Old plant populations offer new clues to climate resilience
When scientists think about how plants will respond to climate change, they often look north. As temperatures rise, many species are expected to shift their ranges toward cooler regions with a loss of populations in warmer habitats. But new research from the University of Virginia, published in the journal Evolution Letters, suggests the story may be more complicated and more hopeful.
The University of Virginia’s Commonwealth Professor of Biology Laura Galloway and postdoctoral research associate Antoine Perrier are studying what they call “rear-edge” populations, those found at the warmest edges of their geographic ranges. These populations, often descended from groups that survived the last ice age, have endured thousands of years of climate change.
“Because these populations have been there since the last glaciation, they’ve gone through warming in the past,” Galloway said. “We can use them as models for what we might expect in response to future warming.”
Their recent work on a native wildflower brings together multiple lines of evidence, including genomics, greenhouse experiments and field studies, to test how these populations evolved and what that might mean for the future.
Rethinking Vulnerability at the Warm Edge
Conventional ecological models predict that populations at the warm edge of a species’ range will be the first to disappear as temperatures rise. But Perrier and Galloway found something different.
“We often think that populations at the warmer edge are the ones that will go extinct,” Perrier said. “But it turns out there’s a lot that we don’t know about these populations.”
One possibility is that they harbor high genetic diversity, a legacy of their age and persistence since the last ice age, and therefore may be a resource for adapting to future change. Another is that as small, isolated populations, they might show signs of genetic drift, a process that reduces diversity and can make populations more fragile. A third possibility is that these populations have undergone local adaptation, evolving traits that allow them to thrive in conditions warmer than typical for the species.
The answer, in this case, was clear.
“We found patterns of local adaptation throughout the range,” Perrier said. “But what was very interesting is that in the deep south only the populations coming from very similar environments were able to actually grow and reproduce.”
In other words, southern populations have evolved specific traits that allow them to survive and reproduce in warmer climates. Northern populations transplanted into those same conditions failed to flower at all.
A Surprising Forecast for Climate Change
The findings challenge a central assumption about how species will respond to warming. Instead of southern populations disappearing first, the researchers’ data suggest that they are likely to persist, while populations in the middle of the range may struggle.
Many plant species use cold to cue reproduction, “As winters get warmer, populations are expected to experience a loss in reproduction,” Perrier said. “But this was not the case for the rear edge.”
Southern populations may be less affected by continued warming because they have already evolved to reproduce without relying on cold winter cues. By contrast, populations in regions like the mid-Atlantic could face new challenges.
“It’s almost the opposite of what we expect,” Galloway said, noting that both far-northern and far-southern populations may prove more resilient than those in between.
The work also points to practical applications. Traits that allow southern populations to thrive in warmer climates could potentially be introduced into more vulnerable populations through conservation strategies such as assisted gene flow.
Natural Laboratories for the Future
Beyond its immediate findings, the research highlights the value of studying long-term evolutionary history. Rear-edge populations, the researchers argue, act as “natural laboratories” for understanding how species respond to environmental change.
For Perrier, the work underscores both the urgency and the opportunity of climate research.
“We don’t often think of these populations as being the ones that might be the best adapted to future conditions,” he said. “But they could actually persist and change how we think about species responses to climate change.”
Journal
Evolution Letters
Article Title
The legacy of past climate warming: strong local adaptation in rear-edge populations
Article Publication Date
7-May-2026
Plants survived the dinosaur-killing asteroid by duplicating genomes
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation.
In a new study publishing May 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers reveal that the accidental duplications of genomes—a natural phenomenon—might have helped many flowering plants survive some of the most extreme environmental upheavals in Earth’s history. This strategy could help plants adapt to the rapid climate changes unfolding today.
“Whole-genome duplication is often seen as an evolutionary dead end in stable environments,” says author Yves Van de Peer of Ghent University in Belgium. “But in harsh situations, it can provide unexpected advantages.”
Most organisms carry two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. But in flowering plants, many species carry additional sets as a result of random whole-genome duplication. For example, most cultivated bananas have three sets of chromosomes while wheat plants can have as many as six, a condition known as polyploidy.
Whole-genome duplication occurs relatively frequently in plants, and it can be costly. Larger genomes require more nutrients to maintain, increase the risk of acquiring harmful mutations, and affect fertility. For these reasons, only a small fraction of duplicated genomes are retained and passed down through generations in the wild.
On the other hand, genome duplications can increase genetic variations, and genes can evolve new functions. These changes may help organisms better tolerate stress such as heat or drought.
To understand why some duplicated genomes persist, Van de Peer and his team analyzed the genomes of 470 species of flowering plants, constructing one of the largest datasets of its kind. They looked for blocks of genes that appear in almost identical pairs—a marker of past whole-genome duplication events. Then, they compared the data with information from 44 plant fossils to estimate when these duplications occurred.
Their analysis revealed a striking pattern. The researchers found that the genes that persist over time tend to originate from whole-genome duplications during major periods of environmental upheaval. These include the asteroid-triggered mass extinction 66 million years ago, several periods of global cooling when ecosystems collapsed, and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) about 56 million years ago—a period of rapid global warming.
The findings help explain a long-standing puzzle of why polyploidy is common, but only a few persevere in plant genomes over millions of years. Under these extreme conditions, polyploid plants might have gained an edge. Traits that are normally disadvantageous, such as maintaining a larger and more complex genome, can become beneficial, say the researchers.
The study also offers some clues about how plants may respond to climate change today. During the PETM, global temperatures rose by about 5 to 9°C (9 to 14°F) over roughly 100,000 years, a change comparable to the warming happening today.
“While the current climate is warming at a much faster rate, what we see from the past suggests that polyploidy may help plants cope with these stressful conditions,” Van de Peer says.
###
This work was supported by Research Foundation–Flanders, the European Research Council, and Ghent University.
Cell, Chen et al., “The rise of polyploids during environmental upheaval” https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00397-1
Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation.
In a new study publishing May 8 in the Cell Press journal Cell, researchers reveal that the accidental duplications of genomes—a natural phenomenon—might have helped many flowering plants survive some of the most extreme environmental upheavals in Earth’s history. This strategy could help plants adapt to the rapid climate changes unfolding today.
“Whole-genome duplication is often seen as an evolutionary dead end in stable environments,” says author Yves Van de Peer of Ghent University in Belgium. “But in harsh situations, it can provide unexpected advantages.”
Most organisms carry two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. But in flowering plants, many species carry additional sets as a result of random whole-genome duplication. For example, most cultivated bananas have three sets of chromosomes while wheat plants can have as many as six, a condition known as polyploidy.
Whole-genome duplication occurs relatively frequently in plants, and it can be costly. Larger genomes require more nutrients to maintain, increase the risk of acquiring harmful mutations, and affect fertility. For these reasons, only a small fraction of duplicated genomes are retained and passed down through generations in the wild.
On the other hand, genome duplications can increase genetic variations, and genes can evolve new functions. These changes may help organisms better tolerate stress such as heat or drought.
To understand why some duplicated genomes persist, Van de Peer and his team analyzed the genomes of 470 species of flowering plants, constructing one of the largest datasets of its kind. They looked for blocks of genes that appear in almost identical pairs—a marker of past whole-genome duplication events. Then, they compared the data with information from 44 plant fossils to estimate when these duplications occurred.
Their analysis revealed a striking pattern. The researchers found that the genes that persist over time tend to originate from whole-genome duplications during major periods of environmental upheaval. These include the asteroid-triggered mass extinction 66 million years ago, several periods of global cooling when ecosystems collapsed, and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) about 56 million years ago—a period of rapid global warming.
The findings help explain a long-standing puzzle of why polyploidy is common, but only a few persevere in plant genomes over millions of years. Under these extreme conditions, polyploid plants might have gained an edge. Traits that are normally disadvantageous, such as maintaining a larger and more complex genome, can become beneficial, say the researchers.
The study also offers some clues about how plants may respond to climate change today. During the PETM, global temperatures rose by about 5 to 9°C (9 to 14°F) over roughly 100,000 years, a change comparable to the warming happening today.
“While the current climate is warming at a much faster rate, what we see from the past suggests that polyploidy may help plants cope with these stressful conditions,” Van de Peer says.
###
This work was supported by Research Foundation–Flanders, the European Research Council, and Ghent University.
Cell, Chen et al., “The rise of polyploids during environmental upheaval” https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00397-1
Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, virology and microbiology, cancer, human genetics, systems biology, signaling, and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
Journal
Cell
Cell
DOI
Method of Research
Data/statistical analysis
Data/statistical analysis
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Not applicable
Article Title
The Rise of Polyploids During Environmental Upheaval
The Rise of Polyploids During Environmental Upheaval
Article Publication Date
8-May-2026
8-May-2026
Better prepared for fluctuating light stress
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Photosynthesis is one of the most complex processes in nature. However, plants use only a fraction of the available light spectrum and are highly sensitive to environmental stressors such as changing light intensities, heat and drought. As climate change intensifies these stresses, safeguarding crop productivity is becoming an increasingly urgent challenge. To better understand the process of photosynthesis and at the same time identify starting points for improving it, researchers led by LMU biologist Dario Leister study model organisms such as the cyanobacterium Synechocystis.
