1
|
Assour HR, Ashman TL, Turcotte MM. Neopolyploidy-induced changes in giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) alter herbivore preference and performance and plant population performance. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2024; 111:e16301. [PMID: 38468124 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16301] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
PREMISE Polyploidy is a widespread mutational process in angiosperms that may alter population performance of not only plants but also their interacting species. Yet, knowledge of whether polyploidy affects plant-herbivore dynamics is scarce. Here, we tested whether aphid herbivores exhibit preference for diploid or neopolyploid plants, whether polyploidy impacts plant and herbivore performance, and whether these interactions depend on the plant genetic background. METHODS Using independently synthesized neotetraploid strains paired with their diploid progenitors of greater duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza), we evaluated the effect of neopolyploidy on duckweed's interaction with the water-lily aphid (Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae). Using paired-choice experiments, we evaluated feeding preference of the herbivore. We then evaluated the consequences of polyploidy on aphid and plant performance by measuring population growth over multiple generations. RESULTS Aphids preferred neopolyploids when plants were provided at equal abundances but not at equal surface areas, suggesting the role of plant population surface area in driving this preference. Additionally, neopolyploidy increased aphid population performance, but this result was dependent on the plant's genetic lineage. Lastly, the impact of herbivory on neopolyploid vs. diploid duckweed varied greatly with genetic lineage, where neopolyploids appeared to be variably tolerant compared to diploids, sometimes mirroring the effect on herbivore performance. CONCLUSIONS By experimentally testing the impacts of polyploidy on trophic species interactions, we showed that polyploidization can impact the preference and performance of herbivores on their plant hosts. These results have significant implications for the establishment and persistence of plants and herbivores in the face of plant polyploidy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Assour
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Pittsburgh, 15260, PA, USA
| | - Tia-Lynn Ashman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Pittsburgh, 15260, PA, USA
| | - Martin M Turcotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Pittsburgh, 15260, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhu Y, Tu X, Bi Y, Song G, Mi W. Competition in the Periphytic Algal Community during the Colonization Process: Evidence from the World's Largest Water Diversion Project. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:2067. [PMID: 39124185 PMCID: PMC11314427 DOI: 10.3390/plants13152067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Periphytic algal colonization is common in aquatic systems, but its interspecific competition remains poorly understood. In order to fill the gap, the process of periphytic algal colonization in the Middle Route of the South to North Water Diversion Project was studied. The results showed that the process was divided into three stages: the initial colonization stage (T1, 3-6 days), community formation stage (T2, 12-18 days) and primary succession stage (T3, 24-27 days). In T1, the dominant species were Diatoma vulgaris (Bory), Navicula phyllepta (Kützing) and Fragilaria amphicephaloides (Lange-Bertalot) belonging to Heterokontophyta; these species boasted wide niche widths (NWs), low niche overlap (NO) and low ecological response rates (ERRs). In T2, the dominant species were Diatoma vulgaris, Cymbella affinis (Kützing), Navicula phyllepta, Fragilaria amphicephaloides, Gogorevia exilis (Kützing), Melosira varians (C.Agardh), Phormidium willei (N.L.Gardner) and Cladophora rivularis (Kuntze). These species displayed wider NWs, lower NO, and lower ERRs than those in T1. In T3, the dominant species were Diatoma vulgaris, Cymbella affinis, Navicula phyllepta, Fragilaria amphicephaloides, Achnanthes exigu (Grunow), etc. Among them, Heterokontophyta such as Diatoma vulgaris and Cymbella affinis had a competitive advantage based on NWs and ERRs. Cyanobacteria like Phormidium willei lost their dominant status due to the narrower NW and the increased NO. It could be concluded the interspecific competition became fiercer and shaped the colonization process; this study will be helpful in understanding the colonization of periphytic algal communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Xiaojie Tu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Resources and Eco-Environment Geology (Hubei Geological Bureau), Wuhan 430034, China;
| | - Yonghong Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Gaofei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Wujuan Mi
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Z.); (Y.B.); (G.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sherwin WB. Pan-Evo: The Evolution of Information and Biology's Part in This. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:507. [PMID: 39056700 PMCID: PMC11273748 DOI: 10.3390/biology13070507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Many people wonder whether biology, including humans, will benefit or experience harm from new developments in information such as artificial intelligence (AI). Here, it is proposed that biological and non-biological information might be components of a unified process, 'Panevolution' or 'Pan-Evo', based on four basic operations-innovation, transmission, adaptation, and movement. Pan-Evo contains many types of variable objects, from molecules to ecosystems. Biological innovation includes mutations and behavioural changes; non-biological innovation includes naturally occurring physical innovations and innovation in software. Replication is commonplace in and outside biology, including autocatalytic chemicals and autonomous software replication. Adaptation includes biological selection, autocatalytic chemicals, and 'evolutionary programming', which is used in AI. The extension of biological speciation to non-biological information creates a concept called 'Panspeciation'. Panevolution might benefit or harm biology, but the harm might be minimal if AI and humans behave intelligently because humans and the machines in which an AI resides might split into vastly different environments that suit them. That is a possible example of Panspeciation and would be the first speciation event involving humans for thousands of years. This event will not be particularly hostile to humans if humans learn to evaluate information and cooperate better to minimise both human stupidity and artificial simulated stupidity (ASS-a failure of AI).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William B Sherwin
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science, UNSW-Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang S, Hong P, Adler PB, Allan E, Hautier Y, Schmid B, Spaak JW, Feng Y. Towards mechanistic integration of the causes and consequences of biodiversity. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:689-700. [PMID: 38503639 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.02.008] [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] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The global biodiversity crisis has stimulated decades of research on three themes: species coexistence, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships (BEF), and biodiversity-ecosystem functional stability relationships (BEFS). However, studies on these themes are largely independent, creating barriers to an integrative understanding of the causes and consequences of biodiversity. Here we review recent progress towards mechanistic integration of coexistence, BEF, and BEFS. Mechanisms underlying the three themes can be linked in various ways, potentially creating either positive or negative relationships between them. That said, we generally expect positive associations between coexistence and BEF, and between BEF and BEFS. Our synthesis represents an initial step towards integrating causes and consequences of biodiversity; future developments should include more mechanistic approaches and broader ecological contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Pubin Hong
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peter B Adler
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland; Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584, CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Remote Sensing Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jurg W Spaak
- Landscape ecology, RPTU Kaiserslautern Landau, 76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Yanhao Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Schmid MW, Moradi A, Leigh DM, Schuman MC, van Moorsel SJ. Covering the bases: Population genomic structure of Lemna minor and the cryptic species L. japonica in Switzerland. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11599. [PMID: 38882534 PMCID: PMC11178436 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11599] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Duckweeds, including the common duckweed Lemna minor, are increasingly used to test eco-evolutionary theories. Yet, despite its popularity and near-global distribution, the understanding of its population structure (and genetic variation therein) is still limited. It is essential that this is resolved, because of the impact genetic diversity has on experimental responses and scientific understanding. Through whole-genome sequencing, we assessed the genetic diversity and population genomic structure of 23 natural Lemna spp. populations from their natural range in Switzerland. We used two distinct analytical approaches, a reference-free kmer approach and the classical reference-based one. Two genetic clusters were identified across the described species distribution of L. minor, surprisingly corresponding to species-level divisions. The first cluster contained the targeted L. minor individuals and the second contained individuals from a cryptic species: Lemna japonica. Within the L. minor cluster, we identified a well-defined population structure with little intra-population genetic diversity (i.e., within ponds) but high inter-population diversity (i.e., between ponds). In L. japonica, the population structure was significantly weaker and genetic variation between a subset of populations was as low as within populations. This study revealed that L. japonica is more widespread than previously thought. Our findings signify that thorough genotype-to-phenotype analyses are needed in duckweed experimental ecology and evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aboubakr Moradi
- Department of Geography University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Deborah M Leigh
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Meredith C Schuman
