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Ramos-Muñoz M, Blanco-Sánchez M, Pías B, Escudero A, Matesanz S. Transgenerational plasticity to drought: contrasting patterns of non-genetic inheritance in two semi-arid Mediterranean shrubs. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:101-116. [PMID: 38488820 PMCID: PMC11161564 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Intra- and transgenerational plasticity may provide substantial phenotypic variation to cope with environmental change. Since assessing the unique contribution of the maternal environment to the offspring phenotype is challenging in perennial, outcrossing plants, little is known about the evolutionary and ecological implications of transgenerational plasticity and its persistence over the life cycle in these species. We evaluated how intra- and transgenerational plasticity interplay to shape the adaptive responses to drought in two perennial Mediterranean shrubs. METHODS We used a novel common garden approach that reduced within-family genetic variation in both the maternal and offspring generations by growing the same maternal individual in two contrasting watering environments, well-watered and drought, in consecutive years. We then assessed phenotypic differences at the reproductive stage between offspring reciprocally grown in the same environments. KEY RESULTS Maternal drought had an effect on offspring performance only in Helianthemum squamatum. Offspring of drought-stressed plants showed more inflorescences, less sclerophyllous leaves and higher growth rates in both watering conditions, and heavier seeds under drought, than offspring of well-watered maternal plants. Maternal drought also induced similar plasticity patterns across maternal families, showing a general increase in seed mass in response to offspring drought, a pattern not observed in the offspring of well-watered plants. In contrast, both species expressed immediate adaptive plasticity, and the magnitude of intragenerational plasticity was larger than the transgenerational plastic responses. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight that adaptive effects associated with maternal drought can persist beyond the seedling stage and provide evidence of species-level variation in the expression of transgenerational plasticity. Such differences between co-occurring Mediterranean species in the prevalence of this form of non-genetic inheritance may result in differential vulnerability to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Ramos-Muñoz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Mario Blanco-Sánchez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Beatriz Pías
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Nováis 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
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Liu X, Man X, Chen M, Zhao C, Liu C, Tong J, Meng F, Shao M, Qu B. Transgenerational plasticity in morphological characteristics and biomass of the invasive plant Xanthium strumarium. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2920. [PMID: 37750229 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) allows a plant to acclimate to external variable environments and is a potential mechanism that explains the range expansion and invasion success of some exotic plants. Most studies explored the traits of TGP associated with the success of exotic plant invasions by comparison studies among exotic, native, invasive, and noninvasive species. However, studies on the TGP of invasive plants in different resource environments are scarce, and the biological mechanisms involved are not well understood. This study aimed to determine the role of TGP in the invasiveness of Xanthium strumarium in northeast China. We measured the plant morphology of aboveground parts and the growth of three generations of the invader under different environmental conditions. The results showed that the intergenerational plasticity of X. strumarium was stronger under stress conditions. We found that the X. strumarium parent generation (F0) grown under water and/or nutrient deficiency conditions transferred the environmental information to their offspring (F1 and F2). The F1 generation grown under high-resource conditions has greater height with larger crown sizes, thicker basal diameters, and higher biomass. Both water and nutrients can affect the intergenerational transmission of plant plasticity, nutrients play a more important role compared with water. The high morphological intergenerational plasticity of X. strumarium under a pressure environment can help it quickly adapt to the new environment and accelerate the rapid expansion of the population in the short term. The root:shoot ratio and reproductive and nutrient distribution of the X. strumarium F0 and F1 generations showed high stability when the growth environment of the F0 generation differed from that of the F1 generation. The stable resource allocation strategy can ensure that the obtained resources are evenly distributed to each organ to maintain the long-term existence of the community. Therefore, the study of intergenerational transmission plasticity is of great significance for understanding the invasion process, mechanism, and prevention of invasive plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaozhen Man
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Meishan Chen
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Changxin Zhao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Chuang Liu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jialin Tong
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Fanqi Meng
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Meini Shao
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Bo Qu
- Liaoning Key Laboratory of Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
- Liaoning Panjin Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Shenyang, China
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Quan J, Münzbergová Z, Latzel V. Time dynamics of stress legacy in clonal transgenerational effects: A case study on
