plastic responses to environmental change. Next, we tested for differences in female life-history traits. Results uncovered that females from one population invested more resources into reproduction and also produced more (but smaller) eggs in relation to their body size compared to females from the other population. We suggest that these females have adjusted their reproductive strategies as a counter-adaptation because a high amount of sedimentation on the eggs in that subpopulations spawning habitat might benefit smaller eggs. Collectively, our findings point to adaptive divergence among sympatric subpopulations that are physically separated only for a short period during reproduction and early development—which is rare. These results illustrate how combinations of translocation experiments and field studies of life-history traits might infer about local adaptation and evolutionary divergence among populations. Local adaptations in subdivided populations are important to consider in management and conservation of biodiversity, because they may otherwise be negatively affected by harvesting, supplementation, and reintroduction efforts targeted at endangered populations.

Role of selection and gene flow in population differentiation at the edge vs. interior of the species range differing in climatic conditions.

Evaluating the relative importance of neutral and adaptive processes as determinants of population differentiation across environments is a central theme of evolutionary biology. We applied the QST-FST comparison flanked by a direct test for local adaptation to infer the role of climate-driven selection and gene flow in population differentiation of an annual grass Avena sterilis in two distinct parts of the species range, edge and interior, which represent two globally different climates, desert and Mediterranean. In a multiyear reciprocal transplant experiment, the plants of desert and Mediterranean origin demonstrated home advantage, and population differentiation in several phenotypic traits related to reproduction exceeded neutral predictions, as determined by comparisons of QST values with theoretical FST distributions. Thus, variation in these traits likely resulted from local adaptation to desert and Mediterranean environments. The two separate common garden experiments conducted with different experimental design revealed that two population comparisons, in contrast to multi-population comparisons, are likely to detect population differences in virtually every trait, but many of these differences reflect effects of local rather than regional environment. We detected a general reduction in neutral (SSR) genetic variation but not in adaptive quantitative trait variation in peripheral desert as compared with Mediterranean core populations. On the other hand, the molecular data indicated intensive gene flow from the Mediterranean core towards desert periphery. Although species range position in our study (edge vs. interior) was confounded with climate (desert vs. Mediterranean), the results suggest that the gene flow from the species core does not have negative consequences for either performance of the peripheral plants or their adaptive potential.

Genetic structure and host-parasite co-divergence: evidence for trait-specific local adaptation

Host–parasite co-evolution can lead to genetic differentiation among isolated host–parasite populations and local adaptation between parasites and their hosts. However, tests of local adaptation rarely consider multiple fitnessrelated traits although focus on a single component of fitness can be misleading. Here, we concomitantly examined genetic structure and co-divergence patterns of the trematode Coitocaecum parvum and its crustacean host Paracalliope fluviatilis among isolated populations using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI). We then performed experimental cross-infections between two genetically divergent host–parasite populations. Both hosts and parasites displayed genetic differentiation among populations, although genetic structure was less pronounced in the parasite. Data also supported a co-divergence scenario between C. parvum and P. fluviatilis potentially related to local co-adaptation. Results from cross-infections indicated that some parasite lineages seemed to be locally adapted to their sympatric (home) hosts in which they achieved higher infection and survival rates than in allopatric (away) amphipods. However, local, intrinsic host and parasite characteristics (host behavioural or immunological resistance to infections, parasite infectivity or growth rate) also influenced patterns of host–parasite interactions. For example, overall host vulnerability to C. parvum varied between populations, regardless of parasite origin (local vs. foreign), potentially swamping apparent local co-adaptation effects. Furthermore, local adaptation effects seemed trait specific; different components of parasite fitness (infection and survival rates, growth) responded differently to cross-infections. Overall, data show that genetic differentiation is not inevitably coupled with local adaptation, and that the latter must be interpreted with caution in a multi-trait context. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2016, 118, 344–358.

Photosynthetic response to light and temperature in Laminaria digitata gametophytes from two French populations

ABSTRACTGiven the growing body of evidence on the general decline of kelp beds worldwide, it is crucial to understand the physiological responses of kelp gametophyte stages to environmental parameters. We investigated the physiological responses to light and temperature of gametophytes from two populations of Laminaria digitata in contrasting environments along the French coast of the English Channel. Gametophytes of both populations were highly tolerant of high light through an efficient down-regulation of photosynthesis triggered by the activation of the xanthophyll cycle. Temperature increases promoted photosynthesis and photosystem II showed high resistance to short-term exposure to high temperatures currently encountered in the field. Gametophytes from the two sites displayed some differences in their pigment content and photosynthetic characteristics, but low replication and difference in time of sampling precluded tests of potential local adaptation to the light conditions at each site, as observed in previously published results on adult sporophytes. Gametophytes of L. digitata appeared to be resistant to irradiation and temperature conditions currently experienced in the field, confirming their role in persistence of kelp species under stressful environmental conditions.