- Department of Geography University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Tan J, Wei N, Turcotte MM. Trophic interactions in microbiomes influence plant host population size and ecosystem function. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240612. [PMID: 38772419 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0612] [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] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Plant microbiomes that comprise diverse microorganisms, including prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses, are the key determinants of plant population dynamics and ecosystem function. Despite their importance, little is known about how species interactions (especially trophic interactions) between microbes from different domains modify the importance of microbiomes for plant hosts and ecosystems. Using the common duckweed Lemna minor, we experimentally examined the effects of predation (by bacterivorous protists) and parasitism (by bacteriophages) within microbiomes on plant population size and ecosystem phosphorus removal. Our results revealed that the addition of predators increased plant population size and phosphorus removal, whereas the addition of parasites showed the opposite pattern. The structural equation modelling further pointed out that predation and parasitism affected plant population size and ecosystem function via distinct mechanisms that were both mediated by microbiomes. Our results highlight the importance of understanding microbial trophic interactions for predicting the outcomes and ecosystem impacts of plant-microbiome symbiosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisianan State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Na Wei
- The Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, OH 44094, USA
| | - Martin M Turcotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Usui T, Angert AL. Range expansion is both slower and more variable with rapid evolution across a spatial gradient in temperature. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14406. [PMID: 38491734 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Rapid evolution in colonising populations can alter our ability to predict future range expansions. Recent theory suggests that the dynamics of replicate range expansions are less variable, and hence more predictable, with increased selection at the expanding range front. Here, we test whether selection from environmental gradients across space produces more consistent range expansion speeds, using the experimental evolution of replicate duckweed populations colonising landscapes with and without a temperature gradient. We found that the range expansion across a temperature gradient was slower on average, with range-front populations displaying higher population densities, and genetic signatures and trait changes consistent with directional selection. Despite this, we found that with a spatial gradient range expansion speed became more variable and less consistent among replicates over time. Our results therefore challenge current theory, highlighting that chance can still shape the genetic response to selection to influence our ability to predict range expansion speeds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takuji Usui
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amy L Angert
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Liu Y, Dodge S, Simcharoen A, Ahearn SC, Smith JLD. Analyzing tiger interaction and home range shifts using a time-geographic approach. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:13. [PMID: 38310255 PMCID: PMC10838465 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00454-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interaction through movement can be used as a marker to understand and model interspecific and intraspecific species dynamics, and the collective behavior of animals sharing the same space. This research leverages the time-geography framework, commonly used in human movement research, to explore the dynamic patterns of interaction between Indochinese tigers (Panthera tigris corbeti) in the western forest complex (WEFCOM) in Thailand. METHODS We propose and assess ORTEGA, a time-geographic interaction analysis method, to trace spatio-temporal interactions patterns and home range shifts among tigers. Using unique GPS tracking data of tigers in WEFCOM collected over multiple years, concurrent and delayed interaction patterns of tigers are investigated. The outcomes are compared for intraspecific tiger interaction across different genders, relationships, and life stages. Additionally, the performance of ORTEGA is compared to a commonly used proximity-based approach. RESULTS Among the 67 tracked tigers, 42 show concurrent interactions at shared boundaries. Further investigation of five tigers with overlapping home ranges (two adult females, a male, and two young male tigers) suggests that the mother tiger and her two young mostly stay together before their dispersal but interact less post-dispersal. The male tiger increases encounters with the mother tiger while her young shift their home ranges. On another timeline, the neighbor female tiger mostly avoids the mother tiger. Through these home range dynamics and interaction patterns, we identify four types of interaction among these tigers: following, encounter, latency, and avoidance. Compared to the proximity-based approach, ORTEGA demonstrates better detects concurrent mother-young interactions during pre-dispersal, while the proximity-based approach misses many interactions among the dyads. With larger spatial buffers and temporal windows, the proximity-based approach detects more encounters but may overestimate the duration of interaction. CONCLUSIONS This research demonstrates the applicability and merits of ORTEGA as a time-geographic based approach to animal movement interaction analysis. We show time geography can develop valuable, data-driven insights about animal behavior and interactions. ORTEGA effectively traces frequent encounters and temporally delayed interactions between animals, without relying on specific spatial and temporal buffers. Future research should integrate contextual and behavioral information to better identify and characterize the nature of species interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Liu
- Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.
| | - Somayeh Dodge
- Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Achara Simcharoen
- Protected Area Administration, Office 12, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
| | | | - James L D Smith
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lepori VJ, Loeuille N, Rohr RP. Robustness versus productivity during evolutionary community assembly: short-term synergies and long-term trade-offs. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232495. [PMID: 38196359 PMCID: PMC10777152 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The realization that evolutionary feedbacks need to be considered to fully grasp ecological dynamics has sparked interest in the effect of evolution on community properties like coexistence and productivity. However, little is known about the evolution of community robustness and productivity along diversification processes in species-rich systems. We leverage the recent structural approach to coexistence together with adaptive dynamics to study such properties and their relationships in a general trait-based model of competition on a niche axis. We show that the effects of coevolution on coexistence are two-fold and contrasting depending on the time scale considered. In the short term, evolution of niche differentiation strengthens coexistence, while long-term diversification leads to niche packing and decreased robustness. Moreover, we find that coevolved communities tend to be on average more robust and more productive than non-evolutionary assemblages. We illustrate how our theoretical predictions echo in observed empirical patterns and the implications of our results for empiricists and applied ecologists. We suggest that some of our results such as the improved robustness of Evolutionarily Stable Communities could be tested experimentally in suitable model systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vasco J. Lepori
- Department of Biology – Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Loeuille
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, IEES, Sorbonne Université, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRA, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Rudolf P. Rohr
- Department of Biology – Ecology and Evolution, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 10, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Govaert L, Hendry AP, Fattahi F, Möst M. Quantifying interspecific and intraspecific diversity effects on ecosystem functioning. Ecology 2024; 105:e4199. [PMID: 37901985 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Rapid environmental changes result in massive biodiversity loss, with detrimental consequences for the functioning of ecosystems. Recent studies suggest that intraspecific diversity can contribute to ecosystem functioning to an extent comparable to contributions of interspecific diversity. Knowledge on the relative importance of these two sources of biodiversity is essential for predicting ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss and will aid in the prioritization of conservation targets and implementation of management measures. However, our quantitative insights into how interspecific and intraspecific biodiversity loss affects ecosystem functioning and how the effects of these two sources of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning can be compared are still very limited. To facilitate such quantitative insights, we extend the interspecific Price partitioning method originally introduced by J. Fox in 2006, previously used to quantify species loss and gain effects on ecosystem functioning, to also account for the effects of intraspecific diversity loss and gain on ecosystem function. Using this extended version can yield the quantitative information required for answering research questions addressing correlations between interspecific and intraspecific diversity effects on ecosystem functioning, identifying interspecific and intraspecific groups with large effects, and assessing whether intraspecific diversity can compensate for losses in interspecific diversity. Applying this method to carefully designed experiments will provide additional insights into how biodiversity loss at different ecological levels contributes to and changes ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Govaert
- Department of Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, Leibniz Institute für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew P Hendry
- Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Markus Möst
- Department of Ecology, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Research Department of Limnology, Universität Innsbruck, Mondsee, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yamamichi M, Ellner SP, Hairston NG. Beyond simple adaptation: Incorporating other evolutionary processes and concepts into eco-evolutionary dynamics. Ecol Lett 2023; 26 Suppl 1:S16-S21. [PMID: 37840027 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14197] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics have integrated evolution with ecological processes at multiple scales (populations, communities and ecosystems) and with multiple interspecific interactions (antagonistic, mutualistic and competitive). However, evolution has often been conceptualised as a simple process: short-term directional adaptation that increases population growth. Here we argue that diverse other evolutionary processes, well studied in population genetics and evolutionary ecology, should also be considered to explore the full spectrum of feedback between ecological and evolutionary processes. Relevant but underappreciated processes include (1) drift and mutation, (2) disruptive selection causing lineage diversification or speciation reversal and (3) evolution driven by relative fitness differences that may decrease population growth. Because eco-evolutionary dynamics have often been studied by population and community ecologists, it will be important to incorporate a variety of concepts in population genetics and evolutionary ecology to better understand and predict eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Stephen P Ellner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Nelson G Hairston
