Lupinus species in central Mexico in the era of climate change: Adaptation, migration, or extinction?

The genus Lupinus L. belongs to the Family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, and tribe Genistae. Lupinus comprises approximately 267 annual and perennial species of plants of different habits: herbs, shrubs, and trees, and the majority of them occurs in the New World, where there are two recognized diversification centers: North America (~?100 species) and the Andes (~?85 species), while in the Old World, this genus is represented by only 14 species. Plants of the genus Lupinus show great plasticity, allowing them to grow on a wide diversity of habitats, from sea level to alpine elevations. The high adaptability of this genus of Fabaceae is favored by the association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria of genus Bradyrhizobium. However, at the species level, a high specialization is observed with some species restricted to a strict altitudinal range. The impact of temperature changes can lead such lowland species to expand their range far more to the north and those of high elevation may simply disappear due to a restriction of their ecological niches. On the light of our knowledge of the distribution of some Mexican Lupinus species and their respective physiological traits and constricts, we discuss here of possible changes in distribution and conservation risks depending on global changes of temperature.