Demographic History of Arabidopsis thaliana in Europe
Author Information
Author(s): François Olivier, Michael G. B. Blum, Mattias Jakobsson, Noah A. Rosenberg
Primary Institution: Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
Hypothesis
How did Arabidopsis thaliana spread across Europe after the last ice age?
Conclusion
The study concludes that Arabidopsis thaliana spread from an eastern glacial refugium into Europe approximately 10,000 years ago at a rate of about 0.9 km/year.
Supporting Evidence
- A major migration wave of Arabidopsis thaliana occurred from east to west in Europe.
- The plant's population size began increasing around 10,000 years ago.
- The spread rate of Arabidopsis thaliana was approximately 0.9 km/year.
- The genetic variation in the plant is greater in eastern Europe than in the west.
Takeaway
Scientists studied a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana to see how it spread across Europe after the ice melted, finding it moved from the east to the west over thousands of years.
Methodology
The study used approximate Bayesian computation and spatial modeling techniques to analyze genetic data from 76 European accessions sequenced at 876 nuclear loci.
Limitations
The geographic sampling was limited, which may affect the conclusions about the origin and spread of the species.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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