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Christie MR, McNickle GG. Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10327. [PMID: 37484931 PMCID: PMC10361363 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10327] [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: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
From genes to communities, understanding how diversity is maintained remains a fundamental question in biology. One challenging to identify, yet potentially ubiquitous, mechanism for the maintenance of diversity is negative frequency dependent selection (NFDS), which occurs when entities (e.g., genotypes, life history strategies, species) experience a per capita reduction in fitness with increases in relative abundance. Because NFDS allows rare entities to increase in frequency while preventing abundant entities from excluding others, we posit that negative frequency dependent selection plays a central role in the maintenance of diversity. In this review, we relate NFDS to coexistence, identify mechanisms of NFDS (e.g., mutualism, predation, parasitism), review strategies for identifying NFDS, and distinguish NFDS from other mechanisms of coexistence (e.g., storage effects, fluctuating selection). We also emphasize that NFDS is a key place where ecology and evolution intersect. Specifically, there are many examples of frequency dependent processes in ecology, but fewer cases that link this process to selection. Similarly, there are many examples of selection in evolution, but fewer cases that link changes in trait values to negative frequency dependence. Bridging these two well-developed fields of ecology and evolution will allow for mechanistic insights into the maintenance of diversity at multiple levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark R. Christie
- Department of Biological SciencesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIndianaUSA
- Department of Forestry and Natural ResourcesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIndianaUSA
| | - Gordon G. McNickle
- Department of Biological SciencesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIndianaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ghedini G, Marshall DJ. Metabolic evolution in response to interspecific competition in a eukaryote. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00777-7. [PMID: 37392743 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Competition drives rapid evolution, which, in turn, alters the trajectory of ecological communities. These eco-evolutionary dynamics are increasingly well-appreciated, but we lack a mechanistic framework for identifying the types of traits that will evolve and their trajectories. Metabolic theory offers explicit predictions for how competition should shape the (co)evolution of metabolism and size, but these are untested, particularly in eukaryotes. We use experimental evolution of a eukaryotic microalga to examine how metabolism, size, and demography coevolve under inter- and intraspecific competition. We find that the focal species evolves in accordance with the predictions of metabolic theory, reducing metabolic costs and maximizing population carrying capacity via changes in cell size. The smaller-evolved cells initially had lower population growth rates, as expected from their hyper-allometric metabolic scaling, but longer-term evolution yielded important departures from theory: we observed improvements in both population growth rate and carrying capacity. The evasion of this trade-off arose due to the rapid evolution of metabolic plasticity. Lineages exposed to competition evolved more labile metabolisms that tracked resource availability more effectively than lineages that were competition-free. That metabolic evolution can occur is unsurprising, but our finding that metabolic plasticity also co-evolves rapidly is new. Metabolic theory provides a powerful theoretical basis for predicting the eco-evolutionary responses to changing resource regimes driven by global change. Metabolic theory needs also to be updated to incorporate the effects of metabolic plasticity on the link between metabolism and demography, as this likely plays an underappreciated role in mediating eco-evolutionary dynamics of competition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ghedini
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Dustin J Marshall
- Centre for Geometric Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Anneberg TJ, O'Neill EM, Ashman TL, Turcotte MM. Polyploidy impacts population growth and competition with diploids: multigenerational experiments reveal key life-history trade-offs. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:1294-1304. [PMID: 36740596 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ecological theory predicts that early generation polyploids ('neopolyploids') should quickly go extinct owing to the disadvantages of rarity and competition with their diploid progenitors. However, polyploids persist in natural habitats globally. This paradox has been addressed theoretically by recognizing that reproductive assurance of neopolyploids and niche differentiation can promote establishment. Despite this, the direct effects of polyploidy at the population level remain largely untested despite establishment being an intrinsically population-level process. We conducted population-level experiments where life-history investment in current and future growth was tracked in four lineage pairs of diploids and synthetic autotetraploids of the aquatic plant Spirodela polyrhiza. Population growth was evaluated with and without competition between diploids and neopolyploids across a range of nutrient treatments. Although neopolyploid populations produce more biomass, they reach lower population sizes and have reduced carrying capacities when growing alone or in competition across all nutrient treatments. Thus, contrary to individual-level studies, our population-level data suggest that neopolyploids are competitively inferior to diploids. Conversely, neopolyploid populations have greater investment in dormant propagule production than diploids. Our results show that neopolyploid populations should not persist based on current growth dynamics, but high potential future growth may allow polyploids to establish in subsequent seasons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Anneberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Elizabeth M O'Neill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Tia-Lynn Ashman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Martin M Turcotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Lerch BA, Servedio MR. Predation drives complex eco-evolutionary dynamics in sexually selected traits. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002059. [PMID: 37011094 PMCID: PMC10101644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Predation plays a role in preventing the evolution of ever more complicated sexual displays, because such displays often increase an individual's predation risk. Sexual selection theory, however, omits a key feature of predation in modeling costs to sexually selected traits: Predation is density dependent. As a result of this density dependence, predator-prey dynamics should feed back into the evolution of sexual displays, which, in turn, feeds back into predator-prey dynamics. Here, we develop both population and quantitative genetic models of sexual selection that explicitly link the evolution of sexual displays with predator-prey dynamics. Our primary result is that predation can drive eco-evolutionary cycles in sexually selected traits. We also show that mechanistically modeling the cost to sexual displays as predation leads to novel outcomes such as the maintenance of polymorphism in sexual displays and alters ecological dynamics by muting prey cycles. These results suggest predation as a potential mechanism to maintain variation in sexual displays and underscore that short-term studies of sexual display evolution may not accurately predict long-run dynamics. Further, they demonstrate that a common verbal model (that predation limits sexual displays) with widespread empirical support can result in unappreciated, complex dynamics due to the density-dependent nature of predation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Lerch
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Maria R Servedio
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Jewell MD, Bell G. A basic community dynamics experiment: Disentangling deterministic and stochastic processes in structuring ecological communities. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9568. [PMID: 36479026 PMCID: PMC9720002 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9568] [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: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Community dynamics are governed by two opposed processes: species sorting, which produces deterministic dynamics leading to an equilibrium state, and ecological drift, which produces stochastic dynamics. Despite a great deal of theoretical and empirical work aiming to demonstrate the predominance of one or the other of these processes, the importance of drift in structuring communities and maintaining species diversity remains contested. Here, we present the results of a basic community dynamics experiment using floating aquatic plants, designed to measure the relative contributions of species sorting and ecological drift to community change over about a dozen generations. We found that species sorting became overwhelmingly dominant as the experiment progressed, and directed communities toward a stable equilibrium state maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. The dynamics of any particular species depended on how far its initial frequency was from its equilibrium frequency, however, and consequently the balance of sorting and drift varied among species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham Bell
- Department of BiologyMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada,Redpath MuseumMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Fukano Y, Uchida K, Tachiki Y. Urban-rural gradients: how landscape changes drive adaptive evolution of plant competitive traits. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10215-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
|
18
|
Lee G, Choi H, Joo Y, Kim S. Flavone‐associated resistance of two
Lemna
species to duckweed weevil attack. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9459. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gisuk Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology Daejeon Korea
| | - Hanyoung Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Chungbuk National University Cheongju Korea
| | - Youngsung Joo
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Chungbuk National University Cheongju Korea
| | - Sang‐Gyu Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology Daejeon Korea
