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Deserts are subject to significant anthropogenic pressure. The capacity to buffer against changes in the local environment and biodiversity are critical for ecosystem functioning. Foundation species can be a solution to rapidly assess ecological function and provide a simple nature‐based solution to protect against continuing biodiversity losses. A foundation species is defined as a species that exerts and promotes a positive set of processes for the biotic network. Two different shrub species in the central drylands of California were used to assay a potential buffer for plant species richness and to examine the species‐specificity of foundation facilitation. A five‐year dataset in two distinct regions differing in aridity was used to test the hypothesis that the direct effects of foundation plants facilitate other plant species and buffer diversity losses to a changing climate. The predicted positive effects of both shrub species on species richness increased with increasing local temperatures sampled. Finally, projected temperature increases for the region in trained Bayesian models demonstrated that both shrub species can profoundly increase in their capacity to facilitate plant species richness. Colloquially, this positive ecological effect can be described as the patronus charm hypothesis because regardless of the form of the protector, shrub species provided a talisman against local loss of richness driven by temperature increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Current rates of climate change are exceeding the capacity of many plant species to track climate, thus leading communities to be in disequilibrium with climatic conditions. Plant canopies can contribute to this disequilibrium by buffering macro‐climatic conditions and sheltering poorly adapted species to the oncoming climate, particularly in their recruitment stages. Here we analyse differences in climatic disequilibrium between understorey and open ground woody plant recruits in 28 localities, covering more than 100,000 m2, across an elevation range embedding temperature and aridity gradients in the southern Iberian Peninsula. This study demonstrates higher climatic disequilibrium under canopies compared with open ground, supporting that plant canopies would affect future community climatic lags by allowing the recruitment of less arid‐adapted species in warm and dry conditions, but also it endorse that canopies could favour warm‐adapted species in extremely cold environments as mountain tops, thus pre‐adapting communities living in these habitats to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth in the global population and associated elevated reliance on modern technology has resulted in increased demand for energy consumption. This has resulted in an increased focus on the development and generation of advanced sustainable energy systems. The swift implementation of sustainable renewable energy resource utilization and improvement in their efficiency by the modification of current technologies are the possible solutions that gave rise to the emergence of geothermal technology as a potential alternative. Geothermal technology is a non-carbon renewable energy resource that could be utilized efficiently to fulfil the energy demands while mitigating the climate change threat. According to the surveyed literature, the global geothermal energy power plant installation capacity has reached 14.3 GWe to successfully implement this sustainable alternative. In order to have a successful and uninterrupted way forward, it is essential to evaluate the constraints both in terms of technicality and economic feasibility to establish an approved framework. Moreover, the governance and monitoring regarding the social and environmental impact alongside the legal challenges should also be addressed. The significant barriers include increased capital cost, site selection, superiority of resources at diverse levels of rock bottoms, and obstruction from nearby residents that need to be addressed appropriately. As a result, policymakers will continue to seek measure that have least negative impact on environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clonal plants can successfully adapt to various ecosystems. A trade-off between sexual and clonal reproduction is generally assumed in clonal plants, which may be influenced both by the characteristics of the plant itself and environmental conditions. Currently, it is unclear how climate change, and specifically warming and increased precipitation, might affect sexual and clonal reproduction in clonal plants. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate both the sexual and clonal reproduction responses of Stipa breviflora to warming and increased precipitation. A controlled experiment was conducted by inducing increases in precipitation (ambient condition, 25% and 50% increases) and warming (ambient temperature, 1.5 °C and 3.0 °C increases). Results: Warming significantly influenced both the ratio of reproductive ramet shoot biomass to total shoot biomass, and the ratio of reproductive ramet number to total ramet number. Additionally, the ratio of reproductive ramet shoot biomass to total shoot biomass was also significantly affected by increased precipitation. Increased precipitation benefited sexual reproduction, while effects of warming on reproductive and/or vegetative ramets varied from negative to positive depending on precipitation conditions. There was no relationship between the number or shoot biomass of reproductive ramets and vegetative ramets. Reproductive ramets displayed greater sensitivity to climate change than vegetative ramets. Conclusions: The findings of our study suggest that there was no trade-off between sexual and clonal reproduction in S. breviflora. The combined impact of warming and increased precipitation promoted sexual reproduction but did not inhibit clonal reproduction. Clonal plants with the capacity for both sexual and clonal reproduction, may cope with climate change well via clonal reproduction, ensuring their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plants produce a wide diversity of metabolites. Yet, our understanding of how shifts in plant metabolites as a response to climate change feedback on ecosystem processes remains scarce. Here, we test to what extent climate warming shifts the seasonality of metabolites produced by Sphagnum mosses, and what are the consequences of these shifts for peatland C uptake.We used a reciprocal transplant experiment along a climate gradient in Europe to simulate climate change. We evaluated the responses of primary and secondary metabolites in five Sphagnum species and related their responses to gross ecosystem productivity (GEP).When transplanted to a warmer climate, Sphagnum species showed consistent responses to warming, with an upregulation of either their primary or secondary metabolite according to seasons. Moreover, these shifts were correlated to changes in GEP, especially in spring and autumn.Our results indicate that the Sphagnum metabolome is very plastic and sensitive to warming. We also show that warming‐induced changes in the seasonality of Sphagnum metabolites have consequences on peatland GEP. Our findings demonstrate the capacity for plant metabolic plasticity to impact ecosystem C processes and reveal a further mechanism through which Sphagnum could shape peatland responses to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origins and evolution of the outstanding Neotropical biodiversity are a matter of intense debate. A comprehensive understanding is hindered by the lack of deep-time comparative data across wide phylogenetic and ecological contexts. Here, we quantify the prevailing diversification trajectories and drivers of Neotropical diversification in a sample of 150 phylogenies (12,512 species) of seed plants and tetrapods, and assess their variation across Neotropical regions and taxa. Analyses indicate that Neotropical diversity has mostly expanded through time (70% of the clades), while scenarios of saturated and declining diversity account for 21% and 9% of Neotropical diversity, respectively. Five biogeographic areas are identified as distinctive units of long-term Neotropical evolution, including Pan-Amazonia, the Dry Diagonal, and Bahama-Antilles. Diversification dynamics do not differ across these areas, suggesting no geographic structure in long-term Neotropical diversification. In contrast, diversification dynamics differ across taxa: plant diversity mostly expanded through time (88%), while a substantial fraction (43%) of tetrapod diversity accumulated at a slower pace or declined towards the present. These opposite evolutionary patterns may reflect different capacities for plants and tetrapods to cope with past climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Run-of-river hydropower plants are a cost-efficient technology that produce a power output proportional to the instantaneous flow of water diverted from the exploited stream by exploiting several mechanical, hydraulic, and electric devices. However, as no storage is available, its design and operation is tailored according to the unpredictability of its power generation. Hence, the modelling of this type of power plants is a necessity for the promotion of its development. Accordingly, based on models from the literature, this study proposes a comprehensive methodology for optimally designed small run-of-river hydropower plants based on a levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The proposed methodology aims at facilitating a faster design for more cost-effective and energy-efficient small hydropower plants. Depending on the average daily flow rates and the gross head of a given site, the model proposed in this study calculates the diameter, thickness, and length of a penstock; it also suggests the optimal selection of a turbine, determines the admissible suction head of a turbine for its optimal implementation, and determines the optimal number of turbines, all in order to minimize the LCOE of the proposed project. The model is tested to design a small run-of-river hydropower plant with a capacity of 6.32 MW exploiting the river Nyong in Mbalmayo. The results confirm the profitability of the investment with an LCOE of around 0.05 USD/kWh, which is the lowest limit value of the LCOE range for small hydropower plants, as presented