Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation

doi:10.1016/j.pld.2025.12.012

Plant Diversity ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (03): 439-450.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2025.12.012

Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation

Xu Zhang^a,b, Tao Deng^c, Hengchang Wang^a, Hang Sun^c

a State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China;
b Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;
c State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China

Received:2025-08-25 Revised:2025-12-19 Online:2026-06-10 Published:2026-05-25
Contact: Hengchang Wang,E-mail:hcwang@wbgcas.cn;Hang Sun,E-mail:sunhang@mail.kib.ac.cn
Supported by:
This research was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2024YFF1306700), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program (2024QZKK0200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32300201, 32322006, 32471692), and the Science and Technology Major Project of Xizang (XZ202501ZY0151).

Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation

Xu Zhang^a,b, Tao Deng^c, Hengchang Wang^a, Hang Sun^c

a State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China;
b Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;
c State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China

通讯作者: Hengchang Wang,E-mail:hcwang@wbgcas.cn;Hang Sun,E-mail:sunhang@mail.kib.ac.cn
基金资助:
This research was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2024YFF1306700), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program (2024QZKK0200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32300201, 32322006, 32471692), and the Science and Technology Major Project of Xizang (XZ202501ZY0151).

Abstract

Abstract: Alpine plants persist in some of the harshest terrestrial environments, where low temperatures, high ultraviolet radiation, and short growing seasons impose strong selective pressures. Recent advances in genome sequencing and comparative genomics are unraveling the multifaceted mechanisms that enable their adaptation and diversification under these conditions. In this review, we synthesize current progress on how genetic variation at different levels, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variants, whole-genome duplication, gene family evolution, and transposable elements, contribute to high-elevation adaptations in alpine plants. SNP-based studies have provided critical insights into adaptive differentiation along environmental gradients as well as molecular convergence underlying high-elevation adaptation, while analyses of structural variations and transposable elements reveal their potential roles in shaping phenotypic diversity and environmental responsiveness. Despite these advances, major challenges remain in linking genomic variation to functional adaptation, reflecting limitations in sampling, comparative frameworks, and functional validation. This review emphasizes the promise of integrative multi-omics, pangenome reconstruction, and functional assays to bridge these gaps, and highlights how genomic insights can guide the conservation of alpine biodiversity under accelerating climate change.

Key words: Alpine adaptation, Multi-omics, Structural variants, Transposable elements, Whole-genome duplication

摘要： Alpine plants persist in some of the harshest terrestrial environments, where low temperatures, high ultraviolet radiation, and short growing seasons impose strong selective pressures. Recent advances in genome sequencing and comparative genomics are unraveling the multifaceted mechanisms that enable their adaptation and diversification under these conditions. In this review, we synthesize current progress on how genetic variation at different levels, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variants, whole-genome duplication, gene family evolution, and transposable elements, contribute to high-elevation adaptations in alpine plants. SNP-based studies have provided critical insights into adaptive differentiation along environmental gradients as well as molecular convergence underlying high-elevation adaptation, while analyses of structural variations and transposable elements reveal their potential roles in shaping phenotypic diversity and environmental responsiveness. Despite these advances, major challenges remain in linking genomic variation to functional adaptation, reflecting limitations in sampling, comparative frameworks, and functional validation. This review emphasizes the promise of integrative multi-omics, pangenome reconstruction, and functional assays to bridge these gaps, and highlights how genomic insights can guide the conservation of alpine biodiversity under accelerating climate change.

关键词: Alpine adaptation, Multi-omics, Structural variants, Transposable elements, Whole-genome duplication

Xu Zhang, Tao Deng, Hengchang Wang, Hang Sun. Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation[J]. Plant Diversity, 2026, 48(03): 439-450.

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Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation

Genomic insights into alpine plant adaptation

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