Phenotypic and molecular analyses addressing the spread of (epi)mutations in populations and ultimately the mechanisms of adaptation range from field experiments in different ecological settings and controlled growth studies using thousands of small raspberry-pi controlled cameras to large-scale expression and methylome profiling. A new direction is the systematic analysis of gene x genotype interactions, where we investigate how the expression of mutant phenotypes is modulated by genetic background. The experimental strategy employs the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knock out the same genes in different natural accessions. These efforts are an important step toward exploiting naturally occurring genetic variation for a systems understanding of biological processes. We are also systematically sampling local plant populations, both around Tübingen and in North America, where many individuals belong to a single lineage that has diversified for about 300 years.