该研究团队通过实验测试了在竞争激烈的模式植物群落（浮萍和多棱浮萍）中，边缘种群是否能适应变暖。值得注意的是，研究人员发现只有当种群与种间竞争对手一起进化时，才有可能适应变暖范围边缘。
此外，竞争对手在范围边缘实现了高温耐受性的发展和热性能的增加，但在较冷的范围核心却没有。他们的研究结果表明，当竞争和变暖有共同的进化反应时，竞争对手会加速热适应。总体而言，课题组人员强调了在预测未来范围变化时纳入社区背景的紧迫性，表明拮抗相互作用不一定会阻碍对气候恶化的适应。
据介绍，大多数关于种群能否适应变暖范围边缘的预测都忽略了物种间的相互作用。
附：英文原文
Title: Competition enables rapid adaptation to a warming range edge in a model plant community
Author: Takuji Usui, Amy L. Angert
Issue&Volume: 2026-06-04
Abstract: Most predictions of whether populations will adapt to warming range edges ignore species interactions. We experimentally tested whether range-edge populations can adapt to warming within a competitive, model plant community (Lemna spp. and Spirodela polyrhiza duckweeds). Notably, we found that adaptation to warming range edges was possible only when populations evolved with interspecific competitors. Moreover, competitors enabled the evolution of both high-temperature tolerance and increased thermal performance breadth at the range edge, but not at the cooler range core. Our results reveal that competitors accelerate thermal adaptation when there is a shared evolutionary response to both competition and warming. Overall, we highlight the urgency of including community context in predicting future range shifts, showing that antagonistic interactions do not necessarily hinder adaptation to climate deterioration.
DOI: ads4664
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads4664