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Dryad

Data from: Assisted migration of cloud forest trees: Unearthing the effects of climatic transfer distance

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Mar 12, 2025 version files 512 KB

Abstract

We planted 30 seedlings of 13 shade-tolerant tropical montane cloud forest tree species in eight forest sites (3120 seedlings in total) along an elevation gradient (1250 to 2429 m a.s.l.) in central-eastern Mexico. We recorded sapling survival and relative growth rate in height (RGRh) and diameter (RGRd) after eight years. We tested the survival and growth response for all species together to the effect of Climatic Transfer Distance (CTD; the difference between the historical climate at the seed source and the current climate at translocation sites) in terms of mean annual temperature (CTD_MAT), maximum and minimum annual temperatures (CTD_Tmax and CTD_Tmin), mean annual precipitation (CTD_MAP), and climate moisture deficit (CTD_CMD). We also tested the sapling response to the climatic variables at the translocation site. We found evidence to support the decline, although slight, in tree sapling survival and growth across tree species with increasing CTD, thus supporting the hypothesis of a reduction in performance with increasing distance between the climate to which tree species are adapted (historic climate of seed origin) and that at the new translocation sites. Our results support a higher mortality risk caused by increasing CTD in MAP and MAT and a decline in growth caused by the increasing CTD in MAT, Tmax, MAP, and CMD. Although high variation occurred among species, this general pattern still emerged and was consistent for all the climatic variables.