DNA methylation in the wild: epigenetic transgenerational inheritance can mediate adaptation in clones of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Abstract Due to the accelerating climate change, it is crucial to understand how plants adapt to rapid environmental changes. Such adaptation may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation, which could heritably alter phenotypes without changing the DNA sequence, especially across clonal generations. However, we are still missing robust evidence of the adaptive potential of DNA methylation in wild clonal populations. Here, we studied the methylome of Fragaria vesca, a predominantly clonally reproducing herb. We examined samples from 21 natural populations across three climatically distinct geographic regions, as well as clones of the same individuals grown in a common garden. We found that inherited epigenetic variation was partly associated with climate of origin, and that a subset of these epigenetic changes affected gene expression. Our results indicate that DNA methylation variation in the wild is common and may contribute to adaptation of clonal plant populations.