Rapid Evolution of Heavy Metal Tolerance in Urban Populations of Taraxacum officinale
Gomez-Ariza J, Whitfield C, Kumar A
Summary
9.0/10Urban dandelions evolved lead tolerance in just 5 generations by rapidly adapting their metal transport genes.
Key Findings
Heritable tolerance in 5 generations
Parallel selection on HMA4 genes
Decadal-scale adaptive evolution
Original Abstract
Dandelion populations from lead-contaminated urban soils show heritable zinc and lead tolerance within 5 generations. Whole-genome sequencing identified parallel selection on HMA4 transporter genes, demonstrating rapid adaptive evolution in a common weed on a decadal timescale.
Species Mentioned
Taraxacum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribution, absent only from tropical and polar areas. Two of the mo...
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