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Influence of altitude on local adaptation in upland tree species from central Argentina
Author(s) -
Marcora P. I.,
Tecco P. A.,
Zeballos S. R.,
Hensen I.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.871
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1438-8677
pISSN - 1435-8603
DOI - 10.1111/plb.12513
Subject(s) - germination , altitude (triangle) , biology , local adaptation , ecology , species distribution , climate change , range (aeronautics) , adaptation (eye) , effects of high altitude on humans , botany , agronomy , habitat , population , demography , materials science , anatomy , geometry , mathematics , neuroscience , sociology , composite material
Abstract Steep climatic gradients boost morphological and physiological adjustments in plants, with consequences on performance. The three principal woody species of the Sierras Grandes Mountains of central Argentina have marked differences in sapling performance along their altitudinal distribution. We hypothesize that the steep gradient of climatic conditions across the species’ altitudinal distribution promotes trait differences between populations of different altitudes that are inherited by the following generation. Seeds from different altitudes were exposed to three temperature regimes to assess differential germination responses. Saplings were then transplanted to a greenhouse to assess possible variations in attributes and performance after 18 months. The three species showed differences in germination responses to temperature among altitudes and/or in sapling attributes and performance. In Maytenus boaria and Escallonia cordobensis , germination success was higher under high temperatures for the highest‐altitude, whereas lower temperatures boosted germination of the lowest altitudes. Polylepis australis showed no differences in germination among temperature treatments. In the greenhouse, saplings of the three species from intermediate altitudes showed high performance, whereas the upper and lower populations seemed to be adjusted to tolerating more stressful conditions (i.e., lower temperatures at the upper end and water stress at the lower end), showing lower performance toward both altitudinal limits. These patterns agree with those described for saplings growing under field conditions, suggesting adjustments in response to environmental changes undergone by populations along the altitudinal range. The marked adjustments of populations to the local environment suggest a potentially high impact of climatic change on species distribution.