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Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Studying the Neural Basis of Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Insects
Published on: April 13, 2011
A two-step adaptive walk rewires nutrient transport in a challenging edaphic environment
Emmanuel Tergemina1, Ahmed F Elfarargi1, Paulina Flis2
1Department of Plant Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829 Cologne, Germany.
Abstract:
Most well-characterized cases of adaptation involve single genetic loci. Theory suggests that multilocus adaptive walks should be common, but these are challenging to identify in natural populations. Here, we combine trait mapping with population genetic modeling to show that a two-step process rewired nutrient homeostasis in a population of Arabidopsis as it colonized the base of an active stratovolcano characterized by extremely low soil manganese (Mn). First, a variant that disrupted the primary iron (Fe) uptake transporter gene (IRT1) swept quickly to fixation in a hard selective sweep, increasing Mn but limiting Fe in the leaves. Second, multiple independent tandem duplications occurred at NRAMP1 and together rose to near fixation in the island population, compensating the loss of IRT1 by improving Fe homeostasis. This study provides a clear case of a multilocus adaptive walk and reveals how genetic variants reshaped a phenotype and spread over space and time.
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