Local maladaptation in a foundation tree species: implications for restoration( Part-1: survival) 

We established a common garden experiment within a 238 ha restoration site owned and managed by the South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water), near the township of Clarendon (-35.0882°S, 138.6236°E). We grew ca. 1500 seedlings sourced from one local and two non-local provenances of Eucalyptus leucoxylon to test whether local provenancing was appropriate. The three provenances spanned an aridity gradient, with the local provenance sourced from the most mesic area and the distant from the most arid. We explored the effect of provenance on four fitness proxies after 15 months, including survival, above-ground height, susceptibility to insect herbivory, and pathogen related stress. 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

These data are from a project that forms one component of the PhD thesis of the author where that explores relationship of provenance-to-site distance of a core restoration species in temperate Australia (i.e. Mediterranean biome). The project focuses on promoting durable restoration plantings. It involves exploring the relationship of provenance-to-site distance, through common gardens, reciprocal transplant experiments and also developing new monitoring tools incorporating next generation sequencing of the soil microbiome that will be used for restoration metrics and adaptive management interventions. 

Plant survival survey: Plants were scored as either alive =1 if green foliage and/or a green stems were present or scored as dead=0 if no green foliage was present or no plant was found within the plant guard of a marked stake.