Genetic basis of photosynthetic responses to cold in two locally adapted populations of Arabidopsis thaliana

Local adaptation is common, but the traits and genes involved are often unknown. Physiological responses to cold probably contribute to local adaptation in wide-ranging species, but the genetic basis underlying natural variation in these traits has rarely been studied. Using a recombinant inbred (495 lines) mapping population from locally adapted populations of Arabidopsis thaliana from Sweden and Italy, we grew plants at low temperature and mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for traits related to photosynthesis: maximal quantum efficiency (F(v)/F(m)), rapidly reversible photoprotection (NPQ(fast)), and photoinhibition of PSII (NPQ(slow)) using high-throughput, whole-plant measures of chlorophyll fluorescence. In response to cold, the Swedish line had greater values for all traits, and for every trait, large effect QTLs contributed to parental differences. We found one major QTL affecting all traits, as well as unique major QTLs for each trait. Six trait QTLs overlapped with previously published locally adaptive QTLs based on fitness measured in the native environments over 3 years. Our results demonstrate that photosynthetic responses to cold can vary dramatically within a species, and may predominantly be caused by a few QTLs of large effect. Some photosynthesis traits and QTLs probably contribute to local adaptation in this system.