Adaptation of lodgepole pine and interior spruce to climate: implications for reforestation in a warming world.

ABSTRACT: We investigated adaptation to climate in populations of two widespread tree species across a range of contrasting environments in western Canada. In a series of common garden experiments, bud phenology, cold hardiness, and seedling growth traits were assessed for 254 populations in the interior spruce complex (Picea glauca, P. engelmannii, and their hybrids) and for 281 populations of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). Complex multitrait adaptations to different ecological regions such as boreal, montane, coastal, and arid environments accounted for 15-20% of the total variance. This population differentiation could be directly linked to climate variables through multivariate regression tree analysis. Our results suggest that adaptation to climate does not always correspond linearly to tempe

SUBMITTER: Liepe KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4721073 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature