Species that repeatedly evolve phenotypic clines across environmental gradients have been highlighted as ideal systems for characterizing the genomic basis of local environmental adaptation. However, few studies have assessed the importance of observed phenotypic clines for local adaptation: conspicuous traits that vary clinally may not necessarily be the most critical in determining local fitness. The present study was designed to fill this gap, using a plant species characterized by repeatedly-evolved adaptive phenotypic clines. White clover is naturally polymorphic for its chemical defense cyanogenesis; climate-associated cyanogenesis clines have evolved throughout its native and introduced range worldwide. We performed landscape genomic analyses on 415 wild genotypes from 43 locations spanning much of the North American species range to assess the relative importance of cyanogenesis loci vs. other genomic factors in local climatic adaptation. We find clear evidence of local adaptation, with temperature-related climatic variables best describing genome-wide differentiation between sampling locations. However, landscape genomic analyses indicate no significant contribution of cyanogenesis loci to local adaptation. Instead, several genomic regions containing promising candidate genes for plant response to seasonal cues are identified — some of which are shared with previously-identified QTLs for locally-adaptive fitness traits in North American white clover. Our findings suggest that local adaptation in white clover is likely determined primarily by genes controlling the timing of growth and flowering in response to local seasonal cues. More generally, this work suggests that caution is warranted when considering the importance of conspicuous phenotypic clines as primary determinants of local adaptation.

Rice blast, caused by the ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most problematic diseases for rice production, threatening global food security. Genetic resistance to some M. oryzae races can be achieved using major resistance loci containing the corresponding avirulence (AVR) genes. Weedy rice, a close relative of cultivated rice that competes with the crop, has evolved unique genetic mechanisms to resist the infections of M. oryzae; thus, weedy rice can serve as an excellent resource for blast control. In this study, we assessed disease scores of 183 F5 and F6 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a weedy rice × crop biparental mapping population and their parental lines, a Black Hull Awn weedy rice strain (PI 653413, RR14) and the aus-196 rice variety, using five blast races IB33, IB49, IG1, IE1K and ICI7 under greenhouse conditions. Except for the race IB49, both parental lines were resistant to all blast races; however, RILs showed a wide degree of variation in resistance. Genotyping-by-sequencing of the RIL population and parents generated 1498 SNPs which were used to construct a linkage map, and QTL mapping of blast resistance was performed using r/qtl. A single major blast resistance QTL on chromosome 12 was mapped to the Pi-ta/Pi39(t)/Ptr locus. Identification of the Pi-ta/Pi-t39(t)/Ptr as the key contributor to blast resistance in weedy rice provides insight into the evolution and adaptation of weedy rice and can aid in development of blast resistant rice varieties through marker-assisted selection.

Seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz) is a halophytic turfgrass and emerging genomic model system for the study of salt tolerance in cereals and other grasses. Despite recent interest and an increase in available tools, little is known about the diversity present in wild populations of P. vaginatum and its close relative P. distichum. Variation in ploidy, clonal propagation, hybridization, and subgenome composition appear to occur in the wild and may interact to influence geographic patterns of adaptation, particularly in response to environmental salinity levels. Using 218 accessions representing >170 wild collections from throughout the coastal southern United States plus existing USDA germplasm, we employed genotyping-by-sequencing, cpDNA sequencing and flow cytometry to identify genetic differentiation and ploidy variation. Within P. vaginatum, there are two morphologically distinct ecotypes: the fine-textured ecotype is diploid and appears to reproduce in the wild both sexually and by clonal propagation; in contrast, the coarse-textured ecotype consists largely of clonally-propagating triploid and diploid genotypes. The coarse-textured ecotype appears to be derived from hybridization between fine-textured P. vaginatum and an unidentified Paspalum species. These clonally propagating hybrid genotypes are more broadly distributed than clonal fine-textured genotypes and may represent a transition to a more generalist adaptive strategy. The triploid genotypes vary in whether they carry one or two copies of the P. vaginatum subgenome, indicating multiple evolutionary origins. This variation in subgenome composition shows associations with local ocean salinity levels across the sampled populations and may play a role in local adaptation.