Aspen Bibliography

Decoupling of Functional Traits From Intraspecific Patterns of Growth and Drought Stress Resistance

Document Type

Article

Author ORCID Identifier

Kelly L. Kerr https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0830-2148

Jaycie C. Fickle https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8825-8978

William R. L. Anderegg https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6551-3331

Journal/Book Title/Conference

New Phytologist

Volume

239

Issue

1

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

First Page

174

Last Page

188

Publication Date

5-2-2023

Abstract

  • Intraspecific variation in functional traits may mediate tree species' drought resistance, yet whether trait variation is due to genotype (G), environment (E), or G×E interactions remains unknown. Understanding the drivers of intraspecific trait variation and whether variation mediates drought response can improve predictions of species' response to future drought.
  • Using populations of quaking aspen spanning a climate gradient, we investigated intraspecific variation in functional traits in the field as well as the influence of G and E among propagules in a common garden. We also tested for trait-mediated trade-offs in growth and drought stress tolerance.
  • We observed intraspecific trait variation among the populations, yet this variation did not necessarily translate to higher drought stress tolerance in hotter/drier populations. Additionally, plasticity in the common garden was low, especially in propagules derived from the hottest/driest population. We found no growth–drought stress tolerance trade-offs and few traits exhibited significant relationships with mortality in the natural populations, suggesting that intraspecific trait variation among the traits measured did not strongly mediate responses to drought stress.
  • Our results highlight the limits of trait-mediated responses to drought stress and the complex G×E interactions that may underlie drought stress tolerance variation in forests in dry environments.

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