Adaptations of Arabidopsis halleri to habitats rich in heavy metals in southern Poland: Dissertation Thesis

This study attempted to provide a better description and understanding of the origin and evolution of tolerance and accumulation capacity for zinc in populations of the pseudometallophyte species Arabidopsis halleri. The research was conducted on 15 metallicolous (M) and non-metallicolous (NM) populations from southern Poland. 

Physicochemical analyses of soils and plants were performed to characterize habitats and behaviors of individuals. Genetic analyses aimed to describe the genetic structure of A. halleri populations and to reconstruct their history by phylogeographic analysis. 

Tolerance and accumulation tests performed under controlled conditions on the same individuals investigated the relationships between these two traits. We observed a higher variance in soil properties and population behavior in M ​​sites; the 2 types of sites differed significantly in heavy metal concentrations as well as in other physicochemical parameters. 

Neutral genetic structuring analysis conducted using 10 microsatellite nuclear markers revealed a clustering of populations based on their geographical origin. Furthermore, for the first time, we showed that there are NM populations founded from M populations. 

Selected genetic structuring analysis conducted under controlled conditions showed that NM populations are less tolerant and accumulate significantly more Zn than M populations. However, no relationship between these traits could be detected at the level of individuals themselves.