in the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, assuming a project lifespan of 50 years and a discount rate of 12.5%. These results also show that it may be worth to provide the energy sector with a small hydropower design tool with a graphical interface. In addition, it would be appropriate to use a similar method in an off-grid context where a hydropower plant, with or without storage, is combined with another source to meet the electrical needs of a given population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydropower is the primary renewable energy source that uses the energy of flowing water streams from rivers and reservoirs, and the hydrological patterns and conditions significantly influence its potential. The study aims to explore how climate change would impact the Euphrates River Basin's discharge patterns, the reservoir's inflow volume, and the potential of future hydropower plants at Haditha dam in the hyper-arid region by using downscaled five General Circulation Models (GCMs) driven by CMIP6 and three scenarios of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSPs). The forecasts indicated an overall basin temperature increase (up to 2.3 °C) and a significant decrease in precipitation (up to −6.2%). The flow declined by 18.28%, and the reduction in inflow volume of the reservoir ranged from 57 to 44 BCM, a reduction of up to 14.71%. The hydropower-generated output drawdown is up to 15%, ranging from 0.29 to 1.16 TWh per annum. The hydropower performance criteria indices under scenarios (SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, and SSP5–8.5) revealed a downtrend in the resilience index, where the recovery rate (17.63, 34.25, and 41.75%), respectively, indicating that the reservoir requires a relatively long period to meet the target hydropower demand, leading to a vulnerability increase. [Display omitted] • Evaluating how arid regions rely on hydropower plants to meet demand. • High temperatures accompanied by low rainfall led to a decline in flow & storage. • The hydropower indices revealed a declining resilience alongside an increase in vulnerability. • Hydro plant capacity depends on climate scenario intensity. • The resilience of hydroelectric power production to vulnerability depends on the reservoir recovery factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change presents many challenges for plants, a major one of which is the steady increase in the temperatures that plants are exposed to during germination, growth and reproduction. Generating a more complete understanding of the capacity for plants to respond and of the role that phenotypic plasticity plays in facilitating species' responses to warming temperatures is a central objective in global change ecology.Different traits expressed across life stages might be expected to exhibit a variety of responses to temperature due to phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation, even within a species. However, the extent of the variation among trait types and the relative contribution of plasticity and genetics to responses along a thermal gradient are not well understood. Here, we studied an alpine plant, Wahlenbergia ceracea, to determine the shapes of plastic responses in 14 traits across germination, leaf, physiology and reproductive fitness trait types across a broad thermal gradient of temperatures while also comparing responses among family lines.Trait types differed markedly: germination, leaf and reproductive traits showed nonlinear plasticity with best performance at intermediate temperatures, whereas physiology traits were generally less responsive to temperature. Variation in plasticity among families was lowest for the traits most necessary for tolerating environmental extremes (e.g. heat tolerance), suggesting that physiology traits may be canalised and fitness suffers for it. In contrast, variation in means, and plasticity in some cases, among families in germination traits suggests genetic variation and hence the potential for these few traits to respond to selection.Our results illustrate the variety of responses that may occur in response to temperature, and the frequent occurrence of complex nonlinear plastic responses that would not have been apparent with comparison of fewer temperatures. We discuss the physiological, ecological and evolutionary insights our findings provide into the response of wild species to the changing climate. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration (ET), which is a combination of the words evaporation and transpiration, is expressed as the sum of water due to water consumption and evaporation in plants. In this study, the NASA Drought Early Warning Systems Network Land Data Assimilation System model (FLDAS NOAH) was used to determine evapotranspiration data for the 2018-2019 water years (October 2017-September 2019) on Turkey. In addition, NASA Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS NOAH) was used for temperature data. Total precipitation data with corrected error rates are taken from MERRA-2 Model M2TMNXFLX. The relationship between the determined monthly total average evapotranspiration values and the monthly average precipitation and monthly average temperature values was determined by ArcGIS. It is important to examine the local evaporation and transpiration conditions in more detail in the regions where water resources planning will be made. The importance of water holding capacity in plants in determining agricultural and hydrological drought can be explained by evapotranspiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming is shifting the distributions of mountain plant species to higher elevations. Cold‐adapted plant species are under increasing pressure from novel competitors that are encroaching from lower elevations. Plant capacity to adjust to these pressures may be measurable as variation in trait values within a species. In particular, the strength and patterns of intraspecific trait variation along abiotic and biotic gradients can inform us whether and how species can adjust their anatomy and morphology to persist in a changing environment.Here, we tested whether species specialized to high elevations or with narrow elevational ranges show more conservative (i.e. less variable) trait responses across their elevational distribution, or in response to neighbours, than species from lower elevations or with wider elevational ranges. We did so by studying intraspecific trait variation of 66 species along 40 elevational gradients in four countries in both hemispheres. As an indication of potential neighbour interactions that could drive trait variation, we also analysed plant species' height ratio, its height relative to its nearest neighbour.Variation in alpine plant trait values over elevation differed depending on a species' median elevation and the breadth of its elevational range, with species with lower median elevations and larger elevational range sizes showing greater trait variation, i.e. a steeper slope in trait values, over their elevational distributions. These effects were evidenced by significant interactions between species' elevation and their elevational preference or range for several traits: vegetative height, generative height, specific leaf area and patch area. The height ratio of focal alpine species and their neighbours decreased in the lower part of their distribution because neighbours became relatively taller at lower elevations. In contrast, species with lower elevational optima maintained a similar height ratio with neighbours throughout their range.Synthesis. We provide evidence that species from lower elevations and those with larger range sizes show greater intraspecific trait variation, which may indicate a greater ability to respond to environmental changes. Also, larger trait variation of species from lower elevations may indicate stronger competitive ability of upslope shifting species, posing one further threat to species from higher ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar has been proposed as a promising negative CO2 emission technology to mitigate future climate change with the additional benefit of increasing agricultural production. However, the spatial responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) to biochar addition in cropland are still uncertain, and the economic feasibility of large‐scale biochar implementation remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the response of SOC to biochar addition using 389 paired field measurements. The results show that biochar addition significantly increased SOC by 45.8% on average with large regional variations. Using a random forest model trained with soil, climate, biotic, biochar, and management factors, we found that the response of SOC to biochar addition was mainly dependent on biochar application rates, initial SOC, edaphic (e.g., pH), and climatic (e.g., mean annual precipitation) variables. Combined with the predicted SOC changes to biochar addition on the global cropland, we assessed the revenue of the biochar system based on the current and potential pyrolysis plants in the world using the life‐cycle analysis. Net revenue of the currently existing 144 pyrolysis plants increases with larger plant capacity and higher carbon price. Potential revenue of building new plants is high in regions like America and Europe but low in regions with infertile soil, low crop residues availability, and inconvenient transportation. The global CO2 removal of biochar application is 6.6 Tg CO2e (CO2 equivalent) year−1 with a net revenue of $ 177 million dollars at a carbon price of $ 50 t−1 CO2 for current pyrolysis plants with a biomass‐processing capacity of 20,000 t year−1. Our study provides a full economic assessment of idealized biochar addition scenarios and identifies the locations with maximal potential revenues with new pyrolysis plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a great threat to global biodiversity and has resulted in serious ecological consequences. Although the potential effects of climate change on genetic diversity have recently received much research attention, little research has focused on the impacts of climate change on genetic connectivity and the relationship between climate stability and genetic divergence. Here, we combined population connectivity with genetic data to predict the impacts of future climate change on genetic connectivity. Coupled