Convergent genome- and gene-level constraints shape repeated environmental adaptation in grasses

Across 687 genomes from 561 grass species spanning 17 climate zones, 17–30 independent transitions into extreme temperature, water, and soil environments show convergent genome-scale molecular shifts.

• Why it matters: The genomic rules behind repeated adaptation in Poaceae to harsh environments are unresolved, limiting predictive understanding of how grasses evolve under climate and soil extremes.
• What they did: Using dense phylogenomic sampling with global environmental data and gLLMs, the study models mutational targets and applies phylogenetic mixed modeling to find 330 genes linked to environmental variation axes.
• The result: Independent convergent selection tests yield 27 high-confidence candidate genes, implying layered genome- and gene-level constraints that shape predictable evolutionary trajectories in grasses.

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