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Oro D, Freixas L, Bartrina C, Míguez S, Torre I. Direct and indirect effects of climate and seed dynamics on the breeding performance of a seed predator at the distribution edge. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70104. [PMID: 39157667 PMCID: PMC11327614 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Marginal populations usually have low densities and are considered to be particularly vulnerable to environmental stochasticity. Using data collected in nest boxes, we analyzed the breeding performance of the edible dormouse (Glis glis), an obligate hibernating rodent and a seed predator in deciduous forests, in two populations at the distribution range's edge. Despite being only 20 km apart from each other, Montseny is a large patch of mixed deciduous forests (oaks and beech), whereas Montnegre would be the harshest habitat, that is, a small, isolated patch with only oaks. First, we studied the differences in climate and tree cover change in the two populations. Second, we analyzed the direct and indirect roles of local climate conditions and seed availability on breeding performance over 10 years in each population. Finally, we explored the influence of tree cover change on the occupancy dynamics in the two populations. Our results showed contrasting responses between populations: in Montseny, asynchronous seed production between oaks and beech precluded skip breeding, and breeding performance increased with seed availability. Furthermore, dormice in Montseny may use pollen production to anticipate the amount of beech nut resources and adjust their breeding effort. Boxes showed higher occupancy and colonization and fewer extinctions in Montseny than in Montnegre, where seed availability did not drive breeding performance. Results from Montnegre suggest that skip breeding was an adaptive response to a more pulsed, harsher environment. Here, females produced a similar number of pups than at Montseny. Long-term studies dealing with population responses in marginal habitats can lead to a deeper understanding of the capacities of organisms to adapt to harsh environments. Although local adaptation is frequently documented across various taxa, studies at the distribution edge may shed light on our still limited comprehension of the underlying mechanisms responsible for its occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Ecology and Complexity DepartmentCenter of Advanced Studies (CEAB‐CSIC)BlanesSpain
| | - Lídia Freixas
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
| | - Carme Bartrina
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
| | | | - Ignasi Torre
- BiBio Research GroupNatural Sciences Museum of GranollersGranollersSpain
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2
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Boratyński JS, Iwińska K, Wirowska M, Borowski Z, Zub K. Predation can shape the cascade interplay between heterothermy, exploration and maintenance metabolism under high food availability. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11579. [PMID: 38932950 PMCID: PMC11199196 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Maintenance metabolism as the minimum energy expenditure needed to maintain homeothermy (a high and stable body temperature, T b), reflects the magnitude of metabolic machinery and the associated costs of self-maintenance in endotherms (organisms able to produce heat endogenously). Therefore, it can interact with most, if not all, organismal functions, including the behavior-fitness linkage. Many endothermic animals can avoid the costs of maintaining homeothermy and temporally reduce T b and metabolism by entering heterothermic states like torpor, the most effective energy-saving strategy. Variations in BMR, behavior, and torpor use are considered to be shaped by food resources, but those conclusions are based on research studying these traits in isolation. We tested the effect of ecological contexts (food availability and predation risk) on the interplay between the maintenance costs of homeothermy, heterothermy, and exploration in a wild mammal-the yellow-necked mouse. We measured maintenance metabolism as basal metabolic rate (BMR) using respirometry, distance moved (exploration) in the open-field test, and variation in T b (heterothermy) during short-term fasting in animals captured at different locations of known natural food availability and predator presence, and with or without supplementary food resources. We found that in winter, heterothermy and exploration (but not BMR) negatively correlated with natural food availability (determined in autumn). Supplementary feeding increased mouse density, predation risk and finally had a positive effect on heterothermy (but not on BMR or exploration). The path analysis testing plausible causal relationships between the studied traits indicated that elevated predation risk increased heterothermy, which in turn negatively affected exploration, which positively correlated with BMR. Our study indicates that adaptive heterothermy is a compensation strategy for balancing the energy budget in endothermic animals experiencing low natural food availability. This study also suggests that under environmental challenges like increased predation risk, the use of an effective energy-saving strategy predicts behavioral expression better than self-maintenance costs under homeothermy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karolina Iwińska
- University of Białystok Doctoral School in Exact and Natural SciencesBiałystokPoland
| | - Martyna Wirowska
- Department of Systematic ZoologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Zbigniew Borowski
- Department of Forest EcologyForest Research InstituteSękocin StaryPoland
| | - Karol Zub
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
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3
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Maag N, Korner-Nievergelt F, Szymkowiak J, Hałas N, Maziarz M, Neubauer G, Luepold SB, Carlotti S, Schaub M, Flade M, Scherrer D, Grendelmeier A, Riess M, Stelbrink P, Pasinelli G. Wood warbler population dynamics in response to mast seeding regimes in Europe. Ecology 2024; 105:e4227. [PMID: 38038276 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Mast seeding is the episodic, massive production of plant seeds synchronized over large areas. The resulting superabundance of seeds represents a resource pulse that can profoundly affect animal populations across trophic levels. Following years of high seed production, the abundance of both seed consumers and their predators increase. Higher predator abundance leads to increased predation pressure across the trophic web, impacting nonseed consumers such as the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix through increased nest predation after tree mast years. Over the past 30 years, the frequency of tree seed masts has increased, while wood warbler populations have declined in several regions of Europe. We hypothesized that increasing mast frequencies may have contributed to the observed population declines by creating suboptimal breeding conditions in years after masting. We measured reproductive output in four study areas in central Europe, which was between 0.61 and 1.24 fledglings lower in the years following masting than nonmasting. For each study area, we used matrix population models to predict population trends based on the estimated reproductive output and the local mast frequencies. We then compared the predicted with the observed population trends to assess if the frequency of mast years had contributed to the population dynamics. In Wielkopolska National Park (PL) and Hessen (DE), masting occurred on average only every 4 years and populations were stable or nearly so, whereas in Jura (CH) and Białowieża National Park (PL), masting occurred every 2 and 2.5 years, respectively, and populations were declining. The simple matrix population models predicted the relative difference among local population trends over the past 10-20 years well, suggesting that the masting frequency may partly explain regional variation in population trends. Simulations suggest that further increases in mast frequency will lead to further declines in wood warbler populations. We show that changes in a natural process, such as mast seeding, may contribute to the decline in animal populations through cascading effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nino Maag
