Thursday, 26 September 2024
Scientists have found that different populations of a plant species, which is closely related to many crops of worldwide importance, use very different strategies to adapt to environmental changes, which gives experts new options to engineer crops to better survive climate change and tackle future food security.
A common assumption is that populations of the same species use the same processes to adapt to common stressors, but experts at the University of Nottingham have discovered that this is not always the case. Instead, they reveal a surprising degree of ‘evolutionary flexibility.’
In a new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor Levi Yant from the School of Life Sciences discovered that neighbouring ‘sister’ populations of a previously unstudied Brassica species adapt to a coastal habitat in very different ways. In this case very high salinity levels, which are an increasing threat due to climate change.
The species studied - Brassica fruticulosa – is a close relative of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, rapeseed and radish.
Studying these wild relatives of these important crops can reveal existing ‘natural solutions’ that evolution has already found. Scientists can then use this information to ‘future-proof’ important crops worldwide to adapt to environmental stressors – such as climate change.
To carry out the research, the team of researchers exhaustively surveyed all the Brassica species in the region of Northern Spain and identified this single one that had exceptional populations that were adapted to high salinity, while the rest of the populations of the same species were not. The plants in this region naturally evolved to very salty Mediterranean coasts in Spain.
They then grew all the Brassica fruticulosa populations in the lab and using genomics, physiology, and molecular biology, they determined the differing populations adapted to the same stressor, in this case, high salinity, in different ways.
The different adaptation strategies to high salinity, each with different genetic and mechanistic foundations were very surprising.
Professor Levi Yant
Professor Yant said: “People generally expect that closely related populations of a given species would adapt to the same environmental stressor in the same way due to genetic or physiological constraints. However, this hasn’t been commonly tested due to practical limitations. Here, my collaborator, Dr. Silvia Busoms, decided to look at many populations, not only a few.
“In our new study, we show that, even at the level of neighbouring populations, contrasting adaptive strategies control adaptive responses to high coastal salinity in Brassica fruticulosa. This indicates multiple options for engineering an agriculturally crucial adaptation: soil salinization. These results will be of interest to not only those studying fundamental mechanisms of adaptation, but also resilience improvement in Brassica species."
The full study can be found here.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Levi Yant from the School of Life Sciences at levi.yant@Nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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