scholarly journals Phenotypic variation and differentiated gene expression of Australian plants in response to declining rainfall

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 160637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haylee D'Agui ◽  
William Fowler ◽  
Sim Lin Lim ◽  
Neal Enright ◽  
Tianhua He
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Rapid Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Winter Rainfall

Declining rainfall is projected to have negative impacts on the demographic performance of plant species. Little is known about the adaptive capacity of species to respond to drying climates, and whether adaptation can keep pace with climate change. In fire-prone ecosystems, episodic recruitment of perennial plant species in the first year post-fire imposes a specific selection environment, offering a unique opportunity to quantify the scope for adaptive response to climate change. We examined the growth of seedlings of four fire-killed species under control and drought conditions for seeds from populations established in years following fire receiving average-to-above-average winter rainfall, or well-below-average winter rainfall. We show that offspring of plants that had established under drought had more efficient water uptake, and/or stored more water per unit biomass, or developed denser leaves, and all maintained higher survival in simulated drought than did offspring of plants established in average annual rainfall years. Adaptive phenotypic responses were not consistent across all traits and species, while plants that had established under severe drought or established in years with average-to-above-average rainfall had an overall different physiological response when growing either with or without water constraints. Seedlings descended from plants established under severe drought also had elevated gene expression in key pathways relating to stress response. Our results demonstrate the capacity for rapid adaptation to climate change through phenotypic variation and regulation of gene expression. However, effective and rapid adaptation to climate change may vary among species depending on their capacity to maintain robust populations under multiple stresses.

scholarly journals Molecular Tools for Adapting Viticulture to Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éric Gomès ◽  
Pascale Maillot ◽  
Éric Duchêne
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change

Adaptation of viticulture to climate change includes exploration of new geographical areas, new training systems, new management practices, or new varieties, both for rootstocks and scions. Molecular tools can be defined as molecular approaches used to study DNAs, RNAs, and proteins in all living organisms. We present here the current knowledge about molecular tools and their potential usefulness in three aspects of grapevine adaptation to the ongoing climate change. (i) Molecular tools for understanding grapevine response to environmental stresses. A fine description of the regulation of gene expression is a powerful tool to understand the physiological mechanisms set up by the grapevine to respond to abiotic stress such as high temperatures or drought. The current knowledge on gene expression is continuously evolving with increasing evidence of the role of alternative splicing, small RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, DNA methylation, or chromatin activity. (ii) Genetics and genomics of grapevine stress tolerance. The description of the grapevine genome is more and more precise. The genetic variations among genotypes are now revealed with new technologies with the sequencing of very long DNA molecules. High throughput technologies for DNA sequencing also allow now the genetic characterization at the same time of hundreds of genotypes for thousands of points in the genome, which provides unprecedented datasets for genotype-phenotype associations studies. We review the current knowledge on the genetic determinism of traits for the adaptation to climate change. We focus on quantitative trait loci and molecular markers available for developmental stages, tolerance to water stress/water use efficiency, sugar content, acidity, and secondary metabolism of the berries. (iii) Controlling the genome and its expression to allow breeding of better-adapted genotypes. High-density DNA genotyping can be used to select genotypes with specific interesting alleles but genomic selection is also a powerful method able to take into account the genetic information along the whole genome to predict a phenotype. Modern technologies are also able to generate mutations that are possibly interesting for generating new phenotypes but the most promising one is the direct editing of the genome at a precise location.

scholarly journals Transcriptome analysis reveals plasticity in gene regulation due to environmental cues in Primula sikkimensis, a high altitude plant species

BMC Genomics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Darshini Gurung ◽  
Atul Kumar Upadhyay ◽  
Pardeep Kumar Bhardwaj ◽  
Ramanathan Sowdhamini ◽  
Uma Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Ambient Condition ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Altitudinal Range

Abstract Background Studying plasticity in gene expression in natural systems is crucial, for predicting and managing the effects of climate change on plant species. To understand the contribution of gene expression level variations to abiotic stress compensation in a Himalaya plant (Primula sikkimensis), we carried out a transplant experiment within (Ambient), and beyond (Below Ambient and Above Ambient) the altitudinal range limit of species. We sequenced nine transcriptomes (three each from each altitudinal range condition) using Illumina sequencing technology. We compared the fitness variation of transplants among three transplant conditions. Results A large number of significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between below ambient versus ambient (109) and above ambient versus ambient (85) were identified. Transcripts involved in plant growth and development were mostly up-regulated in below ambient conditions. Transcripts involved in signalling, defence, and membrane transport were mostly up-regulated in above ambient condition. Pathway analysis revealed that most of the genes involved in metabolic processes, secondary metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis were differentially expressed in below ambient conditions, whereas most of the genes involved in photosynthesis and plant hormone signalling were differentially expressed in above ambient conditions. In addition, we observed higher reproductive fitness in transplant individuals at below ambient condition compared to above ambient conditions; contrary to what we expect from the cold adaptive P. sikkimensis plants. Conclusions We reveal P. sikkimensis’s capacity for rapid adaptation to climate change through transcriptome variation, which may facilitate the phenotypic plasticity observed in morphological and life history traits. The genes and pathways identified provide a genetic resource for understanding the temperature stress (both the hot and cold stress) tolerance mechanism of P. sikkimensis in their natural environment.

Robust modelling to address UPH19 to predict future hydrological responses for water resources adaptation under climate change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Chiew ◽  
Hongxing Zheng ◽  
Jai Vaze
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Projected Range ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Robust Modelling

<p>This paper addresses the implications of UPH19 in extrapolating hydrological models to predict the future and assessing water resources adaptation to climate change. Many studies have now shown that traditional application of hydrological models calibrated against past observations will underestimate the range in the projected future hydrological impact, that is, it will underestimate the decline in runoff where a runoff decrease is projected, and underestimate the increase in runoff where a runoff increase is projected. This study opportunistically uses data from south-eastern Australia which recently experienced a long and severe drought lasting more than ten years and subsequent partial hydrological recovery from the drought. The paper shows that a more robust calibration of rainfall-runoff models to produce good calibration metrics in both the dry periods and wet periods, at the expense of the best calibration over the entire data period, can produce a more accurate estimate of the uncertainty in the projected future runoff, but cannot entirely eliminate the modelling limitation of underestimating the projected range in future runoff. This is because of the need to consider trade-offs between the calibration objectives, particularly in simulating the dry periods, versus enhanced bias that results from the consideration. Hydrological models must therefore also need to be adapted to reflect the non-stationary nature of catchment and vegetation responses in a changing climate under warmer conditions, higher CO<sub>2</sub> and changed precipitation patterns. This is an active area of research in UPH19, and some ideas relevant to this region will be presented.</p>

scholarly journals Rapid adaptation to climate change

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 3525-3526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rapid Adaptation ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change

scholarly journals Agro-pastoralists’ determinants of adaptation to climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keneilwe Ruth Kgosikoma ◽  
Phatsimo Cotildah Lekota ◽  
Olaotswe Ernest Kgosikoma
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Agricultural Diversification

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze smallholder farmers’ perceptions on climate change and its stressors, their adaptation strategies and factors that influence their adaptation to climate change. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in Kweneng district, located in the south eastern part of Botswana. Multi-stage sampling was used to obtain a representative sample from three sub-districts in the district. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data by using face-to-face interviews. Findings Majority of farmers perceived an increase in mean annual temperature and the number of hot days and a decrease in mean annual rainfall and the number of rainfall days over the past 10 years as indicators of climate change. The prominent adaptation strategies included changes in planting dates for crops and supplementary feeding for livestock. The logistic regression results show that gender, age, household size, poverty, shortage of land, mixed farming and knowledge about climate change significantly influence adaptation. Practical implications The findings indicate that climate change policy should target agricultural diversification at the household level and dissemination of information on climate change and adaptation strategies. Originality/value Policy recommendations can be suggested: government climate change interventions should target agricultural diversification at the household level, and this study provides insights on what influences adaptation strategies and what should be targeted to build resilience in the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals Rainfall and river flow trends for the Western Cape Province, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (9/10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakhee Lakhraj-Govender ◽  
Stefan W. Grab
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Western Cape Province ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel

Climate change has the potential to alter the spatio-temporal distribution of rainfall, subsequently affecting the supply and demand of water resources. In a water-stressed country such as South Africa, this effect has significant consequences. To this end, we investigated annual and winter rainfall and river flow trends for the Western Cape Province over two periods: 1987–2017 and 1960–2017. Annual rainfall for the most recent 30-year period shows decreasing trends, with the largest magnitude of decrease at the SA Astronomical Observatory rainfall station (-54.38 mm/decade). With the exception of the significant decreasing winter rainfall trend at Langewens (-34.88 mm/decade), the trends vary between stations for the period 1960–2017. For the period 1987–2017, statistically significant decreasing winter trends were found at four of the seven stations, and range from -6.8 mm/decade at Cape Columbine to -34.88 mm/decade at Langewens. Similarly, the magnitudes of decreasing winter river flow at Bree@Ceres and Berg@Franschoek are greater for the more recent 30-year period than for 1960–2017. Correlation coefficients for Vilij@Voeliv rainfall and four river flow stations Berg@Franschoek, Bree@Ceres, Wit River@Drosterkloof and Little Berg@Nieuwkloof) are stronger for shorter periods (i.e. 1987–2017 and 2007–2017) than that for the longer period, 1960–2017. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasises the importance of studies to assist with model prediction uncertainties. To this end, our study expands the understanding of regional hydrological responses to rainfall change in the water stressed region of the Western Cape Province.

Erfassung der adaptiven genetischen Variation der Eiche im Hinblick auf den Klimawandel | Assessment of adaptive genetic variation in oaks with relation to climate change

2010 ◽  
Vol 161 (6) ◽  
pp. 216-222
Author(s):  
Oliver Gailing
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
North America ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Adaptation ◽  
Adaptive Genetic Variation ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Traits ◽  
Wide Range

Climate change is projected to lead to a major reorganization of our forests. For example, higher annual mean temperatures, longer growth seasons and drier summers are predicted for many parts of central and southern Europe, and in North America. In order to understand the genetic adaptation to climate change we need a better understanding of the genetic regulation of key traits involved in tolerance of water and temperature stress. Oaks (Quercus spp.) are excellent model species to study the adaptation of forest trees to changing environments. They show a wide geographic distribution in Europe and in North America as dominant tree species in many forests growing under a wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions. With the availability of a growing amount of functional and expressional candidate genes we are now able to test the functional importance of genes by associating nucleotide variation in these genes with phenotypic variation in adaptive traits in segregating or natural populations. Studies trying to associate genetic variation with phenotypic variation in adaptive traits can be performed in full-sib families derived from controlled crosses (Quantitative Trait Loci [QTL] mapping) or in natural populations (association mapping). For several important adaptive traits QTL were mapped, the underlying genes have to be tested in natural populations. A future objective is to test whether genes that underlie phenotypic variation in adaptive traits are involved in local genetic adaptation and viability selection at the seedling stage, linked to reciprocal transplant experiments in order to assess the performance over climatic gradients.

scholarly journals Drought Under Global Warming and Climate Change: An Empirical Study of the Loess Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Li ◽  
Zhixiang Xie ◽  
Yaochen Qin ◽  
Haoming Xia ◽  
Zhicheng Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Drought Intensity ◽  
Random Events ◽  
Autumn And Winter