In a study now published in Nature Communications, the scientists stressed Synechocystis by subjecting it to fluctuations in light intensity. “These kinds of conditions, in which high and low light intensities alternate at intervals ranging from one to several minutes, disrupt the process of photosynthesis and damage the photosystems,” explains Leister, who is Chair of Plant Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biology in Martinsried. To find out how the blue-green algae can adapt to these unfavorable light conditions, the team recreated an accelerated evolutionary process in the laboratory.
Over time, this approach produced Synechocystis strains capable of tolerating light fluctuations that would normally be lethal. Genetic analysis of these adapted strains revealed mutations that influence the activity and relative quantity of biomolecules that are vital for photosynthesis. These include the protein-pigment complexes photosystem I and II and the light-harvesting antenna complexes. These evolutionary adaptations enhanced the resilience of Synechocystis to extreme variations in light intensity.
Plants growing in agricultural fields face similar challenges. Outdoor light conditions change constantly due to cloud cover, shading, and weather fluctuations, forcing crops to continuously adjust their photosynthetic machinery. “Photosynthesis works most efficiently at fairly low light intensity, whereas excessive light reduces efficiency. When the light levels change too quickly, the regulatory mechanisms cannot respond fast enough, which reduces efficiency and so also reduces the yield,” explains Dario Leister.
The findings from Synechocystis may provide new strategies for improving the ability of crops to cope with fluctuating light conditions. “The next step is to transfer the approach we used in our current study to eukaryotic algae because they are evolutionary closer to crop plants.” The biologist hopes that this will allow him to move step by step from relatively simple single-celled organisms toward applications in crops.
The study is part of the “PhotoRedesign: Redesigning the Photosynthetic Light Reactions” project, which has been funded by an ERC Synergy Grant from the European Union. In this research project, scientists from LMU are exploring new approaches for improving plant photosynthesis, using single-cell organisms like Synechocystis as model organisms because of their short generation times and the ease with which they can be genetically manipulated.
Ultimately, the goal is to produce crops that can utilize a broader range of light wavelengths. “To achieve this, it is important that optimized plants are also more robust and better able to cope with the additional absorbed light energy,” says Leister. The current study is providing new potential starting points for intervening in the complex photosynthetic apparatus of crops: “Our improved Synechocystis substrains contain point mutations that can also be transferred to related organisms using gene editing. With current legislative developments in the EU, such modifications may no longer be classified as transgenic in the future. Moreover, this strategy more closely resembles natural evolutionary processes than approaches based on overexpressing individual genes, which is a method often used by other researchers.”
Photosynthesis is one of the most complex processes in nature. However, plants use only a fraction of the available light spectrum and are highly sensitive to environmental stressors such as changing light intensities, heat and drought. As climate change intensifies these stresses, safeguarding crop productivity is becoming an increasingly urgent challenge. To better understand the process of photosynthesis and at the same time identify starting points for improving it, researchers led by LMU biologist Dario Leister study model organisms such as the cyanobacterium Synechocystis.
In a study now published in Nature Communications, the scientists stressed Synechocystis by subjecting it to fluctuations in light intensity. “These kinds of conditions, in which high and low light intensities alternate at intervals ranging from one to several minutes, disrupt the process of photosynthesis and damage the photosystems,” explains Leister, who is Chair of Plant Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Biology in Martinsried. To find out how the blue-green algae can adapt to these unfavorable light conditions, the team recreated an accelerated evolutionary process in the laboratory.
Over time, this approach produced Synechocystis strains capable of tolerating light fluctuations that would normally be lethal. Genetic analysis of these adapted strains revealed mutations that influence the activity and relative quantity of biomolecules that are vital for photosynthesis. These include the protein-pigment complexes photosystem I and II and the light-harvesting antenna complexes. These evolutionary adaptations enhanced the resilience of Synechocystis to extreme variations in light intensity.
Plants growing in agricultural fields face similar challenges. Outdoor light conditions change constantly due to cloud cover, shading, and weather fluctuations, forcing crops to continuously adjust their photosynthetic machinery. “Photosynthesis works most efficiently at fairly low light intensity, whereas excessive light reduces efficiency. When the light levels change too quickly, the regulatory mechanisms cannot respond fast enough, which reduces efficiency and so also reduces the yield,” explains Dario Leister.
The findings from Synechocystis may provide new strategies for improving the ability of crops to cope with fluctuating light conditions. “The next step is to transfer the approach we used in our current study to eukaryotic algae because they are evolutionary closer to crop plants.” The biologist hopes that this will allow him to move step by step from relatively simple single-celled organisms toward applications in crops.
The study is part of the “PhotoRedesign: Redesigning the Photosynthetic Light Reactions” project, which has been funded by an ERC Synergy Grant from the European Union. In this research project, scientists from LMU are exploring new approaches for improving plant photosynthesis, using single-cell organisms like Synechocystis as model organisms because of their short generation times and the ease with which they can be genetically manipulated.
