Rf. Stettler et Hd. Bradshaw, THE CHOICE OF GENETIC MATERIAL FOR MECHANISTIC STUDIES OF ADAPTATION IN FOREST TREES, Tree physiology, 14(7-9), 1994, pp. 781-796
There is considerable urgency to study the mechanisms by which forest
trees track environmental change, given the prospect of possible rapid
climatic changes. Environmental tracking is achieved through three ba
sic processes: (1) expression of phenotypic plasticity at the level of
the individual; and (2) evolutionary change and (3) migration, both e
xpressed at the level of the population over generations. The current
distribution and genetic architecture of a species reflect how these p
rocesses interacted in response to past climatic changes during and af
ter the last glaciation. Part of that record is encoded in the DNA of
the current generation of trees and, as a result of existing field tes
ts, is accessible for study. These field tests include, in ascending o
rder of genetic resolution, (1) provenance tests, (2) progeny tests, a
nd (3) three-generation clonal tests; as well as (4) clone tests, with
or without genetic structure. The suitability and limitations of thes
e tests for mechanistic studies of environmental tracking are describe
d, both as field installations and as sources of material for parallel
in-depth studies. We conclude that they represent an important inform
ation resource, which deserves to be more effectively used by the scie
ntific community.