Geographic variation in flowering phenology in Boechera stricta: testing for adaptive response to climate across the species range

Abstract

As climate continues to shift, species existing over broad and variable ranges must exhibit the ability to adapt functional traits to novel environmental conditions. In this study, I used a large-scale common garden experiment to examine the variation in flowering time of 137 Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae) genotypes, representing populations from across the species range. The experiment found variance in date of first open flower among genotypes, with those originating at northern and high-elevation (i.e. shorter growing season) sites flowering sooner than those from southern and low-elevation sites. These results suggested that adaptation of flowering phenology has occurred on a fine scale and is driven by local environmental conditions historically experienced at each genotype’s site of origin. Broader-scale phenological adaptation was investigated by partitioning the genotypes into six population groups based on genetic divergence over approximately 2,000 generations; however, evidence for adaptation on this scale was not found. The finding that B. stricta has evolved on a fine scale in accordance with the local environment of origin may demonstrate the species’ ability to continue adapting to changing climatic conditions.

Local Knowledge Graph (9 entities)

Related Works

Items connected by shared entities, co-authorship, citations, or semantic similarity.

References (16)

2 in Knowledge Hub, 14 external