Local Adaptation in Heterogeneous LandscapesReciprocal Transplant Experiments and Beyond

Abstract

Reciprocal transplant experiments in general, and those involving serpentine systems in particular, are important tools for understanding plant adaptation to heterogeneous environments. This chapter discusses several important factors that should be considered when designing reciprocal transplant or common garden experiments. It stresses that proper replication of such experiments across multiple sites, using experimental lineages (potentially including recombinant lines) in combination with detailed edaphic measurements and/or manipulations, can help us learn about the specific traits which may be under diversifying selection across soil types, and the axes of environmental variation that are most critical to that diversification.