A resurrection study reveals limited evolution of phenology in response to recent climate change across the geographic range of the scarlet monkeyflower

Premise of the study: As global climate change alters drought regimes, rapid evolution of traits that facilitate adaptation to drought can rescue populations in decline. The evolution of phenological advancement can allow plants to escape drought, but evolutionary responses in phenology can vary across a species’ range due to differences in drought intensity and standing genetic variation.

Methods: Mimulus cardinalis, a perennial herb spanning a broad climatic gradient, recently experienced a period of record drought. Here, we used a resurrection study comparing flowering time and stem height at first flower of pre-drought ancestors and post-drought descendants from northern-edge, central, and southern-edge populations in a common environment to examine the evolution of drought escape traits across the latitudinal range.

Key results: Contrary to the hypothesis of the evolution of advanced phenology in response to recent drought, flowering time did not advance between ancestors and...

研究背景：随着全球气候变化改变干旱发生格局，可促进干旱适应的性状快速演化能够挽救衰退的种群。物候提前的演化可使植物规避干旱，但物候的演化响应可能因物种分布范围内干旱强度与现有遗传变异的差异而存在不同。

研究方法：横跨广泛气候梯度的多年生草本植物红花猴面花（Mimulus cardinalis）近期经历了有记录以来的极端干旱时期。本研究采用复活实验（resurrection study），将来自分布北缘、中部和南缘种群的干旱前祖先株系与干旱后后代株系置于共同环境中，比较其开花时间及初花时的茎高，以探究沿纬度分布梯度的干旱逃逸性状的演化模式。

主要结果：与“近期干旱下物候提前演化”的假说相悖，祖先株系与后代株系间的开花时间并未提前……