Gender dimorphism in Corema album across its biogeographical area and implications under a scenario of extreme drought events

We concluded that C. album populations adjust to the climatic gradient at different hierarchical scales, from physiological instantaneous to time-integrated traits, with gender dimorphism only occurring in sub-optimal environments The absence of morphological differences between genders and the maintenance of a less negative water potential in females in the dry period in southern more arid populations, suggests the existence of compensatory mechanisms at underground level.