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
| | | | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Forest Biology Center, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Natalia Hałas
- Population Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Marta Maziarz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | - Martin Flade
- Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Angermünde, Germany
| | - Daniel Scherrer
- Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Riess
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Pablo Stelbrink
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gilberto Pasinelli
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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4
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Marini G, Tagliapietra V, Cristofolini F, Cristofori A, Dagostin F, Zuccali MG, Molinaro S, Gottardini E, Rizzoli A. Correlation between airborne pollen data and the risk of tick-borne encephalitis in northern Italy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8262. [PMID: 37217780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35478-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a flavivirus that infects animals including humans. In Europe, the TBE virus circulates enzootically in natural foci among ticks and rodent hosts. The abundance of ticks depends on the abundance of rodent hosts, which in turn depends on the availability of food resources, such as tree seeds. Trees can exhibit large inter-annual fluctuations in seed production (masting), which influences the abundance of rodents the following year, and the abundance of nymphal ticks two years later. Thus, the biology of this system predicts a 2-year time lag between masting and the incidence of tick-borne diseases such as TBE. As airborne pollen abundance is related to masting, we investigated whether inter-annual variation in pollen load could be directly correlated with inter-annual variation in the incidence of TBE in human populations with a 2-year time lag. We focused our study on the province of Trento (northern Italy), where 206 TBE cases were notified between 1992 and 2020. We tested the relationship between TBE incidence and pollen load collected from 1989 to 2020 for 7 different tree species common in our study area. Through univariate analysis we found that the pollen quantities recorded two years prior for two tree species, hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia) and downy oak (Quercus pubescens), were positively correlated with TBE emergence (R2 = 0.2) while a multivariate model with both tree species better explained the variation in annual TBE incidence (R2 = 0.34). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at quantifying the correlation between pollen quantities and the incidence of TBE in human populations. As pollen loads are collected by widespread aerobiological networks using standardized procedures, our study could be easily replicated to test their potential as early warning system for TBE and other tick-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Marini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy.
| | - Valentina Tagliapietra
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Fabiana Cristofolini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Antonella Cristofori
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Francesca Dagostin
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | | | | | - Elena Gottardini
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Annapaola Rizzoli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All'Adige, TN, Italy
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5
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Identification of DNA Methylation Changes in European Beech Seeds during Desiccation and Storage. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043557. [PMID: 36834975 PMCID: PMC9968092 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ageing and deterioration of seeds is a major problem for the maintenance of seed quality and viability during long-term storage. Prediction of early stages of seed deterioration in order to point out the plantlets' regeneration time is a major challenge of successful storage. In preserved seeds, damages accumulate within cells at the rate mainly related to their moisture content and temperature of storage. Current research reveals global alterations in DNA methylation in lipid-rich intermediate seeds during desiccation and storage at various regimes covering nonoptimal and optimal conditions. We show for the first time that monitoring of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) level in seeds can be used as a truly universal viability marker regardless of postharvest category of seeds and their composition. For seeds stored up to three years, in varied conditions, moisture content, temperature, and time of storage had significant influence on seedling emergence and DNA methylation (p < 0.05). Similarities among lipid-rich intermediate and orthodox seeds regarding different reactions of embryonic axes and cotyledons to desiccation are newly revealed. Along with previous studies on seeds dramatically different in desiccation tolerance (recalcitrant vs. orthodox), results regarding lipid-rich seeds positioned in-between (intermediate) prove that maintaining global DNA methylation status is crucial for maintaining seed viability.
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6
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Diaz-Martin Z, Browne L, Cabrera D, Olivo J, Karubian J. Impacts of Flowering Density on Pollen Dispersal and Gametic Diversity Are Scale Dependent. Am Nat 2023; 201:52-64. [PMID: 36524929 DOI: 10.1086/721918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPollen dispersal is a key evolutionary and ecological process, but the degree to which variation in the density of concurrently flowering conspecific plants (i.e., coflowering density) shapes pollination patterns remains understudied. We monitored coflowering density and corresponding pollination patterns of the insect-pollinated palm Oenocarpus bataua in northwestern Ecuador and found that the influence of coflowering density on these patterns was scale dependent: high neighborhood densities were associated with reductions in pollen dispersal distance and gametic diversity of progeny arrays, whereas we observed the opposite pattern at the landscape scale. In addition, neighborhood coflowering density also impacted forward pollen dispersal kernel parameters, suggesting that low neighborhood densities encourage pollen movement and may promote gene flow and genetic diversity. Our work reveals how coflowering density at different spatial scales influences pollen movement, which in turn informs our broader understanding of the mechanisms underlying patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow within populations of plants.
