Memory of environmental conditions across generations affects the acclimation potential of scots pine.

ABSTRACT: Long generation times have been suggested to hamper rapid genetic adaptation of organisms to changing environmental conditions. We examined if environmental memory of the parental Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) drive offspring survival and growth. We used seeds from trees growing under naturally dry conditions (control), irrigated trees (irrigated from 2003 to 2016), and formerly irrigated trees ("irrigation stop"; irrigated from 2003-2013; control condition since 2014). We performed two experiments, one under controlled greenhouse conditions and one at the experimental field site. In the greenhouse, the offspring from control trees exposed regularly to drought were more tolerant to hot-drought conditions than the offspring from irrigated trees and showed lower mortality even though the

SUBMITTER: Bose AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7318169 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature