1
|
Wu Y, Barrett SCH, Duan X, Zhang J, Cha Y, Tu C, Li Q. Herbivore-Mediated Selection on Floral Display Covaries Nonlinearly With Plant-Antagonistic Interaction Intensity Among Primrose Populations. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:727957. [PMID: 34868113 PMCID: PMC8636000 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.727957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying the relations between plant-antagonistic interactions and natural selection among populations is important for predicting how spatial variation in ecological interactions drive adaptive differentiation. Here, we investigate the relations between the opportunity for selection, herbivore-mediated selection, and the intensity of plant-herbivore interaction among 11 populations of the insect-pollinated plant Primula florindae over 2 years. We experimentally quantified herbivore-mediated directional selection on three floral traits (two display and one phenological) within populations and found evidence for herbivore-mediated selection for a later flowering start date and a greater number of flowers per plant. The opportunity for selection and strength of herbivore-mediated selection on number of flowers varied nonlinearly with the intensity of herbivory among populations. These parameters increased and then decreased with increasing intensity of plant-herbivore interactions, defined as an increase in the ratio of herbivore-damaged flowers per individual. Our results provide novel insights into how plant-antagonistic interactions can shape spatial variation in selection on floral traits and contribute toward understanding the mechanistic basis of geographic variation in angiosperm flowers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Wu
- School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Xihua University, Chengdu, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Spencer C. H. Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xuyu Duan
- College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Yongpeng Cha
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Chengyi Tu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Qingjun Li
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- Laboratory of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
ValdÉs A, EhrlÉn J. Plant-animal interactions mediate climatic effects on selection on flowering time. Ecology 2021; 102:e03466. [PMID: 34236698 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Selection on flowering time in plants is often mediated by multiple agents, including climatic conditions and the intensity of mutualistic and antagonistic interactions with animals. These selective agents can have both direct and indirect effects. For example, climate might not only influence phenotypic selection on flowering time directly by affecting plant physiology, but it can also alter selection indirectly by modifying the seasonal activity and relative timing of animals interacting with plants. We used 21 yr of data to identify the drivers of selection on flowering time in the perennial herb Lathyrus vernus, and to examine if antagonistic plant-animal interactions mediate effects of climate on selection. We examined the fitness consequences of vertebrate grazing and predispersal seed predation, and how these effects varied among years and among individuals within years. Although both antagonistic plant-animal interactions had important negative effects on plant fitness, only grazing intensity was consistently related to plant phenology, being higher in early-flowering individuals. Spring temperature influenced the intensity of both plant-animal interactions, as well as the covariance between seed predation and plant phenology. However, only differences in grazing intensity among years were associated with differences in selection on flowering time; the strength of selection for early flowering being stronger in years with lower mean intensity of grazing. Our results illustrate how climatic conditions can influence plant-animal interactions that are important selective agents for plant traits. A broader implication of our findings is that both ecological and evolutionary responses to climatic changes might be indirect, and largely mediated by species interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alicia ValdÉs
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan EhrlÉn
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden.,Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Inouye BD, Ehrlén J, Underwood N. Phenology as a process rather than an event: from individual reaction norms to community metrics. ECOL MONOGR 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian D. Inouye
- Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306 USA
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
- Rocky Mountain Biological Lab Gothic Colorado 81224 USA
| | - Johan Ehrlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research Stockholm University Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
| | - Nora Underwood
- Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306 USA
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
- Rocky Mountain Biological Lab Gothic Colorado 81224 USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Toftegaard T, Posledovich D, Navarro‐Cano JA, Wiklund C, Gotthard K, Ehrlén J. Butterfly–host plant synchrony determines patterns of host use across years and regions. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tenna Toftegaard
- Dept of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm Univ. SE106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Diana Posledovich
- Dept of Zoology Stockholm Univ. Stockholm Sweden
- Bolin Centre of Climate Research Stockholm Univ. Stockholm Sweden
| | - José A. Navarro‐Cano
- Dept of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm Univ. SE106 91 Stockholm Sweden