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Szuba A, Kalemba EM, Wawrzyniak MK, Suszka J, Chmielarz P. Deterioration in the Quality of Recalcitrant Quercus robur Seeds during Six Months of Storage at Subzero Temperatures: Ineffective Activation of Prosurvival Mechanisms and Evidence of Freezing Stress from an Untargeted Metabolomic Study. Metabolites 2022; 12:756. [PMID: 36005628 PMCID: PMC9413681 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12080756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) is an economically important forest-forming species in Poland that produces seeds that are sensitive to desiccation; therefore, short-lived seeds are classified as recalcitrant. Such seeds display active metabolism throughout storage. Acorns stored under controlled conditions (moisture content of 40%, temperature -3 °C) maintain viability for up to 1.5-2 years. Meanwhile, oaks only produce large numbers of seeds every few years during so-called mast years. This results in a scarcity of good-quality seeds for continuous nursery production and restoration. The recalcitrant storage behavior and the requirements of foresters make it necessary to develop a new protocol for longer acorn storage at lower temperatures. Two storage temperatures were tested: -3 °C (currently used in forest practice) and -7 °C. Our results showed that acorns stored for six months exhibited deterioration and reduced germination capacity, as well as reduced seedling performance, particularly when acorns were stored at -7 °C. To elucidate the decrease in quality during storage, an untargeted metabolomics study was performed for the first time and supported with the analysis of carbohydrates and percentages of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Embryonic axes were characterized by a lower C:N ratio and higher hydration. A total of 1985 metabolites were detected, and 303 were successfully identified and quantified, revealing 44 known metabolites that displayed significantly up- or downregulated abundance. We demonstrated for the first time that the significant deterioration of seed germination potential, particularly in seeds stored at -7 °C, was accompanied by an increased abundance of phenolic compounds and carbohydrates but also amino acids and phosphorylated monosaccharides, particularly in the embryonic axes. The increased abundance of defense-related metabolites (1,2,4-Benzenetriol; BTO), products of ascorbic acid degradation (threonic and isothreonic acid), as well as antifreezing compounds (sugar alcohols, predominantly threitol), was reported in seed stored at -7 °C. We hypothesize that seed deterioration was caused by freezing stress experienced during six months of storage at -7 °C, a decline in antioxidative potential and the unsuccessful rerouting of the energy-production pathways. Additionally, our data are a good example of the application of high-throughput metabolomic tools in forest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Szuba
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Dendrology, Parkowa 5, PL-62035 Kórnik, Poland
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8
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Baláž I, Bogdziewicz M, Dziemian-Zwolak S, Presti CL, Wróbel A, Zduniak M, Zwolak R. From trees to fleas: masting indirectly affects flea abundance on a rodent host. Integr Zool 2022; 18:440-452. [PMID: 35848894 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Mast seeding causes strong fluctuations in populations of forest animals. Thus, this phenomenon can be used as a natural experiment to examine how variation in host abundance affects parasite loads. We investigated fleas infesting yellow-necked mice in beech forest after two mast and two non-mast years. We tested two mutually exclusive scenarios: (1) as predicted by classical models of density-dependent transmission, an increase in host density will cause an increase in ectoparasite abundance (defined as the number of parasites per host), vs. (2) an increase in host density will cause a decline in flea abundance ("dilution", which is thought to occur when parasite population growth is slower than that of the host). In addition, we assessed whether masting alters the relationship between host traits (sex and body mass) and flea abundance. We found a hump-shaped relationship between host and flea abundance. Thus, the most basic predictions are too simple to describe ectoparasite dynamics in this system. In addition, masting modified seasonal dynamics of flea abundance, but did not affect the relationship between host traits and flea abundance (individuals with the highest body mass hosted the most fleas; after controlling for body mass, parasite abundance did not vary between sexes). Our results demonstrate that pulses of tree reproduction can indirectly, through changes in host densities, drive patterns of ectoparasite infestation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Baláž
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovenia
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland.,French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Laboratory of EcoSystems and Societes in Mountain Environments
| | | | | | - Aleksandra Wróbel
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Milena Zduniak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
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9
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Bogdziewicz M, Kuijper D, Zwolak R, Churski M, Jędrzejewska B, Wysocka-Fijorek E, Gazda A, Miścicki S, Podgórski T. Emerging infectious disease triggered a trophic cascade and enhanced recruitment of a masting tree. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212636. [PMID: 35232238 PMCID: PMC8889186 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There are several mechanisms that allow plants to temporarily escape from top-down control. One of them is trophic cascades triggered by top predators or pathogens. Another is satiation of consumers by mast seeding. These two mechanisms have traditionally been studied in separation. However, their combined action may have a greater effect on plant release than either process alone. In 2015, an outbreak of a disease (African swine fever, ASF) caused a crash in wild boar (Sus scrofa) abundance in Białowieża Primeval Forest. Wild boar are important consumers of acorns and are difficult to satiate relative to less mobile granivores. We hypothesized that the joint action of the ASF outbreak and masting would enhance regeneration of oaks (Quercus robur). Data from ungulate exclosures demonstrated that ASF led to reduction in acorn predation. Tree seedling data indicated that oak recruitment increased twofold relative to pre-epidemic period. Our results showed that perturbations caused by wildlife disease travel through food webs and influence forest dynamics. The outbreak of ASF acted synergistically with masting and removed herbivore top-down control of oaks by mobile consumers. This illustrates that the ASF epidemic that currently occurs across Europe can have broad effects on forest dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Ulica Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań 61-614, Poland.,INRAE, LESSEM, University Grenoble Alpes, 2 rue de la Papeterie, BP 76, Saint-Martin-d'Hères 38400, France
| | - Dries Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Ulica Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań 61-614, Poland
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
| | - Bogumiła Jędrzejewska
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
| | - Emilia Wysocka-Fijorek
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Forest Research Institute-Sękocin Stary, ul. Braci Leśnej 3, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland
| | - Anna Gazda
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Stanisław Miścicki
- Department of Forest Management Planning, Dendrometry and Forest Economics, Institute of Forests Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska Str. 159, Warszawa 02-776, Poland
| | - Tomasz Podgórski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ul. Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland.,Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
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Gratzer G, Pesendorfer MB, Sachser F, Wachtveitl L, Nopp‐Mayr U, Szwagrzyk J, Canham CD. Does fine scale spatiotemporal variation in seed rain translate into plant population structure? OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Georg Gratzer
- Inst. of Forest Ecology, Dept of Soil and Forest Sciences, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Inst. of Forest Ecology, Dept of Soil and Forest Sciences, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Frederik Sachser
- Inst. of Forest Ecology, Dept of Soil and Forest Sciences, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
- Inst. of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Dept of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Laura Wachtveitl
- Inst. of Forest Ecology, Dept of Soil and Forest Sciences, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Ursula Nopp‐Mayr
- Inst. of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, Dept of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, BOKU – Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Jerzy Szwagrzyk
- Dept of Botany and Nature Conservation, Forest Biodiversity Inst., Univ. of Agriculture Kraków Poland
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NAD(P)H Drives the Ascorbate-Glutathione Cycle and Abundance of Catalase in Developing Beech Seeds Differently in Embryonic Axes and Cotyledons. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10122021. [PMID: 34943124 PMCID: PMC8698623 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10122021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
European beech is an important component of European lowland forests in terms of ecology, and produces irregular seeds categorized as intermediate due to their limited longevity. Removal of the excess of reactive oxygen species is crucial for redox homeostasis in growing plant tissues. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is detoxified via the plant-specific ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and enzymatically, mainly by catalase (CAT). The reduced and oxidized (redox) forms of ascorbate (AsA, DHA) and glutathione (GSH, GSSG) decreased during maturation as the content of redox forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH, NAD+) phosphate (NADPH, NADP+), cofactors of ascorbate–glutathione enzymes, declined and limited this cycle. The degree of oxidation of glutathione peaked at approximately 80%, at the exact time when the NADP content was the lowest and the NADPH/NADP+ ratio reached the highest values. The glutathione pool was reflected in changes in the NADP pool, both in embryonic axes (R2 = 0.61) and in cotyledons (R2 = 0.98). A large excess of NADPH was reported in embryonic axes, whereas cotyledons displayed more unified levels of NADP redox forms. As a result, anabolic redox charge and reducing power were higher in embryonic axes. CAT was recognized as two proteins, and the abundance of the 55 kDa protein was correlated with all redox forms of ascorbate, glutathione, NAD, and NADP, whereas the 37 kDa protein was oppositely regulated in embryonic axes and cotyledons. Here, we discuss the role of NAD(P) in the regulation of the ascorbate–glutathione cycle, catalase, and seed longevity concerning a putative role of NAD(P)H as a redox biomarker involved in predefining seed quality, because NAD(P)H-derived redox homeostasis was found to be better controlled in embryonic axes than cotyledons.
