Towards a novel perspective for eucalypt revegetation under climate change

– genomic approaches for identifying climate adaptation in Grey Box, Eucalyptus macrocarpa

Professor Ary Hoffmann
University of Melbourne

This project investigated the genomics underlying climate adaptation in Eucalyptus macrocarpa, a widespread woodland eucalypt used in revegetation across agricultural south-eastern Australia. The project generated an initial genomic dataset for exploring adaptive variation along rainfall and temperature gradients in this species. The researchers found evidence of climate adaptation which has important implications for conservation especially seed sourcing for revegetation under climate change. They report that where adaptation does exist, it is not only neutral genetic diversity that needs to carry into revegetation but also adaptive diversity to assist in the long-term evolutionary potential of new sites. Results from this study can assist in guiding where to source material for revegetation, especially under future environmental and climatic changes. The work will add to a growing body of knowledge regarding climate adaptation in eucalypts more broadly.