Do hotter and drier regions harbour adaptive variation for climate change? This project aims to improve our understanding of the capacity of trees to respond to climate change. This is essential for the maintenance of biodiversity, forest health and productivity. In south-west Australia, climate variation has increased the frequency and intensity of droughts, which has resulted in tree death and negatively affected essential ecosystem services. Adaptive land management is urgently needed to miti ....Do hotter and drier regions harbour adaptive variation for climate change? This project aims to improve our understanding of the capacity of trees to respond to climate change. This is essential for the maintenance of biodiversity, forest health and productivity. In south-west Australia, climate variation has increased the frequency and intensity of droughts, which has resulted in tree death and negatively affected essential ecosystem services. Adaptive land management is urgently needed to mitigate the risk of large-scale drought mortality in a rapidly changing climate. This project seeks to deliver a scientific basis for the adoption of assisted gene migration in south-west forests, through a detailed understanding of genetic adaptation and physiological tolerance, to improve drought-resilience under future hotter and drier climates.Read moreRead less
The genomics of climate adaptation in eucalypts. This project aims to investigate validated, rapid and pragmatic solutions to managing plant and animal maladaptation caused by global environmental change. Using Australia’s iconic blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), this project will test strategies for identifying the major climatic predictors of, and key genomic regions that underlie, adaptation to climate change. By integrating climate variables and genome sequences with field trial-derived trait ....The genomics of climate adaptation in eucalypts. This project aims to investigate validated, rapid and pragmatic solutions to managing plant and animal maladaptation caused by global environmental change. Using Australia’s iconic blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), this project will test strategies for identifying the major climatic predictors of, and key genomic regions that underlie, adaptation to climate change. By integrating climate variables and genome sequences with field trial-derived trait and performance data from decades of research and thousands of trees, we will develop validated DNA-based tools for monitoring the rate of adaptation in our native forests and identifying climate-ready seed sources for environmental and industrial plantings.Read moreRead less
The genetics of adaptation: changing developmental trajectories in eucalypts. During their life cycles, many animals and plants undergo genetically programmed changes in form. Such changes may be dramatic and rapid as seen in insect metamorphoses or plant heteroblasty, and may have ecological, evolutionary and even economic consequences. The project aims to identify the genes controlling such transitions in Australia's eucalypts.