Evaluating the Roles of Drift and Selection in Trait Loss along an Elevational Gradient

The evolutionary mechanisms underlying loss or retention of traits that have lost function are poorly understood. Short stamens in Arabidopsis thaliana provide a compelling system to investigate the roles of genetic drift and selection in trait loss across latitudinal and elevational clines. This study investigates the role of drift and selection in short stamen loss in 16 populations of A. thaliana along an elevational gradient in the Spanish Pyrenees. An investigation of the genetic loci underlying variation in short stamen number suggests mutations in different genes may cause trait loss in similar phenotypic clines within a species.