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12
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Pesendorfer MB, Bowman R, Gratzer G, Pruett S, Tringali A, Fitzpatrick JW. Fire history and weather interact to determine extent and synchrony of mast-seeding in rhizomatous scrub oaks of Florida. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200381. [PMID: 34657464 PMCID: PMC8520774 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In disturbance-prone ecosystems, fitness consequences of plant reproductive strategies are often determined by the relative timing of seed production and disturbance events, but the role of disturbances as proximate drivers of seed production has been overlooked. We use long-term data on seed production in Quercus chapmanii, Q. geminata and Q. inopina, rhizomatous oaks found in south central Florida's oak scrub, to investigate the role of fire history and its interaction with weather in shaping acorn production and its synchrony. Acorn production increased with the time since last fire, combined with additive or interactive effects of spring precipitation (+) or drought (-). Furthermore, multiple matrix regression models revealed that ramet pairs with shared fire history were more synchronous in seed production than ones that burned in different years. Long-term trends suggest that increasingly drier spring weather, in interaction with fire frequency, may drive a decline of seed production. Such declines could affect the community of acorn-reliant vertebrates in the Florida scrub, including endangered Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens). These results illustrate that fire can function as a proximate driver of seed production in mast-seeding species, highlighting the increasingly recognized importance of interactions among reproductive strategies and disturbance regimes in structuring plant populations and communities. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Reed Bowman
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL 33960, USA
| | - Georg Gratzer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - John W. Fitzpatrick
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL 33960, USA
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13
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Garcia G, Re B, Orians C, Crone E. By wind or wing: pollination syndromes and alternate bearing in horticultural systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200371. [PMID: 34657465 PMCID: PMC8520786 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclical fluctuations in reproductive output are widespread among perennial plants, from multi-year masting cycles in forest trees to alternate bearing in horticultural crops. In natural systems, ecological drivers such as climate and pollen limitation can result in synchrony among plants. Agricultural practices are generally assumed to outweigh ecological drivers that might synchronize alternate-bearing individuals, but this assumption has not been rigorously assessed and little is known about the role of pollen limitation as a driver of synchrony in alternate-bearing crops. We tested whether alternate-bearing perennial crops show signs of alternate bearing at a national scale and whether the magnitude of national-scale alternate bearing differs across pollination syndromes. We analysed the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations time series (1961-2018) of national crop yields across the top-producing countries of 27 alternate-bearing taxa, 6 wind-pollinated and 21 insect-pollinated. Alternate bearing was common in these national data and more pronounced in wind-pollinated taxa, which exhibited a more negative lag-1 autocorrelation and a higher coefficient of variation (CV). We highlight the mutual benefits of integrating ecological theory and agricultural data for (i) advancing our understanding of perennial plant reproduction across time, space and taxa, and (ii) promoting stable farmer livelihoods and global food supply. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Garcia
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Bridget Re
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Colin Orians
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Elizabeth Crone
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
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14
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Picornell A, Oteros J, Ruiz-Mata R, Recio M, Trigo MM, Martínez-Bracero M, Lara B, Serrano-García A, Galán C, García-Mozo H, Alcázar P, Pérez-Badia R, Cabezudo B, Romero-Morte J, Rojo J. Methods for interpolating missing data in aerobiological databases. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111391. [PMID: 34058184 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Missing data is a common problem in scientific research. The availability of extensive environmental time series is usually laborious and difficult, and sometimes unexpected failures are not detected until samples are processed. Consequently, environmental databases frequently have some gaps with missing data in it. Applying an interpolation method before starting the data analysis can be a good solution in order to complete this missing information. Nevertheless, there are several different approaches whose accuracy should be considered and compared. In this study, data from 6 aerobiological sampling stations were used as an example of environmental data series to assess the accuracy of different interpolation methods. For that, observed daily pollen/spore concentration data series were randomly removed, interpolated by using different methods and then, compared with the observed data to measure the errors produced. Different periods, gap sizes, interpolation methods and bioaerosols were considered in order to check their influence in the interpolation accuracy. The moving mean interpolation method obtained the highest success rate as average. By using this method, a success rate of the 70% was obtained when the risk classes used in the alert systems of the pollen information platforms were taken into account. In general, errors were mostly greater when there were high oscillations in the concentrations of biotic particles during consecutive days. That is the reason why the pre-peak and peak periods showed the highest interpolation errors. The errors were also higher when gaps longer than 5 days were considered. So, for completing long periods of missing data, it would be advisable to test other methodological approaches. A new Variation Index based on the behaviour of the pollen/spore season (measurement of the variability of the concentrations every 2 consecutive days) was elaborated, which allows to estimate the potential error before the interpolation is applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Picornell
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain.
