Adaptational lag to temperature in valley oak (Quercus lobata) can be mitigated by genome-informed assisted gene flow.

ABSTRACT: Climate change over the next century is predicted to cause widespread maladaptation in natural systems. This prediction, as well as many sustainable management and conservation practices, assumes that species are adapted to their current climate. However, this assumption is rarely tested. Using a large-scale common garden experiment combined with genome-wide sequencing, we found that valley oak (Quercus lobata), a foundational tree species in California ecosystems, showed a signature of adaptational lag to temperature, with fastest growth rates occurring at cooler temperatures than populations are currently experiencing. Future warming under realistic emissions scenarios was predicted to lead to further maladaptation to temperature and reduction in growth rates for valley oak. We th

SUBMITTER: Browne L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6911187 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature