Adaptive evolution of complex traits explored through genome biogeography

It has been stated that adaptive evolution occurs in plant populations with respect to various complex traits. Olofsson et al. validated the hypothesis that different components of a complex trait can evolve in isolation and later be combined by gene flow by using C4 photosynthesis as a study system. Local adaptations might fix certain alleles due to limited gene flow in various populations, but their subsequent combination facilitated by population mixing likely improved the efficiency of the C4-photosynthetic system as a whole. (Summary by K K Sabu). Mol. Ecol. 10.1111/mec.13914