Trifolium repens. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8959. [PMID: 35646308 PMCID: PMC9130644 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress can be remembered by plants in a form of stress legacy that can alter future phenotypes of previously stressed plants and even phenotypes of their offspring. DNA methylation belongs among the mechanisms mediating the stress legacy. It is however not known for how long the stress legacy is carried by plants. If the legacy is long‐lasting, it can become maladaptive in situations when parental–offspring environment do not match. We investigated for how long after the last exposure of a parental plant to drought can the phenotype of its clonal offspring be altered. We grew parental plants of three genotypes of Trifolium repens for five months either in control conditions or in control conditions that were interrupted with intense drought periods applied for two months in four different time slots. We also treated half of the parental plants with a demethylating agent (5‐azacytidine, 5‐azaC) to test for the potential role of DNA methylation in the stress memory. Then, we transplanted parental cuttings (ramets) individually to control environment and allowed them to produce offspring ramets for two months. The drought stress experienced by parents affected phenotypes of offspring ramets. The stress legacy resulted in enhanced number of offspring ramets originating from plants that experienced drought stress even 56 days before their transplantation to the control environment. 5‐azaC altered transgenerational effects on offspring ramets. We confirmed that drought stress can trigger transgenerational effects in T. repens that is very likely mediated by DNA methylation. Most importantly, the stress legacy in parental plants persisted for at least 8 weeks suggesting that the stress legacy can persist in a clonal plant Trifolium repens for relatively long period. We suggest that the stress legacy should be considered in future ecological studies on clonal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Quan
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China Ministry of Education Northwest University Xi’an China
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Münzbergová
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Vít Latzel
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
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Dewan S, De Frenne P, Leroux O, Nijs I, Vander Mijnsbrugge K, Verheyen K. Phenology and growth of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur seedlings in response to temperature variation in the parental versus offspring generation. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2020; 22 Suppl 1:113-122. [PMID: 30739399 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plants are known to respond to warming temperatures. Few studies, however, have included the temperature experienced by the parent plant in the experimental design, in spite of the importance of this factor for population dynamics. We investigated the phenological and growth responses of seedlings of two key temperate tree species (Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur) to spatiotemporal temperature variation during the reproductive period (parental generation) and experimental warming of the offspring. To this end, we sampled oak and beech seedlings of different ages (1-5 years) from isolated mother trees and planted the seedlings in a common garden. Warming of the seedlings advanced bud burst in both species. In oak seedlings, higher temperatures experienced by mother trees during the reproductive period delayed bud burst in control conditions, but advanced bud burst in heated seedlings. In beech seedlings, bud burst timing advanced both with increasing temperatures during the reproductive period of the parents and with experimental warming of the seedlings. Relative diameter growth was enhanced in control oak seedlings but decreased with warming when the mother plant experienced higher temperatures during the reproductive period. Overall, oak displayed more plastic responses to temperatures than beech. Our results emphasise that temperature during the reproductive period can be a potential determinant of tree responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Dewan
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode, Belgium
| | - P De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode, Belgium
| | - O Leroux
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - I Nijs
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - K Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Gontrode, Belgium
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Latzel V, Münzbergová Z. Anticipatory Behavior of the Clonal Plant Fragaria vesca. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1847. [PMID: 30619415 PMCID: PMC6297673 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Active foraging for patchy resources is a crucial feature of many clonal plant species. It has been recently shown that plants' foraging for resources can be facilitated by anticipatory behavior via association of resource position with other environmental cues. We therefore tested whether clones of Fragaria vesca are able to associate and memorize positions of soil nutrients with particular light intensity, which will consequently enable them anticipating nutrients in new environment. We trained clones of F. vesca for nutrients to occur either in shade or in light. Consequently, we tested their growth response to differing light intensity in the absence of soil nutrients. We also manipulated epigenetic status of a subset of the clones to test the role of DNA methylation in the anticipatory behavior. Clones of F. vesca were able to associate presence of nutrients with particular light intensity, which enabled them to anticipate nutrient positions in the new environment based on its light intensity. Clones that had been trained for nutrients to occur in shade increased placement of ramets to shade whereas clones trained for nutrients to occur in light increased biomass of ramets in light. Our study clearly shows that the clonal plant F. vesca is able to relate two environmental factors, light and soil nutrients, and use this connection in anticipatory behavior. We conclude that anticipatory behavior can substantially improve the ability of clonal plants to utilize scarce and unevenly distributed resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vít Latzel
- Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czechia
| | - Zuzana Münzbergová
- Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czechia
