1
|
Prochazka LS, Alcantara S, Rando JG, Vasconcelos T, Pizzardo RC, Nogueira A. Resource availability and disturbance frequency shape evolution of plant life forms in Neotropical habitats. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:760-773. [PMID: 38379443 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Organisms use diverse strategies to thrive in varying habitats. While life history theory partly explains these relationships, the combined impact of resource availability and disturbance frequency on life form strategy evolution has received limited attention. We use Chamaecrista species, a legume plant lineage with a high diversity of plant life forms in the Neotropics, and employ ecological niche modeling and comparative phylogenetic methods to examine the correlated evolution of plant life forms and environmental niches. Chamaephytes and phanerophytes have optima in environments characterized by moderate water and nutrient availability coupled with infrequent fire disturbances. By contrast, annual plants thrive in environments with scarce water and nutrients, alongside frequent fire disturbances. Similarly, geophyte species also show increased resistance to frequent fire disturbances, although they thrive in resource-rich environments. Our findings shed light on the evolution of plant strategies along environmental gradients, highlighting that annuals and geophytes respond differently to high incidences of fire disturbances, with one enduring it as seeds in a resource-limited habitat and the other relying on reserves and root resprouting systems in resource-abundant habitats. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of how organisms evolve associated with their habitats, emphasizing a constraint posed by low-resource and high-disturbance environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luana S Prochazka
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade Vegetal e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Pesquisas Ambientais, São Paulo, SP, CEP 04301-902, Brazil
- Laboratório de Interações Planta-Animal (LIPA), Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, CEP 09606-045, Brazil
| | - Suzana Alcantara
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, CEP 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Juliana Gastaldello Rando
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Centro das Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Oeste da Bahia, Barreiras, BA, CEP 47808-021, Brazil
| | - Thais Vasconcelos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Raquel C Pizzardo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Anselmo Nogueira
- Laboratório de Interações Planta-Animal (LIPA), Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, CEP 09606-045, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Maccagni A, Willi Y. Trait divergence and trade-offs among Brassicaceae species differing in elevational distribution. Evolution 2022; 76:1986-2003. [PMID: 35779006 PMCID: PMC9545065 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Species have restricted geographic distributions and the causes are still largely unknown. Temperature has long been associated with distribution limits, suggesting that there are ubiquitous constraints to the evolution of the climate niche. Here, we investigated the traits involved in such constraints by macroevolutionary comparisons involving 100 Brassicaceae species differing in elevational distribution. Plants were grown under three temperature treatments (regular frost, mild, regular heat) and phenotyped for phenological, morphological, and thermal resistance traits. Trait values were analyzed by assessing the effect of temperature and elevational distribution, by comparing models of evolutionary trajectories, and by correlative approaches to identify trade-offs. Analyses pointed to size, leaf morphology, and growth under heat as among the most discriminating traits between low- and high-elevation species, with high-elevation species growing faster under the occurrence of regular heat bouts, at the cost of reduced size. Mixed models and evolutionary models supported adaptive divergence for these traits, and correlation analysis indicated their involvement in moderate trade-offs. Finally, we found asymmetry in trait evolution, with evolvability across traits being 50% less constrained under regular frost. Overall, results suggest that trade-offs between traits under adaptive divergence contribute to the disparate distribution of species along the elevational gradient.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Maccagni
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of BaselBaselCH‐4056Switzerland,Botanical Garden of Canton TicinoBrissagoCH‐6614Switzerland
| | - Yvonne Willi
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of BaselBaselCH‐4056Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Singh P, Schärer L. Evolution of sex allocation plasticity in a hermaphroditic flatworm genus. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:817-830. [PMID: 35583959 PMCID: PMC9321609 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sex allocation theory in simultaneous hermaphrodites predicts that optimal sex allocation is influenced by local sperm competition, which occurs when related sperm compete to fertilize a given set of eggs. Different factors, including the mating strategy and the ability to self‐fertilize, are predicted to affect local sperm competition and hence the optimal SA. Moreover, since the local sperm competition experienced by an individual can vary temporally and spatially, this can favour the evolution of sex allocation plasticity. Here, using seven species of the free‐living flatworm genus Macrostomum, we document interspecific variation in sex allocation, but neither their mating strategy nor their ability to self‐fertilize significantly predicted sex allocation among these species. Since we also found interspecific variation in sex allocation plasticity, we further estimated standardized effect sizes for plasticity in response to (i) the presence of mating partners (i.e. in isolation vs. with partners) and (ii) the strength of local sperm competition (i.e. in small vs. large groups). We found that self‐fertilization predicted sex allocation plasticity with respect to the presence of mating partners, with plasticity being lower for self‐fertilizing species. Finally, we showed that interspecific variation in sex allocation is higher than intraspecific variation due to sex allocation plasticity. Our study suggests that both sex allocation and sex allocation plasticity are evolutionarily labile, with self‐fertilization predicting the latter in Macrostomum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pragya Singh