with climatic variables and genetic data, we used POPS software to create spatially explicit simulations and predict the dynamics in genetic clusters in response to climate changes. A generalized additive model was employed to test the correlation between climatic stability and genetic diversification. Our findings indicated that a reduction in species distribution due to severe climate change would lead to a substantial loss of genetic connectivity. More severe future climatic scenarios would likely cause greater loss of variability or more distinct homogenization in genetic variation of species. Relatively low interpolated genetic distances are generally associated with areas of greater losses in climatic suitability from the present to the future. The displacement of climatic genetic clusters will challenge species adaptation to future climate change because of the loss of fundamental evolutionary potential. The persistence capacity of plant species may be weakened in the face of future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The frequency and severity of heatwave events are increasing, exposing species to conditions beyond their physiological limits. Species respond to heatwaves in different ways, however it remains unclear if plants have the adaptive capacity to successfully respond to hotter and more frequent heatwaves.We exposed eight tree populations from two climate regions grown under cool and warm temperatures to repeated heatwave events of moderate (40°C) and extreme (46°C) severity to assess adaptive capacity to heatwaves.Leaf damage and maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) were significantly impacted by heatwave severity and growth temperatures, respectively; populations from a warm‐origin avoided damage under moderate heatwaves compared to those from a cool‐origin, indicating a degree of local adaptation. We found that plasticity to heatwave severity and repeated heatwaves contributed to enhanced thermal tolerance and lower leaf temperatures, leading to greater thermal safety margins (thermal tolerance minus leaf temperature) in a second heatwave.Notably, while we show that adaptation and physiological plasticity are important factors affecting plant adaptive capacity to thermal stress, plasticity of thermal tolerances and thermal safety margins provides the opportunity for trees to persist among fluctuating heatwave exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the perspective of the water–energy–food (WEF) security nexus, sustainable water-related infrastructure may hinge on multi-dimensional decision-making, which is subject to some level of uncertainties imposed by internal or external sources such as climate change. It is important to note that the impact of this phenomenon is not solely limited to the changing behavior patterns of hydro-climatic variables since it can also affect the other pillars of the WEF nexus both directly and indirectly. Failing to address these issues can be costly, especially for those projects with long-lasting economic lifetimes such as hydropower systems. Ideally, a robust plan can tolerate these projected changes in climatic behavior and their associated impacts on other sectors, while maintaining an acceptable performance concerning environmental, socio-economic, and technical factors. This study, thus, aims to develop a robust multiple-objective decision-support framework to address these concerns. In principle, while this framework is sensitive to the uncertainties associated with the climate change projections, it can account for the intricacies that are commonly associated with the WEF security network. To demonstrate the applicability of this new framework, the Karkheh River basin in Iran was selected as a case study due to its critical role in ensuring water, energy, and food security of the region. In addition to the status quo, a series of climate change projections (i.e., RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5) were integrated into the proposed decision support framework as well. Resultantly, the mega decision matrix for this problem was composed of 56 evaluation criteria and 27 feasible alternatives. A TOPSIS/Entropy method was used to select the most robust renovation plan for a hydropower system in the basin by creating a robust and objective weighting mechanism to quantify the role of each sector in the decision-making process. Accordingly, in this case, the energy, food, and environment sectors are objectively more involved in the decision-making process. The results revealed that the role of the social aspect is practically negligible. The results also unveiled that while increasing the power plant capacity or the plant factor would be, seemingly, in favor of the energy sector, if all relevant factors are to be considered, the overall performance of the system might resultantly become sub-optimal, jeopardizing the security of other aspects of the water–energy–food nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A promising approach in dealing with the detrimental effects of climate change on vegetation is to introduce pre‐adapted genotypes into restoration programmes. Bush Heritage's Victorian reserves have experienced eucalypt dieback probably due to intense drought and heat shock linked to climate change. Planned revegetation on the Nardoo Hills reserve provided an opportunity to establish and test the potential for new climate‐matched genotypes to expand the adaptive capacity of the plantings. As NRM practitioners, here we document our experiences in implementing this approach. Using the Climate Analogues tool and the Australasian Virtual Herbarium, we selected provenances from four climate analogue regions where remnants of our focal species, Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) and Yellow Box (E. melliodora), were located. Replicated plots were established covering five provenances for Grey Box and 5 provenances for Yellow Box with up to 10 'families' (mother trees) per provenance. Numerous challenges were encountered including locating suitable provenances, the design and scientific compromises associated with the experimental layout, sourcing of adequate seed from remote regions (especially drought affected) and high mortality during seedling establishment. Monitoring nine months after planting revealed not only high overall mortality (around 70%, probably due to drought conditions during establishment) but also significant differences in height between provenances and in mortality and height among families in both species. Despite the initial mortality, the nested design and level of replication applied in these plots appear adequate to test hypotheses about the value of climate matching and will continue to be monitored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternating conditions from cold to warm periods since the Late Glacial provided a significant contrast for future hydroclimatic variation, as did the corresponding variation in vegetation. To predict the potential variability in C 3 /C 4 biomass under future warmer climatic conditions, we determined the current spatiotemporal distribution of C 3 and C 4 vegetation by estimating the variability of δ13C org values in 125 topsoil samples and investigating the geological period variability of C 4 plants growing in Inner Mongolia, China. We examined the factors contributing to the growth of C 4 plants and the variability in C 4 plants for each 1 °C increase in temperature during recent and geological times. The results revealed that the relative abundance of C 4 plants in Inner Mongolia shows an increasing trend from the northwest to the southeast. The biomass of C 4 plants was found to be positively correlated with temperature, although weakly correlated with precipitation, thereby indicating that temperature is the primary climatic factor determining the growth of C 4 plants in this region. Furthermore, we found that in response to each 1 °C increase in temperature, there would be an approximate 2.1% increase in the spatiotemporal variation of present-day C 4 plant biomass in Inner Mongolia, whereas during the geological period, there was a corresponding increase of 10.7%. Comparatively, the spatiotemporal variation in present-day C 4 biomass on the Chinese Loess Plateau has undergone a 4.0% increase in response to each 1 °C increase in temperature, whereas 6.0% and 7.5% increases in the geological period were estimated based on core samples taken from the Lantian and Xingyang sections, respectively. Interestingly, for each 1 °C increase in temperature during the current growth month of C 4 plants, there is a 6.6% increase in C 4 biomass, which is essentially consistent with the results obtained for the geological period results (i.e., 6.0% and 7.5% for the Lantian and Xingyang sections, respectively). The findings of this study reveal a distinct contrast in the variation of C 4 plants during recent and geological periods, thereby enabling us to quantitatively estimate the potential changes in C 4 vegetation in response to projected climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: The distribution and even the survival of plant species are influenced by temperature. In an old climatically buffered infertile landscape (OCBIL) in Brazil, we previously characterized different strategies for foliar water uptake (FWU). It is possible that photosystem II tolerance to heat and excessive light intensity varies among species with different FWU capacities. Methods: The relationship between FWU, photoinhibition, and thermotolerance was investigated in seven species from this ecosystem. Results: The species with slow water absorption and high water absorption are those that presented less photoinhibition. Contrastingly, the species that have fast and low water absorption presented greater thermotolerance when their leaves are totally hydrated. However, when there is greater leaf dehydration, the most thermotolerant species were those with slow but high water absorption. Conclusions: Foliar water uptake is an important trait for plants to tolerate excessive light intensity and higher temperatures. Plants in this OCBIL may be differentially affected by future global warming, and the best strategy to deal with this expected climate change is with slow and high absorption of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Understanding plant thermal tolerance is fundamental to predicting impacts