| | - J Oteros
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - R Ruiz-Mata
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M Recio
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M M Trigo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - M Martínez-Bracero
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain; School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - B Lara
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - A Serrano-García
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - C Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - H García-Mozo
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - P Alcázar
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence CeiA3, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Andalusian Inter-University Institute for Earth System IISTA, University of Cordoba, Spain
| | - R Pérez-Badia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - B Cabezudo
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, E-29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - J Romero-Morte
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain
| | - J Rojo
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Institute of Environmental Sciences (Botany), Toledo, Spain; Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
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15
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Caignard T, Kremer A, Bouteiller XP, Parmentier J, Louvet JM, Venner S, Delzon S. Counter-gradient variation of reproductive effort in a widely distributed temperate oak ( Quercus petraea). Funct Ecol 2021; 35:1745-1755. [PMID: 36825207 PMCID: PMC7614218 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The genetic and phenotypic variability of life history traits determines the demographic attributes of tree populations and, thus, their responses to anthropogenic climate change. Growth- and survival-related traits have been widely studied in forest ecology, but little is known about the determinism of reproductive traits.Using an elevation gradient experiment in the Pyrenees we assessed the degree to which variations in reproductive effort along climatic gradients are environmentally or genetically driven, by comparing oak populations (Quercus petraea) growing under field and common garden conditions.In situ monitoring revealed a decline in reproductive effort with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature. In common garden conditions, significant genetic differentiation was observed between provenances for reproduction and growth: trees from cold environments (high elevations) grew more slowly, and produced larger acorns in larger numbers. Our observations show that genetic and phenotypic clines for reproductive traits have opposite signs (counter-gradient) along the environmental gradient as opposed to growth, for which genetic variation parallels phenotypic variation (co-gradient).The counter-gradient found here for reproductive effort reveals that genetic variation partly counteracts the phenotypic effect of temperature, moderating the change in reproductive effort according to temperature. We consider the possible contribution to this counter-gradient in reproductive effort as an evolutionary trade-off between reproduction and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Julien Parmentier
- INRAE, UE 0393, Unité Expérimentale Arboricole, Centre de Recherche Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Toulenne, France
| | | | - Samuel Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558-CNRS, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, F-69365, Lyon, France
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16
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Ruf T, Bieber C. Physiological, Behavioral, and Life-History Adaptations to Environmental Fluctuations in the Edible Dormouse. Front Physiol 2020; 11:423. [PMID: 32431626 PMCID: PMC7214925 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The edible dormouse (Glis glis, formerly Myoxus glis) is a small arboreal mammal inhabiting deciduous forests in Europe. This rodent shows behavioral and physiological adaptations to three types of environmental fluctuations: (i) predictable seasonal variation in climate and food resources (ii) unpredictable year-to-year fluctuation in seed-production by trees and (iii) day-to-day variation in ambient temperature and precipitation. They cope with seasonally fluctuating conditions by seasonal fattening and hibernation. Dormice have adjusted to tree-mast fluctuations, i.e., pulsed resources, by sensing future seed availability in spring, and restricting reproduction to years with at least some seed production by beech and oak trees, which are a crucial food-resource for fast-growing juveniles in fall. Finally, dormice respond to short-term drops in ambient temperature by increased use of daily torpor as well as by huddling in groups of up to 24 conspecifics. These responses to environmental fluctuations strongly interact with each other: Dormice are much more prone to using daily torpor and huddling in non-reproductive years, because active gonads can counteract torpor and energy requirements for reproduction may prevent the sharing of food resources associated with huddling. Accordingly, foraging activity in fall is much more intense in reproductive mast years. Also, depending on their energy reserves, dormice may retreat to underground burrows in the summers of non-reproductive years, causing an extension of the hibernation season to up to 11.4 months. In addition to these interactions, responses to environmental fluctuations are modulated by the progression of life-history stages. With increasing age and diminishing chances of future reproduction, females reproduce with increasing frequency even under suboptimal environmental conditions. Simultaneously, older dormice shorten the hibernation season and phase-advance the emergence from hibernation in spring, apparently to occupy good breeding territories early, despite increased predation risk above ground. All of the above adaptions, i.e., huddling, torpor, hibernation, and reproduction skipping do not merely optimize energy-budgets but also help to balance individual predation risk against reproductive success, which adds another layer of complexity to the ability to make flexible adjustments in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ruf
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Bieber
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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17
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LaMontagne JM, Pearse IS, Greene DF, Koenig WD. Mast seeding patterns are asynchronous at a continental scale. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:460-465. [PMID: 32341539 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0647-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Resource pulses are rare events with a short duration and high magnitude that drive the dynamics of both plant and animal populations and communities1. Mast seeding is perhaps the most common type of resource pulse that occurs in terrestrial ecosystems2, is characterized by the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by a population of perennial plants3,4, is widespread both taxonomically and geographically5, and is often associated with nutrient scarcity6. The rare production of abundant seed crops (mast events) that are orders of magnitude greater than crops during low seed years leads to high reproductive success in seed consumers and has cascading impacts in ecosystems2,7. Although it has been suggested that mast seeding is potentially synchronized at continental scales8, studies are largely constrained to local areas covering tens to hundreds of kilometres. Furthermore, summer temperature, which acts as a cue for mast seeding9, shows patterns at continental scales manifested as a juxtaposition of positive and negative anomalies that have been linked to irruptive movements of boreal seed-eating birds10,11. Here, we show a breakdown in synchrony of mast seeding patterns across space, leading to asynchrony at the continental scale. In an analysis of synchrony for a transcontinental North America tree species spanning distances of greater than 5,200 km, we found that mast seeding patterns were significantly asynchronous at distances of greater than 2,000 km apart (all P < 0.05). Other studies have shown declines in synchrony across distance, but not asynchrony. Spatiotemporal variation in summer temperatures at the continental scale drives patterns of synchrony in mast seeding, and we anticipate that this affects the spatial dynamics of numerous seed-eating communities, from insects to small mammals to the large-scale migration patterns of boreal seed-eating birds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian S Pearse
