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Hernandez JO, Naeem M, Zaman W. How Does Changing Environment Influence Plant Seed Movements as Populations of Dispersal Vectors Decline? PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1462. [PMID: 37050088 PMCID: PMC10097094 DOI: 10.3390/plants12071462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants differ widely in their ability to find tolerable climatic ranges through seed dispersal, depending on their life-history traits and habitat characteristics. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review on seed dispersal mechanisms was conducted to elucidate plant seed movements amid changing environments. Here, the highest relative count of studies was found in Spain (16.47%), followed by Brazil (14.12%), and the USA (14.12%). The megadiverse, hotspot countries (e.g., Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, and Indonesia) and Africa (Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo) have very low to no data about the reviewed topic. The effects of land use changes, habitat degradation/disturbances, climate, and extreme weather conditions on seed dispersal mechanisms and agents had the highest share of studies across topics and countries. Plant diversity and distribution of anemochorous, endozoochorous, epizoochorous, hydrochorous, myrmecochorous, and ornithochorous species are seriously affected by changing environments due to altered long-distance seed dispersal. The fruit types commonly associated with endozoochory and ornithochory are species with achene, capsule, drupe, fleshy, and nut fruits/seeds, whereas achene, capsule, samara/winged seeds are associated with anemochory. The present review provides a summary of evidence on how plants are affected by climate change as populations of dispersal vectors decline. Finally, recommendations for further study were made based on the identified knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan O. Hernandez
- Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Baños 4031, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Muhammad Naeem
- Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wajid Zaman
- Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
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2
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Catella SA, Abbott KC. Effects of abiotic heterogeneity on species densities and interaction strengths lead to different spatial biodiversity patterns. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1071375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
During community assembly, abiotic factors can influence species at multiple stages during their life history, for example by affecting early settlement or establishment probabilities and thus initial densities (route 1: abiotic effects on density), or later by affecting the strength of biotic interactions during subsequent life stages (route 2: abiotic effects on interaction strengths). Since real abiotic landscapes are multivariate and complex, how these two distinct routes of abiotic influence affect community patterns has not been quantified. Using an individual-based spatially explicit simulation model, we compared scenarios where abiotic conditions shaped initial densities, interaction strengths, or both, of plant species with unique abiotic niches. We then partitioned the effect of the abiotic landscape on community patterns into components arising from variable density, variable interaction strengths, and their interaction. Even when plants responded to identical landscapes, variable density and variable interaction strengths led to different community patterns, and their combined effects were non-additive. Variable density promoted more spatial structure, while variable interaction strengths promoted higher local species richness. We highlight important implications these findings have in applied plant community ecology.
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3
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Zhang B, Zhang J, Hastings A, Fu Z, Yuan Y, Zhai L. Contrasting plant responses to multivariate environmental variations among species with divergent elevation shifts. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02488. [PMID: 34679234 PMCID: PMC9285362 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The general predictions of climate impacts on species shifts (e.g., upward shift) cannot directly inform local species conservation, because local-scale studies find divergent patterns instead of a general one. For example, our previous study found three shift patterns with elevation (strong down-, moderate down-, and up-slope shifts) in temperate mountain forests. The divergent shifts are hypothesized to arise from both multivariate environmental variations with elevation and corresponding species-specific responses. To test this hypothesis, we sampled soils and leaves to measure elevation variations in soil conditions and determined plant responses using discriminations against heavier isotopes, carbon (13 C) and nitrogen (15 N). Functional traits of the species studied were also extracted from a public trait dataset. We found that: (1) With low soil water contents at low elevations, only the leaves of up-shifters had lower 13 C discriminations at low vs. high elevations; (2) With low soil P contents at high elevations, only the leaves of moderate down-shifters had higher 15 N discriminations at high vs. low elevations; (3) The leaves of strong down-shifters did not show significant elevation patterns of the discriminations; (4) The contrasting responses among the three types of shifters agree with their functional dissimilarity, suggested by their separate locations in a multitrait space. Taken together, the divergent shifts are associated with the elevation variations in environmental conditions and contrasting plant responses. The contrasting responses could result from the functional dissimilarity among species. Therefore, a detailed understanding of both local environmental variations and species-specific responses can facilitate accurate predictions of species shifts to inform local species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
| | - Jinchi Zhang
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCalifornia95616USA
- Santa Fe InstituteSanta FeNew Mexico87501USA
| | - Zhiyuan Fu
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
| | - Yingdan Yuan
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern ChinaJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological RestorationNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsu210037China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and PhysiologyCollege of Horticulture and Plant ProtectionYangzhou UniversityNo. 88, Daxue South RoadYangzhouJiangsu225127China
| | - Lu Zhai
