Signatures of local adaptation to climate in natural populations of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) from southern Europe

Understanding the adaptive mechanisms of forest species is vital to ensure their survival in a climate change scenario. This study aimed at uncovering relationship between genetic variability and environmental variables natural Castanea sativa populations, unveiling how different scenarios drove local adaption processes using landscape genomics approach. Our findings provide useful data for future management this species. Temperate species, such as chestnut (Castanea Mill.), are currently threatened by increasing temperature together with disruption reduction precipitation due change. In context, understanding adaptation will help manage conservation forests. We studied populations C. approach identify processes. Using five genomic SSRs eight functional EST-SSRs markers, 268 individuals belonging ten European distributed contrasting climatic sites were genotyped. addition, associations allelic variation (environmental association analyses approach) performed Sam?ada LFMM. Results highlighted strong inter-relationship evolutionary resulting variation. STRUCTURE analysis based on markers split three separate gene pools (K = 3), mostly agreement conditions existing areas. Divergent spatial patterns rainy arid areas found. detected total 202 among 22 alleles, 9% which related outlier locus FIR059, known be implicated regulatory during water stress Landscape revealed pattern variation, where specific influenced frequencies distribution fixation several investigated underline close indicate could valuable information rapidly changing environment.