of extreme temperature events that are increasing in frequency and intensity across the globe. Extremes, not averages, drive species evolution, determine survival and increase crop performance. To better prioritize agricultural and natural systems research, it is crucial to evaluate how researchers are assessing the capacity of plants to tolerate extreme events. We conducted a systematic review to determine how plant thermal tolerance research is distributed across wild and domesticated plants, growth forms and biomes, and to identify crucial knowledge gaps. Our review shows that most thermal tolerance research examines cold tolerance of cultivated species; c. 5% of articles consider both heat and cold tolerance. Plants of extreme environments are understudied, and techniques widely applied in cultivated systems are largely unused in natural systems. Lastly, we find that lack of standardized methods and metrics compromises the potential for mechanistic insight. Our review provides an entry point for those new to the methods used in plant thermal tolerance research and bridges often disparate ecological and agricultural perspectives for the more experienced. We present a considered agenda of thermal tolerance research priorities to stimulate efficient, reliable and repeatable research across the spectrum of plant thermal tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PREMISE: Gypsum soils in the Mediterranean Basin house large numbers of edaphic specialists that are adapted to stressful environments. The evolutionary history and standing genetic variation of these taxa have been influenced by the geological and paleoclimatic complexity of this area and the long‐standing effect of human activities. However, little is known about the origin of Mediterranean gypsophiles and the factors affecting their genetic diversity and population structure. METHODS: Using phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches based on microsatellites and sequence data from nuclear and chloroplast regions, we evaluated the divergence time, genetic diversity, and population structure of 27 different populations of the widespread Iberian gypsophile Lepidium subulatum throughout its entire geographic range. RESULTS: Lepidium subulatum diverged from its nearest relatives ~3 million years ago, and ITS and psbA/matK trees supported the monophyly of the species. These results suggest that both geological and climatic changes in the region around the Plio‐Pleistocene promoted its origin, compared to other evolutionary processes. We found high genetic diversity in both nuclear and chloroplast markers, but a greater population structure in the chloroplast data. These results suggest that while seed dispersal is limited, pollen flow may be favored by the presence of numerous habitat patches that enhance the movement of pollinators. CONCLUSIONS: Despite being an edaphic endemic, L. subulatum possesses high genetic diversity probably related to its relatively old age and high population sizes across its range. Our study highlights the value of using different markers to fully understand the phylogeographic history of plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has the potential to reduce the abundance and distribution of species and threaten global biodiversity, but it is typically not listed as a threat in classifying species conservation status. This likely occurs because demonstrating climate change as a threat requires data‐intensive demographic information. Moreover, the threat from climate change is often studied in specific biomes, such as polar or arid ones. Other biomes, such as coastal ones, have received little attention, despite being currently exposed to substantial climate change effects. We forecast the effect of climate change on the demography and population size of a federally endangered coastal dune plant (Lupinus tidestromii). We use data from a 14‐yr demographic study across seven extant populations of this endangered plant. Using model selection, we found that survival and fertility measures responded negatively to temperature anomalies. We then produced forecasts based on stochastic individual‐based population models that account for uncertainty in demographic outcomes. Despite large uncertainties, we predict that all populations will decline if temperatures increase by 1°C. Considering the total number of individuals across all seven populations, the most likely outcome is a population decline of 90%. Moreover, we predict extinction is certain for one of our seven populations. These results demonstrate that climate change will profoundly decrease the current and future population growth rates of this plant, and its chance of persistence. Thus, our study provides the first evidence that climate change is an extinction threat for a plant species classified as endangered under the USA Endangered Species Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most terrestrial species occur in human‐modified landscapes that are experiencing climate change. In addition to direct impacts on species, both anthropogenic disturbance and climate change can have important effects through changes in species interactions, including the disruption of ecological services provided by them.Here we investigate how chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and aridity affect the effectiveness of plant protection services provided by ants to plants bearing extrafloral nectaries (EFNs).The study was conducted across 13 01‐ha plots distributed along CAD and aridity gradients in Caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil. We focused on Pityrocarpa moniliformis, the most abundant and widely distributed EFN‐bearing tree species occurring in our study area, and we used experimental attack rates on termites as a measure of effectiveness of ant protection services. We investigated the relative roles of nectar production (volume and concentration) and ant species composition in mediating the effects of CAD and aridity on the effectiveness of protection services.Attack rates by ants declined with increasing aridity but were not related to CAD. The volume of extrafloral nectar declined with increasing CAD but was not affected by aridity, whereas the concentration was not related to either CAD or aridity. The composition of attendant ant species varied with aridity but not with CAD.Synthesis. Our findings suggest that CAD does not affect plant‐protection services mediated by EFNs in Brazilian Caatinga. However, ant‐protection services declined with increased aridity, and this occurred through changes in the composition of attendant ant species rather than by changes in the production of extrafloral nectar. Such a response to increasing aridity highlights the vulnerability of EFN‐bearing plants to climate change through decreased predation of herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ploidy level and genome size (GS) could affect the invasive capacity of plants, although these parameters can be contradictory. While small GS seems to favor dispersion, polyploidy—which increases the GS—also seems to favor it. Using a phylogenetic path analysis, we evaluated the effects of both factors on the environmental tolerance and invasive success of plants. We selected 99 invasive plant species from public online databases and gathered information about invasive capacity (number of non-original countries in which each species occurs), tolerance to environmental factors, ploidy level, and GS. The invasive capacity varied depending on the ploidy level and tolerance to environmental factors. Polyploids and species with increased tolerance to elevated temperatures and rainfall values exhibited high invasive capacity. We found no evidence that GS affects the invasive capacity of plants. We suggest that the genetic variability provided by polyploidization has a positive impact on plant competitiveness, which may ultimately lead to an increased ability to colonize new environments. In a global warming scenario, integrative approaches using phenotypic, genetic, epigenetic, and ecological traits should be a productive route to unveil the aspects of invasive plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Models are key tools in our quest to better understand the impacts of soil waterlogging on plant growth and crop production. Here, we reviewed the state of the art of modeling approaches and compared the conceptual design of these models with recent experimental findings. We show that many models adopt an aeration stress (AS) principle where surplus water reduces air‐filled porosity, with implications for root growth. However, subsequent effects of AS within each model vary considerably. In some cases, AS inhibits biomass accumulation (e.g. AquaCrop), altering processes prior to biomass accumulation such as light interception (e.g. APSIM), or photosynthesis and carbohydrate accumulation (e.g. SWAGMAN Destiny). While many models account for stage‐dependent waterlogging effects, few models account for experimentally observed delays in phenology caused by waterlogging. A model intercomparison specifically designed for long‐term waterlogged conditions (APSIM‐Oryza) with models developed for dryland conditions with transient waterlogging would advance our understanding of the current fitness for purpose of exsiting frameworks for simulating transient waterlogging in dryland cropping systems. Of the point‐based dynamic models examined here, APSIM‐Soybean and APSIM‐Oryza simulations most closely matched with the observed data, while GLAM‐WOFOST achieved the highest performance of the spatial‐regional models examined. We conclude that future models should incorporate waterlogging effects on genetic tolerance parameters such as (1) phenology of stress onset, (2) aerenchyma, (3) root hydraulic conductance, (4) nutrient‐use efficiency, and (5) plant ion (e.g. Fe/Mn) tolerance. Incorporating these traits/effects into models, together with a more systematic model intercomparison using consistent initialization data, will significantly improve our understanding of the relative importance of such factors in a systems context, including feedbacks between biological factors, emergent properties, and sensitive variables responsible for yield losses under waterlogging. Key Points: We review the state of the art of approaches used to modeling the impacts of waterlogging on plantsMost models use an aeration stress principle that