Functional mapping of seasonal transition in perennial plants.

Unlike annuals, all perennial plants undergo seasonal transitions during ontogeny . As an adaptive response to seasonal changes in climate, the seasonal pattern of growth is likely to be under genetic control, although its underlying genetic basis remains unknown. Here, we develop a computational model that can map specific quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for seasonal transitions of growth in perennials. The model is founded on functional mapping, a statistical framework to map developmental dynamics, which is reformed to integrate a seasonally adjusted growth function. The new model is equipped with a capacity to characterize the genetic effects of QTLs on seasonal alternation at different ages and then to better elucidate the genetic architecture of development. The model is implemented with a series of testing procedures, including (i) how a QTL controls an overall ontogenetic growth curve, (ii) how the QTL determines seasonal trajectories of growth within years and (iii) how it determines the dynamic nature of age-specific season response. The model was validated through computer simulation. The extension of season adjustment to other types of biological curves is statistically straightforward, facilitating a wider variety of genetic studies into ontogenetic growth and development in perennial plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]