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An assessment of potential responses of Melaleuca genus to global climate change

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Abstract

The genus Melaleuca consists of around 260 species covering over eight million hectares (including native and introduced species) and distributed mostly in Australia, but also occurring in South-East Asia, the Southern United States and the Caribbean. Melaleuca populations predominantly occur in wetland or/and coastal ecosystems where they have been significantly affected by climate change. This paper assesses the potential responses of the Melaleuca genus to climate change, based on the synthesis of worldwide published data. The main findings include: (i) that the Melaleuca genus has a rich species diversity, and significant phenotypic diversity in a variety of ecosystems; (ii) they demonstrate significant local adaptation to harsh conditions; and (iii) the fossil records and taxon biology indicate the evolution of the Melaleuca genus began around 38 million years ago and they have survived several significant climatic alterations, particularly a shift towards cooler and drier climates that has occurred over this period. These findings show that the Melaleuca genus is highly resilient and adaptable and based on this, this paper argues that Melaleuca can adapt to climate change through Wright’s ‘migrational adaptation’, and can be managed to achieve sustainable benefits.

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Notes

  1. CLIMEX is software introduced by Sutherst et al. (2007) that the dynamic model uses an annual Growth Index (GIA) to describe the potential for population growth as a function of soil moisture and temperature during favorable conditions.

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Acknowledgement

This paper is supported by School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland. The authors would like to thank Peter Storer for his editorial help. We also specially thank the anonymous reviewers for their excellent comments on the earlier version of this manuscript. The first author is very grateful to the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (MOET) for the PhD scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Da B. Tran, Paul Dargusch & Patrick Moss

  2. Department of Agroforestry, Vietnam Forestry University, Xuan Mai Town, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Da B. Tran & Tho V. Hoang

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  1. Da B. Tran
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  2. Paul Dargusch
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  3. Patrick Moss
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  4. Tho V. Hoang
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Correspondence to Da B. Tran.

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Tran, D.B., Dargusch, P., Moss, P. et al. An assessment of potential responses of Melaleuca genus to global climate change. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 18, 851–867 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-012-9394-2

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