effects root growth, few models account for phenology delays caused by waterloggingNext generation models should consider new genotypic traits and tolerance (e.g., aerenchyma, ion tolerance, and oxidative stress) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting plant distributions under climate change is constrained by our limited understanding of potential rapid adaptive evolution. In an experimental evolution study with the invasive common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) we subjected replicated populations of the same initial genetic composition to simulated climate warming. Pooled DNA sequencing of parental and offspring populations showed that warming populations experienced greater genetic divergence from their parents, than control populations. In a common environment, offspring from warming populations showed more convergent phenotypes in seven out of nine plant traits, with later flowering and larger biomass, than plants from control populations. For both traits, we also found a significantly higher ratio of phenotypic to genetic differentiation across generations for warming than for control populations, indicating stronger response to selection under warming conditions. As a measure for evolutionary rate, the phenotypic and sequence divergence between generations were assessed using the Haldane metric. Our approach combining comparisons between generations (allochronic) and between treatments (synchronic) in an experimental evolutionary field study, and linking population genomic data with phenotyping analyses provided a powerful test to detect rapid responses to selection. Our findings demonstrate that ragweed populations can rapidly evolve in response to climate change within a single generation. Short‐term evolutionary responses to climate change may aggravate the impact of some plant invaders in the future and should be considered when making predictions about future distributions and impacts of plant invaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When plant species compete for pollinators, climate warming may cause directional change in flowering overlap, thereby shifting the strength of pollinator‐mediated plant–plant interactions. Such shifts are likely accentuated in the rapidly warming Arctic. Targeting a plant community in Northeast Greenland, we asked (a) whether the relative phenology of plants is shifting with spatial variation in temperature, (b) whether local plants compete for pollination, and (c) whether shifts in climatic conditions are likely to affect this competition. We first searched for climatic imprints on relative species phenology along an elevational gradient. We then tested for signs of competition with increasing flower densities: reduced pollinator visits, reduced representation of plant species in pollen loads, and reduced seed production. Finally, we evaluated how climate change may affect this competition. Compared to a dominant species, Dryas integrifolia × octopetala, the relative timing of other species shifted along the environmental gradient, with Silene acaulis and Papaver radicatum flowering earlier toward higher elevation. This shift resulted in larger niche overlap, allowing for an increased potential for competition for pollination. Meanwhile, Dryas emerged as a superior competitor by attracting 97.2% of flower visits. Higher Dryas density resulted in reduced insect visits and less pollen of S. acaulis being carried by pollinators, causing reduced seed set by S. acaulis. Our results show that current variation in climate shifts the timing and flowering overlap between dominant and less‐competitive plant species. With climate warming, such shifts in phenology within trophic levels may ultimately affect interactions between them, changing the strength of competition among plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns of biomass allocation among organs in plants are important because they influence many growth processes. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (YGP) is considered to be one of the most sensitive areas in China to climate changes, but we know little about how current climatic gradients on the plateau influence plant biomass allocation. Gentiana rigescens and G. rhodantha, on the YGP, are important species because they are used in traditional Chinese medicines. We therefore analyzed the biomass allocation patterns of the two species across an elevation gradient (1000–2810 m a.s.l.) on the YGP to understand and predict the impact of climate change on these plant species. We found that the total biomass, reproductive biomass, vegetative biomass, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass in G. rigescens were all significantly larger than those in G. rhodantha (p<0.05). However, for both species the aboveground biomass was nearly isometrically related to belowground biomass, regardless of elevation, mean annual temperature (MAT) ranging from 8.4°C to 18.8°C, and mean annual precipitation (MAP) ranging from 681 to 1327 mm, while the reproductive biomass was allometrically related to vegetative biomass. Intriguingly, there was a significant positive relationship (p<0.05) between the slope of the allometric scaling of reproductive and vegetative biomass and elevation among G. rigescens populations, i.e. plants growing at high elevations allocate proportionately more biomass to reproduction at larger sizes and less at smaller sizes than plants growing at lower elevations. However, for G. rhodantha the reproductive allocation was negatively correlated with latitude. The results suggested different strategies in reproductive allocation in the two Gentiana plants on the YGP. Further studies are needed to investigate other environmental factors, such as nutrients and light, and genetic factors, in order to understand the trend of reproductive allometry along the environmental gradients. Our study has implications for the management and conservation practices of the two Gentiana species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) and water (W) are crucial inputs for plant survival as well as costly resources for agriculture. Given their importance, the molecular mechanisms that plants rely on to signal changes in either N or W status have been under intense scrutiny. However, how plants sense and respond to the combination of N and W signals at the molecular level has received scant attention. The purpose of this review is to shed light on what is currently known about how plant responses to N are impacted by W status. We review classic studies which detail how N and W combinations have both synergistic and antagonistic effects on key plant traits, such as root architecture and stomatal aperture. Recent molecular studies of N and W interactions show that mutations in genes involved in N metabolism affect drought responses, and vice versa. Specifically, perturbing key N signaling genes may lead to changes in drought-responsive gene expression programs, which is supported by a meta-analysis we conduct on available transcriptomic data. Additionally, we cite studies that show how combinatorial transcriptional responses to N and W status might drive crop phenotypes. Through these insights, we suggest research strategies that could help to develop crops adapted to marginal soils depleted in both N and W, an important task in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In line with sustainability issues, we are currently seeing a transition towards a lower consumption of animal protein. How ongoing gradual rearrangements in protein patterns impact sustainability and climatic change remains unknown. We used data from a French representative survey and selected for each individual the dual substitution of a serving of a protein food that most improved nutritional adequacy (using the probabilistic PANDiet score), with an increase in the percentage of plant protein required (SP) or not (SN). This was iterated 20 times incrementally, and we monitored the evolution of sustainability endpoints, including greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and predicted premature deaths avoided. After 20 iterations, the plant protein intake (31.1% total protein) decreased under SN (30.0%) and increased under SP (37.7%). The food groups whose contribution to protein intake increased the most were legumes (+ 225%), fatty fish (+ 151%), and lean chicken (+ 82%) under SN and legumes (+ 502%), pizzas and quiches (+ 190%), and fatty fish (+ 102%) under SP. The PANDiet score rose slightly more under SN (+ 7.5 ± 0.1) than SP (+ 6.2 ± 0.1). GHGE levels increased from 5.4 ± 0.05 to 5.7 ± 0.04 kg eq.CO2/day under SN and decreased to 5.1 ± 0.04 under SP. Diet costs increased from 7.4 ± 0.06 to 8.2 ± 0.05 €/day under SN and 7.6 ± 0.05 under SP. Predicted avoided premature deaths annually in France were 2200 (1700; 2700) under SP and 1700 (1400; 2000) under SN. In those series of small realistic changes in the individual diets, systematically increasing the plant share slightly limits the gain in nutritional adequacy but result in diets that are far more sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern intensively managed pastures that receive large external nitrogen (N) inputs account for high N losses in form of nitrate (NO3–) leaching and emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). The natural plant capacity to shape the soil N cycle through exudation of organic compounds can be exploited to favor N retention without affecting productivity. In this study, we estimated the relationship between biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), N2O emissions and plant productivity for 119 germplasm accessions of Guineagrass (Megathyrsus maximus), an important tropical forage crop for livestock production. This relation was tested in a greenhouse experiment measuring BNI as (i) rates of soil nitrification; (ii) abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA); and (iii) the capacity of root tissue extracts to inhibit nitrification in vitro. We then measured N2O emissions, aboveground biomass and forage nutrition quality parameters. Reductions on nitrification activity ranging between 30 and 70% were found across the germplasm collection of M. maximus. Accessions with low nitrification rates showed a lower abundance of AOB as well as a reduction in N2O emissions compared to accessions of high nitrification rates. The BNI capacity was not correlated to N uptake