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Cornell University

Biodiversity Initiative @ Cornell University

Empowering biodiversity for people and planet

Diversity and Adaptation in the Andean Blueberry: genomic insights into plant survival at environmental extremes

María de Lourdes Torres (USFQ) collecting mortiño in Ecuador
Vaccinium floribundum, commonly known as mortiño or Andean blueberry, is a slender shrub that grows in the northern Andes in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela at elevations from 1,800 to 3,800 metres (5,900 to 12,500 ft). It can reach 2–3 m as a shrub or it can be dwarf and prostrate. The plant produces an edible fruit that is collected and eaten raw and used in preserves. It is used for Colada Morada celebrating the Day of the Dead.
Plant of mortiño in the paramo of Papallacta, Ecuador. Photo by M.Gordillo-Romero

The Andean blueberry (Vaccinium floribundum) is found in the paramo, a high-altitude ecosystem unique to the Andean highlands. In order to live in this habitat, it has evolved remarkable adaptations to withstand the harsh environmental conditions and seasonally limited access to nutrients and water. A collaboration between the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory (USFQ) and the Specht Laboratory (Evolution of Plant Form and Function) at Cornell University aims to better understand the genetic and evolutionary basis of these adaptations. Through comparative genomic analyses, we aim to discover the genetic signatures that distinguish high-altitude populations from their lower-land counterparts. Using genomic techniques within an evolutionary framework, we aim to identify the genetic factors that allow the Andean blueberry to adapt to extreme paramo conditions such as high altitude, intense UV radiation, freezing temperatures and limited oxygen. With profound implications for understanding and mitigating the effects of climate change, this research promises to develop strategies to protect vulnerable ecosystems and the conservation of endemic plant species of biological and cultural value to the Andean region.

Open the tabs below to learn about some of our ongoing results…

Genetic diversity and adaptive potential across gradients

This project involves genome re-sequencing of 200 samples collected across Ecuador with a North to South gradient, as well as a combination of low-altitude and high-altitude samples. Samples were collected in the field and DNA extracted at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory (USFQ) before shipping to Cornell for library prep and sequencing. To maximize the amount of data that can be generated, the Element Biosciences AVITI sequencing platform is being used. An initial subset of 40 samples were sequenced as part of the AVITI™ for Agrigenomics Grant awarded to Jacob Landis. The remaining 160 samples are currently being prepared for sequencing using the Watchmaker Enzymatic Library prep kit.

Lower elevation samples more diverse

Initial analyses from the first 40 samples show that observed heterozygosity tends to be higher in lower elevation samples compared to high elevation samples, regardless of geographic sampling in terms of northern or southern Ecuador.

Gene flow between northern samples

Based on previous analyses with microsatellite markers the expectation was that all of the high elevation samples would cluster together. Initial PCAs suggest this is largely true, except that the northern high elevation populations cluster with low elevation northern samples.

Isolation by distance

Samples and populations do tend to exhibit isolation by distance, meaning that as geographic distance increases so does genetic distance. Current analyses are looking at whether populations also exhibit isolation by environment.

This collaborative project is funded by a 2023 Global Cornell seed grant to PIs Chelsea D. Specht (Cornell) and Maria de Lourdes Torres (USFQ). Research is carried out by Dr. Jacob Landis, Dr. Milton Andrés Gordillo Romero, USFQ student Paula Camila González Corrales and Ithaca High School Student Ella Hufnagel.