DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Experimental investigation of the genomic basis of local adaptation

局部适应的特点是自然选择在当地条件下提高适应性的性状，而不考虑这些性状在其他生境中的后果。科学家们通过互惠移植实验研究了当地适应性：将同一物种的个体从两个不同的地方种植在一起，然后评估在其家乡生长的个体是否表现出更高的存活率和繁殖力。然而，潜在的遗传变化在多大程度上促进了地方适应仍然知之甚少。本研究以来自瑞典不同生境的拟南芥为研究对象，通过相互移植实验和全基因组遗传分析，阐明了拟南芥局部适应的基因组基础。这项研究的新颖之处在于两个方面：将尖端基因组资源应用于原生生境中生长的植物种群，以及精确定位与野外生存和繁殖相关的基因组特定区域的能力。研究人员将向科学界广泛传播结果、关于拟南芥稀有和孤立种群的信息以及种子库存。最后，当考虑到全球气候变化、保护和现代世界栖息地恢复的挑战时，本研究的价值变得清晰，所有这些都涉及到适应特定环境条件的问题。

Local adaptation is characterized by natural selection for traits that improve fitness under local conditions, irrespective of consequences of these traits in other habitats. Scientists have studied local adaptation via reciprocal transplant experiments: planting individuals of the same species from two different locations together, then assessing if individuals grown at their home site show higher survival and reproduction. However, the extent to which underlying genetic changes contribute to local adaptation remains poorly understood. This research aims to illuminate the genomic basis of local adaptation by pairing reciprocal transplant experiments with genome-wide genetic analysis, using Arabidopsis thaliana plants from different habitats in Sweden. The novelty of this study lies in two areas: the application of cutting-edge genomic resources to plant populations growing in native habitats, and the ability to pinpoint specific regions of the genome associated with survival and reproduction in the field. The researchers will disseminate results, information on rare and isolated populations of A. thaliana, and seed stocks widely to the scientific community. Finally, the value of this research becomes clear when considering the challenges of global climate change, conservation, and habitat restoration in the modern world, all of which touch on the issue of adaptation to specific environmental conditions.