Genomic vulnerability to climate change in Scots pine

In their recent article published in Evolutionary Applications (DOI: 10.1111/eva.70180), Bartosz Łabiszak and Witold Wachowiak examined adaptive variation in Scots pine across a wide environmental gradient in Northern and Central Europe and assessed the extent of genomic offset under projected future habitat conditions. Their findings highlight a strong role of temperature in shaping population-level adaptation and reveal a substantial risk of genetic maladaptation across the species’ range, particularly at its northern margin. Notably, simulation results indicate that the current rate of climate change exceeds the ability of local Scots pine populations to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions, underscoring the potential need to consider seed management strategies that incorporate assisted migration.