PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sofia J. van Moorsel
AU  - Marc W. Schmid
AU  - Niels C.A.M. Wagemaker
AU  - Thomas van Gurp
AU  - Bernhard Schmid
AU  - Philippine Vergeer
TI  - Evidence for rapid evolution in a grassland biodiversity experiment
AID  - 10.1101/262303
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 262303
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/02/08/262303.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/02/08/262303.full
AB  - In long-term grassland biodiversity experiments positive effects of biodiversity on plant productivity commonly increase with time. Previously it was shown that differential selection in monoculture and mixed-species grassland communities could lead to the rapid emergence of monoculture and mixture phenotypes. Underlying mechanisms for such rapid phenotypic responses are however still unclear.We hypothesized that in biodiversity experiments pre-adapted genotypes or epigenetic variants could be sorted out from the standing genetic or epigenetic variation.To test if biodiversity acted as a selective environment, we grew offspring from plants that were exposed for twelve years to a monoculture or mixture environment in a biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) under controlled greenhouse conditions. Using epiGBS, a genotyping-by-sequencing approach combined with bisulfite conversion to provide integrative genetic and epigenetic data, we showed that plants with a monoculture or mixture background were genetically distinct.Our data reveal strong genetic and epigenetic divergence within species according to selection history and suggest variation in epigenetic variation to be largely under genetic control. This pattern was consistently observed across six perennial grassland species. Our results suggest that selection of genetic variants caused the rapid emergence of monoculture and mixture types in the Jena Experiment.