of plants, suggesting that there may be intraspecific variation in the exploitation of different N sources in this grass species. A group of accessions (cluster) with the most desirable agronomic and environmental traits among the collection was identified for further field validation. These results provide evidence of the ability of M. maximus to suppress soil nitrification and N2O emissions and their relationship with productivity and forage quality, pointing a way to develop N conservative improved forage grasses for tropical livestock production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: Despite the economic significance of insect damage to plants (i.e., herbivory), long‐term data documenting changes in herbivory are limited. Millions of pressed plant specimens are now available online and can be used to collect big data on plant–insect interactions during the Anthropocene. Methods: We initiated development of machine learning methods to automate extraction of herbivory data from herbarium specimens by training an insect damage detector and a damage type classifier on two distantly related plant species (Quercus bicolor and Onoclea sensibilis). We experimented with (1) classifying six types of herbivory and two control categories of undamaged leaf, and (2) detecting two of the damage categories for which several hundred annotations were available. Results: Damage detection results were mixed, with a mean average precision of 45% in the simultaneous detection and classification of two types of damage. However, damage classification on hand‐drawn boxes identified the correct type of herbivory 81.5% of the time in eight categories. The damage classifier was accurate for categories with 100 or more test samples. Discussion: These tools are a promising first step for the automation of herbivory data collection. We describe ongoing efforts to increase the accuracy of these models, allowing researchers to extract similar data and apply them to biological hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is driving species' range shifts, which are in turn disrupting species interactions due to species‐specific differences in their abilities to migrate in response to climate. We evaluated the consequences of asynchronous range shifts in an alpine plant–pollinator community by transplanting replicated alpine meadow turfs downslope along an elevational gradient thereby introducing them to warmer climates and novel plant and pollinator communities. We asked how these novel plant–pollinator interactions affect plant reproduction. We found that pollinator communities differed substantially across the elevation/temperature gradient, suggesting that these plants will likely interact with different pollinator communities with warming climate. Contrary to the expectation that floral visitation would increase monotonically with warmer temperatures at lower elevations, visitation rate to the transplanted communities peaked under intermediate warming at midelevation sites. In contrast, visitation rate generally increased with temperature for the local, lower elevation plant communities surrounding the experimental alpine turfs. For two of three focal plant species in the transplanted high‐elevation community, reproduction declined at warmer sites. For these species, reproduction appears to be dependent on pollinator identity such that reduced reproduction may be attributable to decreased visitation from key pollinator species, such as bumble bees, at warmer sites. Reproduction in the third focal species appears to be primarily driven by overall pollinator visitation rate, regardless of pollinator identity. Taken together, the results suggest climate warming can indirectly affect plant reproduction via changes in plant–pollinator interactions. More broadly, the experiment provides a case study for predicting the outcome of novel species interactions formed under changing climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species‐specific shifts in phenology (timing of periodic life cycle events) are occurring with climate change and are already disrupting interactions within and among trophic levels. Phenological phase duration (e.g. beginning to end of flowering) and complementarity (patterns of nonoverlap), and their responses to changing conditions, will be important determinants of species' adaptive capacity to these shifts. Evidence indicates that extension of phenological duration of mutualistic partners could buffer negative impacts that occur with phenological shifts. Therefore, we suggest that techniques to extend the length of phenological duration will contribute to management of systems experiencing phenological asynchrony. Techniques of phenological phase extension discussed include the role of abiotic heterogeneity, genetic and species diversity, and alteration of population timing. We explore these approaches with the goal of creating a framework to build adaptive capacity and address phenological asynchrony in plant–animal mutualisms under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have the capacity to alter their phenotype in response to environmental factors, such as herbivory, a phenomenon called phenotypic plasticity. However, little is known on how plant responses to herbivory are modulated by environmental variation along ecological gradients. To investigate this question, we used bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) plants and an experimental treatment to induce plant defenses (i.e., application of methyl jasmonate; MeJA), to observe ecological responses and gene expression changes along an elevational gradient in a boreal system in western Norway. The gradient included optimal growing conditions for bilberry in this region (ca. 500 m a.s.l.), and the plant's range limits at high (ca. 900 m a.s.l.) and low (100 m a.s.l.) elevations. Across all altitudinal sites, MeJA‐treated plants allocated more resources to herbivory resistance while reducing growth and reproduction than control plants, but this response was more pronounced at the lowest elevation. High‐elevation plants growing under less herbivory pressure but more resource‐limiting conditions exhibited consistently high expression levels of defense genes in both MeJA‐treated and untreated plants at all times, suggesting a constant state of "alert." These results suggest that plant defense responses at both the molecular and ecological levels are modulated by the combination of climate and herbivory pressure, such that plants under different environmental conditions differentially direct the resources available to specific antiherbivore strategies. Our findings are important for understanding the complex impact of future climate changes on plant–herbivore interactions, as this is a major driver of ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme climatic events, yet few studies have addressed the capacity of plant species to deal with such events. Species that are widespread are predicted to be highly plastic and able to acclimate to highly changing conditions. To study the plasticity in physiological responses of the widely distributed epiphyte Tillandsia utriculata, we transplanted individuals from a coastal scrub and broadleaf evergreen forest to a similar coastal scrub site and forest. After a 45‐day acclimation, the plants were moved to a semi‐controlled greenhouse at each site, and then subjected to a 20‐day drought. Physiological variables were measured during the acclimation and the drought. The individuals of scrub and forest populations had similar relative water content and carbon assimilation in the contrasting conditions of the two transplantation sites despite the high discrepancy between the environments at their original site. Electron transport rates were higher in individuals from the scrub population. Electron transport rates were also higher than estimated from carbon assimilation, suggesting that photorespiration was present. The individuals of the coastal scrub population had a higher capacity to dissipate excess energy this way. The relative distance index of plasticity was high overall, indicating that some traits are highly plastic (titratable acidity, carbon assimilation) in order to maintain the stability of others (maximum quantum yield Fv/Fm and relative water content). We conclude that T. utriculata is a highly plastic species with a high capacity to tolerate extreme environmental changes over a short time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater‐dependent ecosystems are often defined by the presence of deeply rooted phreatophytic plants. When connected to groundwater, phreatophytes in arid regions decouple ecosystem net primary productivity from precipitation, underscoring a disproportionately high biodiversity and exchange of resources relative to surrounding areas. However, groundwater‐dependent ecosystems are widely threatened due to the effects of water diversions, groundwater abstraction, and higher frequencies of episodic drought and heat waves. The resilience of these ecosystems to shifting ecohydrological–climatological conditions will depend largely on the capacity of dominant, phreatophytic plants to cope with dramatic reductions in water availability and increases in atmospheric water demand. This paper disentangles the broad range of hydraulic traits expressed by phreatophytic vegetation to better understand their capacity to survive or even thrive under shifting ecohydrological conditions. We focus on three elements of plant water relations: (a) hydraulic architecture (including root area to leaf area ratios and rooting depth), (b) xylem structure and function, and (c) stomatal regulation. We place the expression of these traits across a continuum of phreatophytic habits from obligate to semi‐obligate to semi‐facultative to facultative. Although many species occupy multiple phreatophytic niches depending on access to groundwater, we anticipate that populations are largely locally adapted to a narrow range of ecohydrological conditions regardless of gene flow across ecohydrological gradients. Consequently, we hypothesize that reductions in available groundwater and increases in atmospheric water demand will result in either (a) stand replacement of obligate phreatophytic species with more facultative species as a function of widespread mortality in highly groundwater‐dependent populations or (b) directional selection in semi‐obligate and