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Alía R, Climent J, Santos-Del-Blanco L, Gonzalez-Arrojo A, Feito I, Grivet D, Majada J. Adaptive potential of maritime pine under contrasting environments. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:37. [PMID: 38191282 PMCID: PMC10775667 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04687-w] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting the adaptability of forest tree populations under future climates requires a better knowledge of both the adaptive significance and evolvability of measurable key traits. Phenotypic plasticity, standing genetic variation and degree of phenotypic integration shape the actual and future population genetic structure, but empirical estimations in forest tree species are still extremely scarce. We analysed 11 maritime pine populations covering the distribution range of the species (119 families and 8 trees/family, ca. 1300 trees) in a common garden experiment planted at two sites with contrasting productivity. We used plant height as a surrogate of fitness and measured five traits (mean and plasticity of carbon isotope discrimination, specific leaf area, needle biomass, Phenology growth index) related to four different strategies (acquisitive economics, photosynthetic organ size, growth allocation and avoidance of water stress). RESULTS Estimated values of additive genetic variation would allow adaptation of the populations to future environmental conditions. Overall phenotypic integration and selection gradients were higher at the high productivity site, while phenotypic integration within populations was higher at the low productivity site. Response to selection was related mainly to photosynthetic organ size and drought-avoidance mechanisms rather than to water use efficiency. Phenotypic plasticity of water use efficiency could be maladaptive, resulting from selection for height growth. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to the expectations in a drought tolerant species, our study suggests that variation in traits related to photosynthetic organ size and acquisitive investment of resources drive phenotypic selection across and within maritime pine populations. Both genetic variation and evolvability of key adaptive traits were considerably high, including plasticity of water use efficiency. These characteristics would enable a relatively fast micro-evolution of populations in response to the ongoing climate changes. Moreover, differentiation among populations in the studied traits would increase under the expected more productive future Atlantic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Alía
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales, ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
| | - Jose Climent
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales, ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Delphine Grivet
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales, ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Juan Majada
- Forest and Wood Technology Research Centre (CETEMAS), Carbayin, 33936, Spain
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2
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Ramírez-Valiente JA, Solé-Medina A, Robledo-Arnuncio JJ, Ortego J. Genomic data and common garden experiments reveal climate-driven selection on ecophysiological traits in two Mediterranean oaks. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:983-999. [PMID: 36479963 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Improving our knowledge of how past climate-driven selection has acted on present-day trait population divergence is essential to understand local adaptation processes and improve our predictions of evolutionary trajectories in the face of altered selection pressures resulting from climate change. In this study, we investigated signals of selection on traits related to drought tolerance and growth rates in two Mediterranean oak species (Quercus faginea and Q. lusitanica) with contrasting distribution ranges and climatic niches. We genotyped 182 individuals from 24 natural populations of the two species using restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing and conducted a thorough functional characterization in 1602 seedlings from 21 populations cultivated in common garden experiments under contrasting watering treatments. Our genomic data revealed that both Q. faginea and Q. lusitanica have very weak population genetic structure, probably as a result of high rates of pollen-mediated gene flow among populations and large effective population sizes. In contrast, common garden experiments showed evidence of climate-driven divergent selection among populations on traits related to leaf morphology, physiology and growth in both species. Overall, our study suggests that climate is an important selective factor for Mediterranean oaks and that ecophysiological traits have evolved in drought-prone environments even in a context of very high rates of gene flow among populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Alberto Ramírez-Valiente
- Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Aida Solé-Medina
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales (ICIFOR-INIA), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Joaquín Ortego
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain
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Provenance Variation in Early Survival, Growth, and Carbon Isotope Discrimination of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Growing in Three Common Gardens across an Elevational Gradient. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12111561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
We investigated early survival, growth, and carbon isotope discrimination of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) seedlings from different provenances using common gardens across an elevational gradient in order to examine the potential for adaptation to extreme environments and constraints to artificial regeneration. Twenty-one provenances from a range of elevations across Arizona and New Mexico were planted in three common gardens: a high-elevation meadow in aspen-mixed conifer forest, a mid-elevation ponderosa pine forest, and a low-elevation pinyon juniper woodland. Two years after planting in 2018, survival was highest at the mid-elevation site (54%), low at the high-elevation site (1.5%), and 0% at the low-elevation site. At the hot and dry low-elevation site, provenances from low-elevations survived longer than provenances from mid- and high-elevations, which suggests greater drought tolerance of low-elevation provenances. Mortality agents changed from abiotic (drought) to biotic (herbivory) with an increase in elevation across sites. High mortality of seedlings planted at high-elevation sites from biotic agents, such as rodents, may challenge efforts to establish ponderosa pine in assisted migration projects. Seedlings had significantly higher growth rate and carbon isotope discrimination (∆13C) at the mid-elevation site than the high-elevation site. Provenances differed significantly in diameter, and ∆13C, but not in height growth rate for the first year after planting. Provenance variation in ∆13C suggests genetic variation in water use efficiency that may be useful for future evaluation of southwestern ponderosa pine seed sources for reforestation.