Ultimately, the goal is to produce crops that can utilize a broader range of light wavelengths. “To achieve this, it is important that optimized plants are also more robust and better able to cope with the additional absorbed light energy,” says Leister. The current study is providing new potential starting points for intervening in the complex photosynthetic apparatus of crops: “Our improved Synechocystis substrains contain point mutations that can also be transferred to related organisms using gene editing. With current legislative developments in the EU, such modifications may no longer be classified as transgenic in the future. Moreover, this strategy more closely resembles natural evolutionary processes than approaches based on overexpressing individual genes, which is a method often used by other researchers.”
Journal
Nature Communications
Nature Communications
DOI
Article Title
Improving tolerance to fluctuating light through adaptive laboratory evolution in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis
Improving tolerance to fluctuating light through adaptive laboratory evolution in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis
Article Publication Date
4-May-2026
4-May-2026
Plant stress and unique cAMP signaling
Plants evolved distinct functions for two forms of a fundamental signaling molecule
Institute of Science and Technology Austria
image:
Plants evolved distinct functions for two forms of a fundamental signaling molecule. These create redundancy and more robustness. Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse ear cress) plants at different developmental stages, photographed at the Plant Facility of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
view moreCredit: © ISTA
The molecule cAMP, which plays essential roles in mammalian cells, is less well understood in plants. In a new Science Advances paper, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and international collaborators demonstrate that plants use two forms of cAMP in parallel to regulate normal cellular processes and respond to stress, while maintaining crosstalk between them. That crosstalk provides redundancy, so that if one fails, the other can compensate, allowing plants to respond more robustly to a wider range of environmental factors. Ultimately, the findings could help improve crop resilience and productivity in a rapidly changing climate.
Plants can’t escape danger. To cope with stresses such as heat, freezing, flooding, drought, or infection, they rely on biological mechanisms evolved over millions of years.
Different life forms face unique environmental challenges, driving them to evolve distinct biological processes. Although animals, plants, and microbes share many molecular mechanisms, insights from animal models often don’t apply directly to other kingdoms.
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate, also known as cAMP, is a fundamental signaling molecule known to play essential roles in both animal and plant cells. However, although its production and role in mammalian cells are well understood, its functions in plants remain largely unknown.
Now, ISTA alum Mingyue Li and professor Jiří Friml at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have teamed up with scientists in Germany, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic, and the United States to shed light on cAMP in the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as mouse ear cress or thale cress.
Twin molecules with distinct but partially overlapping properties
In animal systems, the main form of cAMP, called 3’,5’-cAMP, is involved in the transfer of signals between nerve cells, hormone signaling, and the regulation of metabolic functions. This predominant form of cAMP is derived from the cell’s energy currency, ATP. However, cAMP has a ‘twin’ form: a molecule with the same chemical formula but different atomic bonds. Concretely, the phosphate group is attached to the adenosine molecule at a different location. This other form, called 2’,3’-cAMP, is associated with RNA degradation and stress response. Its levels are tightly controlled in mammalian cells because excessive amounts can be toxic.
Li, Friml, and their colleagues now show that, while both forms of cAMP exist in plants, the levels of 2’,3’-cAMP—the ‘other’ form of the molecule—are over 60 times higher than those of 3’,5’-cAMP, the main form found in animals.
Using a battery of molecular and cell biology techniques, the team demonstrates that the two forms of cAMP exhibit largely distinct functions in plant metabolism as well as in protein and gene regulation. While 3’,5’-cAMP appears to fine-tune responses related to growth, maintenance, nutrient status, and normal cell function, 2’,3’-cAMP triggers much broader effects in plants, including specialized metabolic pathways and broad stress responses. However, they also show that these functions partially overlap, suggesting that plants may have evolved distinct ways to adapt to environmental challenges.
Cross-talking signaling pathways
Maintaining two parallel but interconnected cAMP pathways could help plants fine-tune cellular regulation and distinguish among different external stimuli, including stress factors. Crosstalk between the pathways provides redundancy, so that if one fails, the other can compensate, allowing plants to respond more robustly to a wider range of environmental factors.
Ultimately, understanding how plants regulate stress and routine cellular functions could help boost crop productivity and enhance resilience to climate change.
Plants evolved distinct functions for two forms of a fundamental signaling molecule. These create redundancy and more robustness. Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse ear cress) plants at different developmental stages, photographed at the Plant Facility of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
Arabidopsis thaliana plants at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA).
Plants evolved distinct functions for two forms of a fundamental signaling molecule. Seedlings growing in the pink room at the Plant Facility of ISTA
Arabidopsis thaliana plants in pink room at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA).
Journal
Science Advances
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Biogenesis and downstream effects of 3′,5′ and 2′,3′ cAMP isomers in plants
Article Publication Date
8-May-2026
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