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Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

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Published on: January 19, 2018

Is adaptation associated with long-term persistence beyond a geographic range limit?

Regan L Cross¹, Christopher G Eckert¹

¹Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|June 13, 2024

Summary

Coastal dune plants (Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia) experimentally moved beyond their range showed no adaptation after 10 generations. Persistence in new habitats may not require adaptation, facilitating climate change responses.

Keywords:

climate change delayed reproduction local adaptation range limits range shifts transplant experiment

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Plant Science

Background:

Species range shifts are crucial for adapting to climate change.
Coastal dune plants (Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia) were used to study adaptation to new habitats.
Previous work showed high fitness but delayed reproduction in beyond-range transplants.

Purpose of the Study:

To test for adaptation to beyond-range conditions in experimental populations of C. cheiranthifolia.
To investigate if genetic variation and environmental heterogeneity drive adaptation.
To determine if adaptation is necessary for persistence in novel environments.

Main Methods:

Experimental populations of C. cheiranthifolia were transplanted within and beyond their poleward range limit in 2005.
Descendants (after 10 generations) from beyond- and within-range populations were transplanted to multiple sites.
Fitness and reproductive timing were assessed across different sites.

Main Results:

Individuals from beyond-range populations did not show increased fitness at beyond-range sites, indicating no adaptation.
Beyond-range descendants did not suffer reduced fitness within the native range.
Reproduction was delayed beyond the range, but this was not favored more strongly, and descendants did not differ in timing.

Conclusions:

Adaptation to beyond-range environments was not detected after 10 generations.
Persistence in novel habitats may not necessitate adaptation.
Lack of adaptation could facilitate rapid species range shifts in response to climate change.