Induced mutations alter patterns of quantitative variation, phenotypic integration, and plasticity to elevated CO in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A key step toward predicting responses to climate change is characterizing genetic variation in populations. While short-term responses will likely be shaped by currently available genetic variation, longer-term evolutionary responses will depend on the supply of novel variation by, ultimately, mutation. Studying mutational contributions to phenotypic variation can provide insights into the extent of potential variation on which selection may operate in future human-altered environments.