10.5061/DRYAD.H8D2882
Dickman, Erin E.
University of California, Merced
Pennington, Lillie K.
University of California, Merced
Franks, Steven J.
Fordham University
Sexton, Jason P.
University of California, Merced
Data from: Evidence for adaptive responses to historic drought across a
native plant species range
Dryad
dataset
2019
Resurrection study
species range limits
post-sown gibberellic acid treatment
Mimulus laciniatus
Climate Adaptation
Holocene
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB-1142784
2019-04-15T15:39:49Z
2019-04-15T15:39:49Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12803
71046 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
As climatic conditions change, species will be forced to move or adapt to
avoid extinction. Exacerbated by ongoing climate change, California
recently experienced a severe and exceptional drought from 2011-2017. To
investigate whether an adaptive response occurred during this event, we
conducted a “resurrection” study of the cutleaf monkeyflower (Mimulus
laciniatus), an annual plant, by comparing trait means and variances of
ancestral seed collections ("pre-drought") with contemporary
descendant collections ("drought"). Plants were grown under
common conditions to test whether this geographically-restricted species
has the capacity to respond evolutionarily to climate stress across its
range. We examined if traits shifted in response to the recent, severe
drought and included populations across an elevation gradient, including
populations at the low- and high-elevation edges of the species range. We
found that time to seedling emergence in the drought generation was
significantly earlier than in the pre-drought generation, a response
consistent with drought adaptation. Additionally, trait variation in days
to emergence was reduced in the drought generation, which suggests
selection or bottleneck events. Days to first flower increased
significantly by elevation, consistent with climate adaptation across the
species range. Drought generation plants were larger and had greater
reproduction, which was likely a carryover effect of earlier germination.
These results demonstrate that rapid shifts in trait means and variances
consistent with climate adaptation are occurring within populations,
including peripheral populations at warm and cold climate limits, of a
plant species with a relatively restricted range that has so far not
shifted its elevation distribution during contemporary climate change.
Thus, rapid evolution may mitigate, at least temporarily, range shifts
under global climate change. This study highlights the need for better
understanding rapid adaptation as a means for plant communities to cope
with extraordinary climate events.
dickman_et_al_2019_dataGreenhouse and growth chamber experimental data
from resurrection study of Mimulus laciniatus across species range.
North America