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and ManagementOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOklahoma74078USA
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4
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Warburton EM, Blanar CA. Life in the margins: host-parasite relationships in ecological edges. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:3965-3977. [PMID: 34694518 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07355-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Transitional zones, such as edge habitat, are key landscapes for investigating biodiversity. "Soft edges" are permeable corridors that hosts can cross, while "hard edges" are impermeable borders that hosts cannot pass. Although pathogen transmission in the context of edges is vital to species conservation, drivers of host-parasite relationships in ecological edges remain poorly understood. Thus, we defined a framework for testing hypotheses of host-parasite interactions in hard and soft edges by (1) characterizing hard and soft edges from both the host and parasite perspectives, (2) predicting the types of parasites that would be successful in each type of edge, and (3) applying our framework to species invasion fronts as an example of host-parasite relationships in a soft edge. Generally, we posited that parasites in soft edges are more likely to be negatively affected by habitat fragmentation than their hosts because they occupy higher trophic levels but parasite transmission would benefit from increased host connectivity. Parasites along hard edges, however, are at higher risk of local extinction due to host population perturbations with limited opportunity for parasite recolonization. We then used these characteristics to predict functional traits that would lead to parasite success along soft and hard edges. Finally, we applied our framework to invasive species fronts to highlight predictions regarding host connectivity and parasite traits in soft edges. We anticipate that our work will promote a more complete discussion of habitat connectivity using a common framework and stimulate empirical research into host-parasite relationships within ecological edges and transitional zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Warburton
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30606, USA.
| | - Christopher A Blanar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL, 33314, USA
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5
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Oldfather MF, Van Den Elzen CL, Heffernan PM, Emery NC. Dispersal evolution in temporally variable environments: implications for plant range dynamics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:1584-1594. [PMID: 34587290 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1739] [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: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal-the movement of an individual from the site of birth to a different site for reproduction-is an ecological and evolutionary driver of species ranges that shapes patterns of colonization, connectivity, gene flow, and adaptation. In plants, the traits that influence dispersal often vary within and among species, are heritable, and evolve in response to the fitness consequences of moving through heterogeneous landscapes. Spatial and temporal variation in the quality and quantity of habitat are important sources of selection on dispersal strategies across species ranges. While recent reviews have evaluated the interactions between spatial variation in habitat and dispersal dynamics, the extent to which geographic variation in temporal variability can also shape range-wide patterns in dispersal traits has not been synthesized. In this paper, we summarize key predictions from metapopulation models that evaluate how dispersal evolves in response to spatial and temporal habitat variability. Next, we compile empirical data that quantify temporal variability in plant demography and patterns of dispersal trait variation across species ranges to evaluate the hypothesis that higher temporal variability favors increased dispersal at plant range limits. We found some suggestive evidence supporting this hypothesis while more generally identifying a major gap in empirical work evaluating plant metapopulation dynamics across species ranges and geographic variation in dispersal traits. To address this gap, we propose several future research directions that would advance our understanding of the interplay between spatiotemporal variability and dispersal trait variation in shaping the dynamics of current and future species ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan F Oldfather
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | | | - Patrick M Heffernan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Nancy C Emery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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Llanos-Garrido A, Briega-Álvarez A, Pérez-Tris J, Díaz JA. Environmental association modelling with loci under divergent selection predicts the distribution range of a lizard. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:3856-3868. [PMID: 34047420 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
During the historical building of a species range, individual colonizers have to confront different ecological challenges, and the capacity of the species to broaden its range may depend on the total amount of adaptive genetic variation supplied by evolution. We set out to increase our understanding of what defines a range and the role of underlying genetics by trying to predict an entire species' range from the geographical distribution of its genetic diversity under selection. We sampled five populations of the western Mediterranean lizard Psammodromus algirus that inhabit a noticeable environmental gradient of temperature and precipitation. We correlated the genotypes of 95 individuals (18-20 individuals per population) for 21 SNPs putatively under selection with environmental scores on a bioclimatic gradient, using 1 × 1 km2 grid cells as sampling units. By extrapolating the resulting model to all possible combinations of alleles, we inferred all the geographic cells that were theoretically suitable for a given amount of genetic variance under selection. The inferred distribution range overlapped to a large extent with the realized range of the species (77.46% of overlap), including an accurate prediction of internal gaps and range borders. Our results suggest an adaptability threshold determined by the amount of genetic variation available that would be required to warrant adaptation beyond a certain limit of environmental variation. These results support the idea that the expansion of a species' range can be ultimately linked to the arising of new variants under selection (either newly selected variants from standing genetic variation or innovative mutations under selection).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Llanos-Garrido
