Precipitation predictability drives evolution of drought strategies in the common poppy, Papaver rhoeas

Current climate change leads to an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and to decreased precipitation predictability. The few studies investigating plant evolutionary responses to contrasting predictability regimes showed that intrinsic precipitation predictability shapes plant phenotypic variation, drives evolution of phenotypic plasticity, and can vary in strength and direction of selection. This suggests that the selection pressure induced by decreased precipitation predictability may lead to plants coping better with severe drought events. 
To investigate whether past precipitation predictability influences plant responses to different drought conditions, we performed a common-garden experiment applying control, short-term and long-term drought treatments on seedlings of Papaver rhoeas (Papaveraceae) whose progenitors experienced less versus more precipitation predictability treatments for three consecutive generations. In addition, to assess whether competition mod...