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Updated: Apr 23, 2026
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Published on: August 9, 2019
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Investigating a Potential Bias in Resurrection Experiments to Measure Adaptive Evolution of Flowering Time
Sarah M Ravoth1, Ariane Mooney2, Emily J Austen3
1Department of Zoology University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada.
Ecology and Evolution
|April 22, 2026
Summary
Resurrection experiments track adaptive evolution but aging seeds may bias results. This study found minimal bias in flowering time evolution for Brassica rapa seeds, supporting the resurrection approach for global change biology.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Climate change research
- Plant science
Background:
- Species persistence under climate change relies on rapid evolution.
- Resurrection experiments track adaptive evolution by comparing ancestral and descendant traits.
- Non-random seed aging in storage can bias evolutionary estimates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess bias in resurrection experiments due to non-random seed aging.
- To investigate if seed birth order affects survivorship and flowering time in Brassica rapa.
- To evaluate the impact of differential seed mortality on evolutionary estimates.
Main Methods:
- Simulated long-term seed aging of Brassica rapa.
- Tested seed survivorship based on birth order (maternal resource allocation proxy).
- Evaluated correlation between birth order and flowering time.
Main Results:
- Rapidly aged seeds showed 26% reduced survivorship and a ~1-day delay in flowering.
- This plastic storage effect was not observed in the F2 generation.
- Simulations indicated low average bias (<1 day) on flowering time estimates, even with high mortality.
Conclusions:
- Non-random seed aging in Brassica rapa has a minimal impact on flowering time evolution estimates.
- The resurrection experiment methodology is reliable for global change biology studies.
- Seed birth order does not significantly bias evolutionary studies using this approach.
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