Data from: The genetic architecture of freezing tolerance varies across the range of Arabidopsis thaliana

The capacity to tolerate freezing temperatures limits the geographical distribution of many plants, including several species of agricultural importance. However, the genes involved in freezing tolerance remain largely unknown. Here, we describe the variation in constitutive freezing tolerance that occurs among worldwide accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that although plants from high latitudes tend to be more freezing tolerant than plants from low latitudes, the environmental factors that shape cold adaptation differ across the species range. Consistent with this, we found that the genetic architecture of freezing tolerance also differs across its range. Conventional genome-wide association studies helped identify a priori and other promising candidate genes. However, simultaneously modelling climate variables and freezing tolerance together pinpointed other excellent a priori candidate genes. This suggests that if the selective factor underlying phenotypic variation is known, multi-trait mixed models may aid in identifying the genes that underlie adaptation.

耐受低温的能力限制了诸多植物的地理分布范围，其中包括数种兼具农业重要价值的物种。然而，参与低温耐受过程的基因在很大程度上仍未被探明。本研究针对全球范围内采集的拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）种质资源，分析了其组成型低温耐受性状的变异情况。我们发现，尽管高纬度地区的拟南芥植株通常比低纬度地区的个体具有更强的低温耐受性，但塑造该物种冷适应过程的环境因子在其分布范围内存在差异。与此一致的是，我们还发现低温耐受性状的遗传架构在其分布范围内也有所不同。传统的全基因组关联分析（genome-wide association studies）有助于鉴定先验候选基因及其他颇具潜力的候选基因。然而，同时对气候变量与低温耐受性状进行联合建模，精准定位出了另一批优质的先验候选基因。这一结果表明，若已知表型变异背后的选择因子，多性状混合模型（multi-trait mixed models）或可助力鉴定参与适应过程的相关基因。