Science Daily interviewed Sally Aitken, a UBC forestry professor who co-authored a study that found two different coniferous trees use the same small set of genes to quickly adapt to varying climates.
Aitken said that trees decide to turn thousands of genes on or off to deal with changes in temperature and moisture, suggesting there could be various ways trees in a region can adapt to local climate.
“We have to understand climate adaptation in other conifers so we can address trees that are becoming mismatched with local conditions due to climate change,”she said. “This will also help us offer better recommendations for forest management strategies in changing climates, and plant trees that are more likely to thrive and adapt more quickly to climate change.”
A similar story appeared on Gizmodo Australia.
