Rapid trait evolution under climate manipulations
Three out of ten traits showed significant divergence among climate
manipulations and hence rapid evolution within 10 years of field
experiments. It was always the dry treatment that had diverged from
control and wet treatments (Table 1, Fig. 1). Plants descending from dry
manipulated plots flowered on average 3-4 days (c. 4%) earlier and with
4-5 (c. 13%) fewer leaves, and had 10-15% higher reproductive
allocation than plants from control and wet manipulated plots (Table 1,
Fig. 1). These evolutionary responses to drought were consistent in both
sites (no site × climate
manipulation and site × water × climate manipulation interactions; Table
1).
The seven remaining traits showed no divergence among climate
manipulation treatments (Table 1, Fig. 1).