Signatures of local adaptation in candidate genes of oaks (Quercus spp.) with respect to present and future climatic conditions.

Testing how populations are locally adapted and predicting their response to their future environment is of key importance in view of climate change. Landscape genomics is a powerful approach to investigate genes and environmental factors involved in local adaptation. In a pooled amplicon sequencing approach of 94 genes in 71 populations, we tested whether >3500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the three most common oak species in Switzerland (Quercus petraea, Q.

Genome-environment association study suggests local adaptation to climate at the regional scale in Fagus sylvatica.

The evolutionary potential of long-lived species, such as forest trees, is fundamental for their local persistence under climate change (CC). Genome-environment association (GEA) analyses reveal if species in heterogeneous environments at the regional scale are under differential selection resulting in populations with potential preadaptation to CC within this area. In 79 natural Fagus sylvatica populations, neutral genetic patterns were characterized using 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and genomic variation (144 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) out of 52 candidate genes) was related to 87 environmental predictors in the latent factor mixed model, logistic regressions and isolation by distance/environmental (IBD/IBE) tests.

Plastic responses to elevated temperature in low and high elevation populations of three grassland species.

Local persistence of plant species in the face of climate change is largely mediated by genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. In species with a wide altitudinal range, population responses to global warming are likely to differ at contrasting elevations. In controlled climate chambers, we investigated the responses of low and high elevation populations (1200 and 1800 m a.

Plant population differentiation and climate change: responses of grassland species along an elevational gradient.

Mountain ecosystems are particularly susceptible to climate change. Characterizing intraspecific variation of alpine plants along elevational gradients is crucial for estimating their vulnerability to predicted changes. Environmental conditions vary with elevation, which might influence plastic responses and affect selection pressures that lead to local adaptation.

Landscape composition has limited impact on local genetic structure in mountain clover, Trifolium montanum L.

Semi-dry grasslands in the European Alps have been increasingly fragmented over the last 150 years. Few studies have investigated the implications of landscape configuration for genetic structure and gene flow among remnant habitat patches. Conservation management of semi-dry grassland plants rarely accounts for possible effects of major landscape elements, such as forest patches, as barriers to gene flow and dispersal via seed and pollen, despite their potential importance for biodiversity conservation.

Eight microsatellite markers for the bulbous buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus (Ranunculaceae).

Premise Of The Study: Pollen dispersal is a key biological process enabling plant populations to maintain genetic connectivity. Direct estimates of pollen dispersal using paternity assignment or correlated paternity estimates require highly variable genetic markers, of which microsatellites are the markers of choice. •

Methods And Results: Eight species-specific microsatellites have been developed for Ranunculus bulbosus, combining classical enrichment methods with 454 sequencing.

Evaluating contemporary pollen dispersal in two common grassland species Ranunculus bulbosus L. (Ranunculaceae) and Trifolium montanum L. (Fabaceae) using an experimental approach.

Pollen flow is a key biological process that connects plant populations, preventing genetic impoverishment and inbreeding. Pollen-mediated long-distance dispersal (LDD) events are especially important for plant species in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Patterns of pollen dispersal were directly estimated and dispersal kernels modelled in an experimental population of Ranunculus bulbosus and Trifolium montanum to determine the potential for LDD.

Patterns of genetic variation across altitude in three plant species of semi-dry grasslands.

Background: Environmental gradients caused by altitudinal gradients may affect genetic variation within and among plant populations and inbreeding within populations. Populations in the upper range periphery of a species may be important source populations for range shifts to higher altitude in response to climate change. In this study we investigate patterns of population genetic variation at upper peripheral and lower more central altitudes in three common plant species of semi-dry grasslands in montane landscapes.

Drought-adaptation potential in Fagus sylvatica: linking moisture availability with genetic diversity and dendrochronology.

Background: Microevolution is essential for species persistence especially under anticipated climate change scenarios. Species distribution projection models suggested that the dominant tree species of lowland forests in Switzerland, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), might disappear from most areas due to expected longer dry periods.

Pursuing glacier retreat: genetic structure of a rapidly expanding Larix decidua population.

One of the greatest threats to the long-term viability of migrating plant species is the loss of genetic diversity due to founder effects. Populations can expand as a response to climate change, but it is uncertain if long-lived plant species can maintain sufficient genetic diversity at the leading edge of migrating populations. This study uses an expanding Larix decidua population investigated along a chronosequence at landscape (350 ha) and local (0.

Foraging patterns of acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) on valley oak (Quercus lobata Née) in two California oak savanna-woodlands.

Landscape characteristics and social behavior can affect the foraging patterns of seed-dependent animals. We examine the movement of acorns from valley oak (Quercus lobata) trees to granaries maintained by acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) in two California oak savanna-woodlands differing in the distribution of Q. lobata within each site.

Seed weight increases with altitude in the Swiss Alps between related species but not among populations of individual species.

Seed weight is a crucial plant life history trait, determining establishment success and dispersal ability. Especially in stressful environments, larger seeds may be selected at the expense of seed number, because larger seeds have a better chance of giving rise to an established offspring. We tested the hypotheses that between related species-pairs and among populations of single species a similar trend for increasing seed weight with increasing altitude should be present.

Population genetic diversity of the clonal plant Geum reptans (Rosaceae) in the Swiss Alps.

In the alpine landscape most plant populations are spatially isolated due to extreme patchiness and strong natural fragmentation. We used RAPD-PCR (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction) for a study of the genetic diversity within and among 20 populations of Geum reptans, an outcrossing clonal plant species in the Swiss Alps. Populations were sampled at different altitudes, in early-, medium- and late-successional habitats (population origin) using a spatially hierarchical design, with distances among populations ranging from 0.