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Moler ERV, Kolb T, Brady A, Palmiero BN, Wallace TR, Waring KM, Whipple AV. Plant developmental stage influences responses of Pinus strobiformis seedlings to experimental warming. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2021; 2:148-164. [PMID: 37283863 PMCID: PMC10168050 DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10055] [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: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Seedling emergence, survival, morphological and physiological traits, and oxidative stress resistance of southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis Engelm.) were studied in response to warming treatments applied during embryogenesis, germination, and early seedling growth. Daytime air temperature surrounding cones in tree canopies was warmed by +2.1°C during embryo development. Resulting seeds and seedlings were assigned to three thermal regimes in growth chambers, with each regime separated by 4°C to encompass the wide range of temperatures observed over space and time across the species' range, plus the effect of heat waves coupled with a high carbon emissions scenario of climate warming. The embryo warming treatment reduced percent seedling emergence in all germination and growth environments and reduced mortality of seedlings grown in the warmest environment. Warm thermal regimes during early seedling growth increased subsequent seedling resistance to oxidative stress and transpirational water use. Experimental warming during seed development, germination, and seedling growth affected seedling emergence and survival. Oxidative stress resistance, morphology, and water relations were affected only by warming imposed during germination and seedling growth. This work explores potential outcomes of climate warming on multiple dimensions of seedling performance and uniquely illustrates that plant responses to heat vary with plant developmental stage in addition to the magnitude of temperature change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Kolb
- School of ForestryNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
| | - Anne Brady
- Department of Biological SciencesNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
| | | | | | | | - Amy Vaughn Whipple
- Department of Biological SciencesNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
- Center for Adaptive Western LandscapesNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
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5
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Menon M, Bagley JC, Page GFM, Whipple AV, Schoettle AW, Still CJ, Wehenkel C, Waring KM, Flores-Renteria L, Cushman SA, Eckert AJ. Adaptive evolution in a conifer hybrid zone is driven by a mosaic of recently introgressed and background genetic variants. Commun Biol 2021; 4:160. [PMID: 33547394 PMCID: PMC7864969 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01632-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Extant conifer species may be susceptible to rapid environmental change owing to their long generation times, but could also be resilient due to high levels of standing genetic diversity. Hybridisation between closely related species can increase genetic diversity and generate novel allelic combinations capable of fuelling adaptive evolution. Our study unravelled the genetic architecture of adaptive evolution in a conifer hybrid zone formed between Pinus strobiformis and P. flexilis. Using a multifaceted approach emphasising the spatial and environmental patterns of linkage disequilibrium and ancestry enrichment, we identified recently introgressed and background genetic variants to be driving adaptive evolution along different environmental gradients. Specifically, recently introgressed variants from P. flexilis were favoured along freeze-related environmental gradients, while background variants were favoured along water availability-related gradients. We posit that such mosaics of allelic variants within conifer hybrid zones will confer upon them greater resilience to ongoing and future environmental change and can be a key resource for conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Menon
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA USA
| | - Justin C. Bagley
- grid.257992.20000 0001 0019 1845Department of Biology, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL USA
| | - Gerald F. M. Page
- grid.4391.f0000 0001 2112 1969Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR USA
| | - Amy V. Whipple
- grid.261120.60000 0004 1936 8040Department of Biological Sciences and Merriam Powel Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ USA
| | - Anna W. Schoettle
- grid.497401.f0000 0001 2286 5230Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO USA
| | - Christopher J. Still
- grid.4391.f0000 0001 2112 1969Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR USA
| | - Christian Wehenkel
- grid.412198.70000 0000 8724 8383Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera, Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango, Durango, Mexico
| | - Kristen M. Waring
- grid.261120.60000 0004 1936 8040School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ USA
| | - Lluvia Flores-Renteria
- grid.263081.e0000 0001 0790 1491Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Samuel A. Cushman
- grid.472551.00000 0004 0404 3120Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ USA
| | - Andrew J. Eckert
- grid.224260.00000 0004 0458 8737Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
