Phenotypic plasticity and genetic adaptation in arctic plants in a warming climate: response to long-term experimental and observed climate change

气候变暖下北极植物的表型可塑性和遗传适应：对长期实验和观察到的气候变化的反应

• 批准号: 305521-2011
• 负责人: Henry, Gregory
• 金额: $ 1.09万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Northern Research Supplement
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=480892
• 关键词: Phenotypic; plasticity; genetic; adaptation; arctic

Species have three options to deal with the changes in climate: adapt, migrate or go extinct. While the climate of the planet has gone through major changes in the past, the changes were relatively slow which allowed organisms with the right mix of genetic traits, to adapt and survive. However, the current warming, due to the increased emissions of greenhouse gases, is happening at a rate that has never been seen before, especially in the Arctic. The climate of the Arctic has already warmed by more than 1°C in the past 50 years. We do not know if tundra plant species have the ability to adapt to the rapid warming. We know that tundra plants responded as predicted when warmed in experiments or when measured over the past 20-30 years as the climate has warmed. Most plants flowered earlier, increased in growth and produced larger and better seeds in warmed environments. What we need to know is whether these changes in warmed plants are permanent, and if the plants in warmed plots continue to grow larger and produce better seeds even when they are grown outside the warmed plots. We will collect seeds from the major tundra plant species we have been following since 1992 in a set of warming experiments at a site on Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic. We will do the same at another experimental site in the Low Arctic, north of Yellowknife. The seeds will be germinated and seedlings grown in climate controlled chambers at the University of British Columbia where they will be allowed to flower and produce seeds. Seedlings from these second generation seeds will be planted into warmed and unwarmed plots at the research sites. If the plants from seeds that originally came from warmed plants continue to flower earlier, have larger leaves, and larger and better seeds than the plants from the unwarmed plots, then we will have very strong evidence that the plants have been able to adapt to the warmed conditions over the 19-20 years of the experiment. If there is no difference between the plants, then we can conclude that genetic adaptation to the warming has not (yet) occurred. This type of research is critical to understand and predict the future of tundra ecosystems in a warmer world.

物种有三种选择来应对气候变化：适应，迁移或灭绝。虽然地球的气候在过去经历了重大变化，但变化相对缓慢，这使得具有正确遗传特征的生物体能够适应和生存。然而，由于温室气体排放的增加，目前的变暖正在以前所未有的速度发生，特别是在北极。在过去的50年里，北极的气候已经变暖了1摄氏度以上。我们不知道苔原植物物种是否有能力适应快速变暖。我们知道苔原植物在实验中变暖时或在过去20-30年气候变暖时测量时的反应与预测一致。在温暖的环境中，大多数植物开花更早，生长更快，种子更大更好。我们需要知道的是，温暖的植物中的这些变化是否是永久性的，以及即使在温暖的地块之外生长，温暖地块中的植物是否继续生长得更大，产生更好的种子。我们将从主要的苔原植物物种中收集种子，我们自1992年以来一直在高北极埃尔斯米尔岛的一系列变暖实验中进行跟踪。我们将在耶洛奈夫以北的低北极地区的另一个实验地点做同样的事情。这些种子将在不列颠哥伦比亚省大学的气候控制室中发芽和幼苗生长，在那里它们将被允许开花和产生种子。这些第二代种子的幼苗将种植在研究地点的温暖和不温暖的地块中。如果最初来自温暖植物的种子的植物继续比来自未温暖地块的植物更早开花，有更大的叶子和更大更好的种子，那么我们将有非常有力的证据表明植物已经能够适应19-20年的温暖条件。如果植物之间没有差异，那么我们可以得出结论，对变暖的遗传适应尚未发生。这种类型的研究对于了解和预测冻土带生态系统在温暖世界中的未来至关重要。