Data from: Introduction beyond a species range: a relationship between population origin, adaptive potential and plant performance

The adaptive potential of a population defines its importance for species
survival in changing environmental conditions such as global climate
change. Very few empirical studies have examined adaptive potential across
species’ ranges, namely, of edge vs core populations, and we are unaware
of a study that has tested adaptive potential (namely, variation in
adaptive traits) and measured performance of such populations in
conditions not currently experienced by the species but expected in the
future. Here we report the results of a Triticum dicoccoides population
study that employed transplant experiments and analysis of quantitative
trait variation. Two populations at the opposite edges of the species
range (1) were locally adapted; (2) had lower adaptive potential (inferred
from the extent of genetic quantitative trait variation) than the two core
populations; and (3) were outperformed by the plants from the core
population in the novel environment. The fact that plants from the species
arid edge performed worse than plants from the more mesic core in extreme
drought conditions beyond the present climatic envelope of the species
implies that usage of peripheral populations for conservation purposes
must be based on intensive sampling of among-population variation.