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Leal-Sáenz A, Waring KM, Menon M, Cushman SA, Eckert A, Flores-Rentería L, Hernández-Díaz JC, López-Sánchez CA, Martínez-Guerrero JH, Wehenkel C. Morphological Differences in Pinus strobiformis Across Latitudinal and Elevational Gradients. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:559697. [PMID: 33193485 PMCID: PMC7642095 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.559697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The phenotype of trees is determined by the relationships and interactions among genetic and environmental influences. Understanding the patterns and processes that are responsible for phenotypic variation is facilitated by studying the relationships between phenotype and the environment among many individuals across broad ecological and climatic gradients. We used Pinus strobiformis, which has a wide latitudinal distribution, as a model species to: (a) estimate the relative importance of different environmental factors in predicting these morphological traits and (b) characterize the spatial patterns of standing phenotypic variation of cone and seed traits across the species' range. A large portion of the total variation in morphological characteristics was explained by ecological, climatic and geographical variables (54.7% collectively). The three climate, vegetation and geographical variable groups, each had similar total ability to explain morphological variation (43.4%, 43.8%, 51.5%, respectively), while the topographical variable group had somewhat lower total explanatory power (36.9%). The largest component of explained variance (33.6%) was the four-way interaction of all variable sets, suggesting that there is strong covariation in environmental, climate and geographical variables in their relationship to morphological traits of southwest white pine across its range. The regression results showed that populations in more humid and warmer climates expressed greater cone length and seed size. This may in part facilitate populations of P. strobiformis in warmer and wetter portions of its range growing in dense, shady forest stands, because larger seeds provide greater resources to germinants at the time of germination. Our models provide accurate predictions of morphological traits and important insights regarding the factors that contribute to their expression. Our results indicate that managers should be conservative during reforestation efforts to ensure match between ecotypic variation in seed source populations. However, we also note that given projected large range shift due to climate change, managers will have to balance the match between current ecotypic variation and expected range shift and changes in local adaptive optima under future climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Leal-Sáenz
- Programa Institucional de Doctorado en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango, Mexico
| | - Kristen M. Waring
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Mitra Menon
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | | | - Andrew Eckert
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | | | - José Ciro Hernández-Díaz
- Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango, Mexico
| | - Carlos Antonio López-Sánchez
- Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems, Mieres Polytechnic School, University of Oviedo, Campus Universitario de Mieres, C/Gonzalo Gutiérrez Quirós S/N, Mieres, Spain
| | | | - Christian Wehenkel
- Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango, Mexico
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7
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Menon M, Landguth E, Leal‐Saenz A, Bagley JC, Schoettle AW, Wehenkel C, Flores‐Renteria L, Cushman SA, Waring KM, Eckert AJ. Tracing the footprints of a moving hybrid zone under a demographic history of speciation with gene flow. Evol Appl 2020; 13:195-209. [PMID: 31892952 PMCID: PMC6935588 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A lack of optimal gene combinations, as well as low levels of genetic diversity, is often associated with the formation of species range margins. Conservation efforts rely on predictive modelling using abiotic variables and assessments of genetic diversity to determine target species and populations for controlled breeding, germplasm conservation and assisted migration. Biotic factors such as interspecific competition and hybridization, however, are largely ignored, despite their prevalence across diverse taxa and their role as key evolutionary forces. Hybridization between species with well-developed barriers to reproductive isolation often results in the production of offspring with lower fitness. Generation of novel allelic combinations through hybridization, however, can also generate positive fitness consequences. Despite this possibility, hybridization-mediated introgression is often considered a threat to biodiversity as it can blur species boundaries. The contribution of hybridization towards increasing genetic diversity of populations at range margins has only recently gathered attention in conservation studies. We assessed the extent to which hybridization contributes towards range dynamics by tracking spatio-temporal changes in the central location of a hybrid zone between two recently diverged species of pines: Pinus strobiformis and P. flexilis. By comparing geographic cline centre estimates for global admixture coefficient with morphological traits associated with reproductive output, we demonstrate a northward shift in the hybrid zone. Using a combination of spatially explicit, individual-based simulations and linkage disequilibrium variance partitioning, we note a significant contribution of adaptive introgression towards this northward movement, despite the potential for differences in regional population size to aid hybrid zone movement. Overall, our study demonstrates that hybridization between recently diverged species can increase genetic diversity and generate novel allelic combinations. These novel combinations may allow range margin populations to track favourable climatic conditions or facilitate adaptive evolution to ongoing and future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Menon
