Below are photos of a large reciprocal transplant and common garden experiment being established in Panama. Our team of 10 American, German, and Panamanian scientists and technicians transplanted over 3000 tropical tree seedlings of 16 species into 4 separate forests, which each receive different amounts of annual precipitation, in September 2014. We are testing the degree to which tropical tree species show local adaptation and plasticity in response to seasonal drought conditions across a strong rainfall gradient in Central Panama. The results of this experiment will help us to predict and understand how tropical forests will respond to climate change.
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