The role of forest genetic resources in responding to biotic and abiotic factors in the context of anthropogenic climate change
By R. Alfaro, Bruno Fady, G. Vendramin, I. Dawson, R. Fleming, C. Sáenz-Romero, R. Lindig-Cisneros, Trevor Murdock, B. Vinceti, C. Navarro and 4 more. 2014
182 citations recorded by the source corpus.
The current distribution of forest genetic resources on Earth is the result of a combination of natural processes and human actions. Over time, tree populations have become adapted to their habitats including the local ecological disturbances they face. As the planet enters a phase of human-induced climate change of unprecedented speed and magnitude, however, previously locally-adapted populations are rendered less suitable for new conditions, and ‘natural’ biotic and abiotic disturbances are taken outside their historic distribution, frequency and intensity ranges. Tree populations rely on phenotypic plasticity to survive in extant locations, on genetic adaptation to modify their local phenotypic optimum or on migration to new suitable environmental conditions. The rate of required change, however, may outpace the ability to respond, and tree species and populations may become locally extinct after specific, but as yet unknown and unquantified, tipping points are reached. Here, we review the importance of forest genetic resources as a source of evolutionary potential for adaptation to changes in climate and other ecological factors. We particularly consider climate-related responses in the context of linkages to disturbances such as pests, diseases and fire, and associated feedback loops. The importance of management strategies to conserve evolutionary potential is emphasised and recommendations for policy-makers are provided.
Subfields: Ecological Modeling, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a74b23fad7906a3437e6b35fae5cc5b06b7c710d
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Ecological Modeling
In Ecology
In Nature and Landscape Conservation
Citations in the corpus
- Utilization and transfer of forest genetic resources: A global review (2014, background): “However, while usefully complementary, these approaches cannot fully substitute for provenance trials, which are still needed for studying long-term growth performance, including the plastic and adaptive responses of tree populations to climate change (see Alfaro et al., 2014, this special issue).”
- Banking on the future: progress, challenges and opportunities for the genetic conservation of forest trees (2017, background): “…seed zones, along with disturbance models and species distribution projections, would be helpful in guiding the assisted migration of genetic material (Alfaro et al. 2014), although assisted migration for ''species rescue'' purposes is difficult and has been rarely implemented (Pedlar et al. 2012).”
- Forests and Decarbonization – Roles of Natural and Planted Forests (2020, background): “An emerging body of research harnesses genetic techniques to study the adaptive potential of tree species and genotypes in agroforestry plantations, recognizing that most planted forests will face increasing climatic variability (Alfaro et al., 2014).”
- The management of tree genetic resources and the livelihoods of rural communities in the tropics: non-timber forest products, smallholder agroforestry practices and tree commodity crops (2014, background): “…production systems are often promoted because of their perceived biological, economic and social resilience in the context of anthropogenic climate change and other production challenges (Alfaro et al., 2014, this special issue; Steffan-Dewenter et al., 2007; Thorlakson and Neufeldt, 2012).”
- Forests and global change: what can genetics contribute to the major forest management and policy challenges of the twenty-first century? (2016, background): “(Koskela et al. 2007; Alfaro et al. 2014).”