Multi-timescale analysis of whole-genome gene expression across the life cycle of wild Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in a natural environment

However, genes and regulatory networks have not evolved in controlled environmental conditions, which means that conducting experiments in natural settings is of paramount importance to dissect the underlying mechanisms of plant development realistically. We undertook common garden experiments in a natural environment to quantify whole-genome gene expression patterns over diurnal, seasonal, and annual timescales over the life-cycle phenology of the annual mustard Arabidopsis thaliana with wild Iberian accessions.

Importantly, study accessions were locally adapted to their environments by adjusting key life-history traits across an altitudinal gradient in southern Spain. We found that diurnal (between morning and afternoon) and seasonal (across developmental stages) comparisons chiefly structured whole-genome gene expression in A. thaliana accessions. The most important difference between years, which differed in the precipitation regime, was in the number of over-represented genes detected across diurnal and seasonal timescales.