Gene flow is too slow to save mountain plants from climate change
“As climate change radically alters environments around the globe, many plant species are fighting an uphill battle for survival. A pair of Science studies recently found, for example, that tropical forests are struggling to keep pace with rising temperatures, while some plants have literally been chased up mountain slopes at a rate of several meters per year. According to new research, even widely distributed species won’t be able to adapt quickly enough to survive in a warming climate.” Science Adviser, 7 May 2025

Science, 1 May 2025

Adaptation and gene flow are insufficient to rescue a montane plant under climate change

Climate change increasingly drives local population dynamics, shifts geographic distributions, and threatens persistence. Gene flow and rapid adaptation could rescue declining populations yet are seldom integrated into forecasts. We modeled eco-evolutionary dynamics under preindustrial, contemporary, and projected climates using up to 9 years of fitness data from 102,272 transplants (115 source populations) of Boechera stricta in five common gardens. Climate change endangers locally adapted populations and reduces genotypic variation in long-term population growth rate, suggesting limited adaptive potential.