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Rodríguez‐Pastor R, Shafran Y, Knossow N, Gutiérrez R, Harrus S, Zaman L, Lenski RE, Barrick JE, Hawlena H. A road map for in vivo evolution experiments with blood-borne parasitic microbes. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 22:2843-2859. [PMID: 35599628 PMCID: PMC9796859 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13649] [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: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory experiments in which blood-borne parasitic microbes evolve in their animal hosts offer an opportunity to study parasite evolution and adaptation in real time and under natural settings. The main challenge of these experiments is to establish a protocol that is both practical over multiple passages and accurately reflects natural transmission scenarios and mechanisms. We provide a guide to the steps that should be considered when designing such a protocol, and we demonstrate its use via a case study. We highlight the importance of choosing suitable ancestral genotypes, treatments, number of replicates per treatment, types of negative controls, dependent variables, covariates, and the timing of checkpoints for the experimental design. We also recommend specific preliminary experiments to determine effective methods for parasite quantification, transmission, and preservation. Although these methodological considerations are technical, they also often have conceptual implications. To this end, we encourage other researchers to design and conduct in vivo evolution experiments with blood-borne parasitic microbes, despite the challenges that the work entails.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Rodríguez‐Pastor
- Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Yarden Shafran
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Nadav Knossow
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Ricardo Gutiérrez
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Environmental SciencesThe Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael
| | - Shimon Harrus
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Environmental SciencesThe Hebrew University of JerusalemRehovotIsrael
| | - Luis Zaman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The Center for the Study of Complex Systems (CSCS)University of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Richard E. Lenski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Jeffrey E. Barrick
- Department of Molecular BiosciencesThe University of Texas AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Hadas Hawlena
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Yamamichi M, Gibbs T, Levine JM. Integrating eco-evolutionary dynamics and modern coexistence theory. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2091-2106. [PMID: 35962483 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14078] [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] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Community ecology typically assumes that competitive exclusion and species coexistence are unaffected by evolution on the time scale of ecological dynamics. However, recent studies suggest that rapid evolution operating concurrently with competition may enable species coexistence. Such findings necessitate general theory that incorporates the coexistence contributions of eco-evolutionary processes in parallel with purely ecological mechanisms and provides metrics for quantifying the role of evolution in shaping competitive outcomes in both modelling and empirical contexts. To foster the development of such theory, here we extend the interpretation of the two principal metrics of modern coexistence theory-niche and competitive ability differences-to systems where competitors evolve. We define eco-evolutionary versions of these metrics by considering how invading and resident species adapt to conspecific and heterospecific competitors. We show that the eco-evolutionary niche and competitive ability differences are sums of ecological and evolutionary processes, and that they accurately predict the potential for stable coexistence in previous theoretical studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics. Finally, we show how this theory frames recent empirical assessments of rapid evolution effects on species coexistence, and how empirical work and theory on species coexistence and eco-evolutionary dynamics can be further integrated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Theo Gibbs
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Fukano Y, Tachiki Y, Kasada M, Uchida K. Evolution of competitive traits changes species diversity in a natural field. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221376. [PMID: 36168760 PMCID: PMC9515622 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the interaction between evolutionary and ecological processes (i.e. eco-evolutionary dynamics) has great potential to improve our understanding of biological processes such as species interactions, community assembly and ecosystem functions. However, most experimental studies have been conducted under controlled laboratory or mesocosm conditions, and the importance of these interactions in natural field communities has not been evaluated. In this study, we focused on the contemporary divergence of a competitive trait (the height-width ratio) of an annual grass Eleusine indica between urban and farmland populations and investigated how trait evolution affects ecological processes by transplanting E. indica individuals from lineages with different trait values into semi-natural grassland. The competitive trait of the transplanted individuals not only affected their own growth and fitness, but also affected the vegetative growth of the competing species and the species diversity. These results indicate that the evolution of competitive traits, even in a single species, can influence the community species diversity through changes in interspecific interactions. Eco-evolutionary interactions therefore play a crucial role in natural field environments. Our results suggest that understanding intraspecific variation in competitive traits driven by rapid evolution is essential for understanding interspecific competitive interactions, community assembly and species diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Fukano
- Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Yuuya Tachiki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Minoru Kasada
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
- Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Zur alten Fischerhuette 2, 16775 Stechlin, Germany
| | - Kei Uchida
- Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Midori-cho, Nishi-Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
Spatial dynamics have long been recognized as an important driver of biodiversity. However, our understanding of species' coexistence under realistic landscape configurations has been limited by lack of adequate analytical tools. To fill this gap, we develop a spatially explicit metacommunity model of multiple competing species and derive analytical criteria for their coexistence in fragmented heterogeneous landscapes. Specifically, we propose measures of niche and fitness differences for metacommunities, which clarify how spatial dynamics and habitat configuration interact with local competition to determine coexistence of species. We parameterize our model with a Bayesian approach using a 36-y time-series dataset of three Daphnia species in a rockpool metacommunity covering >500 patches. Our results illustrate the emergence of interspecific variation in extinction and recolonization processes, including their dependencies on habitat size and environmental temperature. We find that such interspecific variation contributes to the coexistence of Daphnia species by reducing fitness differences and increasing niche differences. Additionally, our parameterized model allows separating the effects of habitat destruction and temperature change on species extinction. By integrating coexistence theory and metacommunity theory, our study provides platforms to increase our understanding of species' coexistence in fragmented heterogeneous landscapes and the response of biodiversity to environmental changes.
Collapse
|
23
|
Hess C, Levine JM, Turcotte MM, Hart SP. Phenotypic plasticity promotes species coexistence. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1256-1261. [PMID: 35927317 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01826-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ecological explanations for species coexistence assume that species' traits, and therefore the differences between species, are fixed on short timescales. However, species' traits are not fixed, but can instead change rapidly as a consequence of phenotypic plasticity. Here we use a combined experimental-theoretical approach to demonstrate that plasticity in response to interspecific competition between two aquatic plants allows for species coexistence where competitive exclusion is otherwise predicted to occur. Our results show that rapid trait changes in response to a shift in the competitive environment can promote coexistence in a way that is not captured by common measures of niche differentiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cyrill Hess
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Martin M Turcotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Simon P Hart
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. .,School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Hawlena H, Garrido M, Cohen C, Halle S, Cohen S. Bringing the Mechanistic Approach Back to Life: A Systematic Review of the Experimental Evidence for Coexistence and Four of Its Classical Mechanisms. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.898074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coexistence theories develop rapidly at the ecology forefront suffering from interdisciplinary gaps and a lack of universality. The modern coexistence theory (MCT) was developed to address these deficiencies by formulating the universal conditions for coexistence. However, despite this theory's mechanistic foundation, initially, it has only rarely been used to determine the exact mechanisms that govern the competitive outcome. Recent theoretical developments have made MCT more accessible to experimentalists, but they can be challenging in practice. We propose that a comprehensive understanding of species co-occurrence patterns in nature can be reached by complementing the phenomenological approach with both the mechanistic view of MCT and coexistence experiments of the type that prevailed from the 1970s to the 2010s, which focused on specific mechanisms (designated the “mechanistic approach”). As a first step in this direction, we conducted a systematic review of the literature from 1967 to 2020, covering mechanistic experiments for invasibility—the criterion for species coexistence—and the best-studied classical coexistence mechanisms, namely, resource-ratio, natural enemy partitioning, frequency-dependent exploitation by generalist enemies, and the storage effect. The goals of the review were to evaluate (i) the percentage of the abovementioned mechanistic experiments that satisfy the theoretical criteria (designated “eligible studies”), (ii) the scope of these eligible studies, and (iii) their level of support for the theoretical predictions, and to identify their (iv) overarching implications and (v) research gaps. Through examination of 2,510 publications, the review reveals that almost 50 years after the theoretical formulations of the above four coexistence mechanisms, we still lack sufficient evidence to reveal the prevalence of coexistence and of each of the coexistence mechanisms, and to assess the dependency of the mechanisms on the natural history of the competing organisms. By highlighting, on the one hand, the overarching implications of the mechanistic approach to coexistence, and on the other hand, current research gaps, and by offering ways to bridge these gaps in the future, we seek to bring the mechanistic approach back to life.
