Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Evolution. 2024 Sep 3;78(9):1527-1538. doi: 10.1093/evolut/qpae092.
Adaptation to new habitats might facilitate species' range shifts in response to climate change. In 2005, we transplanted experimental populations of coastal dune plant Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia into 4 sites within and 1 site beyond its poleward range limit. Beyond-range transplants had high fitness but often delayed reproduction. To test for adaptation associated with experimental range expansion, we transplanted descendants from beyond- and within-range populations after 10 generations in situ into 2 sites within the range, 1 at the range edge, and 2 sites beyond the range. We expected to detect adaptation to beyond-range conditions due to substantial genetic variation within experimental populations and environmental variation among sites. However, individuals from beyond-range experimental populations were not fitter than those from within the range when planted at either beyond-range site, indicating no adaptation to the beyond-range site or beyond-range environments in general. Beyond-range descendants also did not suffer lower fitness within the range. Although reproduction was again delayed beyond the range, late reproduction was not favored more strongly beyond than within the range, and beyond-range descendants did not delay reproduction more than within-range descendants. Persistence in beyond-range environments may not require adaptation, which could allow a rapid response to climate change.
适应新的栖息地可能有助于物种在应对气候变化时扩大其分布范围。2005 年，我们将沿海沙丘植物川续断的实验种群移植到其分布范围以北的 4 个地点和 1 个地点。分布范围以外的移植植物具有较高的适应性，但通常会延迟繁殖。为了测试与实验性扩张范围相关的适应性，我们在原地经过 10 代后，将来自分布范围以外和以内的种群的后代移植到范围以内的 2 个地点、范围边缘的 1 个地点和范围以外的 2 个地点。我们预计由于实验种群内部存在大量遗传变异和各地点之间存在环境变异，会检测到对超出范围条件的适应。然而，当在两个超出范围的地点种植时，来自超出范围的实验种群的个体并不比来自范围内的个体适应性更强，这表明它们没有适应超出范围的地点或超出范围的一般环境。超出范围的后代在范围内也不会受到较低的适应性。尽管在超出范围的地方再次延迟繁殖，但在超出范围的地方繁殖延迟并没有比范围内更强烈地受到青睐，而且超出范围的后代没有比范围内的后代更延迟繁殖。在超出范围的环境中持续存在可能不需要适应，这可以使它们对气候变化做出快速响应。
