Research overview
We are interested in ecological and genetic mechanisms giving rise to lineage divergence. These include adaptation to the different environments, the establishment of crossing barriers, and the evolution of sex chromosomes. We often combine ecological approaches such as transplant and crossing experiments with genetic investigations, for example, population genomic analyses and demographic modelling. We use the plant systems Silene, Arabidopsis and Salix.
A recent review: Can evolution supply what ecology demands? (2018) Kokko H, Chaturvedi A, Croll D, Fischer MC, Guillaume F, Karrenberg S, Kerr B, Rolshausen G, Stapley J. Trends in ecology & evolution 32 (3), 187-197 |
Speciation
Related Publications: A polygenic architecture with conditionally neutral effects underlies ecological differentiation in Silene. S Gramlich, X Liu, A Favre, CA Buerkle, S Karrenberg, bioRxiv Evolution of putative barrier loci at an intermediate stage of speciation with gene flow in campions (Silene) X Liu, S Glémin, S Karrenberg (2020) Molecular Ecology 29 (18), 3511-3525 Ecological divergence plays an important role in strong but complex reproductive isolation in campions (Silene). S Karrenberg, X Liu, E Hallander, A Favre, J Herforth‐Rahmé, A Widmer Evolution 73 (2), 245-261 featured in: Evolution highlights, September 2020 Genetic architecture of traits associated with reproductive barriers in Silene: coupling, sex chromosomes and variation. Liu X, Karrenberg S. (2018) Molecular Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14562 Differential adaptation drives ecological speciation in campions (Silene): evidence from a multi-site transplant experiment. Favre A, Widmer A, Karrenberg S. (2017) New Phytologist 213: 1487-1499. Do flower color and floral scent of Silene species affect host preference of Hadena bicruris, a seed-eating pollinator, under field conditions? Page P, Favre A, Schiestl FP, Karrenberg S. (2014) PLoS ONE 9: e98755. Stress tolerance in closely related species and their first‐generation hybrids: a case study of Silene. Favre A, Karrenberg S. (2011) Journal of Ecology 99: 1415-1423. Pollen competition as an asymmetric reproductive barrier between two closely related Silene species. Rahmé J, Widmer A, Karrenberg S. (2009) Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22: 1937-1943. Genetic and ecological differentiation in the hybridizing campions Silene dioica and S. latifolia. Karrenberg S, Favre A. (2008) Evolution 62: 763-773. |
Altitudinal adaptation
Altitudinal gradients encompass steep cimatic clines, for example, in temperature. Species that occur over a wide range of altitudes may therefore have adapted to altitude across their different populations. We tested this hypothesis using in the model plant Arabidodpsis thaliana. In particular, we investigated whether small stature at high altitude ("alpine dwarfism") is adaptive and how genetic drift and natural selection may interact to produce trait clines along altitude.
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Related publications: Trait differentiation and adaptation of plants along elevation gradients. Halbritter AH, Fior S, Keller I, Billeter R, Edwards P, Holderegger R, Karrenberg S, Pluess AR, Widmer A, Alexander JM (2018) Journal of Evolutionary Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13262 A single nucleotide deletion in GA20ox1 causes alpine dwarfism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Luo Y, Dong X, Yu T-Y, Shi X, Li Z, Yang W-C, Widmer A, Karrenberg S (2015) Plant Physiology: pp. 00005.02015. The roles of genetic drift and natural selection in quantitative trait divergence along an altitudinal gradient in Arabidopsis thaliana. Luo Y, Widmer A, Karrenberg S. (2015) Heredity 114: 220. |
Responses to small-scale heterogeneity
Early and lat snowmelt microhabitats (left) and Salix herbacea (right)
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Alpine environments do not only provide steep climatic clines they also commonly encompass highly heterogeneous microhabitats. For example, topography can lead to snowmelt differences by months at sites only a few meters apart! We investigate whether the alpine dwarf willow Salix herbacea responds to this small-scale heterogeneity by adaptive differentiation, genetic polymorphism or phenotypic plasticity. This allows us to elucidate the species' adaptive potential to cope with current and future climatic change.
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Related publications:
The snow and the willows: earlier spring snowmelt reduces performance in the low‐lying alpine shrub Salix herbacea. Wheeler JA, Cortes AJ, Sedlacek J, Karrenberg S, Kleunen M, Wipf S, Hoch G, Bossdorf O, Rixen C (2016) Journal of Ecology 104: 1041-1050. Evolutionary potential in the Alpine: trait heritabilities and performance variation of the dwarf willow Salix herbacea from different elevations and microhabitats. Sedlacek J, Cortés AJ, Wheeler J, Bossdorf O, Hoch G, Klápště J, Lexer C, Rixen C, Wipf S, Karrenberg S*, van Kleunen M* (2016) Ecology and Evolution 6: 3940-3952. *shared senior authorship The response of the alpine dwarf shrub Salix herbacea to altered snowmelt timing: lessons from a multi-site transplant experiment. Sedlacek J, Wheeler JA, Cortés AJ, Bossdorf O, Hoch G, Lexer C, Wipf S, Karrenberg S*, van Kleunen M*, Rixen C* (2015) PLoS ONE 10: e0122395. * shared senior authorship Small-scale patterns in snowmelt timing affect gene flow and the distribution of genetic diversity in the alpine dwarf shrub Salix herbacea. Cortés AJ, Waeber S, Lexer C, Sedlacek J, Wheeler JA, van Kleunen M, Bossdorf O, Hoch G, Rixen C, Wipf S., Karrenberg S. (2014) Heredity 113: 233. doi:10.1038/hdy.2014.19 |