Environmental contributions to the evolution of trait differences in Geum triflorum: Implications for restoration

How the environment influences the distribution of trait variation across a species' range has important implications for seed transfer during restoration. Evolution across environments could influence fitness when individuals are transferred into new environments. Here, we evaluate the role the environment has had on the distribution of genetic variance for traits important to adaptation.

In a common garden experiment, we quantified trait differentiation for populations of Geum triflorum sourced from three distinct ecoregions and evaluated the ability of climate to predict trait variation. Populations were sourced from the Manitoba and Great Lake alvar ecoregions that experience predictable extremes in seasonal water availability and the prairie ecoregion which exhibits unpredictable changes in water availability.

Plants sourced from alvar ecoregions exhibited smaller but more stomata and greater intrinsic water-use efficiency relative to prairie plant populations, supporting the evolution of ecotypic differences. Estimates of standing genetic variance and heritable genetic variation for quantitative traits suggest alvar populations have greater adaptive potential. However, low evolvability suggests all populations likely have limited capacity to evolve in response to environmental change.

These results highlight the importance of the environment in influencing the evolution and distribution of genetic differences across populations used as seed sources for restoration. Additionally, these data may inform recommendations for seed transfer across novel environments and our expectations of populations' adaptive potential.