Selection patterns on early‐life phenotypic traits in Pinus sylvestris are associated with precipitation and temperature along a climatic gradient in Europe

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.17029
• Publication Date: 2020-10-24T13:33:12Z
• Authors: José Alberto Ramí...; Aida Solé‐Medina; Tanja Pyhäjärvi; Outi Savolainen; Sandra Cervantes; Robert Kesälahti; Sonja T. Kujala; Timo Kumpula; Katrin Heer; Lars Opgenoorth; Jan Siebertz; Darius Danusevicius; Eduardo Notivol; Raquel Benavides; Juan José Robledo...
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; Survival; Seedling mortality; Plasticidad fenotípica; Natural selection; latitudinal gradient; Recruitment (Population Dynamics); Especies forestales; intraspecific genetic variation; Phenotypic plasticity; phenotypic plasticity; 01 natural sciences; 630; Seed mass; Growth Rate; Climate adaptation; Natural Selection; garden; 2. Zero hunger; Viabilidad de la semilla; Temperature; Semilla; seedling mortality; natural selection; Pinus sylvestris; ta4112; seed mass; Genetic-Variation; Europe; Phenotype; INTRASPECIFIC GENETIC VARIATION; Assisted migration; Scots pine; Phenotypic Plasticity; growth rate; Pinus Sylvestris; local adaptation; EMERGENCE TIME; Emergence time; Climate Change; Natural-Selection; climate adaptation; Precipitation Assessment; Variación genética; intraspecific genetic variation; Adaptación al cambio climático; EARLY SEEDLING GROWTH; Tree mortality; ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS; Plántulas; Genetics; henotypic plasticity; Growth rate; Selección natural; ta1183; Genetic Variation; emergence time; 15. Life on land; Pinus; Pine; Temperature Effect; Frost hardiness; 13. Climate action; Intraspecific genetic variation; http://metadata.un.org/sdg/13; ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS

Summary

Understanding the dynamics of selection is key to predicting the response of tree species to new environmental conditions in the current context of climate change. However, selection patterns acting on early recruitment stages and their climatic drivers remain largely unknown in most tree species, despite being a critical period of their life cycle. We measured phenotypic selection on Pinus sylvestris seed mass, emergence time and early growth rate over 2 yr in four common garden experiments established along the latitudinal gradient of the species in Europe. Significant phenotypic plasticity and among‐population genetic variation were found for all measured phenotypic traits. Heat and drought negatively affected fitness in the southern sites, but heavy rainfalls also decreased early survival in middle latitudes. Climate‐driven directional selection was found for higher seed mass and earlier emergence time, while the form of selection on seedling growth rates differed among sites and populations. Evidence of adaptive and maladaptive phenotypic plasticity was found for emergence time and early growth rate, respectively. Seed mass, emergence time and early growth rate have an adaptive role in the early stages of P. sylvestris and climate strongly influences the patterns of selection on these fitness‐related traits.