- Desertification Research Centre (CSIC‐UV‐GV) Moncada, Valencia Spain
| | | | - Karl Gotthard
- Dept of Zoology Stockholm Univ. Stockholm Sweden
- Bolin Centre of Climate Research Stockholm Univ. Stockholm Sweden
| | - Johan Ehrlén
- Bolin Centre of Climate Research Stockholm Univ. Stockholm Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Huang G, Li C, Li Y. Phenological responses to nitrogen and water addition are linked to plant growth patterns in a desert herbaceous community. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5139-5152. [PMID: 29876088 PMCID: PMC5980538 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Increases in nitrogen (N) deposition and variation in precipitation have been occurring in temperate deserts; however, little information is available regarding plant phenological responses to environmental cues and their relationships with plant growth pattern in desert ecosystems. In this study, plant phenology and growth of six annuals in response to N and water addition were monitored throughout two consecutive growing seasons in 2011 and 2012 in a temperate desert in northwestern China. The effects of N and water addition on reproductive phenology differed among plant species. N and water addition consistently advanced the flowering onset time and fruiting time of four spring ephemerals; however, their effects on two spring-summer annuals were inconsistent, with advances being noted in one species and delays in another. N and water addition alone increased plant height, relative growth rate, leaf number, flower number, and individual biomass, while their combinative effects on plant growth and reproductive phenology were dependent on species. Multiple regression analysis showed that flowering onset time was negatively correlated with relative growth rate of two species, and negatively correlated with maximum plant height of the other four species. Our study demonstrates that phenological responses to increasing precipitation and N deposition varied in annuals with different life histories, whereby the effects of climate change on plant growth rate were related to reproductive phenology. Desert annuals that were able to accelerate growth rate under increasing soil resource availability tended to advance their flowering onset time to escape drought later in the growing season. This study promotes our understanding of the responses of temperate desert annuals to increasing precipitation and N deposition in this desert.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gang Huang
- State Key Lab of Desert and Oasis EcologyXinjiang Institute of Ecology and GeographyChinese Academy of SciencesUrumqiXinjiangChina
| | - Chen‐hua Li
- State Key Lab of Desert and Oasis EcologyXinjiang Institute of Ecology and GeographyChinese Academy of SciencesUrumqiXinjiangChina
| | - Yan Li
- State Key Lab of Desert and Oasis EcologyXinjiang Institute of Ecology and GeographyChinese Academy of SciencesUrumqiXinjiangChina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Posledovich D, Toftegaard T, Wiklund C, Ehrlén J, Gotthard K. Phenological synchrony between a butterfly and its host plants: Experimental test of effects of spring temperature. J Anim Ecol 2017; 87:150-161. [PMID: 29048758 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Climate-driven changes in the relative phenologies of interacting species may potentially alter the outcome of species interactions. Phenotypic plasticity is expected to be important for short-term response to new climate conditions, and differences between species in plasticity are likely to influence their temporal overlap and interaction patterns. As reaction norms of interacting species may be locally adapted, any such climate-induced change in interaction patterns may vary among localities. However, consequences of spatial variation in plastic responses for species interactions are understudied. We experimentally explored how temperature affected synchrony between spring emergence of a butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, and onset of flowering of five of its host plant species across a latitudinal gradient. We also studied potential effects on synchrony if climate-driven northward expansions would be faster in the butterflies than in host plants. Lastly, to assess how changes in synchrony influence host use we carried out an experiment to examine the importance of the developmental stage of plant reproductive structures for butterfly oviposition preference. In southern locations, the butterflies were well-synchronized with the majority of their local host plant species across temperatures, suggesting that thermal plasticity in butterfly development matches oviposition to host plant development and that thermal reaction norms of insects and plants result in similar advancement of spring phenology in response to warming. In the most northern region, however, relative phenology between the butterfly and two of its host plant species changed with increased temperature. We also show that the developmental stage of plants was important for egg-laying, and conclude that temperature-induced changes in synchrony in the northernmost region are likely to lead to shifts in host use in A. cardamines if spring temperatures become warmer. Northern expansion of butterfly populations might possibly have a positive effect on keeping up with host plant phenology with more northern host plant populations. Considering that the majority of insect herbivores exploit multiple plant species differing in their phenological response to spring temperatures, temperature-induced changes in synchrony might lead to shifts in host use and changes in species interactions in many temperate communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tenna Toftegaard
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Johan Ehrlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karl Gotthard
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|