Effect of climate on germination and selection of different genotypes

Understanding the response of species to climate change and their ability to adapt is the key to describe the future development of plant communities. The aim of the study is to determinate intraspecific variability in germination of Festuca rubra from different original climates in response to novel climatic regimes. This study also observes if different climatic regimes lead to selection of different genotypes. Festuca rubra is a widespread clonal grass occurring in the Northern hemisphere. The plant material comes from 11 localities distributed along a climatic grid of factorially crossed temperature and precipitation situated in western Norway. The project was carried out in growth chambers, where the germination of seeds was monitored in two different temperature conditions and in two moisture treatments. Germinated seeds were planted into pots remaining in the same treatment where they germinated. Seedlings from one Petri dish grew together in one pot. One population, from the coldest and the driest original locality, growing in the warm-wet and cold-wet treatments was genetically analysed using microsatellites. Germination of the species was higher and faster in warm than in cold conditions, showing that germination of the species is enhanced by higher temperature. Germination was higher in..