Collapse
|
25
|
Zhu Y, Xiong C, Wei Z, Chen Q, Ma B, Zhou S, Tan J, Zhang L, Cui H, Duan G. Impacts of global change on the phyllosphere microbiome. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:1977-1986. [PMID: 34921429 PMCID: PMC9306672 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plants form complex interaction networks with diverse microbiomes in the environment, and the intricate interplay between plants and their associated microbiomes can greatly influence ecosystem processes and functions. The phyllosphere, the aerial part of the plant, provides a unique habitat for diverse microbes, and in return the phyllosphere microbiome greatly affects plant performance. As an open system, the phyllosphere is subjected to environmental perturbations, including global change, which will impact the crosstalk between plants and their microbiomes. In this review, we aim to provide a synthesis of current knowledge of the complex interactions between plants and the phyllosphere microbiome under global changes and to identify future priority areas of research on this topic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong‐Guan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and HealthInstitute of Urban EnvironmentChinese Academy of SciencesXiamen361021China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100085China
| | - Chao Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100085China
| | - Zhong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Plant ImmunityJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste UtilizationJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource UtilizationNational Engineering Research Center for Organic‐Based FertilizersNanjing Agricultural UniversityWeigang, Nanjing210095China
| | - Qing‐Lin Chen
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural SciencesThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVic3010Australia
| | - Bin Ma
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and EnvironmentCollege of Environmental and Natural Resource SciencesZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
- Hangzhou Innovation CenterZhejiang UniversityHangzhou311200China
| | - Shu‐Yi‐Dan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and HealthInstitute of Urban EnvironmentChinese Academy of SciencesXiamen361021China
| | - Jiaqi Tan
- Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLA70803USA
| | - Li‐Mei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100085China
| | - Hui‐Ling Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100085China
| | - Gui‐Lan Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional EcologyResearch Center for Eco‐Environmental SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100085China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Yamamichi M. How does genetic architecture affect eco-evolutionary dynamics? A theoretical perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200504. [PMID: 35634922 PMCID: PMC9149794 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed the importance of feedbacks between contemporary rapid evolution (i.e. evolution that occurs through changes in allele frequencies) and ecological dynamics. Despite its inherent interdisciplinary nature, however, studies on eco-evolutionary feedbacks have been mostly ecological and tended to focus on adaptation at the phenotypic level without considering the genetic architecture of evolutionary processes. In empirical studies, researchers have often compared ecological dynamics when the focal species under selection has a single genotype with dynamics when it has multiple genotypes. In theoretical studies, common approaches are models of quantitative traits where mean trait values change adaptively along the fitness gradient and Mendelian traits with two alleles at a single locus. On the other hand, it is well known that genetic architecture can affect short-term evolutionary dynamics in population genetics. Indeed, recent theoretical studies have demonstrated that genetic architecture (e.g. the number of loci, linkage disequilibrium and ploidy) matters in eco-evolutionary dynamics (e.g. evolutionary rescue where rapid evolution prevents extinction and population cycles driven by (co)evolution). I propose that theoretical approaches will promote the synthesis of functional genomics and eco-evolutionary dynamics through models that combine population genetics and ecology as well as nonlinear time-series analyses using emerging big data.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Genetic basis of adaptation and speciation: from loci to causative mutations’.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Hawlena H. Coexistence research requires more interdisciplinary communication. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8914. [PMID: 35592068 PMCID: PMC9101577 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Coexistence theories develop rapidly at the ecology forefront, outpacing their experimental testing. I discuss the reasons for this gap, call on interdisciplinary researchers to construct a road map for coexistence research, and recommend the actions that should be implemented therein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Hawlena
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev Midreshet Ben‐Gurion Israel
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Simha A, Hoz CPDL, Carley L. Moving beyond the “diversity paradox”: the limitations of competition-based frameworks in understanding species diversity. Am Nat 2022; 200:89-100. [DOI: 10.1086/720002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
29
|
Lanthemann L, van Moorsel SJ. Species interactions in three Lemnaceae species growing along a gradient of zinc pollution. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8646. [PMID: 35222985 PMCID: PMC8855331 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Duckweeds (Lemnaceae) are increasingly studied for their potential for phytoremediation of heavy-metal polluted water bodies. A prerequisite for metal removal, however, is the tolerance of the organism to the pollutant, e.g., the metal zinc (Zn). Duckweeds have been shown to differ in their tolerances to Zn; however, despite them most commonly co-occurring with other species, there is a lack of research concerning the effect of species interactions on Zn tolerance. Here, we tested whether the presence of a second species influenced the growth rate of the three duckweed species Lemna minor, Lemna gibba, and Lemna turionifera. We used four different Zn concentrations in a replicated microcosm experiment under sterile conditions, either growing the species in isolation or in a two-species mixture. The response to Zn differed between species, but all three species showed a high tolerance to Zn, with low levels of Zn even increasing the growth rates. The growth rates of the individual species were influenced by the identity of the competing species, but this was independent of the Zn concentration. Our results suggest that species interactions should be considered in future research with duckweeds and that several duckweed species have high tolerance to metal pollution, making them candidates for phytoremediation efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Lanthemann
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Sofia J. van Moorsel
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Govaert L, Gilarranz LJ, Altermatt F. Competition alters species' plastic and genetic response to environmental change. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23518. [PMID: 34876603 PMCID: PMC8651732 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02841-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Species react to environmental change via plastic and evolutionary responses. While both of them determine species' survival, most studies quantify these responses individually. As species occur in communities, competing species may further influence their respective response to environmental change. Yet, how environmental change and competing species combined shape plastic and genetic responses to environmental change remains unclear. Quantifying how competition alters plastic and genetic responses of species to environmental change requires a trait-based, community and evolutionary ecological approach. We exposed unicellular aquatic organisms to long-term selection of increasing salinity-representing a common and relevant environmental change. We assessed plastic and genetic contributions to phenotypic change in biomass, cell shape, and dispersal ability along increasing levels of salinity in the presence and absence of competition. Trait changes in response to salinity were mainly due to mean trait evolution, and differed whether species evolved in the presence or absence of competition. Our results show that species' evolutionary and plastic responses to environmental change depended both on competition and the magnitude of environmental change, ultimately determining species persistence. Our results suggest that understanding plastic and genetic responses to environmental change within a community will improve predictions of species' persistence to environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Govaert
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland. .,URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Luis J. Gilarranz
- grid.418656.80000 0001 1551 0562Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Florian Altermatt
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland ,grid.418656.80000 0001 1551 0562Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland ,grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Grainger TN, Levine JM. Rapid evolution of life-history traits in response to warming, predation and competition: A meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2021; 25:541-554. [PMID: 34850533 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although studies quantifying evolutionary change in response to the selective pressures that organisms face in the wild have demonstrated that organisms can evolve rapidly, we lack a systematic assessment of the frequency, magnitude and direction of rapid evolutionary change across taxa. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of 58 studies that document the effects of warming, predation or competition on the evolution of body size, development rate or fecundity in natural or experimental animal populations. We tested whether there was a consistent effect of any selective agent on any trait, whether the direction of these effects align with theoretical predictions, and whether the three agents select in opposing directions on any trait. Overall, we found weak effects of all three selective agents on trait evolution: none of our nine traits by selective agent combinations had an overall effect that differed from zero, only 31% of studies had a significant within-study effect, and attributes of the included studies generally did not account for between-study variation in results. One notable exception was that predation targeting adults consistently resulted in the evolution of smaller prey body size. We discuss potential causes of these generally weak responses and consider how our results inform the ongoing development of eco-evolutionary research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tess Nahanni Grainger
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Acosta K, Appenroth KJ, Borisjuk L, Edelman M, Heinig U, Jansen MAK, Oyama T, Pasaribu B, Schubert I, Sorrels S, Sree KS, Xu S, Michael TP, Lam E. Return of the Lemnaceae: duckweed as a model plant system in the genomics and postgenomics era. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:3207-3234. [PMID: 34273173 PMCID: PMC8505876 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The aquatic Lemnaceae family, commonly called duckweed, comprises some of the smallest and fastest growing angiosperms known on Earth. Their tiny size, rapid growth by clonal propagation, and facile uptake of labeled compounds from the media were attractive features that made them a well-known model for plant biology from 1950 to 1990. Interest in duckweed has steadily regained momentum over the past decade, driven in part by the growing need to identify alternative plants from traditional agricultural crops that can help tackle urgent societal challenges, such as climate change and rapid population expansion. Propelled by rapid advances in genomic technologies, recent studies with duckweed again highlight the potential of these small plants to enable discoveries in diverse fields from ecology to chronobiology. Building on established community resources, duckweed is reemerging as a platform to study plant processes at the systems level and to translate knowledge gained for field deployment to address some of society's pressing needs. This review details the anatomy, development, physiology, and molecular characteristics of the Lemnaceae to introduce them to the broader plant research community. We highlight recent research enabled by Lemnaceae to demonstrate how these plants can be used for quantitative studies of complex processes and for revealing potentially novel strategies in plant defense and genome maintenance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Acosta
