Intraspecific trait variation across elevation predicts a widespread tree species' climate niche and range limits.

ABSTRACT: Global change is widely altering environmental conditions which makes accurately predicting species range limits across natural landscapes critical for conservation and management decisions. If climate pressures along elevation gradients influence the distribution of phenotypic and genetic variation of plant functional traits, then such trait variation may be informative of the selective mechanisms and adaptations that help define climatic niche limits. Using extensive field surveys along 16 elevation transects and a large common garden experiment, we tested whether functional trait variation could predict the climatic niche of a widespread tree species (Populus angustifolia) with a double quantile regression approach. We show that intraspecific variation in plant size, growth, and leaf mo

SUBMITTER: Van Nuland ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7244802 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature