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. 2021 Jan 27;11(1):2386.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81594-w.

A candidate gene association analysis identifies SNPs potentially involved in drought tolerance in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Laura Cuervo-Alarcon  1 , Matthias Arend  2 , Markus Müller  1 , Christoph Sperisen  3 , Reiner Finkeldey  4 , Konstantin V Krutovsky  5   6   7   8
Affiliations

A candidate gene association analysis identifies SNPs potentially involved in drought tolerance in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Laura Cuervo-Alarcon et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Studies of genetic variation underlying traits related to drought tolerance in forest trees are of great importance for understanding their adaptive potential under a climate change scenario. In this study, using a candidate gene approach, associations between SNPs and drought related traits were assessed in saplings of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) representing trees growing along steep precipitation gradients. The saplings were subjected to experimentally controlled drought treatments. Response of the saplings was assessed by the evaluation of stem diameter growth (SDG) and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters FV/FM, PIabs, and PItot. The evaluation showed that saplings from xeric sites were less affected by the drought treatment. Five SNPs (7.14%) in three candidate genes were significantly associated with the evaluated traits; saplings with particular genotypes at these SNPs showed better performance under the drought treatment. The SNPs were located in the cytosolic class I small heat-shock protein, CTR/DRE binding transcription factor, and isocitrate dehydrogenase genes and explained 5.8-13.4% of the phenotypic variance. These findings provide insight into the genetic basis of traits related to drought tolerance in European beech and could support the development of forest conservation management strategies under future climatic conditions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters PIabs (a) and PItot (b) measured in the control and drought treated saplings. **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001. Box plots present median, upper, and lower quartiles; whiskers show minimum and maximum values. Sample size is presented in parentheses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stem diameter growth (SDG) measured in 2013 (a), 2014 (b), and 2013–2014 (c) in the control and drought treated saplings from acidic and calcareous soils. Different letters (a, b, c, and d) above whiskers indicate significant differences (P < 0.05). Box plots present median, upper, and lower quartiles; whiskers show minimum and maximum values. Sample size is presented in parentheses.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters PIabs (a) and PItot (b) measured in homozygote (AA and TT) and heterozygote (TA) genotypes of the A/T SNP 110_1_293 (a) and in homozygote (AA and CC) and heterozygote (CA) genotypes of the A/C SNP 50_39 (b) that were significantly associated with these parameters under control/acidic (a) and drought/acidic (b) soil conditions, respectively. Different letters (a and b) above whiskers indicate significant differences (P < 0.05). Box plots present median, upper and lower quartiles; whiskers show minimum and maximum values. Sample size is presented in parentheses.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Stem diameter growth (SDG) measured in homozygote and heterozygote genotypes of four SNPs (50_39, 50_232, IDH_1, and IDH_4) that were significantly associated with SDG under drought/acidic (a and b) and drought/calcareous (c, d, e, and f) soil conditions. Different letters (a and b) above whiskers indicate significant differences (P < 0.05). Box plots present median, upper and lower quartiles; whiskers show minimum and maximum values. Sample size is presented in parentheses.
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References

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