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Klaus J Appenroth
- Plant Physiology, Matthias Schleiden Institute, University of Jena, Jena 07737, Germany
| | - Ljudmilla Borisjuk
- The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben D-06466, Germany
| | - Marvin Edelman
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Uwe Heinig
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Marcel A K Jansen
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
| | - Tokitaka Oyama
- Department of Botany, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Buntora Pasaribu
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Ingo Schubert
- The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben D-06466, Germany
| | - Shawn Sorrels
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - K Sowjanya Sree
- Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Kerala, Periye 671320, India
| | - Shuqing Xu
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | | | - Eric Lam
- Author for correspondence: (E.L.), (T.P.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Spaak JW, Godoy O, De Laender F. Mapping species niche and fitness differences for communities with multiple interaction types. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jürg W. Spaak
- Univ. of Namur, Inst. of Life‐Earth‐Environment, Namur Center for Complex Systems Namur Rue de Bruxelles Belgium
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Depto de Biología, Inst. Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Univ. de Cádiz Puerto Real Spain
| | - Frederik De Laender
- Univ. of Namur, Inst. of Life‐Earth‐Environment, Namur Center for Complex Systems Namur Rue de Bruxelles Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Tang Q, Huang J, Zhang S, Qin H, Dong Y, Wang C, Li D, Zhou R. Keystone microbes affect the evolution and ecological coexistence of the community via species/strain specificity. J Appl Microbiol 2021; 132:1227-1238. [PMID: 34427980 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
AIM Microbial communities exhibit different diversity and fluctuations in the ecological functions due to time and environmental migration. Despite a long history of research and a plethora of data, the factors determining the biodiversity and stability of ecosystems is still elusive. METHODS AND RESULTS Here, the Chinese Xiaoqu fermentation system was used as a template to explore the mechanism in which the species specificity and strain in the initial phase affect the community structure and metabolites in the subsequent micro-ecosystem. The micro-ecosystem has been applied for hundreds of years, and the main metabolic function can be reproduced and traced. CONCLUSIONS The result proved that Rhizopus spp. is a keystone microbe with a species/strain specificity affecting the trophic interaction niche and function of modules in the complex community through glucose. The fungal community was demonstrated to have a high sealing and stability, while the bacterial community was generally found to change the community structure, physiological function, and interaction relationship, producing strains with connector functions to adapt to fluctuations. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY This study shows that the taxonomic level of key microbial strains can be changed to affect the evolution of coexistence and functional realisation of the community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiuxiang Tang
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun Huang
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Suyi Zhang
- Luzhoulaojiao Company Limited, Luzhou, China
| | - Hui Qin
- Luzhoulaojiao Company Limited, Luzhou, China
| | - Yi Dong
- Luzhoulaojiao Company Limited, Luzhou, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Luzhoulaojiao Company Limited, Luzhou, China
| | - Delin Li
- Luzhoulaojiao Company Limited, Luzhou, China
| | - Rongqing Zhou
- College of Biomass Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,National Engineering Research Centre of Solid-State Brewing, Luzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Govaert L, Altermatt F, De Meester L, Leibold MA, McPeek MA, Pantel JH, Urban MC. Integrating fundamental processes to understand eco‐evolutionary community dynamics and patterns. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Govaert
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and BiodiversityUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Leibniz Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB) Berlin Germany
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and BiodiversityUniversity of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Luc De Meester
- Leibniz Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
- Institute of Biology Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Mark A. McPeek
- Department of Biological Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover NH USA
| | - Jelena H. Pantel
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Science The American University of Paris Paris France
| | - Mark C. Urban
- Center of Biological Risk and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Eco-evolutionary interaction between microbiome presence and rapid biofilm evolution determines plant host fitness. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:670-676. [PMID: 33707690 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01406-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Microbiomes are important to the survival and reproduction of their hosts. Although ecological and evolutionary processes can happen simultaneously in microbiomes, little is known about how microbiome eco-evolutionary dynamics determine host fitness. Here we show, using experimental evolution, that fitness of the aquatic plant Lemna minor is modified by interactions between the microbiome and the evolution of one member, Pseudomonas fluorescens. Microbiome presence promotes P. fluorescens' rapid evolution to form biofilm, which reciprocally alters the microbiome's species composition. These eco-evolutionary dynamics modify the host's multigenerational fitness. The microbiome and non-evolving P. fluorescens together promote host fitness, whereas the microbiome with P. fluorescens that evolves biofilm reduces the beneficial impact on host fitness. Additional experiments suggest that the microbial effect on host fitness may occur through changes in microbiome production of auxin, a plant growth hormone. Our study, therefore, experimentally demonstrates the importance of the eco-evolutionary dynamics in microbiomes for host-microbiome interactions.
Collapse
|
37
|
Gómez-Llano M, Germain RM, Kyogoku D, McPeek MA, Siepielski AM. When Ecology Fails: How Reproductive Interactions Promote Species Coexistence. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:610-622. [PMID: 33785182 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
That species must differ ecologically is often viewed as a fundamental condition for their stable coexistence in biological communities. Yet, recent work has shown that ecologically equivalent species can coexist when reproductive interactions and sexual selection regulate population growth. Here, we review theoretical models and highlight empirical studies supporting a role for reproductive interactions in maintaining species diversity. We place reproductive interactions research within a burgeoning conceptual framework of coexistence theory, identify four key mechanisms in intra- and interspecific interactions within and between sexes, speculate on novel mechanisms, and suggest future research. Given the preponderance of sexual reproduction in nature, our review suggests that this is a neglected path towards explaining species diversity when traditional ecological explanations have failed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Gómez-Llano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Rachel M Germain
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Daisuke Kyogoku
- The Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan
| | - Mark A McPeek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Adam M Siepielski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Limberger R, Fussmann GF. Adaptation and competition in deteriorating environments. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202967. [PMID: 33715427 PMCID: PMC7944114 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution might rescue populations from extinction in changing environments. Using experimental evolution with microalgae, we investigated if competition influences adaptation to an abiotic stressor, and vice versa, if adaptation to abiotic change influences competition. In a first set of experiments, we propagated monocultures of five species with and without increasing salt stress for approximately 180 generations. When assayed in monoculture, two of the five species showed signatures of adaptation, that is, lines with a history of salt stress had higher population growth rates at high salt than lines without prior exposure to salt. When assayed in mixtures of species, however, only one of these two species had increased population size at high salt, indicating that competition can alter how adaptation to abiotic change influences population dynamics. In a second experiment, we cultivated two species in monocultures and in pairs, with and without increasing salt. While we found no effect of competition on adaptation to salt, our experiment revealed that evolutionary responses to salt can influence competition. Specifically, one of the two species had reduced competitive ability in the no-salt environment after long-term exposure to salt stress. Collectively, our results highlight the complex interplay of adaptation to abiotic change and competitive interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Romana Limberger
- Research Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Mondsee, Austria
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
The evolution of niche overlap and competitive differences. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:330-337. [PMID: 33495591 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01383-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Competition can result in evolutionary changes to coexistence between competitors but there are no theoretical models that predict how the components of coexistence change during this eco-evolutionary process. Here we study the evolution of the coexistence components, niche overlap and competitive differences, in a two-species eco-evolutionary model based on consumer-resource interactions and quantitative genetic inheritance. Species evolve along a one-dimensional trait axis that allows for changes in both niche position and species intrinsic growth rates. There are three main results. First, the breadth of the environment has a strong effect on the dynamics, with broader environments leading to reduced niche overlap and enhanced coexistence. Second, coexistence often involves a reduction in niche overlap while competitive differences stay relatively constant or vice versa; in general changes in competitive differences maintain coexistence only when niche overlap remains constant. Large simultaneous changes in niche overlap and competitive difference often result in one of the species being excluded. Third, provided that the species evolve to a state where they coexist, the final niche overlap and competitive difference values are independent of the system's initial state, although they do depend on the model's parameters. The model suggests that evolution is often a destructive force for coexistence due to evolutionary changes in competitive differences, a finding that expands the paradox of diversity maintenance.
