Dataset Information

The distribution shifts of Pinus armandii and its response to temperature and precipitation in China.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:The changing climate, particularly in regard to temperature and precipitation, is already affecting tree species' distributions. Pinus armandii, which dominates on the Yungui Plateau and in the Qinba Mountains in China, is of economic, cultural and ecological value. We wish to test the correlations between the distribution shift of P. armandii and changing climate, and figure out how it tracks future climate change. METHODS:We sampled the surface soil at sites throughout the distribution of P. armandii to compare the relative abundance of pollen to the current percent cover of plant species. This was used to determine possible changes in the distribution P. armandii. Given the hilly terrain, elevation was considered together with temperature and precipitation as variables correlated with distribution shifts of P. armandii. RESULTS:We show that P. armandii is undergoing change in its geographic range, including retraction, a shift to more northern areas and from the upper high part of the mountains to a lower-altitude part in hilly areas. Temperature was the strongest correlate of this distribution shift. Elevation and precipitation were also both significantly correlated with distribution change of P. armandii, but to a lesser degree than temperature. CONCLUSION:The geographic range of P. armandii has been gradually decreasing under the influence of climate change. This provides evidence of the effect of climate change on trees at the species level and suggests that at least some species will have a limited ability to track the changing climate.

SUBMITTER: Zheng X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5602682 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The distribution shifts of <i>Pinus armandii</i> and its response to temperature and precipitation in China.

Zheng Xiaofeng X Gao Pengxiang P Zhang ShuoXin S

PeerJ 20170915

<h4>Background</h4>The changing climate, particularly in regard to temperature and precipitation, is already affecting tree species' distributions. <i>Pinus armandii,</i> which dominates on the Yungui Plateau and in the Qinba Mountains in China, is of economic, cultural and ecological value. We wish to test the correlations between the distribution shift of <i>P. armandii</i> and changing climate, and figure out how it tracks future climate change.<h4>Methods</h4>We sampled the surface soil at s ...[more]

PMID: 28929025

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Project description:Many natural systems are subject to profound and persistent anthropogenic influence. Human-induced gene movement through afforestation and the selective transportation of genotypes might enhance the potential for intraspecific hybridization, which could lead to outbreeding depression. However, the evolutionary legacy of afforestation on the spatial genetic structure of forest tree species has barely been investigated. To do this properly, the effects of anthropogenic and natural processes must be examined simultaneously. A multidisciplinary approach, integrating phylogeography, population genetics, species distribution modeling, and niche divergence would permit evaluation of potential anthropogenic impacts, such as mass planting near-native material. Here, these approaches were applied to Pinus armandii, a Chinese endemic coniferous tree species, that has been mass planted across its native range. Population genetic analyses showed that natural populations of P. armandii comprised three lineages that diverged around the late Miocene, during a period of massive uplifts of the Hengduan Mountains, and intensification of Asian Summer Monsoon. Only limited gene flow was detected between lineages, indicating that each largely maintained is genetic integrity. Moreover, most or all planted populations were found to have been sourced within the same region, minimizing disruption of large-scale spatial genetic structure within P. armandii. This might be because each of the three lineages had a distinct climatic niche, according to ecological niche modeling and niche divergence tests. The current study provides empirical genetic and ecological evidence for the site-species matching principle in forestry and will be useful to manage restoration efforts by identifying suitable areas and climates for introducing and planting new forests. Our results also highlight the urgent need to evaluate the genetic impacts of large-scale afforestation in other native tree species.

Dataset Information

The distribution shifts of Pinus armandii and its response to temperature and precipitation in China.

Publications

The distribution shifts of <i>Pinus armandii</i> and its response to temperature and precipitation in China.

Similar Datasets

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