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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Auge GA, Leverett LD, Edwards BR, Donohue K. Adjusting phenotypes via within- and across-generational plasticity. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 216:343-349. [PMID: 28262950 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Contents 343 I. 343 II. 343 III. 347 IV. 348 348 References 348 SUMMARY: There is renewed interest in how transgenerational environmental effects, including epigenetic inheritance, contribute to adaptive evolution. The contribution of across-generation plasticity to adaptation, however, needs to be evaluated within the context of within-generation plasticity, which is often proposed to contribute more efficiently to adaptation because of the potentially greater accuracy of progeny than parental cues to predict progeny selective environments. We highlight recent empirical studies of transgenerational plasticity, and find that they do not consistently support predictions based on the higher predictive ability of progeny environmental cues. We discuss these findings within the context of the relative predictive ability of maternal and progeny cues, costs and constraints of plasticity in parental and progeny generations, and the dynamic nature of the adaptive value of within- and across-generation plasticity that varies with the process of adaptation itself. Such contingent and dynamically variable selection could account for the diversity of patterns of within- and across-generation plasticity observed in nature, and can influence the adaptive value of the persistence of environmental effects across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela A Auge
- Department of Biology and University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Lindsay D Leverett
- Department of Biology and University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Brianne R Edwards
- Department of Biology and University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Kathleen Donohue
- Department of Biology and University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Ren W, Hu N, Hou X, Zhang J, Guo H, Liu Z, Kong L, Wu Z, Wang H, Li X. Long-Term Overgrazing-Induced Memory Decreases Photosynthesis of Clonal Offspring in a Perennial Grassland Plant. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:419. [PMID: 28484469 PMCID: PMC5401901 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies of transgenerational plasticity have demonstrated that long-term overgrazing experienced by Leymus chinensis, an ecologically dominant, rhizomatous grass species in eastern Eurasian temperate grassland, significantly affects its clonal growth in subsequent generations. However, there is a dearth of information on the reasons underlying this overgrazing-induced memory effect in plant morphological plasticity. We characterized the relationship between a dwarf phenotype and photosynthesis function decline of L. chinensis from the perspective of leaf photosynthesis by using both field measurement and rhizome buds culture cultivated in a greenhouse. Leaf photosynthetic functions (net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, and transpiration rate) were significantly decreased in smaller L. chinensis individuals that were induced to have a dwarf phenotype by being heavily grazed in the field. This decreased photosynthetic function was maintained a generation after greenhouse tests in which grazing was excluded. Both the response of L. chinensis morphological traits and photosynthetic functions in greenhouse were deceased relative to those in the field experiment. Further, there were significant decreases in leaf chlorophyll content and Rubisco enzyme activities of leaves between bud-cultured dwarf and non-dwarf L. chinensis in the greenhouse. Moreover, gene expression patterns showed that the bud-cultured dwarf L. chinensis significantly down-regulated (by 1.86- to 5.33-fold) a series of key genes that regulate photosynthetic efficiency, stomata opening, and chloroplast development compared with the non-dwarf L. chinensis. This is among the first studies revealing a linkage between long-term overgrazing affecting the transgenerational morphological plasticity of clonal plants and physiologically adaptive photosynthesis function. Overall, clonal transgenerational effects in L. chinensis phenotypic traits heavily involve photosynthetic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibo Ren
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Ningning Hu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Xiangyang Hou
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Jize Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Huiqin Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhot, China
| | - Zhiying Liu
- College of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia UniversityHohhot, China
| | - Lingqi Kong
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Zinian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
| | - Xiliang Li
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture, National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesHohhot, China
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Maternal environmental effects of competition influence evolutionary potential in rapeseed (Brassica rapa). Evol Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-014-9735-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Varga S, Vega-Frutis R, Kytöviita MM. Transgenerational effects of plant sex and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 199:812-821. [PMID: 23659431 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/02/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In gynodioecious plants, females are predicted to produce more and/or better offspring than hermaphrodites in order to be maintained in the same population. In the field, the roots of both sexes are usually colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Transgenerational effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis are largely unknown, although theoretically expected. We examined the maternal and paternal effects of AM fungal symbiosis and host sex on seed production and posterior seedling performance in Geranium sylvaticum, a gynodioecious plant. We hand-pollinated cloned females and hermaphrodites in symbiosis with AM fungi or in nonmycorrhizal conditions and measured seed number and mass, and seedling survival and growth in a glasshouse experiment. Females produced more seeds than hermaphrodites, but the seeds did not germinate, survive or grow better. Mycorrhizal plants were larger, but did not produce more seeds than nonmycorrhizal plants. Transgenerational parental effects of AM fungi were verified in seedling performance. This is the first study to show transgenerational mycorrhiza-mediated parental effects in a gynodioecious species. Mycorrhizal symbiosis affects plant fitness mainly through female functions with enduring effects on the next generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Varga
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
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Latzel V, Janeček Š, Doležal J, Klimešová J, Bossdorf O. Adaptive transgenerational plasticity in the perennialPlantago lanceolata. OIKOS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00537.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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