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Schärer
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Newton RJ, Mackenzie BDE, Lamont BB, Gomez-Barreiro P, Cowling RM, He T. Fire-mediated germination syndromes in Leucadendron (Proteaceae) and their functional correlates. Oecologia 2021; 196:589-604. [PMID: 34159425 PMCID: PMC8241639 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04947-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A mechanistic understanding of fire-driven seedling recruitment is essential for effective conservation management of fire-prone vegetation, such as South African fynbos, especially with rare and threatened taxa. The genus Leucadendron (Proteaceae) is an ideal candidate for comparative germination studies, comprising 85 species with a mixture of contrasting life-history traits (killed by fire vs able to resprout; serotinous vs geosporous) and seed morphologies (nutlets vs winged achenes). Individual and combined effects of heat and smoke on seed germination of 40 species were quantified in the laboratory, and Bayesian inference applied to distinguish biologically meaningful treatment effects from non-zero, but biologically trivial, effects. Three germination syndromes were identified based on whether germination was dependent on, enhanced by, or independent of direct fire cues (heat and smoke). Seed storage location was the most reliable predictor of germination syndromes, with soil-stored seeds c. 80% more likely to respond to direct fire cues (primarily smoke) than canopy-stored seeds. Notable exceptions were L. linifolium, with an absolute requirement for smoke to germinate (the third serotinous species so reported), and two other serotinous species with smoke-enhanced germination. Nutlet-bearing species, whether serotinous or geosporous, were c. 70% more likely to respond to fire cues than winged seeds, but there was no evidence for an effect of phylogeny or persistence strategy on germination. This comprehensive account of seed germination characteristics and identification of germination syndromes and their predictors, supports propagation, conservation and restoration initiatives in this iconic fynbos genus and other fire-prone shrubs with canopy or soil-stored seeds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosemary J Newton
- Conservation Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TN, UK.
| | - Berin D E Mackenzie
- Science Division, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Locked Bag 5022, Parramatta, NSW, 2124, Australia.,Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Byron B Lamont
- Ecology Section, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Pablo Gomez-Barreiro
- Conservation Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TN, UK
| | - Richard M Cowling
- Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 7700, Port Elizabeth, 6000, South Africa
| | - Tianhua He
- Ecology Section, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chapagain DJ, Meilby H, Ghimire SK. Plant density and life history traits of Aconitum spicatum in North-central Nepal: effects of elevation and anthropogenic disturbances. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7574. [PMID: 31565560 PMCID: PMC6743441 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing cross-border trade of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) has put heavy pressure on a considerable number of species in the Himalayas. One of the threatened species in Nepal is Aconitum spicatum. Unfortunately for this species and for many others, our knowledge on population ecology and performance across the distribution range is insufficient, hindering the formulation of species-specific management plans. We therefore studied density and population structure of A. spicatum and assessed variation in its life history traits among three populations (subalpine, lower alpine and alpine) along an elevation gradient (3,000–4,200 m a.s.l.) in Annapurna Conservation Area, north-central Nepal. The results show that human disturbances and topographic factors contributed to the variation in density and life history traits. The overall density ranged between 0.56 ± 0.09 (Mean ± SE) and 2.48 ± 0.24 plants/m2 with highest mean density in the lower alpine and lowest in the subalpine population. The subalpine population was also characterized by lower investment in reproductive structures with lowest seed mass and low seed viability and fecundity. Among the environmental variables tested, harvesting, animal droppings and fire appeared to be the most important factors affecting density of different life stages of A. spicatum. The prevailing harvesting pattern is destructive as it involves uprooting of the whole plant and this appears to be a main reason for low recruitment and reduced density of the subalpine population. The level of disturbance decreased with increasing elevation. In terms of reproductive effort, the alpine population performed best. Our results indicate that the viability of A. spicatum populations depends on controlling over-harvesting and pre-mature harvesting of tubers and protecting younger life stages from grazing, trampling and fire. We therefore recommend that when formulating management guidelines, measures aiming to mitigate such anthropogenic disturbances should be considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deep J Chapagain
- Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.,Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Meilby
- Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Suresh K Ghimire
- Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lamont BB, He T, Yan Z. Evolutionary history of fire‐stimulated resprouting, flowering, seed release and germination. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:903-928. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Byron B. Lamont
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University PO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845 Australia
| | - Tianhua He
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University PO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845 Australia
| | - Zhaogui Yan
- College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan 430070 China
| |
Collapse
|