Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Effect Of Growth Temperature On Photosynthetic Capacity And Respiration In Three Ecotypes Of Eriophorum Vaginatum, Jessica L. Schedlbauer, Ned Fetcher, Katherine Hood, Michael L. Moody, Jianwu Tang

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecotypic differentiation in the tussock‐forming sedge Eriophorum vaginatum has led to the development of populations that are locally adapted to climate in Alaska's moist tussock tundra. As a foundation species, E. vaginatum plays a central role in providing topographic and microclimatic variation essential to these ecosystems, but a changing climate could diminish the importance of this species. As Arctic temperatures have increased, there is evidence of adaptational lag in E. vaginatum, as locally adapted ecotypes now exhibit reduced population growth rates. Whether there is a physiological underpinning to adaptational lag is unknown. Accordingly, this possibility was investigated in reciprocal …