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Scale matters: genome-wide signatures of local adaptation to high-resolution environmental variation in an alpine plant
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  • Aude Rogivue,
  • Kevin Leempoel,
  • Annie Guillaume,
  • Rimjhim Choudhury,
  • François Felber,
  • Michel Kasser,
  • Stéphane Joost,
  • Christian Parisod,
  • Felix Gugerli
Aude Rogivue
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL
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Kevin Leempoel
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
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Annie Guillaume
EPFL
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Rimjhim Choudhury
University of Bern
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François Felber
Musée et Jardins Botaniques Cantonaux
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Michel Kasser
Haute Ecole d'Ingénerie et de Gestion (HEIG)
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Stéphane Joost
EPFL
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Christian Parisod
University of Bern
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Felix Gugerli
WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute

Corresponding Author:felix.gugerli@wsl.ch

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Abstract

Microevolutionary processes shape adaptive responses to heterogeneous environments, where these effects vary both among and within species. However, the degree to which signatures of adaptation to environmental drivers can be detected based on spatial scale and genomic marker remains largely unknown. We studied signatures of local adaptation across different spatial extents, investigating complementary types of genomic variants–single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and polymorphic transposable elements (TEs)–in populations of the alpine model plant species Arabis alpina. We coupled high-resolution (0.5m) environmental factors, derived from remote sensing digital elevation models, with whole-genome sequenced data of 304 individuals across four populations. We demonstrate that responses of A. alpina to similar amounts of abiotic variation are largely governed by local evolutionary processes and find minimally overlapping signatures of local adaptation between SNPs and polymorphic TEs. Notably, functional annotations of high-impact genomic variants revealed several defence-related genes associated with the abiotic factors studied, which could indicate indirect selective pressure of biotic agents. Our results highlight the importance of considering different spatial extents and types of genomic polymorphisms when searching for signatures of adaptation to environmental variation. Such insights provide key information on microevolutionary processes and could guide management decisions to mitigate negative impacts of climate change on alpine plant populations.