Abstract ID: 3.8989 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

The restoration of mountain ecosystems, shaped and degraded by human activities and in particular by winter tourism, raises the question of the plant material used. The geographical origin and genetic and phenotypic diversity of introduced populations are important factors in their adaptation and ecosystem resilience, and therefore in the success and sustainability of the restoration plan. Revegetation of mountain slopes is an important issue in ski areas following the creation of ski runs, roads, paths or other infrastructures. Mountain slopes can be both revegetated with local plants from grasslands close to the area to be restored, or with mixtures of non-local species selected on lowland and sometimes from other countries. But what difference does it make? Our study, using an experimental approach in pots and in situ, aims to understand the effect of human selection and lowland cultivation on plants’ ecological strategies and their capacity to respond to a new environment. We assessed functional variability at the whole-plant level within two treatments, one on a slope and the other on flat ground, considering a gradient of seed provenance from wild to certified commercial within two species used in seed mixtures for revegetation in Les Trois Vallées. Based on knowledge drawn from agronomy and evolutionary biology, we expect that intentional and unintentional selection has altered the genetic diversity of certified seeds used in restoration and consequently phenotypic variability and plasticity. It is important to rethink the choice of species/genotypes used for restoration in order to improve species adaptability to current and future environmental changes.