Description: Das Projekt "Integrating genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity into plant population responses to climate change in the alps" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Institut für terrestrische Ökosysteme, Ökosystemmanagement durchgeführt. It appears highly likely that plant populations in Alpine regions will shift to higher elevations in response to climate change over the coming decades. This implies that the core regions of species distributions, where the most favourable conditions for growth and reproduction are currently located, will move to higher elevations currently occupied by peripheral populations in more marginal environments. As plants migrate to higher elevations they will encounter a range of other environmental conditions that are relatively insensitive to climate variables. While peripheral populations may already be adapted to these conditions, and may therefore directly benefit from increasing temperatures and more favourable climates, genotoypes from lowland central populations may face barriers to their establishment. However, it is widely accepted that large central populations hold more genetic diversity, and therefore higher capacities for adaptation to environmental change, than small peripheral populations. Therefore core populations may have a genetic advantage over peripheral populations in terms of their adaptive response to climate change. A third contributing factor to the ability of different populations to respond to climate change is phenotypic plasticity, which may buffer populations from the short term effects of change. It is not certain whether peripheral or core populations are most likely to harbour the greatest phenotypic plasticity, but most researchers expect that peripheral populations, which encounter greatest environmental heterogeneity, have the greatest capacity for phenotypically plastic responses. The uncertainty surrounding each of these issues undermines our ability to develop effective land and conservation management policy. We currently lack the scientific knowledge necessary to answer fundamental questions about whether conservation effort should be prioritised in favour of large core populations or small isolated peripheral populations. To answer these questions, this research will use a combination of greenhouse/climate-controlled chamber experiments, experimentally-based field studies, and molecular studies on population genetic structure and contemporary gene flow at local and landscape scales.
Types:
SupportProgram
Origin: /Bund/UBA/UFORDAT
Tags: Zentrales Flachland ? Gen ? Kunststoff ? Landespflege ? Lack ? Genotyp ? Zürich ? Bevölkerungswachstum ? Genetik ? Skigebiet ? Gewächshaus ? Pflanzenbestand ? Temperatur ? Hafen ? Landschaftsstruktur ? Terrestrisches Ökosystem ? Bohrkern ? Feldstudie ? Fortpflanzung ? Ackerland ? Hochgebirge ? Anpassungsfähigkeit ? Wirkung ? Genetische Vielfalt ? Alpen ? Klimafolgen ? Standortbedingung ? Umwelt ? Umweltveränderung ? Gebiet ? Klima ? Klimawandel ? Vermehrung ? Wachstum [biologisch] ? Art [Spezies] ?
License: cc-by-nc-nd/4.0
Language: Deutsch
Time ranges: 2008-01-01 - 2011-12-31
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