A Medium Maturing, Glutinous Foxtail Millet(Setaria italica Beauv.) Variety ‘Samdachal’

Jae-Saeng Lee1, Jee-Yeon Ko1*, Koan-Sik Woo1, Seok-Bo Song1, Tae-Wook Jung1, Young-Ho Yun1, Myeong-Chuk Seo1, Byeong-Geun Oh2, and Myung-Ghul Lee3. Korean J. Breed. Sci. 2014;46:439-44. https://doi.org/10.9787/KJBS.2014.46.4.439

Lodging and pre-harvest sprouting tolerant, high quality and suitable for processing cooked rice 'Jungmo1017'

The ‘Jungmo1017’ is a japonica rice variety developed from a cross between Suweon462 which has a good plant architecture, cold tolerance, moderately tolerant to leaf blast and bacterial blight and medium maturing habit, and Yeongdeog34 which has translucent milled rice and good milling properties, by the rice breeding team at NICS, RDA in 2011. The heading date of ‘Jungmo1017’ is August 16 and it is six days later than ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ has 65 cm of culm length which is 18 cm shorter than those of ‘Hwaseong’ and 93 spikelet per panicle. The pre-harvest sprouting rate of ‘Jungmo1017’ is 8.6% that is lower than 27.7% of ‘Hwaseong’ on local adaptability test (LAT). It showed resistance to blast diseases and moderately resistant to bacterial blight (K1 race) and stripe virus, but susceptible to other races (K2, K3 and K3a) of bacterial blight, viruses and planthoppers. The milled rice of this variety exhibits translucent, clear non-glutinous endosperm and medium short grain shape. It has better palatability index of cooked rice (0.53) than that of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ showed lower protein content (6.4%) and amylose content (18.0%). ‘Jungmo1017’ could use aseptic-packaged cooked rice or processing cooked rice because its hardness of cooked rice is soft, setback and balance is low and palatability of cold and aseptic rice showed high score. The characters related to milling is better than those of ‘Hwaseong’. ‘Jungmo1017’ showed 5.01 MT/ha of milled rice productivity at 7 sites of middle plain, southern mid-mountainous and south-east coastal area in ordinary cultivation. ‘Jungmo1017’ could be adaptable to the middle plain area in Korea.

Using a "time machine" to test for local adaptation of aquatic microbes to temporal and spatial environmental variation.

Local adaptation occurs when different environments are dominated by different specialist genotypes, each of which is relatively fit in its local conditions and relatively unfit under other conditions. Analogously, ecological species sorting occurs when different environments are dominated by different competing species, each of which is relatively fit in its local conditions. The simplest theory predicts that spatial, but not temporal, environmental variation selects for local adaptation (or generates species sorting), but this prediction is difficult to test. Although organisms can be reciprocally transplanted among sites, doing so among times seems implausible. Here, we describe a reciprocal transplant experiment testing for local adaptation or species sorting of lake bacteria in response to both temporal and spatial variation in water chemistry. The experiment used a -80°C freezer as a "time machine." Bacterial isolates and water samples were frozen for later use, allowing transplantation of older isolates "forward in time" and newer isolates "backward in time." Surprisingly, local maladaptation predominated over local adaptation in both space and time. Such local maladaptation may indicate that adaptation, or the analogous species sorting process, fails to keep pace with temporal fluctuations in water chemistry. This hypothesis could be tested with more finely resolved temporal data.

오디 생산용 뽕 품종 육성을 위한 교배모본 '팔청'의 특성

We bred a mulberry cultivar named Palcheong, through local adaptability test, which is under registration as a new cultivar for fruit production. Local adaptability test had been carried out at four places (Suwon, Kongju, Wanju, and Jinju) for seven years from 2007. This is belonging to (Morus Lhou(Ser.) Koidz.) selected among mulberry genetic resources preserved in Suwon. Its sex expression was hermaphrodite, which can be used for the production of seedling for fruit production by artificial crossing as pollen parent Palchung showed lower yielding in fruit productivity by 16% compared to control cultivar ‘Chungil (Morus alba L.)’ for five years. Although Palchung was higher in sugar content of mulberry fruits, it was bigger than that of ‘Chungil’. It is adaptable to every where except the places where cold damage and sclerotic disease happen frequently.

A Medium-Maturing, Black Pericarp and Aromatic Rice Variety ‘Sheonhyangheukmi’

Myeong-Ki Kim1*, Sang-Bok Lee1, Jeom-Ho Lee1, O-Young Jeong2, Jong-Min Jeong1, Young-Seop Shin1, Chang-Ihn Yang1, Yeon-Gyu Kim3, Kyu-Seong Lee3, Yong-Hwan Choi1, Hyang-Mi Park1, Sea-Kwan Oh1, Ji-Ung Jeung1, Kyeong-Ho Kang1, Jae-Ki Chang1, and Dae-Jung Kim1. Korean J. Breed. Sci. 2014;46:166-71. https://doi.org/10.9787/KJBS.2014.46.2.166