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Molecular basis of intraspecific differentiation for heavy metal tolerance in the copper moss Scopelophila cataractae
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  • M. Teresa Boquete,
  • Marc W. Schmid,
  • Niels C.A.M. Wagemaker,
  • Sarah B. Carey,
  • Stuart F. McDaniel,
  • Christina Richards,
  • Conchita Alonso
M. Teresa Boquete
Estacion Biologica de Donana CSIC

Corresponding Author:teresa.boquete@gmail.com

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Marc W. Schmid
MWSchmid GmbH Glarus Switzerland
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Niels C.A.M. Wagemaker
Faculty of Science Raboud University Nijmegen The Netherlands
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Sarah B. Carey
University of Florida Department of Biology
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Stuart F. McDaniel
University of Florida Department of Biology
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Christina Richards
University of South Florida Department of Integrative Biology
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Conchita Alonso
Estacion Biologica de Donana CSIC
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Abstract

Bryophytes’ remarkable capacity to tolerate extreme abiotic conditions allows us to enhance our understanding of the diversity of molecular mechanisms involved in plant stress response. Here, we used next generation sequencing to study DNA methylation and gene expression changes in plants from four populations of the metallophyte moss Scopelophila cataractae experimentally exposed to either Cd or Cu. These populations previously showed differences in tolerance to both metals, so here, we aimed at uncovering the molecular basis of this phenotypic differentiation. We found no evidence of genetic differentiation among the populations studied. The epigenetic data, however, showed limited but significant population-specific changes in DNA methylation in response to both metals. Exposure to acute Cu stress in the laboratory led to the downregulation of genes involved in heavy metal tolerance in both populations regardless of their tolerance level, but this response was quantitatively higher in the most tolerant. We propose that chronic exposure to varying levels of heavy metals in the field led to potentially non-genetically-based intraspecific differentiation for heavy metal tolerance in S. cataractae. The most tolerant plants invested more in constitutive protection and were more efficient in entering a conservative state when faced with acute Cu stress.
Sep 2022Published in Environmental and Experimental Botany volume 201 on pages 104970. 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104970