Adaptation to common optimum in different populations of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.)

Abstract

Responses of Norway spruce populations to climatic transfer, in terms of growth and survival, were analyzed on the basis of a provenance experiment derived from the international provenance test IUFRO 1964IUFRO /1968. The experiment comprises a series of five trial plots situated at contrasting elevations ranging from 484 to 1,275 m a.s.l., with 11 provenances represented at all trial plots that were used for the analysis. Transfer rates were defined as differences in altitudes or climatic variables between the site of plantation and the site of origin. Optimal transfer rates and optimal climates for individual provenances were derived from quadratic response functions. Spruce provenances generally responded positively by height and volume growth to transfer into lower altitudes, i.e., warmer conditions with less precipitations. The analysis at the level of provenances showed that optimal transfer rates were consistently negatively correlated with the underlying environmental variables and optimal climates were consequently nearly the same for all provenances irrespective of the response traits and ecodistance variables. Stability indices based on joint regression analysis indicate that provenances from higher altitudes, colder and wetter climates tend to be more stable, whereas provenances from lower altitudes, drier and warmer sites are more responsive to site quality. However, the differences in the stability are small and stability indices were generally close to 1. The results indicate that populations in different climates remain adapted to a common optimum and the extent of local adaptation is quite limited. Possible explanations of this observation are briefly discussed.

Intraspecific variation in climate response of Norway spruce in the eastern Alpine range: Selecting appropriate provenances for future climate

“…Giertych, 1976;Krutzsch, 1992;Collignon et al, 2002;Liesebach et al, 2010), only few and regionally restricted analysis of the intraspecific variation in climate response have been made (e.g. Matyas, 1994;Schmidtling, 1994;Liesebach et al, 2001;Gömöry et al, 2011). Although the present study sets focus on populations of the eastern Alps and the Bohemian Massif in Austria, some results can be generalized beyond the Austrian border.…”

Picea abies provenance test in the Czech Republic after 36 years - Central European provenances

“…Given the plasticity of spruce populations and variability within one provenance (Dering, Lewandowski 2009;Gömöry et al 2012), many stand-level factors do not play a very significant role. In our evaluation a significant correlation was confirmed between height growth and latitude plus altitude and between diameter growth and longitude plus altitude.…”

“…As part of these experiments, seed samples were collected from 1,100 populations across the spruce natural distribution range from Europe to Siberia and 20 experimental plantings were established in different habitat conditions and altitudes in Europe and Canada (Csaba 1996). Details and particular results of these experiments were published by different authors (Dietrichson et al 1976;Krutzsch 1992;Oleksyn et al 1997;Giertych 2001;Chałupka et al 2008;Gömöry et al 2012;Romšáková et al 2012), but mainly in earlier stages of the experiments.…”

“…Trees in permanent provenance plots were lat- er evaluated for not only production and health-state characteristics, but also for physiological/phenological characteristics of spruce, such as the time of flushing and forming buds ), frost resistance (Repo 1992;Beuker et al 1998;Johnsen et al 2005;Gömöry et al 2010), drought resistance (Modrzyński, Eriksson 2002;Chmura 2006), response to photoperiod (Beuker et al 1998;Johnsen et al 2005;Skrøppa et al 2009), estimation of provenance stability at possible climate change (Beaulieu, Raiville 2005;O'neill et al 2008;Gömöry et al 2012), physiological characteristics (Oleksyn et al 1998) and lately also genetic studies (Goncharenko et al 1995;Beaulieu, Raiville 2005;Mengl et al 2009;Tollefsrud et al 2009;Schiessl et al 2010;Gömöry et al 2012;Romšáková et al 2012).…”

NORWAY SPRUCE (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) SEEDLINGS SURVIVAL IN PROGENY TEST “DRINIĆ”

“…More about the impact of climate changes on Norway spruce can be found in the numerous papers (Matyas, 1994;Schmidtling, 1994;Gömöry et al, 2010;Kapeller et al, 2012;Gömöry et al, 2012).…”