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL, USA
- Fort Collins Science Center, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David F Greene
- Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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18
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Pesendorfer MB, Bogdziewicz M, Szymkowiak J, Borowski Z, Kantorowicz W, Espelta JM, Fernández‐Martínez M. Investigating the relationship between climate, stand age, and temporal trends in masting behavior of European forest trees. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1654-1667. [PMID: 31950581 PMCID: PMC7079002 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Masting-temporally variable seed production with high spatial synchrony-is a pervasive strategy in wind-pollinated trees that is hypothesized to be vulnerable to climate change due to its correlation with variability in abiotic conditions. Recent work suggests that aging may also have strong effects on seed production patterns of trees, but this potential confounding factor has not been considered in previous times series analysis of climate change effects. Using a 54 year dataset for seven dominant species in 17 forests across Poland, we used the proportion of seed-producing trees (PST) to contrast the predictions of the climate change and aging hypotheses in Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, Quercus petraea, and Quercus robur. Our results show that in all species, PST increased over time and that this change correlated most strongly with stand age, while the standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index, a measure of drought, contributed to temporal trends in PST of F. sylvatica and Q. robur. Temporal variability of PST also increased over time in all species except P. sylvestris, while trends in temporal autocorrelation and among-stand synchrony reflect species-specific masting strategies. Our results suggest a pivotal role of plant ontogeny in driving not only the extent but also variability and synchrony of reproduction in temperate forest trees. In a time of increasing forest regrowth in Europe, we therefore call for increased attention to demographic effects such as aging on plant reproductive behavior, particularly in studies examining global change effects using long-term time series data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest EcologyDepartment of Forest and Soil SciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
- Cornell Lab of OrnithologyIthacaNYUSA
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird CenterNational Zoological ParkWashingtonDCUSA
| | | | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | | | - Władysław Kantorowicz
- Department of Silviculture and Genetics of Forest TreesForest Research InstituteRaszynPoland
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19
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Tissier ML, Réale D, Garant D, Bergeron P. Consumption of red maple in anticipation of beech mast‐seeding drives reproduction in eastern chipmunks. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1190-1201. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal QC Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke QC Canada
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20
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Bogdziewicz M, Ascoli D, Hacket‐Pain A, Koenig WD, Pearse I, Pesendorfer M, Satake A, Thomas P, Vacchiano G, Wohlgemuth T, Tanentzap A. From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: an agenda for an experimental ecology. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:210-220. [PMID: 31858712 PMCID: PMC6973031 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Highly variable and synchronised production of seeds by plant populations, known as masting, is implicated in many important ecological processes, but how it arises remains poorly understood. The lack of experimental studies prevents underlying mechanisms from being explicitly tested, and thereby precludes meaningful predictions on the consequences of changing environments for plant reproductive patterns and global vegetation dynamics. Here we review the most relevant proximate drivers of masting and outline a research agenda that takes the biology of masting from a largely observational field of ecology to one rooted in mechanistic understanding. We divide the experimental framework into three main processes: resource dynamics, pollen limitation and genetic and hormonal regulation, and illustrate how specific predictions about proximate mechanisms can be tested, highlighting the few successful experiments as examples. We envision that the experiments we outline will deliver new insights into how and why masting patterns might respond to a changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic ZoologyFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz University in PoznańUmutlowska 8961‐614PoznańPoland
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food SciencesUniversity of Turin10095 GrugliascoTorinoItaly
| | - Andrew Hacket‐Pain
- Department of Geography and PlanningSchool of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | | | - Ian Pearse
- Fort Collins Science Center U.S. Geological SurveyFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - Mario Pesendorfer
- Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNY14850USA
- Institute of Forest EcologyDepartment of Forest and Soil SciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Akiko Satake
- Department of BiologyFaculty of ScienceKyushu University819‐0395FukuokaJapan
| | - Peter Thomas
- School of Life SciencesKeele UniversityStaffordshireST5 5BGUK
| | | | - Thomas Wohlgemuth
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLForest Dynamics, Zürcherstrasse 111CH‐8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Andrew Tanentzap
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StCambridgeCB2 3EAUK
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21
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Bogdziewicz M, Kelly D, Thomas PA, Lageard JGA, Hacket-Pain A. Climate warming disrupts mast seeding and its fitness benefits in European beech. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:88-94. [PMID: 32042155 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0592-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many plants benefit from synchronous year-to-year variation in seed production, called masting. Masting benefits plants because it increases the efficiency of pollination and satiates predators, which reduces seed loss. Here, using a 39-year-long dataset, we show that climate warming over recent decades has increased seed production of European beech but decreased the year-to-year variability of seed production and the reproductive synchrony among individuals. Consequently, the benefit that the plants gained from masting has declined. While climate warming was associated with increased reproductive effort, we demonstrate that less effective pollination and greater losses of seeds to predators offset any benefits to the plants. This shows that an apparently simple benefit of climate warming unravels because of complex ecological interactions. Our results indicate that in masting systems, the main beneficiaries of climate-driven increases in seed production are seed predators, not plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Dave Kelly
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Peter A Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Jonathan G A Lageard
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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22
