Local Adaptation and Evolutionary and Adaptive Genetic Potential of Marginal Populations of Northern Forest Trees under Climate Change

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Climate change has become a prominent driving force of evolution in northern boreal and temperate ecosystems in which trees are normally the dominant keystone species as it is subjecting them to significant evolutionary and adaptive pressures. Impacts of climate change across natural ecosystems are evident from pole-ward shift of many species’ range. Thus, populations at the species’ range margins are expected to provide the frontiers for adaptation, evolution and range shifts of plants under climate change.These issues have ignited a debate on assisted migration. The potential of marginal populations to adapt and expand to new areas depends upon their local adaptation, genetic make-up and genetic diversity, especially in genes underlying responses and adaption to climate change. Hence, it is critical to understand the genic responses of a species to climate change, genetic basis of local adaptation of marginal populations, and their evolutionary and adaptive genetic potential under climate change in order to develop mitigation measures. Forest trees populations are usually locally adapted but knowledge of genetic architecture of their local adaptation remains elusive.