Woody plants adapted to past climate change more slowly than herbs

If past is prelude, trees and shrubs may have a harder time keeping pace with global warming.

Durham, NC

Because woody plants have longer reproductive cycles, they also tend to accumulate genetic changes at slower rates, prior research shows. “If genetic mutations build up every generation, then in 1000 years you would expect plants with longer generation times to accumulate fewer mutations per unit time,” said Smith. This could explain why woody plants were slower to adapt to new environments. If genetic mutations provide the raw material for evolution, then woody plants simply didn’t accumulate mutations fast enough to keep up. “If woody and herbaceous plants were running a race, the herbs would be the hares and the woody plants would be the tortoises,” said Beaulieu.

…While this study focused on long-term change over the last 100 million years, most climate models predict significant warming in the next century, the researchers explained. “That time frame may be too quick for any plant,” Beaulieu said.

EurekAlert