Two common, often coexisting grassland plant species differ in their evolutionary potential in response to experimental drought.

ABSTRACT: For terrestrial plant communities, the increase in frequency and intensity of drought events is considered as one of the most severe consequences of climate change. While single-species studies demonstrate that drought can lead to relatively rapid adaptive genetic changes, the evolutionary potential and constraints to selection need to be assessed in comparative approaches to draw more general conclusions. In a greenhouse experiment, we compare the phenotypic response and evolutionary potential of two co-occurring grassland plant species, Bromus erectus and Trifolium pratense, in two environments differing in water availability. We quantified variation in functional traits and reproductive fitness in response to drought and compared multivariate genetic variance-covariance ma

SUBMITTER: Madaj AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10469005 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature