Drought and freezing vulnerability of the isolated hybrid aspen Populus x smithii relative to its parental species, P. tremuloides and P. grandidentata.

The Niobrara River hybrid population is vulnerable to drought due to its combination of inherited drought avoidance and tolerance traits. As climate changes, P. x smithii will likely suffer from increased drought stress, while being unaffected by frost during warmer springs. The two parental species contrast in their survival mechanisms in response to climatic stress, with P. tremuloides tending toward freezing tolerance but drought avoidance and P. grandidentata tending toward freezing avoidance and drought tolerance.