We are using this summer in the Rocky Mountains to intensively examine how quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) performs across different contexts. This response might be mediated by turnover in genotypes, because the species grows in potentially large clones with no genetic variation among stems. This response might also be mediated by variation in microclimate within…

The solstice has just come, but summer still seems far away in parts of the Rocky Mountains. Many of the high peaks are still covered in snow. New growth and new leaves await bare ground and warm conditions. But why? Deciding when to deploy a leaf is a risky decision for a plant – too…