GrENE-net published in Science
Published:
Our paper “Rapid adaptation and extinction in synchronized outdoor evolution experiments of Arabidopsis” is now published in Science!
By planting 360 experimental plots of Arabidopsis thaliana across 30 climate zones and sequencing plant genomes annually over five years, we show that rapid adaptation to climate change is possible within 3–5 years when sufficient genetic diversity exists. However, populations in the hottest environments showed random genetic changes rather than adaptive evolution and subsequently went extinct — revealing an evolutionary breaking point where extreme heat pushes populations toward extinction.
Read the UC Berkeley press release: One-of-a-kind experiment tracked plant evolution in response to climate change at 30 sites worldwide.