Climate is a potent selective force in natural populations, yet the importance of adaptation in
the response of plant species to past climate change has been questioned. As many …

Increasing temperatures are driving rapid upward range shifts of species in mountains. An
altitudinal range retreat of 10 m is predicted to translate into a ∼10-km latitudinal retreat …

Rapid anthropogenic environmental change is altering selection pressures on natural plant
populations. However, it is difficult to predict easily the novel selection pressures to which …

Studies on Fagus sylvatica show that growth in populations toward the southern limit of this
species' distribution is limited strongly by drought. Warming temperatures in the …

Populations left behind during climate-driven range shifts can persist in enclaves of benign
environmental conditions within an inhospitable regional climate. Such climate relicts exist in …

Drought events are increasing globally, and reports of consequent forest mortality are
widespread. However, due to a lack of a quantitative global synthesis, it is still not clear whether …

We review the evidence of how organisms and populations are currently responding to climate
change through phenotypic plasticity, genotypic evolution, changes in distribution and, in …

Habitat fragmentation poses a serious threat to plants through genetic changes associated
with increased isolation and reduced population size. However, the longevity of trees, …

Altitudinal upward shifts of species’ ranges have occurred across a wide range of taxonomic
groups and geographical locations during the twentieth century in response to current …

Rapid increases in global temperature are likely to impose strong directional selection on
many plant populations, which must therefore adapt if they are to survive. Within populations, …