Examinando por Autor "Torres, Elena"

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Assisted gene flow management to climate change in the annual legume Lupinus angustifolius L.: from phenotype to genotype
(Wiley, 2025-03-06) Sacristán-Bajo, Sandra; Lara-Romero, Carlos; Garcia-Fernández, Alfredo; Prieto-Benitez, Samuel; Morente-Lopez, Javier; Rubio Teso, María Luisa; Torres, Elena; Iriondo, José María
Climate change may hinder species' ability to evolutionarily adapt to environmental shifts. Assisted gene flow, introducingadaptive alleles into target populations, could be a viable solution for keystone species. Our study aimed to evaluate the benefitsand limitations of assisted gene flow in enhancing the evolutionary potential of Lupinus angustifolius L. (Fabaceae), consideringboth phenotypic and genomic perspectives. We collected seeds from four populations in Spain at two latitudes (north and south),and grew them in a common garden. We used pollen from southern individuals to pollinate northern plants and create an F1gene flow line that would advance its flowering onset. In the next season, we allowed F1 plants to self-pollinate creating an F2self-pollination line. We also created a backcross line by pollinating control northern plants with pollen from F1 plants. We meas-ured flowering onset, reproductive success, and other plant traits in all resulting lines. In parallel, we sequenced genes related toreproduction, growth, stress, nitrogen, and alkaloids. All gene flow-derived lines flowered significantly earlier than the controllines from the northern populations. F1 gene flow line plants produced heavier seeds and had a lower shoot growth than thosefrom the northern control lines. Genomic analyses identified 36 outlier SNPs between the control and the F1 gene flow lines,associated with differences in flowering onset, seed weight, and shoot growth. These results underscore that assisted gene flowcan enhance a population's evolutionary potential by altering specific traits. However, altering one trait may impact others in away that depends on the intrinsic characteristics of each population.
Complex fine-scale spatial genetic structure in Epidendrum rhopalostele: an epiphytic orchid
(The Genetics Society, 2018-09-05) Torres, Elena; Riofrío, María Lorena; Iriondo, José M.
Orchid seeds are presumably dispersed by wind due to their very small size and thus can potentially travel long distances. However, the few related studies indicate that seeds fall close to their mother plants. Because seed dispersal and colonization patterns can have relevant consequences for long-term species persistence, we assessed the fine-scale genetic structure of the epiphytic orchid Epidendrum rhopalostele to provide insight into these patterns. All individuals in the studied population were georeferenced and genotyped with AFLP-markers. Genetic structure was evaluated at two levels (forest and tree) using three approaches: principal coordinates analysis, model-based clustering, and spatial autocorrelation analysis. Results showed two genetic groups, composed of individuals from almost every tree with orchids. Spatial autocorrelation analysis at the forest level found no significant genetic structure when all individuals were considered, but a pattern of genetic patches was revealed when the analysis was performed separately for each group. Genetic patches had an estimated diameter of 4 m and were composed of individuals from more than one tree. A weak genetic structure was detected at the tree level at distances less than 1.5 m. These results suggest that many seeds fall close to the mother plant and become established in the same host tree. Additionally, a sequential colonization process seems to be the predominant mode of expansion, whereby progeny from orchids in one tree colonize neighboring trees. Thus, the existence of two distinct genetic groups and the presence of genetic patches should be considered when seed sampling for ex situ conservation.