Phenotypic comparison of high-altitude African accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana

Background

Arabidopsis thaliana exhibits exceptionally high genetic diversity in African populations and shows strong environmental adaptability across a wide ecological range, spanning elevations from ~100 m to 4000 m and diverse habitats. This broad distribution provides an excellent system for studying how genetic variation contributes to local adaptation across contrasting environmental gradients.

Aims

• Phenotypic traits are correlated with high-altitude adaptation
• Photoperiod effects influence plant phenotypic variation across accessions
• Identification of optimal conditions to promote seed germination
• Determination of minimal vernalization duration required to induce flowering