SynthesisAmerican journal of botany2026
Two decades of resurrection studies: What have we learned about contemporary evolution of plant species?
Synthesis in American journal of botany, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Two decades of resurrection studies: What have we learned about contemporary evolution of plant species?American journal of botany · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Evolution of flowering phenology over 44 years of climate change.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Resurrection ecology: An approach for understanding eco-evolutionary plant-microbe interactions under global change.American journal of botany · 2026Article
- Realization of ongoing evolutionary adaptation in the field.Evolution letters · 2026Article
- Investigating a Potential Bias in Resurrection Experiments to Measure Adaptive Evolution of Flowering Time.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Rangewide responses of Mimulus cardinalis to an extreme heat event.American journal of botany · 2026Article
- Unmeasured prior viability selection resolves the paradox of stasis for body size in wild Soay sheep.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
premiseGlobal climate change has altered the eco-evolutionary trajectories of plant species, leading to observed shifts in phenotypes, such as earlier flowering. However, disentangling the contributions of plasticity and adaptation to trait changes remains challenging. The resurrection approach is a powerful method to study genetic and plastic responses by contrasting ancestral and descendant lineages from the same populations under common conditions.
methodsWe compiled a database of resurrection studies to examine plant evolutionary responses to global change using a meta-analysis (46 studies) and quantitative and qualitative review (61 studies). Studies varied widely in the number of focal populations and intervening years separating generations, yet most involved annual plant species in North America and Europe.
resultsWe found evidence for rapid, contemporary evolution in over half of the cases. Moreover, evolution was often adaptive. As hypothesized, annuals showed greater magnitudes of evolutionary change than perennials. Across studies, annual descendants evolved earlier phenology and more resource-acquisitive leaf traits relative to ancestors. Under drought stress, annual and perennial species both evolved earlier phenology. Furthermore, in response to drought, annuals evolved increased plasticity in phenological and physiological traits but reduced plasticity in leaf traits, whereas perennials showed no evidence for evolution in plasticity.
conclusionsOur study reveals that rapid evolution is common but not ubiquitous and highlights the key role of drought escape in plant responses to a warming world. Our review also suggests promising avenues for future resurrection research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.