Collapse
|
40
|
Logofet DO, Salguero-Gómez R. Novel challenges and opportunities in the theory and practice of matrix population modelling: An editorial for the special feature. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
41
|
Nadeau CP, Farkas TE, Makkay AM, Papke RT, Urban MC. Adaptation reduces competitive dominance and alters community assembly. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20203133. [PMID: 33593186 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of theory predicts that evolution of an early-arriving species in a new environment can produce a competitive advantage against later arriving species, therefore altering community assembly (i.e. the community monopolization hypothesis). Applications of the community monopolization hypothesis are increasing. However, experimental tests of the hypothesis are rare. Here, we provide a rare experimental demonstration of the community monopolization hypothesis using two archaeal species. We first expose one species to low- and high-temperature environments for 135 days. Populations in the high-temperature treatment evolved a 20% higher median performance when grown at high temperature. We then demonstrate that early arrival and adaptation reduce the abundance of a late-arriving species in the high-temperature environment by 63% relative to when both species arrive simultaneously and neither species is adapted to high temperature. These results are consistent with the community monopolization hypothesis and suggest that adaptation can reduce competitive dominance to alter community assembly. Hence, community monopolization might be much more common in nature than previously assumed. Our results strongly support the idea that patterns of biodiversity might often stem from a race between local adaptation and colonization of pre-adapted species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Nadeau
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Timothy E Farkas
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Andrea M Makkay
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, University of Connecticut, 91 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - R Thane Papke
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Department, University of Connecticut, 91 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Mark C Urban
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.,Center of Biological Risk, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Yamamichi M, Letten AD. Rapid evolution promotes fluctuation-dependent species coexistence. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:812-818. [PMID: 33617685 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that rapid contemporary evolution can play a significant role in regulating population dynamics on ecological timescales. Here we identify a previously unrecognised mode by which rapid evolution can promote species coexistence via temporal fluctuations and a trade-off between competitive ability and the speed of adaptive evolution. We show that this interaction between rapid evolution and temporal fluctuations not only increases the range of coexistence conditions under a gleaner-opportunist trade-off (i.e. low minimum resource requirement [R* ] vs. high maximum growth rate) but also yields stable coexistence in the absence of a classical gleaner-opportunist trade-off. Given the propensity for both oscillatory dynamics and different rates of adaptation between species (including rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity) in the real world, we argue that this expansion of fluctuation-dependent coexistence theory provides an important overlooked solution to the so-called 'paradox of the plankton'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Andrew D Letten
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Grainger TN, Rudman SM, Schmidt P, Levine JM. Competitive history shapes rapid evolution in a seasonal climate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2015772118. [PMID: 33536336 PMCID: PMC8017725 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015772118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Eco-evolutionary dynamics will play a critical role in determining species' fates as climatic conditions change. Unfortunately, we have little understanding of how rapid evolutionary responses to climate play out when species are embedded in the competitive communities that they inhabit in nature. We tested the effects of rapid evolution in response to interspecific competition on subsequent ecological and evolutionary trajectories in a seasonally changing climate using a field-based evolution experiment with Drosophila melanogaster Populations of D. melanogaster were either exposed, or not exposed, to interspecific competition with an invasive competitor, Zaprionus indianus, over the summer. We then quantified these populations' ecological trajectories (abundances) and evolutionary trajectories (heritable phenotypic change) when exposed to a cooling fall climate. We found that competition with Z. indianus in the summer affected the subsequent evolutionary trajectory of D. melanogaster populations in the fall, after all interspecific competition had ceased. Specifically, flies with a history of interspecific competition evolved under fall conditions to be larger and have lower cold fecundity and faster development than flies without a history of interspecific competition. Surprisingly, this divergent fall evolutionary trajectory occurred in the absence of any detectible effect of the summer competitive environment on phenotypic evolution over the summer or population dynamics in the fall. This study demonstrates that competitive interactions can leave a legacy that shapes evolutionary responses to climate even after competition has ceased, and more broadly, that evolution in response to one selective pressure can fundamentally alter evolution in response to subsequent agents of selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tess Nahanni Grainger
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544;
| | - Seth M Rudman
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686
| | - Paul Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Abdullah, Henriquez CL, Croat TB, Poczai P, Ahmed I. Mutational Dynamics of Aroid Chloroplast Genomes II. Front Genet 2021; 11:610838. [PMID: 33552129 PMCID: PMC7854696 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.610838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The co-occurrence among single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions-deletions (InDels), and oligonucleotide repeats has been reported in prokaryote, eukaryote, and chloroplast genomes. Correlations among SNPs, InDels, and repeats have been investigated in the plant family Araceae previously using pair-wise sequence alignments of the chloroplast genomes of two morphotypes of one species, Colocasia esculenta belonging to subfamily Aroideae (crown group), and four species from the subfamily Lemnoideae, a basal group. The family Araceae is a large family comprising 3,645 species in 144 genera, grouped into eight subfamilies. In the current study, we performed 34 comparisons using 27 species from 7 subfamilies of Araceae to determine correlation coefficients among the mutational events at the family, subfamily, and genus levels. We express strength of the correlations as: negligible or very weak (0.10–0.19), weak (0.20–0.29), moderate (0.30–0.39), strong (0.40–0.69), very strong (0.70–0.99), and perfect (1.00). We observed strong/very strong correlations in most comparisons, whereas a few comparisons showed moderate correlations. The average correlation coefficient was recorded as 0.66 between “SNPs and InDels,” 0.50 between “InDels and repeats,” and 0.42 between “SNPs and repeats.” In qualitative analyses, 95–100% of the repeats at family and sub-family level, while 36–86% of the repeats at genus level comparisons co-occurred with SNPs in the same bins. Our findings show that such correlations among mutational events exist throughout Araceae and support the hypothesis of distribution of oligonucleotide repeats as a proxy for mutational hotspots.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Claudia L Henriquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Peter Poczai
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ibrar Ahmed
- Alpha Genomics Private Limited, Islamabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Ursell T. Structured environments foster competitor coexistence by manipulating interspecies interfaces. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1007762. [PMID: 33412560 PMCID: PMC7790539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural environments, like soils or the mammalian gut, frequently contain microbial consortia competing within a niche, wherein many species contain genetically encoded mechanisms of interspecies competition. Recent computational work suggests that physical structures in the environment can stabilize local competition between species that would otherwise be subject to competitive exclusion under isotropic conditions. Here we employ Lotka-Volterra models to show that interfacial competition localizes to physical structures, stabilizing competitive ecological networks of many species, even with significant differences in the strength of competitive interactions between species. Within a limited range of parameter space, we show that for stable communities the length-scale of physical structure inversely correlates with the width of the distribution of competitive fitness, such that physical environments with finer structure can sustain a broader spectrum of interspecific competition. These results highlight the potentially stabilizing effects of physical structure on microbial communities and lay groundwork for engineering structures that stabilize and/or select for diverse communities of ecological, medical, or industrial utility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Ursell
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
- Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Fielding AP, Pantel JH. Eco-Evolutionary Feedbacks and the Maintenance of Metacommunity Diversity in a Changing Environment. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E1433. [PMID: 33260620 PMCID: PMC7761218 DOI: 10.3390/genes11121433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence and strength of resource competition can influence how organisms adaptively respond to environmental change. Selection may thus reflect a balance between two forces, adaptation to an environmental optimum and evolution to avoid strong competition. While this phenomenon has previously been explored in the context of single communities, its implications for eco-evolutionary dynamics at the metacommunity scale are largely unknown. We developed a simulation model for the evolution of a quantitative trait that influences both an organism's carrying capacity and its intra- and interspecific competitive ability. In the model, multiple species inhabit a three-patch landscape, and we investigated the effect of varying the connectivity level among patches, the presence and pace of directional environmental change, and the strength of competition between the species. Our model produced some patterns previously observed in evolving metacommunity models, such as species sorting and community monopolization. However, we found that species sorting was diminished even at low rates of dispersal and was influenced by competition strength, and that monopolization was observed only when environmental change was very rapid. We also detected an eco-evolutionary feedback loop between local phenotypic evolution at one site and competition at another site, which maintains species diversity in some conditions. The existence of a feedback loop maintained by dispersal indicates that eco-evolutionary dynamics in communities operate at a landscape scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aidan P. Fielding
- Department of Biology, The College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA;
| | - Jelena H. Pantel
- Department of Biology, The College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, USA;
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Science, The American University of Paris, 6 rue du Colonel Combes, 75007 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Mony C, Vandenkoornhuyse P, Bohannan BJM, Peay K, Leibold MA. A Landscape of Opportunities for Microbial Ecology Research. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:561427. [PMID: 33329422 PMCID: PMC7718007 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.561427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes encompass tremendous biodiversity, provide support to all living forms, including humans, and play an important role in many ecosystem services. The rules that govern microorganism community assembly are increasingly revealed due to key advances in molecular and analytical methods but their understanding remain a key challenge in microbial ecology. The existence of biogeographic patterns within microbial communities has been established and explained in relation to landscape-scale processes, including selection, drift, dispersal and mutation. The effect of habitat patchiness on microorganisms' assembly rules remains though incompletely understood. Here, we review how landscape ecology principles can be adapted to explore new perspectives on the mechanisms that determine microbial community structure. To provide a general overview, we characterize microbial landscapes, the spatial and temporal scales of the mechanisms that drive microbial assembly and the feedback between microorganisms and landscape structure. We provide evidence for the effects of landscape heterogeneity, landscape fragmentation and landscape dynamics on microbial community structure, and show that predictions made for macro-organisms at least partly also apply to microorganisms. We explain why emerging metacommunity approaches in microbial ecology should include explicit characterization of landscape structure in their development and interpretation. We also explain how biotic interactions, such as competition, prey-predator or mutualist relations may influence the microbial landscape and may be involved in the above-mentioned feedback process. However, we argue that the application of landscape ecology to the microbial world cannot simply involve transposing existing theoretical frameworks. This is due to the particularity of these organisms, in terms of size, generation time, and for some of them, tight interaction with hosts. These characteristics imply dealing with unusual and dependent space and time scales of effect. Evolutionary processes have also a strong importance in microorganisms' response to their landscapes. Lastly, microorganisms' activity and distribution induce feedback effects on the landscape that have to be taken into account. The transposition of the landscape ecology framework to microorganisms provides many challenging research directions for microbial ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cendrine Mony
- UMR CNRS ECOBIO, Université de Rennes, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Kabir Peay
- Department of Biology, University of Stanford, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Mathew A Leibold
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
The evolution of coexistence from competition in experimental co-cultures of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 15:746-761. [PMID: 33093620 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00810-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Microbial communities are comprised of many species that coexist on small spatial scales. This is difficult to explain because many interspecies interactions are competitive, and ecological theory predicts that one species will drive the extinction of another species that competes for the same resource. Conversely, evolutionary theory proposes that natural selection can lead to coexistence by driving competing species to use non-overlapping resources. However, evolutionary escape from extinction may be slow compared to the rate of competitive exclusion. Here, we use experimental co-cultures of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study the evolution of coexistence in species that compete for resources. We find that while E. coli usually outcompetes S. cerevisiae in co-culture, a few populations evolved stable coexistence after ~1000 generations of coevolution. We sequenced S. cerevisiae and E. coli populations, identified multi-hit genes, and engineered alleles from these genes into several genetic backgrounds, finding that some mutations modified interactions between E. coli and S. cerevisiae. Together, our data demonstrate that coexistence can evolve, de novo, from intense competition between two species with no history of coevolution.
Collapse
|
49
|
Armitage DW, Jones SE. Coexistence barriers confine the poleward range of a globally distributed plant. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1838-1848. [PMID: 33022085 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In the study of factors shaping species' poleward range boundaries, climatic constraints are often assigned greater importance than biotic interactions such as competition. However, theory suggests competition can truncate a species' fundamental niche in harsh environments. We test this by challenging a mechanistic niche model - containing explicit competition terms - to predict the poleward range boundaries of two globally distributed, ecologically similar aquatic plant species. Mechanistic competition models accurately predicted the northern range limits of our study species, outperforming competition-free mechanistic models and matching the predictive ability of statistical niche models fit to occurrence records. Using the framework of modern coexistence theory, we found that relative nonlinearity in competitors' responses to temperature fluctuations maintains their coexistence boundary, highlighting the importance of this fluctuation-dependent mechanism. Our results support a more nuanced, interactive role of climate and competition in determining range boundaries, and illustrate a practical, process-based approach to understanding the determinants of range limits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David W Armitage
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Stuart E Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Johnson JC, Williams JL. A native annual forb locally excludes a closely related introduced species that co-occurs in oak-savanna habitat remnants. AOB PLANTS 2020; 12:plaa045. [PMID: 33033590 PMCID: PMC7532728 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite the ubiquity of introduced species, their long-term impacts on native plant abundance and diversity remain poorly understood. Coexistence theory offers a tool for advancing this understanding by providing a framework to link short-term individual measurements with long-term population dynamics by directly quantifying the niche and average fitness differences between species. We observed that a pair of closely related and functionally similar annual plants with different origins-native Plectritis congesta and introduced Valerianella locusta-co-occur at the community scale but rarely at the local scale of direct interaction. To test whether niche and/or fitness differences preclude local-scale long-term coexistence, we parameterized models of competitor dynamics with results from a controlled outdoor pot experiment, where we manipulated densities of each species. To evaluate the hypothesis that niche and fitness differences exhibit environmental dependency, leading to community-scale coexistence despite local competitive exclusion, we replicated this experiment with a water availability treatment to determine if this key limiting resource alters the long-term prediction. Water availability impacted population vital rates and intensities of intraspecific versus interspecific competition between P. congesta and V. locusta. Despite environmental influence on competition our model predicts that native P. congesta competitively excludes introduced V. locusta in direct competition across water availability conditions because of an absence of stabilizing niche differences combined with a difference in average fitness, although this advantage weakens in drier conditions. Further, field data demonstrated that P. congesta densities have a negative effect on V. locusta seed prediction. We conclude that native P. congesta limits abundances of introduced V. locusta at the direct-interaction scale, and we posit that V. locusta may rely on spatially dependent coexistence mechanisms to maintain coexistence at the site scale. In quantifying this competitive outcome our study demonstrates mechanistically how a native species may limit the abundance of an introduced invader.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens C Johnson
- Department of Geography and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jennifer L Williams
- Department of Geography and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|