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, UCM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrea Briega-Álvarez
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions und Biodiversitätsforschung Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Javier Pérez-Tris
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, UCM, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A Díaz
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, UCM, Madrid, Spain
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7
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Llanos‐Garrido A, Pérez‐Tris J, Díaz JA. The combined use of raw and phylogenetically independent methods of outlier detection uncovers genome-wide dynamics of local adaptation in a lizard. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14356-14367. [PMID: 31938524 PMCID: PMC6953648 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Local adaptation is a dynamic process by which different allele combinations are selected in different populations at different times, and whose genetic signature can be inferred by genome-wide outlier analyses. We combined gene flow estimates with two methods of outlier detection, one of them independent of population coancestry (CIOA) and the other one not (ROA), to identify genetic variants favored when ecology promotes phenotypic convergence. We analyzed genotyping-by-sequencing data from five populations of a lizard distributed over an environmentally heterogeneous range that has been changing since the split of eastern and western lineages ca. 3 mya. Overall, western lizards inhabit forest habitat and are unstriped, whereas eastern ones inhabit shrublands and are striped. However, one population (Lerma) has unstriped phenotype despite its eastern ancestry. The analysis of 73,291 SNPs confirmed the east-west division and identified nonoverlapping sets of outliers (12 identified by ROA and 9 by CIOA). ROA revealed ancestral adaptive variation in the uncovered outliers that were subject to divergent selection and differently fixed for eastern and western populations at the extremes of the environmental gradient. Interestingly, such variation was maintained in Lerma, where we found high levels of heterozygosity for ROA outliers, whereas CIOA uncovered innovative variants that were selected only there. Overall, it seems that both the maintenance of ancestral variation and asymmetric migration have counterbalanced adaptive lineage splitting in our model species. This scenario, which is likely promoted by a changing and heterogeneous environment, could hamper ecological speciation of locally adapted populations despite strong genetic structure between lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Llanos‐Garrido
- Informatics GroupFaculty of Arts and SciencesHarvard UniversityCambridgeMAUSA
- Departamento de BiodiversidadUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
| | - Javier Pérez‐Tris
- Departamento de BiodiversidadUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
| | - José A. Díaz
- Departamento de BiodiversidadUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadridSpain
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8
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Samis KE, Stinchcombe JR, Murren CJ. Population climatic history predicts phenotypic responses in novel environments for Arabidopsis thaliana in North America. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:1068-1080. [PMID: 31364776 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Determining how species perform in novel climatic environments is essential for understanding (1) responses to climate change and (2) evolutionary consequences of biological invasions. For the vast majority of species, the number of population characteristics that will predict performance and patterns of natural selection in novel locations in the wild remains limited. METHODS We evaluated phenological, vegetative, architectural, and fitness-related traits in experimental gardens in contrasting climates (Ontario, Canada, and South Carolina, USA) in the North American non-native distribution of Arabidopsis thaliana. We assessed the effects of climatic distance, geographic distance, and genetic features of history on performance and patterns of natural selection in the novel garden settings. RESULTS We found that plants had greater survivorship, flowered earlier, were larger, and produced more fruit in the south, and that genotype-by-environment interactions were significant between gardens. However, our analyses revealed similar patterns of natural selection between gardens in distinct climate zones. After accounting for genetic ancestry, we also detected that population climatic distance best predicted performance within gardens. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that colonization success in novel, non-native environments is determined by a combination of climate and genetic history. When performance at novel sites was assessed with seed sources from geographically and genetically disparate, established non-native populations, proximity to the garden alone was insufficient to predict performance. Our study highlights the need to evaluate seed sources from diverse origins to describe comprehensively phenotypic responses to novel environments, particularly for taxa in which many source populations may contribute to colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Samis
- Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker's Hill, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Courtney J Murren
- Department of Biology, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, 29424, USA
