The use of local provenance planting stock in woodland production, habitat conservation, and restoration remains a debated topic—valued for its intuitive appeal but often lacking robust evidence on adaptive variation in native tree species. Discussions around appropriate seed sourcing frequently rely on narrow definitions of “local,” often constrained by political boundaries rather than ecological realities. This raises concerns about the risks of using mismatched or overly restricted seed sources, which may result in reduced genetic diversity and limited adaptive capacity. Although provenance and progeny trials have demonstrated genotype-by-environment interactions across many tree species, few have explicitly tested for home site advantage—where local seed sources outperform others at their origin sites. This review synthesizes global evidence from trials conducted in tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate regions to assess the scale and expression of local adaptation. Results are analyzed in two formats: (a) comparing survival and performance of provenances by seed zone origin and planting site; and (b) evaluating performance relative to ecological or Euclidean distance between provenance and trial site. The findings aim to inform seed sourcing strategies that balance genetic diversity, ecological fit, and restoration success.
This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0
This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-015-0046-3Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
Export citation:
RIS (.ris)
TI - Is local best? Examining the evidence for local adaptation in trees and its scale
AU - Boshier, D.
AU - Broadhurst, L.
AU - Cornelius, J.
AU - Gallo, L.
AU - Koskela, J.
AU - Loo, J.
AU - Petrokofsky, G.
AU - St Clair, B.
AB - The use of local provenance planting stock in woodland production, habitat conservation, and restoration remains a debated topic—valued for its intuitive appeal but often lacking robust evidence on adaptive variation in native tree species. Discussions around appropriate seed sourcing frequently rely on narrow definitions of “local,” often constrained by political boundaries rather than ecological realities. This raises concerns about the risks of using mismatched or overly restricted seed sources, which may result in reduced genetic diversity and limited adaptive capacity. Although provenance and progeny trials have demonstrated genotype-by-environment interactions across many tree species, few have explicitly tested for home site advantage—where local seed sources outperform others at their origin sites. This review synthesizes global evidence from trials conducted in tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate regions to assess the scale and expression of local adaptation. Results are analyzed in two formats: (a) comparing survival and performance of provenances by seed zone origin and planting site; and (b) evaluating performance relative to ecological or Euclidean distance between provenance and trial site. The findings aim to inform seed sourcing strategies that balance genetic diversity, ecological fit, and restoration success.
PY - 2015
UR - https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/11685/
DO - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-015-0046-3
KW - forest rehabilitation, trees
ER -Endnote (.ciw)
%T Is local best? Examining the evidence for local adaptation in trees and its scale
%A Boshier, D.
%A Broadhurst, L.
%A Cornelius, J.
%A Gallo, L.
%A Koskela, J.
%A Loo, J.
%A Petrokofsky, G.
%A St Clair, B.
%D 2015
%U https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/11685/
%R https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-015-0046-3
%X The use of local provenance planting stock in woodland production, habitat conservation, and restoration remains a debated topic—valued for its intuitive appeal but often lacking robust evidence on adaptive variation in native tree species. Discussions around appropriate seed sourcing frequently rely on narrow definitions of “local,” often constrained by political boundaries rather than ecological realities. This raises concerns about the risks of using mismatched or overly restricted seed sources, which may result in reduced genetic diversity and limited adaptive capacity. Although provenance and progeny trials have demonstrated genotype-by-environment interactions across many tree species, few have explicitly tested for home site advantage—where local seed sources outperform others at their origin sites. This review synthesizes global evidence from trials conducted in tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate regions to assess the scale and expression of local adaptation. Results are analyzed in two formats: (a) comparing survival and performance of provenances by seed zone origin and planting site; and (b) evaluating performance relative to ecological or Euclidean distance between provenance and trial site. The findings aim to inform seed sourcing strategies that balance genetic diversity, ecological fit, and restoration success.
%K forest rehabilitation
%K trees
Publication year
2015
ISSN
2047-2382
Authors
Boshier, D.; Broadhurst, L.; Cornelius, J.; Gallo, L.; Koskela, J.; Loo, J.; Petrokofsky, G.; St Clair, B.
Language
English
Keywords
forest rehabilitation, trees
Source
Environmental Evidence. 4(1): 20
