Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages
- 1Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Michael Smith Laborat
Abstract
Extreme environments impose strong selection pressures that can drive convergent adaptation among distantly related species. Arctic plants survive low temperatures, 24-hour light in summer and darkness in winter, short growing seasons, limited precipitation, nutrient-poor soils, and extreme seasonal variation. To test if these conditions are associated with shared genomic signatures, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for Oxyria digyna and compared it with existing reference genomes for three distantly related Arctic species (Cochlearia groenlandica, Draba nivalis, Dryas octopetala) and for 16 non-Arctic species from the same families. We identified 214 orthogroups with signatures of positive selection in all Arctic species, 1.6 times the number shared among the non-Arctic species. Although no gene ontology (GO) categories remained significantly enriched after multiple-testing correction, descriptive annotations included genes involved in general functions including protein folding, glycolysis, transcription, and oxidative-stress responses. Orthogroups showing copy number variation were associated with biotic interactions, sexual reproduction, and nutrient acquisition, suggesting that species may respond to biotic and nutrient stresses by shifts in gene copy number. Arctic and alpine genomes contained lower proportions of some repetitive elements, including terminal inverted repeats, and smaller regions of centromeric repeats than non-Arctic genomes. Overall, we see shared genes under positive selection, similar functions of genes with high copy number variation, and lower counts of some repetitive elements in the Arctic plant genomes. Our findings reveal a shared genomic signature of Arctic adaptation across deeply diverged plant lineages, suggesting that evolution in extreme environments repeatedly targets similar genomic features.
Related
- Cheese adaptation beyond Penicillium: contrasting genomic trajectories in the distantly related Nectriaceae molds
- Genomic islands associated with host adaptation and probiotic-related functions in Streptococcus thermophilus
- Genomic variation and ancestry of Helicobacter pylori in the admixed population of Cabo Verde reveal host adaptation, limited host-pathogen ancestry concordance, and signatures of trans-Atlantic slave trade migrations
- The Genomic Complexity of Invasion: Cryptic Lineages, Founder Effects and Sex Determination in Armoured Catfish
- Phylogenomics of captured Cryptosporidium sequenced directly from patient samples identifies clade-specific genomic architecture and host-adapted lineages
BibTeX
@misc{elphinstone2026shared,
title = {{Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages}},
author = {C. Elphinstone and M. Sandler and P. Stone and M. F. Torres Jimenez and J. J. Henn and X. Zhang and S. Birkeland and C. Brochmann and G. H. R. Henry and M. Todesco and C. D. Bacon and L. H. Rieseberg},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.26.762098},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.26.762098v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Shared genomic signatures of Arctic adaptation among distantly related plant lineages
AU - C. Elphinstone
AU - M. Sandler
AU - P. Stone
AU - M. F. Torres Jimenez
AU - J. J. Henn
AU - X. Zhang
AU - S. Birkeland
AU - C. Brochmann
AU - G. H. R. Henry
AU - M. Todesco
AU - C. D. Bacon
AU - L. H. Rieseberg
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.26.762098
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.26.762098v1
AB - Extreme environments impose strong selection pressures that can drive convergent adaptation among distantly related species. Arctic plants survive low temperatures, 24-hour light in summer and darkness in winter, short growing seasons, limited precipitation, nutrient-poor soils, and extreme seasonal variation. To test if these conditions are associated with shared genomic signatures, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for Oxyria digyna and compared it with existing reference genomes for three distantly related Arctic species (Cochlearia groenlandica, Draba nivalis, Dryas octopetala) and for 16 non-Arctic species from the same families. We identified 214 orthogroups with signatures of positive selection in all Arctic species, 1.6 times the number shared among the non-Arctic species. Although no gene ontology (GO) categories remained significantly enriched after multiple-testing correction, descriptive annotations included genes involved in general functions including protein folding, glycolysis, transcription, and oxidative-stress responses. Orthogroups showing copy number variation were associated with biotic interactions, sexual reproduction, and nutrient acquisition, suggesting that species may respond to biotic and nutrient stresses by shifts in gene copy number. Arctic and alpine genomes contained lower proportions of some repetitive elements, including terminal inverted repeats, and smaller regions of centromeric repeats than non-Arctic genomes. Overall, we see shared genes under positive selection, similar functions of genes with high copy number variation, and lower counts of some repetitive elements in the Arctic plant genomes. Our findings reveal a shared genomic signature of Arctic adaptation across deeply diverged plant lineages, suggesting that evolution in extreme environments repeatedly targets similar genomic features.
ER -