semi‐facultative phreatophytes towards the expression of traits associated with highly facultative phreatophytes in the absence of species replacement. Anticipated shifts in the expression of hydraulic traits may have profound impacts on water cycling processes, species assemblages, and habitat structure of groundwater‐dependent woodlands and riparian forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Projecting future distributions of species under climate change remains a particular challenge for species that are trophically interacting. Interaction partners are often assumed to react differently to climate change, causing spatial mismatches in future distributions and increased extinction risks. We compare potential direct effects of climate change with combined direct and indirect effects mediated via food plants on a highly specialized bird species. Location: Europe. Taxon: European spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). Methods: We used climate‐based species distribution models to project probabilities of occurrence of European spotted nutcrackers and their main food sources, Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) and common hazel (Corylus avellana) under climate change. We combined direct climate change effects on the bird and indirect effects via the food plants by calculating the probabilities of plants and nutcrackers occurring together. Results: We find considerable projected northward shifts in future occurrences of nutcrackers under climate change and similar effects on hazel. In contrast, projections for Swiss stone pine indicate minor altitudinal upward shifts. Combined projections of direct and indirect effects of climate change indicate less pronounced shifts of nutcrackers' occurrences, due to relatively small changes in pine's occurrences and to suitable hazel occurrence shifts. Main conclusions: Our study suggests that potential effects of climate change on the future distribution of the nutcracker might be overestimated when ignoring trophically interacting plants in future projections. Models of direct effects of climate change on nutcrackers' occurrence probabilities project greater range losses than models of combined direct and indirect effects via resource plants. Therefore, considering biotic interactions does not necessarily increase the risks that climate change may impose on species distributions, but could reduce overestimation of potential range losses in rapidly changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme abiotic conditions, geographic isolation, and low levels of disturbance have historically provided alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic regions with low input of and relative resistance to the introduction of new species. However, the climate is warming rapidly, concomitant with intense and diversified types of human influence in these cold environments. Consequently, many plant species, both native and nonnative, are now moving or expanding their ranges to higher elevations and latitudes, creating new species interactions and assemblages that challenge biodiversity conservation. Based on our synthesis, many of the same nonnative species invade multiple cold environments, and many more could move up or over from adjoining warmer areas. Transportation networks and the disturbances associated with burgeoning development are responsible for many movements. Prevention and monitoring for nonnative plant species is of paramount importance, and management should be directed toward species that negatively impact ecosystem function or human well-being. Management of native range shifters is more complicated; most movements will be desirable, but some may be locally undesirable. Overall, plant movements into alpine, arctic, and Antarctic areas are going to increase, and management will need to be adaptive because species movements and assemblages of the past will not reflect those of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Many studies use differences among plant populations to infer future plant responses, but these predictions will provide meaningful insights only if patterns of plasticity among populations are similar (i.e., in the absence of population‐by‐environment interaction, P × E). In this study, we tested whether P × E is considered in climate change studies. Specifically, we evaluated whether population differentiation varies across environments and whether P × E is determined by aspects of the study system and experimental design. Location: Global. Methods: We conducted a literature search in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database to identify studies assessing population differentiation in a climate change context. We quantified the occurrence of P × E and performed a meta‐analysis to calculate the percentage of traits showing P × E in the study cases. Results: We identified 309 study cases (from 237 published articles) assessing population differentiation in 172 plant species, of which 64% included more than one test environment and tested P × E. In 77% of these studies, P × E was significant for at least one functional trait. The overall proportion of traits showing P × E was 33.4% (95% confidence interval 27.7–39.3). These results were generally consistent across life‐forms, ecoregions and type of experiment. Furthermore, population differentiation varied across test environments in 76% of cases. The overall proportion of traits showing environment‐dependent population differentiation was 53.7% (95% confidence interval 37.9–69.3). Conclusions: Our findings revealed that differences in phenotypic plasticity among populations are common but are usually neglected in order to forecast population responses to climate change. Future studies should assess population differentiation in many test environments (accounting for P × E) that realistically reflect future environmental conditions, assessing climate change drivers that are rarely considered (e.g., multifactor experiments incorporating higher CO2 levels). Our review also revealed the predominant focus of population studies on trees from temperate climates, identifying underexplored life‐forms (shrubs, annuals), phylogenetic groups (ferns, ancient gymnosperms) and ecoregions (tropical, arctic) that should receive more attention in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is projected to exacerbate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, with negative impacts on ecosystem stability and functioning. We evaluate the additive and combined effects of chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and rainfall variation on the temporal stability of mutualistic EFN‐bearing plant–ant networks in a Caatinga dry forest. We evaluated whether changes in the stability of these interactions are driven by changes in the stability of the communities of partners involved and/or in ant behavior. We sampled EFN‐bearing plant–ant networks in sixteen 20 × 20 m plots distributed across CAD and rainfall gradients. The stability of EFN‐bearing plant and attendant–ant communities were measured as the inverse of temporal differences in their community structure and composition. We also computed the stability of EFN‐bearing plant–ant networks by measuring the inverse of temporal differences in network specialization metrics. We found that, in general, the structure and composition of plant and ant interacting communities were similarly stable along both environmental gradients. Only CAD and its interaction with rainfall affected the temporal stability of EFN‐bearing plant diversity, which declined as CAD increased, with a more pronounced relationship in wetter areas. However, variation in levels of CAD and, to a lesser extent, rainfall greatly modulated the stability of EFN‐bearing plant–ant network specialization. CAD reduced the stability of network generality (specialization at the ant level), an effect that was much stronger in wetter areas. Meanwhile, the stability in network vulnerability (specialization at the plant level) decreased with the increase of CAD and the decrease of rainfall levels. Finally, there was a trend of decreasing stability in specialization of the overall network with increasing CAD. Our results suggest that changes in the structure of interaction networks are mainly driven by a switch in ant behavior rather than by changes in the structure and composition of plant and ant communities between years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary pollen offers excellent opportunities to reconstruct vegetation changes over past millennia. Number of different pollen taxa or pollen richness is used to characterise past plant richness. To improve the interpretation of sedimentary pollen richness, it is essential to understand the relationship between pollen and plant richness in contemporary landscapes. This study presents a regional‐scale comparison of pollen and plant richness from northern Europe and evaluates the importance of environmental variables on pollen and plant richness.We use a pollen dataset of 511 lake‐surface pollen samples ranging through temperate, boreal and tundra biomes. To characterise plant diversity, we use a dataset formulated from the two largest plant atlases available in Europe. We compare pollen and plant richness estimates in different groups of taxa (wind‐pollinated vs. non‐wind‐pollinated, trees and shrubs vs. herbs and grasses) and test their relationships with climate and landscape variables.Pollen richness is significantly positively correlated with plant richness (r = 0.53). The pollen plant richness correlation improves (r = 0.63) when high pollen producers are downweighted prior to estimating richness minimising the influence of pollen production on the pollen richness estimate. This suggests that methods accommodating pollen‐production differences in richness estimates deserve further attention and should become more widely used in Quaternary pollen diversity studies.The highest correlations are found between pollen and plant richness of trees and shrubs (r = 0.83) and of wind‐pollinated taxa (r = 0.75) suggesting that these are the best measures of broad‐scale plant richness over several thousands of square kilometres.Mean annual temperature is the strongest predictor of both pollen and plant richness. Landscape openness is positively associated with pollen richness but not with plant richness. Pollen richness values from extremely open and/or cold