The Loess Plateau is located at the transition zone between agriculture and livestock farming; its spatial and temporal pattern of drought is the key for an appropriate adaptation to climate change. This study investigated monthly meteorological observation data of 79 meteorological stations from 1955 to 2014 to calculate the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index at different time scales. The spatial and temporal characteristics and persistence of drought were analyzed. The results showed the following: (i) The drought trend is most apparent in spring (0.096/10a) and lower in summer (0.036/10a) and autumn (0.009/10a). (ii) A higher drought level indicates a lower frequency of droughts occurrence and vice versa. The frequency of light drought was highest (11.36%), while that of extreme drought was lowest (0.12%). (iii) The mean drought intensity was highest in summer, followed by spring, autumn, and winter. The drought intensity was mainly light, showing a pattern of severe drought in the northwest and light drought in the southeast. (iv) The Loess Plateau will continue a trend of drought in the future, but the season of the continuous intensity will differ. Droughts in spring and summer are highly persistent, autumn drought trends continue but may slow, and winter droughts become random events.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Adaptation of Chinese Torreya Plantations to Climate Change

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiongwen Chen ◽  
Jianzhi Niu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Drought Period ◽  
Air Temperatures

Studying the capacity of some plant species to adapt to climate change is essential for ecological research and agricultural policy development. Chinese Torreya (Torreya grandis ‘Merrillii’) has been an important crop tree in subtropical China for over a thousand years. It is necessary to characterize its adaptation to climate change. In this study, the average monthly temperature and precipitation from 1901 to 2017 in the six regions with Chinese Torreya plantations at different provinces were analyzed. The results indicated that the average annual air temperature across these regions had increased by about 2.0 °C, but no general trend in the annual precipitation and incidence of drought was found. The annual air temperature that Chinese Torreya plantations had experienced was 12.96–18.23 °C; the highest and the lowest average monthly air temperatures were 30.1 °C and −0.8 °C, respectively. The lowest and the highest annual precipitation were 874.56 mm and 2501.88 mm, respectively. Chinese Torreya trees endured a severe drought period in the 1920s. The monthly air temperature at Zhuji, which is the central production region, showed a significant correlation with the air temperature in the other five regions. The monthly precipitation in Hunan and Guizhou had no significant correlation with that of Zhuji. Chinese Torreya plantations have been grown in the regions with a similar climate distance index of air temperatures but different precipitation. This tree has a high capacity to adapt to climate change based on the climate dynamics across its range. This approach may provide a way to evaluate climate adaptation in other tree species. These results may provide helpful information for the development of Chinese Torreya plantations.

Payments for Watershed Services as Adaptation to Climate Change: Upstream Conservation and Downstream Aquifer Management

2015 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 1450003
Author(s):  
James Roumasset ◽  
Christopher A. Wada
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Optimal Investment ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Groundwater Extraction ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Aquifer Management ◽  
Groundwater Management Model

Economically optimal groundwater extraction allocates water over space and time to its highest and best social use. But optimal management of water resources also requires optimal investment in watershed capital, even as the climate is changing. We augment a standard coastal groundwater management model with stock-dependent extraction costs to include recharge-enhancing natural and produced capital whose depreciation can be offset by investment in each period. In some parts of the world, including Hawaii, results from climate models suggest that mean annual rainfall will decrease but that the frequency of storms may increase. In the case of coastal aquifers, the implication is that runoff to the ocean will increase and groundwater recharge will decrease. Accordingly, the groundwater-extraction/watershed-investment problem is further extended to allow natural recharge to decline in response to climate change. The tendency of falling recharge is partially offset by increasing investment in watershed capital. If precipitation decreases sufficiently, however, it may be that optimal conservation eventually declines as the cost of increasing groundwater recharge correspondingly increases. Thus adaptation to climate change may involve an initial stage of increased conservation investment followed by controlled depreciation of natural capital. That is, instruments of adaptation may become increasingly ineffective as climate change progresses.

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