Global warming is already affecting plant phenology, growth and
reproduction. A wide range of evidence indicates warming effects on
reproductive and vegetative traits, as well as phenology, but seldom do
studies assess these traits in concert and across the whole of a plant's
life cycle, particularly in wild species. Further, while there is
evidence that these effects vary between species little is known about
the extent of within-species variation for plant persistence under
future warming scenarios. We assessed trait variation in response to
warming in Oreomyrrhis eriopoda, an Australian native montane herb, in
which within-species variation in germination strategy and growth
characteristics has been demonstrated. We quantified associations
between developmental trajectories and population-level variation in
germination timing and examined whether the next-generation traits are
altered by maternal growth conditions. Warming effects were expressed in
different traits during different developmental stages. The effect of
warming varied as a function of germination strategy, but germination
strategy itself was conserved across generations. Thus, we conclude that
understand the response of wild species to warming takes a whole-of-life
perspective and attention to ecologically significant patterns of within
species variation.