areas where pollen production is low should be interpreted with caution because low local pollen production increases the proportion of extra‐regional pollen.Synthesis. Our results confirm that pollen data can provide insights into past plant richness changes in northern Europe, and with careful consideration of pollen‐production differences and spatial scale represented, pollen data make it possible to investigate vegetation diversity trends over long time‐scales and under changing climatic and habitat conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience is a complex phenomenon whereby a multitude of social and environmental factors, including gender, combine to shape the ways that shocks affect people. Looking at two BRACED (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters) projects, in Burkina Faso and in Ethiopia, this article uses a desk review and primary data from partners and people at risk to explore how a gender‐transformative approach can be an integral part of resilience‐building projects, particularly those implemented by multi‐stakeholder consortia. It also suggests ways to incorporate a stronger gender component in similar future projects. The article argues that donors and programme managers must provide clear principles and guidelines for achieving gender equity within resilience‐building efforts. However, these must allow flexibility to adapt to norms, needs and resources as determined by implementing partners. The right balance can be achieved by facilitating spaces for individual and collective goal‐setting; assessing current capacity and trajectories; and lesson‐sharing as an iterative process for institutional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A warming climate has been shown to drive thermophilization—shifts in species abundance toward those adapted to warm and dry conditions. The community dynamics shaping this process have been proposed to vary between temperature-limited alpine plant communities and those that are both temperature and moisture limited. In nine sites across the xeric alpine zone in the White Mountains, California, USA, we experimentally increased summertime temperature and precipitation for three seasons and quantified community responses with a climatic niche analysis. We asked if thermophilization occurred in response to experimental heating, and if this effect was ameliorated by experimental watering. Under experimentally warmer conditions, we found no change in the mean community-weighted climatic niche (CCN); however, thermophilization of this community was observed based on a shift in the seventy-fifth percentile of the CCN and an increase in the proportional abundance of the hottest, driest adapted species. In addition, total vegetation abundance increased and species richness decreased with heating. Experimental watering did not ameliorate these effects of heating. Together, these results suggest that warming in arid alpine areas may result in less diverse plant communities dominated by hot, dry associated species, although short-term responses may be limited because of community lags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive salinisation of irrigated cropland is causing substantial losses in agricultural production, a problem that will worsen due to climate change effects. Enhancing crop salt tolerance is a sensible strategy to achieve significant increases in crop yields, but requires a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms. When challenged by salinity, all plants, regardless of their degree of tolerance, activate a series of basic responses, including the control of ion transport, the synthesis of compatible solutes for osmotic adjustment, or the activation of antioxidant systems. Yet, for a given species, the biological relevance and the relative contribution of different responses to the mechanisms of salt tolerance remain largely unknown. Over the last years, we have performed comparative analyses on the responses to salinity in different taxa, genetically related but with varying levels of tolerance. Correlating salt-induced changes in the concentrations of suitable biochemical stress markers with the relative tolerance of the investigated species, we are obtaining novel and interesting information on those mechanisms. Some examples with taxa of several genera are discussed, to show the usefulness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Pending climate impacts on China's main power infrastructure were evaluated. • A pervasive negative impact on China's power sector will expand over time. • Spatial heterogeneity of climate impacts appears across diverse provinces. • A critical minority of plants contribute to the main body of climate impacts. • A strong nexus is shown between carbon emissions and climate losses for coal-fired plants. The energy infrastructure has emitted massive GHGs and will suffer greatly from climate risks. Given China's largest installed capacity globally, assessing climate impacts on diverse power infrastructures will yield critical risk information and support climate-resilient policymaking. However, lacking detailed plant-level data and ignoring the integrated infrastructural management of adaptation and mitigation priorly impede an in-depth evaluation. By employing high-coverage and -resolution plant-level data and the outputs of six CMIP6 models, we evaluate the pending climate impacts on five power-production sources at the interprovincial and plant levels in China. We find a pervasive negative impact on China's power sector, and the adverse effects expand over time (short-term: 214–342 TWh, long-term: 268–397 TWh, 25–75% quantile). For different future scenarios, the greater the radiative forcing, the greater the loss of power generation. Fossil-related production loss will completely offset the gain in most provinces from renewable power, with an overall negative impact in these regions. Besides, two evident phenomena occur: First, spatial heterogeneity appears across diverse provinces; second, a critical minority of China's plants with a low capacity share contribute to the main body of climate impacts. We consider the need for a targeted coal decommissioning strategy for climate adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate change, land-use change, and dispersal capacity drive plant redistribution. • We estimated the role of each factor in future range by comparing the predictions. • Climate change alone expanded the future range for all warm-adapted plants. • Land-use factor alone decreased the future range by an average of 45%. • Dispersal limitation alone decreased the future range by an average of 14%. The range shifts of plants are a result of dynamic interactions among climate change, land-use change, and dispersal capacity. Our study aimed to explore the dynamic roles of climate change, land-use change, and dispersal capacity in the redistributions of five warm-adapted evergreen broadleaved plants, namely, Pittosporum tobira , Raphiolepis indica var. umbellata , Neolitsea sericea , Ilex integra , and Eurya emarginata in the Republic of Korea. For this, we predicted the current and future distributions in 2070 of five species under two climate change scenarios, representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5 (representative concentration pathways (RCP) 4.5, RCP 8.5), two land-use change scenarios, shared socioeconomic pathways 1 and 3 (SSP1, SSP3), and four dispersal scenarios, namely, no dispersal (ND), short-distance dispersal (SDD), long-distance dispersal (LDD), full dispersal (FD). Then, we compared the predictions. The results indicated that the traditional SDM predictions, assuming only climate change, presented significant range expansions for all five plants, approximately 39% to 299% under RCP4.5 and 51% to 544% under RCP8.5. However, when compared with the traditional SDM predictions, coupling land-use change and the predictions decreased the future ranges by an average of 45%, ranging from 36% to 51%. Linking land-use change and realistic dispersal abilities, SDD and LDD, to the predictions reduced the future ranges by an average of 59%, ranging from 53% to 66%. Land-use factor alone decreased the future range by an average of 45%, ranging from 36% to 51%, and dispersal capacity by an average of 14%, ranging from 6% to 30%. In conclusion, climate change and land-use change were, on average, more influential than dispersal capacity in the range dynamics of plants. However, the influential power of those factors was species-specific, showing the strong effect of dispersal capacity on the future range of P. tobira. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents changes in the flow of 14 rivers located in the Warta River basin, recorded from 1951 to 2020. The Warta is the third-longest river in Poland. Unfortunately, the Warta River catchment area is one of the most water-scarce regions. It hosts about 150 hydropower plants with a capacity of up to 5 kW. The catchment areas of the 14 smaller rivers selected for the study differ in location, size, land cover structure and geological structure. The paper is the first study of this type with respect to both the number of analyzed catchments, the length of the sampling series and the number of analyzed flow characteristics in this part of Europe. The analysis of changes in the river flows was performed with reference to low minimum, mean and maximum monthly, seasonal and annual flows. Particular attention was paid to 1, 3, 7, 30 and 90-day low flows and durations of the flows between Q50 and Q90%. In addition, the duration of flows between Q50 and Q90% were analysed. Analysis of the direction and extent of particular flow types was performed by multitemporal analysis using the Mann–Kendall (MK) and Sen (S) tests. The analysis of multiannual flow sequences from the years 1951–2020 showed that the changes varied over the time periods and catchments. The most significant changes occurred in the low flows, while the least significant changes occurred in the high flows. From the point of view of the operation of the hydropower sector, these changes may be unfavourable and result in a reduction in the efficiency of run-of-river hydropower plants. It was established that local factors play a dominant role in the shaping of river flows in both positive and negative terms, for the efficiency of the hydropower plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]