Juliette de Meaux

University of Cologne

Cologne, Germany

 

Session Title:

Polygenic selection and the evolution of gene expression in Arabidopsis lyrata

 

Keywords: 

Molecular evolution, Ecology, Adaptation, cis-regulation

 

Abstract: 

Gene expression is presumably the first manifestation of gene function. Its variation is thus evidently shaped by natural selection. Patterns of gene expression variation, unlike other complex phenotypes, have the advantage that they can inform us on the molecular basis of physiological and morphological adaptation. I will review what the analysis of gene expression taught us about adaptation in the outcrossing plant species Arabidopsis lyrata, which evolved to withstand drought better than its relatives while also adapting to local conditions. We will discuss the role of gene expression in the polygenic adaptation of natural populations.

 

Auditorium 900