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Chau JH, Born C, McGeoch MA, Bergstrom D, Shaw J, Terauds A, Mairal M, Le Roux JJ, Jansen van Vuuren B. The influence of landscape, climate and history on spatial genetic patterns in keystone plants (Azorella) on sub-Antarctic islands. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3291-3305. [PMID: 31179588 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of genetic variation in species is governed by factors that act differently across spatial scales. To tease apart the contribution of different processes, especially at intermediate spatial scales, it is useful to study simple ecosystems such as those on sub-Antarctic oceanic islands. In this study, we characterize spatial genetic patterns of two keystone plant species, Azorella selago on sub-Antarctic Marion Island and Azorella macquariensis on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Although both islands experience a similar climate and have a similar vegetation structure, they differ significantly in topography and geological history. We genotyped six microsatellites for 1,149 individuals from 123 sites across Marion Island and 372 individuals from 42 sites across Macquarie Island. We tested for spatial patterns in genetic diversity, including correlation with elevation and vegetation type, and clines in different directional bearings. We also examined genetic differentiation within islands, isolation-by-distance with and without accounting for direction, and signals of demographic change. Marion Island was found to have a distinct northwest-southeast divide, with lower genetic diversity and more sites with a signal of population expansion in the northwest. We attribute this to asymmetric seed dispersal by the dominant northwesterly winds, and to population persistence in a southwestern refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum. No apparent spatial pattern, but greater genetic diversity and differentiation between sites, was found on Macquarie Island, which may be due to the narrow length of the island in the direction of the dominant winds and longer population persistence permitted by the lack of extensive glaciation on the island. Together, our results clearly illustrate the implications of island shape and geography, and the importance of direction-dependent drivers, in shaping spatial genetic structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Chau
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Céline Born
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Melodie A McGeoch
- Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Dana Bergstrom
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tas., Australia.,Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Justine Shaw
- Environmental Decision Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld., Australia
| | - Aleks Terauds
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tas., Australia
| | - Mario Mairal
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Johannes J Le Roux
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
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LaRue EA, Emery NC, Briley L, Christie MR. Geographic variation in dispersal distance facilitates range expansion of a lake shore plant in response to climate change. DIVERS DISTRIB 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. LaRue
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana
| | - Nancy C. Emery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Boulder Colorado
| | - Laura Briley
- Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan
| | - Mark R. Christie
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources West Lafayette Indiana
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11
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Johnson JS, Cantrell RS, Cosner C, Hartig F, Hastings A, Rogers HS, Schupp EW, Shea K, Teller BJ, Yu X, Zurell D, Pufal G. Rapid changes in seed dispersal traits may modify plant responses to global change. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz020. [PMID: 31198528 PMCID: PMC6548345 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
When climatic or environmental conditions change, plant populations must either adapt to these new conditions, or track their niche via seed dispersal. Adaptation of plants to different abiotic environments has mostly been discussed with respect to physiological and demographic parameters that allow local persistence. However, rapid modifications in response to changing environmental conditions can also affect seed dispersal, both via plant traits and via their dispersal agents. Studying such changes empirically is challenging, due to the high variability in dispersal success, resulting from environmental heterogeneity, and substantial phenotypic variability of dispersal-related traits of seeds and their dispersers. The exact mechanisms that drive rapid changes are often not well understood, but the ecological implications of these processes are essential determinants of dispersal success, and deserve more attention from ecologists, especially in the context of adaptation to global change. We outline the evidence for rapid changes in seed dispersal traits by discussing variability due to plasticity or genetics broadly, and describe the specific traits and biological systems in which variability in dispersal is being studied, before discussing some of the potential underlying mechanisms. We then address future research needs and propose a simulation model that incorporates phenotypic plasticity in seed dispersal. We close with a call to action and encourage ecologists and biologist to embrace the challenge of better understanding rapid changes in seed dispersal and their consequences for the reaction of plant populations to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Johnson
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Dorena Genetic Resource Center, USDA Forest Service, Cottage Grove, OR, USA
| | | | - Chris Cosner
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Florian Hartig
- Theoretical Ecology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Haldre S Rogers
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources & Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Brittany J Teller
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Xiao Yu
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Damaris Zurell
- Department of Geography, Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Land Change and Science, Swiss Federal Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Gesine Pufal
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Abstract
In 2017, The American Naturalist celebrated its 150th anniversary. It was founded as a journal of natural history, yet it developed into an important vehicle of the evolutionary synthesis. During the early years of the journal and through much of the twentieth century, evolutionary theory was developed to explain the history of nature before humankind existed to alter it-when time was expansive and uncommon events, though rare, were frequent enough to effect evolutionary change. Today, with the influence of human activity, dispersal patterns are fundamentally altered, genetic variation is locally limiting in small and fragmented populations, and environments are changing so rapidly that time itself seems limited. How can we use this theory, which was built to explain the past and which depends on an excess of chances and time, to address the challenges of the present and the future when chances are fewer and time seems so short? And does the habit of naturalists to observe, describe, and cultivate a fascination with nature have a place in contemporary science?
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