Table 1.
Frequency (number and %) of use of six key experimental methodologies in local adaptation experiments (N = 308)
| Variable | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|
| No. | % | |
| Experimental environment | ||
| Experiment type | ||
| Reciprocal transplant | 120 | 39 |
| Common garden | 101 | 33 |
| Greenhouse | 87 | 28 |
| Site type | ||
| Natural site | 125 | 41 |
| Artificial conditions | 133 | 59 |
| Other vegetation included | ||
| Only target plant species present | 208 | 68 |
| Native vegetation intact or added | 78 | 25 |
| Measure of response | ||
| Fitness | ||
| Population growth rate (λ) | 14 | 5 |
| Reproductive success | 137 | 44 |
| Germination/emergence | 63 | 20 |
| Survival/mortality | 126 | 41 |
| Damage by herbivores/pathogens | 22 | 7 |
| Visitation from mutualists | 3 | 1 |
| Size (e.g. biomass, number of leaves, circumference) | 182 | 59 |
| Other | 46 | 15 |
| Life stages | ||
| Germination | 79 | 26 |
| Juvenile | 258 | 84 |
| Reproduction | 173 | 56 |
| 2 stages | 124 | 40 |
| All 3 stages | 41 | 13 |
| Multiple generations | ||
| Yes | 12 | 4 |
| No | 296 | 96 |
| Entire life cycle | ||
| Yes | 64 | 21 |
| No | 244 | 79 |
| Number of populations and habitats | ||
| Number of populations (mean) | 8 | – |
| Number of habitats plant material collected from (mean) | 3 | – |
| Maternal effects | ||
| Plant material from controlled environment | 89 | 29 |
| Weighed seeds | 37 | 12 |
| Kept maternal families separate | 50 | 16 |
| Initial plant size used as covariate | 51 | 17 |
| Selective agents | ||
| Biotic factors | ||
| Plant | 40 | 13 |
| Herbivore | 20 | 6 |
| Pathogen | 3 | 1 |
| Mutualist | 7 | 2 |
| Soil biota | 13 | 4 |
| Multiple biotic factors | 5 | 2 |
| Biotic and abiotic factors | 42 | 14 |
| Abiotic factors | ||
| Climate | 144 | 47 |
| Soil | 65 | 21 |
| Light | 10 | 3 |
| Disturbance | 31 | 10 |
| Distance | 3 | 1 |
| Other | 40 | 13 |
| Multiple abiotic factors | 27 | 9 |
| Environmental variability | ||
| Length of experiment (years; mean) | 2 | – |
| Number of sites or created environments (mean) | 4 | – |