Trait differentiation and local adaptation of a local endemic shrub along a tropical dry forest gradient : a reciprocal transplant experiment

• Rapid climate change imperils a multitude of species, demanding either swift adaptation or a strategic migration to new areas to safeguard their existence. Species confined to spatially limited habitats face heightened vulnerability as ecological conditions may undergo dramatic shifts across their range. In this study, we delve into the processes shaping the geographic distribution of Mimosa luisana, a species endemic to the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley in Mexico, having high potential for use in ecological restoration. We aimed to forecast the response of M. luisana to climate change and to formulate strategic management guidelines in the face of global change. We conducted a reciprocal translocation and a common garden experiment with three provenances of M. luisana. We used populations originating from the lower, central and upper range-limit of the altitudinal and latitudinal distribution of the species. We found significant differences in the relative growth rate, leaf biomass change and specific leaf area among the three provenances during their early establishment, but found little evidence of local adaptation among the studied populations. Instead, all provenances did best at the central part of the species range. We suggest that cold temperatures might be delimiting the upper limit of M. luisana within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, whereas tolerance to drought may set lower limits. M. luisana might respond to climate change not by upward shifts of each locally adapted population distributed along the elevational gradient, but by conditions improving at the high-elevation edge in response to warming. A management implication from our results is that ensuring genetic diversity of the seed batches may be more important than only using local seed sources of M. luisana in ecological restoration actions.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Climate change

local adaptation

Mimosa luisana

geographical range.

environmental science

miljövetenskap

environmental science

miljövetenskap

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)