Rapid adaptation and extinction in synchronized outdoor evolution experiments of Arabidopsis
2026/03/26 by Xing Wu, Tatiana Bellagio, Yunru Peng +71 · 6 voices · 3 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Genetic diversity and population structure #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Species Distribution and Climate Change
paper · doi:10.1126/science.adz0777
Abstract
Climate change forces species to adapt rapidly to avoid extinction. To directly observe rapid adaptation and extinction, we conducted synchronized evolution experiments with Arabidopsis thaliana in 30 locations across Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the Levant, and North America. Whole-genome pooled sequencing of ~70,000 surviving plants revealed repeatable allele frequency shifts in similar climates but divergent shifts across contrasting ones, indicating evolutionary adaptation. We identified genetic variants linked to climate adaptation, including genes involved in processes ranging from thermal-stress sensing to spring-flowering timing. Evolutionary trends were often predictable, but variable, across environments. In warmer climates, evolutionary predictability correlated with population survival over 5 years, whereas erratic changes preceded extinction. These results show that rapid climate adaptation is possible, but understanding its limits will be crucial for biodiversity forecasting.
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- Our team appeared in The Daily Californian news! Discussing our experimental evolution in Science Magazine www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... and a recent paper on the threat of genetic diversity loss i [bsky, 21 points, 1 comments]
- How Thale Cress adapts – or goes extinct. In an unprecedented field experiment plant scientists investigated evolutionary adaptation of Arabidopsis thaliana to a wide range of climates at 30 location [bsky, 16 points, 1 comments]
- ...investigadores del IICG (@iicg-urjc.bsky.social) y @biodiversosurjc.bsky.social, son coautores. 🙌 📰Léelo aquí: doi.org/10.1126/scie... 📷 Crédito de la imagen: Artista Emma Vidal para Moisés Ex [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]
- Devising outdoor evolution experiments with multicellular eukaryotes is always a challenge. Check out the Science article below where SNP2Prot captains M. Quint and C. Delker took part! Congrats to a [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- @moi et al do see evolution happening in plants: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adz0777 #SMBE2026 [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]
- 📄 Wu, Bellagio et al. (2026) Rapid adaptation and extinction in synchronized outdoor evolution experiments of Arabidopsis. Science 🔗 doi.org/10.1126/scie... 🔗 grene-net.org #Evolution #ClimateChan [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
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