The Same Species Can Employ Different Strategies to Adapt to Extreme Environments
AGRICULTURE
10/31/2024
It is common to assume that closely related species would develop similar adaptive strategies to cope with extreme environmental conditions. However, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham reveals the opposite: even within the same species, Brassica fruticulosa growing in different regions exhibits contrasting strategies for dealing with high salinity conditions. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in September 2024, researchers showed that B. fruticulosa populations from the coastal region of Northern Catalonia adopt a strategy that restricts Na+ transport from root to shoot while prioritizing K+ uptake. In contrast, populations from Central Catalonia's coast accumulate Na+ in their leaves and counter osmotic imbalance with compounds like proline. Despite these differences, both adaptive responses demonstrate greater tolerance to salinity than populations from non-coastal areas. Furthermore, the study successfully mapped the genome and transcriptome of 18 B. fruticulosa populations across coastal and non-coastal regions. These findings provide new insights into plant species’ adaptive strategies to extreme environments and lay the groundwork for developing future crop varieties that can withstand harsh conditions.