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Schermer É, Bel-Venner MC, Gaillard JM, Dray S, Boulanger V, Le Roncé I, Oliver G, Chuine I, Delzon S, Venner S. Flower phenology as a disruptor of the fruiting dynamics in temperate oak species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:1181-1192. [PMID: 31569273 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many perennial plants display masting, that is, fruiting with strong interannual variations, irregular and synchronized between trees within the population. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the early flower phenology in temperate oak species promotes stochasticity into their fruiting dynamics, which could play a major role in tree reproductive success. From a large field monitoring network, we compared the pollen phenology between temperate and Mediterranean oak species. Then, focusing on temperate oak species, we explored the influence of the weather around the time of budburst and flowering on seed production, and simulated with a mechanistic model the consequences that an evolutionary shifting of flower phenology would have on fruiting dynamics. Temperate oak species release pollen earlier in the season than do Mediterranean oak species. Such early flowering in temperate oak species results in pollen often being released during unfavorable weather conditions and frequently results in reproductive failure. If pollen release were delayed as a result of natural selection, fruiting dynamics would exhibit much reduced stochastic variation. We propose that early flower phenology might be adaptive by making mast-seeding years rare and unpredictable, which would greatly help in controlling the dynamics of seed consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éliane Schermer
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marie-Claude Bel-Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Stéphane Dray
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département recherche, développement et innovation, Office National des Forêts, F-77300, Fontainebleau, France
| | - Iris Le Roncé
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS, F-34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Gilles Oliver
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique, F-69690, Brussieu, France
| | - Isabelle Chuine
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS, F-34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- UMR 1202, BIOGECO, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, F-33612, Cestas, France
- UMR 1202, Biodiversité, des gènes aux communautés, Université de Bordeaux, F-33615, Pessac, France
| | - Samuel Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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23
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Dehydration Sensitivity at the Early Seedling Establishment Stages of the European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). FORESTS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/f10100900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Shortage of water is a limiting factor for the growth and development of plants, particularly at early developmental stages. We focused on the European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), which produces seeds and further seedlings in large intervals of up to ten years. To explore the beech seedling establishment process, six stages referring to embryo expansion were studied to determine sensitivity to dehydration. The characterization of the response of elongating embryonic axes and cotyledons included a viability test before and after dehydration and measurement of the amounts of electrolyte leakage, concentration, and arrangement of storage materials, changes in chaperone proteins related to water deficit, and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion radicals. Elongating embryonic axes and cotyledons differed in water content, dehydration rates, membrane permeability before and after dehydration, protein, and lipid decomposition pattern, and amount of 44-kDa dehydrin and 22-kDa small heat shock protein (sHSP). Protruding embryonic axes were more sensitive to dehydration than cotyledons, although dehydration caused transient reinduction of three dehydrin-like proteins and sHSP synthesis, which accompany desiccation tolerance. Extended deterioration, including overproduction of hydrogen peroxide and depletion of superoxide anion radicals, was reported in dehydrated embryonic axes longer than 10 mm characterized by highly elevated cellular leakage. The apical part elongating embryonic axes consisting of the radicles was the most sensitive part of the seed to dehydration, and the root apical meristem area was the first to become inviable. The effects of severe dehydration involving ROS imbalance and reduced viability in beech seedlings with embryonic axes longer than 10 mm might help to explain the difficulties in beech seedling establishment observed in drought-affected environments. The conversion of environmental drought into climate-originated oxidative stress affecting beech seedling performance is discussed in this report.
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Lauder JD, Moran EV, Hart SC. Fight or flight? Potential tradeoffs between drought defense and reproduction in conifers. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 39:1071-1085. [PMID: 30924877 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpz031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plants frequently exhibit tradeoffs between reproduction and growth when resources are limited, and often change these allocation patterns in response to stress. Shorter-lived plants such as annuals tend to allocate relatively more resources toward reproduction when stressed, while longer-lived plants tend to invest more heavily in survival and stress defense. However, severe stress may affect the fitness implications of allocating relatively more resources to reproduction versus stress defense. Increased drought intensity and duration have led to widespread mortality events in coniferous forests. In this review, we ask how potential tradeoffs between reproduction and survival influence the likelihood of drought-induced mortality and species persistence. We propose that trees may exhibit what we call 'fight or flight' behaviors under stress. 'Fight' behaviors involve greater resource allocation toward survival (e.g., growth, drought-resistant xylem and pest defense). 'Flight' consists of higher relative allocation of resources to reproduction, potentially increasing both offspring production and mortality risk for the adult. We hypothesize that flight behaviors increase as drought stress escalates the likelihood of mortality in a given location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Lauder
- Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Group, University of California, Merced, N. Lake Road, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Emily V Moran
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences and Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California, Merced, N. Lake Road, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Stephen C Hart
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences and Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California, Merced, N. Lake Road, Merced, CA, USA
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Bogdziewicz M, Żywiec M, Espelta JM, Fernández-Martinez M, Calama R, Ledwoń M, McIntire E, Crone EE. Environmental Veto Synchronizes Mast Seeding in Four Contrasting Tree Species. Am Nat 2019; 194:246-259. [PMID: 31318289 DOI: 10.1086/704111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Synchronized and variable reproduction by perennial plants, called mast seeding, is a major reproductive strategy of trees. The need to accumulate sufficient resources after depletion following fruiting (resource budget), the efficiency of mass flowering for outcross pollination (pollen coupling), or the external factors preventing reproduction (environmental veto) could all synchronize masting. We used seed production data for four species (Quercus ilex, Quercus humilis, Sorbus aucuparia, and Pinus albicaulis) to parametrize resource budget models of masting. Based on species life-history characteristics, we hypothesized that pollen coupling should synchronize reproduction in S. aucuparia and P. albicaulis, while in Q. ilex and Q. humilis, environmental veto should be a major factor. Pollen coupling was stronger in S. aucuparia and P. albicaulis than in oaks, while veto was more frequent in the latter. Yet in all species, costs of reproduction were too small to impose a replenishment period. A synchronous environmental veto, in the presence of environmental stochasticity, was sufficient to produce observed variability and synchrony in reproduction. In the past, vetoes like frost events that prevent reproduction have been perceived as negative for plants. In fact, they could be selectively favored as a way to create mast seeding.
