Aspen in a changing world: The adaptable aspen lives across the globe, from snowyhigh-elevation forests to dry deserts. But can this circumglobal super species adapt to a changing climate

摘要

It's no wonder that the word "aspen" has served as a title for perfumes, iconic mountain towns and children's names. We love this tree, and there are a lot of them to love. Aspen range from the barren fringes of Alaska's Brooks Range to the fecund tropical highlands of central Mexico. They intermingle with hardwood forests in West Virginia, dominate the North Woods of Wisconsin and carpet mountainsides of the American West. Quaking aspen {Populus tremuloides) is the most widely distributed tree in North America, and its cousins reach around the world. In the Far East, there is Chinese aspen {Populus adenopoda) and Japanese aspen {Populus sieboldii). Eurasia and northern Africa harbor European aspen {Populus tremula), the aspen species most similar to North America's P. tremuloides. In fact, aspen is so adaptable that it is one of a select group of trees dubbed "circumglobal super species," spanning continents in strikingly similar forms.With such wide-ranging parameters, one might think that aspen would be nicely poised to bend with the curves of climate change. Unfortunately for aspen — and for the myriad species that call aspen groves home and communities that depend on aspen to help regulate their water supply — just the opposite could be true. And given aspen's global presence, ecosystems around the world could experience the consequences.