Prospective and Retrospective Studies on Plant Evolutionary Response to Climate Change

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Canada’s last episode of climate warming, following the Pleistocene, played out across millennia. Species had many generations for evolutionary re-adjustment to northern latitudes as they emerged from glacial refugia in the south. Current climate change is occurring over decades, and some species will persist only through rapid evolutionary response to abrupt changes in conditions. It is crucial that practical decisions on preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services be informed by basic evidence on evolutionary potential. Test cases exploring limits on adaptive evolution set by genetic variance, and efficacy of conservation measures to relive those limits, are needed. We will explore 3 themes related to evolutionary limits, giving training opportunities for 5 graduate students and over 30 undergraduates - HQP for the generation that will make those decisions.