Low-input breeding potential in stone pine, a multipurpose forest tree with low genome diversity.

Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) is an emblematic tree species within the Mediterranean basin, with high ecological and economic relevance due to the production of edible nuts. Breeding programmes to improve pine nut production started decades ago in Southern Europe but have been hindered by the near absence of polymorphisms in the species genome and the lack of suitable genomic tools.

The legacy of climate variability over the last century on populations' phenotypic variation in tree height.

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation are the two main processes underlying trait variability. Under rapid environmental change, phenotypic plasticity, if adaptive, could increase the odds for organisms to persist. However, little is known on how environmental variation has shaped plasticity across species ranges over time.

Population divergence for heteroblasty in the Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis, Pinaceae).

A heteroblastic (or vegetative phase) change is an abrupt manifestation in the general heteroblastic development during the ontogeny of plants. The Canary Island pine undergoes an especially marked and delayed heteroblastic change, including both the formation of secondary needles on dwarf shoots and the onset of preformed growth. To assess genetic and environmental effects on the heteroblastic change in this species, we followed plants from 19 populations at a dry site and a wetter site.