The Walking Forest: Epigenetic Response to Environmental Stress in Picea Glauca

Overview

The epigenetic response is recognized as an important component in growth and adaptation across species. The Arctic tree line is the largest transitional ecotone in the world and a site of well-documented environmental stress due to harsh climatic conditions and rising temperatures. Through our three-year study of Picea glauca (white spruce) we have assessed epigenetic response mechanisms in Picea across a latitudinal transect ranging from the northernmost point of spruce existence to a more verdant boreal forest around the Alaska North Slope. Furthermore, we have analyzed distinct Picea populations in the temperate climate of Black Rock Forest in New York. Conifers serve well as models for age-associated epigenetic adaptation in plants. Their mature leaves are exposed to multiple years of harsh environmental conditions such as cold, wind and herbivory, while their embryonic leaves lack exposure to such environmental challenges. Our previous results indicate that whereas mature growth trends toward increasing methylation with increasing latitude, embryonic methylation is too erratic to suggest any trend. Our recent findings indicate that populations under more physical stress in the Black Rock Forest exhibit higher global DNA methylation levels, and these results corroborate our previous findings. Within the same population, methylation levels appear far more consistent between mature samples of different individuals than between embryonic samples, likely due to the heightened role methylation plays in non-stress related embryonic development. Our overall results indicate that Picea trees under more stress exhibit greater methylation, suggesting an attempt to “turn off” all but the most necessary genes in order to survive in harsh conditions. Our recent studies have analyzed the degree to which various experimental variables impact our results yielding more accurate methods for the future. Future steps for the study include analysis of the effects of the age of an individual on its epigenetic stress response and of new samples taken from our arctic trees next summer.

Competition history

• AJAS 2020 Category not listed

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