Predicting genomic adaptation to climate change in teak, a valuable tropical tree species

Climate change considerably affects forest ecosystems through the increase in temperatures, modified precipitation patterns and the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events. Tropical forests are particularly vulnerable to these changes, and the forest sector should undergo serious effects due to the long -term life of trees, which require decades of crop plantation.

Consequently, the evaluation of the adaptability of trees of trees and populations to environmental factors such as temperature and integration of this knowledge in driving plans at an early stage to improve resilience to climate change is essential.

Teck is a precious species of trees known for its use in furniture and other applications. It is naturally distributed from India to Indochina and is cultivated in around 65 countries around the world. The research team analyzed the genomes of trees in an international common garden, using materials derived from natural populations on the island of Java, as well as samples taken from plantations on the island.

They examined the models for distributing polymorphisms among the genomes of individual trees and their correlation with environmental factors, identifying several DNA sites strongly associated with temperature. In addition, in the assessment of adaptability to temperature and precipitation fluctuations due to climate change using genomic data, the team found that the population of southern India has demonstrated high adaptability.

These results, published in Forestry science and technologyare essential to the effective management of genetic resources in teak, a crucial species in tropical forestry. They are also crucial to transforming management practices in forests in cultivated teak global to strengthen resilience against climate change.