Waiting for the snow to melt…
Altered precipitation patterns are a major prediction of climate change models and a recent reality. Changes in climatic variables may affect the evolution of species by affecting the magnitude and direction of natural selection on various traits. Winter precipitation can affect summer-flowering plants by altering the date of snowmelt. By investigating a long-term record of floral and vegetative traits and corresponding fitness in a hybrid zone between two species of subalpine wildflowers, a strong relationship was found between snowmelt date and the strength of selection on corolla length. For other traits, variation in selection could be attributed to pollinator abundances. In addition, a plastic response to winter precipitation was found in specific leaf area, a trait that plants use to balance water usage and carbon acquisition.
Knowledge graph centered on Plasticity and changes in selection in response to with 26 nodes and 78 connections. Top connected: Gothic, Scarlet Gilia, Slender-tube Skyrocket, Measurements of selection in a hermaphroditic plan, Pollinator-Plant Interactions.
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