Phenotypic plasticity challenges assisted migration in beech

How European beech will cope with climate change is a central question for forest managers across Europe. In a new study published in Science of the Total Environment, our group investigated wood anatomical traits in 15 provenances grown at three trial sites in Germany.
Using quantitative wood anatomy, we found that site conditions strongly influenced traits such as ring width, vessel area, and vessel density, while provenance played a larger role in traits like vessel grouping and conductive area. Importantly, a large share of the variability was explained by inter-individual differences within provenances, emphasizing the overriding importance of genetic diversity.
Interestingly, no clear link was found between the climatic origin of provenances and their xylem traits, challenging the assumption that provenances from warmer and drier regions are inherently more drought-adapted. These results highlight the complexity of predicting provenance performance and suggest that maintaining high within-population diversity may be a more effective management strategy than assisted migration based on provenance selection.
The full paper is available here.