Annual Aboveground Carbon Uptake Enhancements from Assisted Gene Flow in Boreal Black Spruce Forests Are Not Long-lasting

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Feb 20

PMID 33608515

Citations 7

Authors

Martin P Girardin

Nathalie Isabel

Xiao Jing Guo

Manuel Lamothe

Isabelle Duchesne

Patrick Lenz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Assisted gene flow between populations has been proposed as an adaptive forest management strategy that could contribute to the sequestration of carbon. Here we provide an assessment of the mitigation potential of assisted gene flow in 46 populations of the widespread boreal conifer Picea mariana, grown in two 42-year-old common garden experiments and established in contrasting Canadian boreal regions. We use a dendroecological approach taking into account phylogeographic structure to retrospectively analyse population phenotypic variability in annual aboveground net primary productivity (NPP). We compare population NPP phenotypes to detect signals of adaptive variation and/or the presence of phenotypic clines across tree lifespans, and assess genotype-by-environment interactions by evaluating climate and NPP relationships. Our results show a positive effect of assisted gene flow for a period of approximately 15 years following planting, after which there was little to no effect. Although not long lasting, well-informed assisted gene flow could accelerate the transition from carbon source to carbon sink after disturbance.

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