• The genetic basis of flowering time changes across environments, and pleiotropy may limit adaptive evolution of populations in response to local conditions. However, little information is known about how genetic architecture changes among environments.
• We used genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) in Boechera stricta (Graham) Al‐Shehbaz, a relative of Arabidopsis, to examine flowering variation among environments and associations with climate conditions in home environments. Also, we used molecular population genetics to search for evidence of historical natural selection.
• GWAS found 47 significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence flowering time in one or more environments, control plastic changes in phenology between experiments, or show associations with climate in sites of origin. Genetic architecture of flowering varied substantially among environments. We found that some pairs of QTLs showed similar patterns of pleiotropy across environments. A large‐effect QTL showed molecular signatures of adaptive evolution and is associated with climate in home environments. The derived allele at this locus causes later flowering and predominates in sites with greater water availability.
• This work shows that GWAS of climate associations and ecologically important traits across diverse environments can be combined with molecular signatures of natural selection to elucidate ecological genetics of adaptive evolution.

中文翻译：

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环境间的遗传结构和开花时间的适应

• 开花时间的遗传基础因环境而异，而多效性可能会限制种群对当地条件的适应性进化。然而，关于遗传结构如何在环境中发生变化的信息知之甚少。
• 我们在拟南芥的近缘种 Boechera stricta (Graham) Al-Shehbaz中使用全基因组关联研究 (GWAS)来检查环境之间的开花变异以及与家庭环境中气候条件的关联。此外，我们使用分子群体遗传学来寻找历史自然选择的证据。
• GWAS 发现了 47 个重要的数量性状基因座 (QTL)，它们影响一种或多种环境中的开花时间，控制实验之间物候学的塑料变化，或显示与原产地气候的关联。开花的遗传结构因环境而异。我们发现一些 QTL 对在不同环境中表现出相似的多效性模式。一个大效应 QTL 显示出适应性进化的分子特征，并且与家庭环境中的气候有关。该位点的衍生等位基因导致开花较晚，并且在水可用性更高的位点占主导地位。
• 这项工作表明，跨不同环境的气候关联和生态重要特征的 GWAS 可以与自然选择的分子特征相结合，以阐明适应性进化的生态遗传学。