Climate Change, Quantitative Genetics and

Adaptive evolution is an almost universal response of the global biota to environmental change. Native populations are currently being challenged by climate change and other anthropogenic stressors in unprecedented ways. Quantitative genetic studies can help us understand how natural selection will change in the future and the extent to which wild populations will be able to acclimate through phenotypic plasticity and adapt through genetically based evolution. This encyclopedia article provides an overview of questions that are amenable to quantitative genetic approaches, an overview of basic concepts in quantitative genetics, and a brief review of findings using these techniques. It is imperative that we continue to enhance our understanding of biotic adaptation to climate change to inform sound conservation strategies. Quantitative genetics is a powerful approach to achieve this objective.