Biology subjects

Vizcaino-Palomar, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Vizcaino-Palomar, N..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Seed origin determines cork oak germination: the warmer the higher, faster and more synchronized

The early life stages of trees, particularly germination, are crucial to fitness and highly sensitive to climate. The influence of temperature on recalcitrant seed germination has rarely been studied due to their desiccation sensitivity, which hampers storage. However, Mediterranean recalcitrant oaks would be particularly affected by the expected increased temperature in this region. Here we investigated the effect of warming temperatures on germination of 975 acorns from 8 range-wide Quercus suber populations. We sowed the acorns at 15, 20 and 25 {degrees}C in climatic chambers, and monitored germination during 4 months. The germination dynamics in each chamber was explored by a Cox proportional hazards model. We assessed environment (germination experiment temperatures), population (climate of seed origin) and their interaction effects on germination percentage, time, and synchrony using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Genetic clines on germination percentage, time and synchrony were mostly triggered by temperature, with seeds from warmer origins showing higher germination, earlier timing, and greater synchrony than colder ones. Higher sowing temperatures promoted advanced germination, and this effect was higher in seeds originating from regions with stronger seasonality. Earlier and synchronous germination found in seeds from warm origin may reduce the desiccation probability for acorns and seedlings, while late germination and low synchrony found in seeds from cold origin might be an adaptive response to unpredictable frost events that would impair seedling survival. The germination synchrony adaptive response was unexpected and further investigation on recalcitrant seeds germination dynamics in response to increased temperatures is needed to confirm it.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Germination timing under climate change: warmer springs favor early germination of range-wide cork oak populations

Climate change is favoring the northward shift of Mediterranean species which are expanding their ranges at their leading edges, becoming natural candidates for increasing forest biodiversity in these regions. However, current knowledge on tree populations responses to climate change is mostly based on adult trees, even if tree early developmental stages are far more sensitive to climate and tightly linked to fitness. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the potential adaptation of cork oak range-wide populations to increasing spring temperature in germination and post-germination traits. We sowed 701 acorns from 11 populations at 15, 20 and 25{degrees}C, monitored germination daily and measured post-germination traits. We model germination timing through Coxs proportional-hazards models, assess populations adaptation to spring temperature transfer distances and quantify the effect of acorn mass and storage duration on all considered traits with fixed-effects models. We predict germination and post-germination climate niches under current and RCP 8.5 2080 scenarios. Large differences in germination timing are due to both the population origin and temperature treatment; germination and survival rates showed a sub-optimality towards warmer-than-origin temperatures and heavier acorns produced faster growing seedlings. The timing of germination is the early stage trait most affected by increasing spring temperatures, with germination in 2080 predicted to be 12 days earlier than to date in the northern part of the species range. Warmer spring temperatures will significantly accelerate the germination of other recalcitrant Mediterranean species, which could alter seedlings developmental environment and ultimately populations regeneration and species composition. As such, germination timing should receive more attention by scientists and stakeholders, and should be included in forest vulnerability assessments and assisted migration programs aiming at long-term forest regeneration to adapt forests to climate change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Patterns of phenotypic plasticity among populations of three Mediterranean pine species and implications for evolutionary responses to climate change

AimUnder rapid environmental change, phenotypic plasticity, if adaptive, could increase the odds for organisms to persist. Environmental variation over time is an important source of phenotypic plasticity. Likewise, phenotypic plasticity can vary with age in many organisms. However, little is known on phenotypic plasticity variation across species ranges. Our aims are: (i) to assess whether populations phenotypic plasticity is related to the inter-annual climate variation under which populations have evolved during the last century; (ii) to compare phenotypic plasticity among developmental classes; and (iii) to predict phenotypic plasticity across species ranges.\n\nLocationEurope and North-Africa.\n\nTime period1901-2014.\n\nMajor taxa studiedPinus nigra, P. pinaster and P. pinea.\n\nMethodsWe used 372 646 individual tree height measurements at three developmental classes from a wide network of 38 common gardens in Europe and North Africa with provenances covering the distribution range of the species. With this data, we: i) build linear mixed-effect models of tree height as a function of tree age, population and climate; ii) estimate populations reaction norms from the fitted models; iii) calculate populations phenotypic plasticity indexes; iv) build models of populations phenotypic plasticity indexes as a function of inter-annual climate variation during the last century.\n\nResultsWe found that i) most populations that have evolved under high inter-annual climate variation, in either maximum or minimum values in temperature or precipitation, exhibited high values of plasticity in tree height; ii) phenotypic plasticity for tree height was higher in young trees than in older ones, iii) phenotypic plasticity did not follow any particular geographical pattern across species ranges.\n\nMain conclusionsPhenotypic plasticity across the three Mediterranean pines ranges is related with the climate variation experienced over time and calls into question whether this plasticity could be adaptive and hence beneficial to cope with climate change in the short-term.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2019

Range-wide variation in local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity of fitness-related traits in Fagus sylvatica and their implications under climate change

AimTo better understand and more realistically predict future species distribution ranges, it is critical to account for local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in populations responses to climate. This is challenging because local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are trait-dependent and traits co-vary along climatic gradients, with differential consequences for fitness. Our aim is to quantify local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity of vertical and radial growth, leaf flushing and survival across Fagus sylvatica range and to estimate each trait contribution to explain the species occurrence.\n\nLocationEurope\n\nTime period1995 - 2014; 2070\n\nMajor taxa studiedFagus sylvatica L.\n\nMethodsWe used vertical and radial growth, flushing phenology and mortality of Fagus sylvatica L. recorded in BeechCOSTe52 (>150,000 trees). Firstly, we performed linear mixed-effect models that related trait variation and co-variation to local adaptation (related to the planted populations climatic origin) and phenotypic plasticity (accounting for the climate of the plantation), and we made spatial predictions under current and RCP 8.5 climates. Secondly, we combined spatial trait predictions in a linear model to explain the occurrence of the species.\n\nResultsThe contribution of plasticity to intra-specific trait variation is always higher than that of local adaptation, suggesting that the species is less sensitive to climate change than expected; different traits constrain beechs distribution in different parts of its range: the northernmost edge is mainly delimited by flushing phenology (mostly driven by photoperiod and temperature), the southern edge by mortality (mainly driven by intolerance to drought), and the eastern edge is characterised by decreasing radial growth (mainly shaped by precipitation-related variables in our model); considering trait co-variation improved single-trait predictions.\n\nMain conclusionsPopulation responses to climate across large geographical gradients are trait-dependent, indicating that multi-trait combinations are needed to understand species sensitivity to climate change and its variation across distribution ranges.

ecology↗