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26
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Nest predator avoidance during habitat selection of a songbird varies with mast peaks and troughs. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2702-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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27
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Vekhnik VA. Effect of food availability on the reproduction in edible dormice (Glis glis L., 1766) on the eastern periphery of the range. MAMMAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-019-00425-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Satake A, Kawatsu K, Chiba Y, Kitamura K, Han Q. Synchronized expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T
between branches underlies mass flowering in Fagus crenata. POPUL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.1010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Satake
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Science, Kyushu University; Fukuoka Japan
| | - Kazutaka Kawatsu
- Graduate School of Life Sciences; Tohoku University; Sendai Japan
| | - Yukako Chiba
- Graduate School of Life Science; Hokkaido University; Sapporo Japan
| | - Keiko Kitamura
- Hokkaido Research Center; Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; Sapporo Japan
| | - Qingmin Han
- Department of Plant Ecology; Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; Tsukuba Japan
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Schermer É, Bel‐Venner M, Fouchet D, Siberchicot A, Boulanger V, Caignard T, Thibaudon M, Oliver G, Nicolas M, Gaillard J, Delzon S, Venner S. Pollen limitation as a main driver of fruiting dynamics in oak populations. Ecol Lett 2018; 22:98-107. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Éliane Schermer
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Marie‐Claude Bel‐Venner
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - David Fouchet
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Aurélie Siberchicot
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département recherche, développement et innovation Office National des Forêts F‐77300 Fontainebleau France
| | - Thomas Caignard
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR 1202 BIOGECO F‐33612 Cestas France
- Université de Bordeaux UMR 1202 Biodiversité, des gènes aux communautés F‐33615 Pessac France
| | - Michel Thibaudon
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique F‐69690 Brussieu France
| | - Gilles Oliver
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique F‐69690 Brussieu France
| | - Manuel Nicolas
- Département recherche, développement et innovation Office National des Forêts F‐77300 Fontainebleau France
| | - Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR 1202 BIOGECO F‐33612 Cestas France
- Université de Bordeaux UMR 1202 Biodiversité, des gènes aux communautés F‐33615 Pessac France
| | - Samuel Venner
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
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Parmenter RR, Zlotin RI, Moore DI, Myers OB. Environmental and endogenous drivers of tree mast production and synchrony in piñon–juniper–oak woodlands of New Mexico. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robert R. Parmenter
- Valles Caldera National Preserve National Park Service Jemez Springs New Mexico 87025 USA
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131 USA
| | - Roman I. Zlotin
- Department of Geography Indiana University Bloomington Indiana 47405 USA
| | - Douglas I. Moore
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131 USA
| | - Orrin B. Myers
- Department of Family and Community Medicine University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico 87131 USA
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Bogdziewicz M, Steele MA, Marino S, Crone EE. Correlated seed failure as an environmental veto to synchronize reproduction of masting plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 219:98-108. [PMID: 29577320 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Variable, synchronized seed production, called masting, is a widespread reproductive strategy in plants. Resource dynamics, pollination success, and, as described here, environmental veto are possible proximate mechanisms driving masting. We explored the environmental veto hypothesis, which assumes that reproductive synchrony is driven by external factors preventing reproduction in some years, by extending the resource budget model of masting with correlated reproductive failure. We ran this model across its parameter space to explore how key parameters interact to drive seeding dynamics. Next, we parameterized the model based on 16 yr of seed production data for populations of red (Quercus rubra) and white (Quercus alba) oaks. We used these empirical models to simulate seeding dynamics, and compared simulated time series with patterns observed in the field. Simulations showed that resource dynamics and reproduction failure can produce masting even in the absence of pollen coupling. In concordance with this, in both oaks, among-year variation in resource gain and correlated reproductive failure were necessary and sufficient to reproduce masting, whereas pollen coupling, although present, was not necessary. Reproductive failure caused by environmental veto may drive large-scale synchronization without density-dependent pollen limitation. Reproduction-inhibiting weather events are prevalent in ecosystems, making described mechanisms likely to operate in many systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18766, USA
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18766, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Crone
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, 163 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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Losada JM, Leslie AB. Why are the seed cones of conifers so diverse at pollination? ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 121:1319-1331. [PMID: 29528365 PMCID: PMC6007286 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Form and function relationships in plant reproductive structures have long fascinated biologists. Although the intricate associations between specific pollinators and reproductive morphology have been widely explored among animal-pollinated plants, the evolutionary processes underlying the diverse morphologies of wind-pollinated plants remain less well understood. Here we study how this diversity may have arisen by focusing on two conifer species in the pine family that have divergent reproductive cone morphologies at pollination. METHODS Standard histology methods, artificial wind pollination assays and phylogenetic analyses were used in this study. KEY RESULTS A detailed study of cone ontogeny in these species reveals that variation in the rate at which their cone scales mature means that pollination occurs at different stages in their development, and thus in association with different specific morphologies. Pollination experiments nevertheless indicate that both species effectively capture pollen. CONCLUSIONS In wind-pollinated plants, morphological diversity may result from simple variation in development among lineages rather than selective pressures for any major differences in function or performance. This work also illustrates the broader importance of developmental context in understanding plant form and function relationships; because plant reproductive structures perform many different functions over their lifetime, subtle differences in development may dramatically alter the specific morphologies that they use to meet these demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan M Losada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew B Leslie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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Bogdziewicz M, Fernández-Martínez M, Bonal R, Belmonte J, Espelta JM. The Moran effect and environmental vetoes: phenological synchrony and drought drive seed production in a Mediterranean oak. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1784. [PMID: 29093224 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Masting is the highly variable production of synchronized seed crops, and is a common reproductive strategy in plants. Weather has long been recognized as centrally involved in driving seed production in masting plants. However, the theory behind mechanisms connecting weather and seeding variation has only recently been developed, and still lacks empirical evaluation. We used 12-year long seed production data for 255 holm oaks (Quercus ilex), as well as airborne pollen and meteorological data, and tested whether masting is driven by environmental constraints: phenological synchrony and associated pollination efficiency, and drought-related acorn abscission. We found that warm springs resulted in short pollen seasons, and length of the pollen seasons was negatively related to acorn production, supporting the phenological synchrony hypothesis. Furthermore, the relationship between phenological synchrony and acorn production was modulated by spring drought, and effects of environmental vetoes on seed production were dependent on last year's environmental constraint, implying passive resource storage. Both vetoes affected among-tree synchrony in seed production. Finally, precipitation preceding acorn maturation was positively related to seed production, mitigating apparent resource depletion following high crop production in the previous year. These results provide new insights into mechanisms beyond widely reported weather and seed production correlations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland .,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marcos Fernández-Martínez
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Jordina Belmonte
- ICTA-UAB, Departament de biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.,Unitat de Botànica, Departament de biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain
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Zwolak R, Witczuk J, Bogdziewicz M, Rychlik L, Pagacz S. Simultaneous population fluctuations of rodents in montane forests and alpine meadows suggest indirect effects of tree masting. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Julia Witczuk
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
- CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leszek Rychlik
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Stanisław Pagacz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
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Fernández-Martínez M, Bogdziewicz M, Espelta JM, Peñuelas J. Nature beyond Linearity: Meteorological Variability and Jensen's Inequality Can Explain Mast Seeding Behavior. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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