Maladaptation, migration and extirpation fuel climate change risk in a forest tree species

Accounting for population-level adaptation and migration remains a central challenge to predicting climate change effects on biodiversity. Assessing how climate change could disrupt local climate adaptation, resulting in maladaptation and possibly extirpation, can inform where climate change poses the greatest risks across species ranges. For the forest tree species balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), we used climate-associated genetic loci to predict population maladaptation with and without migration, the distance to sites that minimize maladaptation, and the emergence of novel genotype-climate associations. We show that the greatest disruptions to contemporary genotype-climate associations occur along the longitudinal edges of the range, where populations are predicted to be maladapted to all future North American climates, rescue via migration is most limited and novel genotype-climate associations emerge. Our work advances beyond species-level range modelling towards the long-held goal of simultaneously estimating the contributions of maladaptation and migration to understanding the risks that populations may face from shifting climates.

Automated summary

Understanding the potential disruption of climate adaptation in forest tree species can help identify the greatest risks posed by climate change, especially at the edges of species ranges. The study indicates that populations may face risks from shifting climates due to maladaptation and limited migration options, particularly in regions with novel genotype-climate associations.