- Integrative Life SciencesVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVirginia
| | - Erin Landguth
- School of Public and Community Health SciencesUniversity of MontanaMissoulaMontana
| | - Alejandro Leal‐Saenz
- Programa Institucional de Doctorado en Ciencias Agropecuarias y ForestalesUniversidad Juárez del Estado de DurangoDurangoMexico
| | - Justin C. Bagley
- Department of BiologyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVirginia
| | - Anna W. Schoettle
- Rocky Mountain Research StationUSDA Forest ServiceFort CollinsColorado
| | - Christian Wehenkel
- Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la MaderaUniversidad Juarez del Estado de DurangoDurangoMexico
| | | | | | | | - Andrew J. Eckert
- Department of BiologyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmondVirginia
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8
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Whipple AV, Cobb NS, Gehring CA, Mopper S, Flores-Rentería L, Whitham TG. Long-Term Studies Reveal Differential Responses to Climate Change for Trees Under Soil- or Herbivore-Related Stress. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:132. [PMID: 30833952 PMCID: PMC6387935 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, trees are confronting increased temperature and aridity, exacerbating susceptibility to herbivory. Long-term studies comparing patterns of plant performance through drought can help identify variation among and within populations in vulnerability to climate change and herbivory. We use long-term monitoring data to examine our overarching hypothesis that the negative impacts of poor soil and herbivore susceptibility would be compounded by severe drought. We studied pinyon pine, Pinus edulis, a widespread southwestern tree species that has suffered extensive climate-change related mortality. We analyzed data on mortality, growth, male reproduction, and herbivory collected for 14-32 years in three areas with distinct soil-types. We used standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI) as a climate proxy that summarizes the impacts of drought due to precipitation and temperature variation on semi-arid forests. Several key findings emerged: (1) Plant performance measurements did not support our hypothesis that trees growing in stressful, coarse-textured soils would suffer more than trees growing in finer-textured soils. Stem growth at the area with coarse, young cinder soils (area one) responded only weakly to drought, while stem growth on more developed soils with sedimentary (area two) and volcanic (area three) substrates, was strongly negatively affected by drought. Male reproduction declined less with drought at area one and more at areas two and three. Overall mortality was 30% on coarse cinder soils (area one) and averaged 55% on finer soil types (areas two and three). (2) Although moth herbivore susceptible trees were hypothesized to suffer more with drought than moth resistant trees, the opposite occurred. Annual stem growth was negatively affected by drought for moth resistant trees, but much less strongly for moth susceptible trees. (3) In contrast to our hypothesis, moths declined with drought. Overall, chronically water-stressed and herbivore-susceptible trees had smaller declines in performance relative to less-stressed trees during drought years. These long-term findings support the idea that stressed trees might be more resistant to drought since they may have adapted or acclimated to resist drought-related mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy V. Whipple
- Department of Biological Sciences, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Neil S. Cobb
- Department of Biological Sciences, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Catherine A. Gehring
- Department of Biological Sciences, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Susan Mopper
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, United States
| | | | - Thomas G. Whitham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
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Ramírez‐Valiente JA, Deacon NJ, Etterson J, Center A, Sparks JP, Sparks KL, Longwell T, Pilz G, Cavender‐Bares J. Natural selection and neutral evolutionary processes contribute to genetic divergence in leaf traits across a precipitation gradient in the tropical oak
Quercus oleoides. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2176-2192. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas J. Deacon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul MN USA
| | - Julie Etterson
- Department of Biology University of Minnesota Duluth Duluth MN USA
| | - Alyson Center
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul MN USA
- Department of Biology Normandale Community College Bloomington MN USA
| | - Jed P. Sparks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Kimberlee L. Sparks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | | | - George Pilz
- Herbarium Paul C. Standley Escuela Agricola Panamericana Tegucigalpa Honduras
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10
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Menon M, Bagley JC, Friedline CJ, Whipple AV, Schoettle AW, Leal‐Sàenz A, Wehenkel C, Molina‐Freaner F, Flores‐Rentería L, Gonzalez‐Elizondo MS, Sniezko RA, Cushman SA, Waring KM, Eckert AJ. The role of hybridization during ecological divergence of southwestern white pine (
Pinus strobiformis
) and limber pine (
P. flexilis
). Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1245-1260. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Menon
- Integrative Life Sciences Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
| | - Justin C. Bagley
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade de Brasília Brasília DF Brazil
| | | | - Amy V. Whipple
- Department of Biological Sciences and Merriam Powel Center for Environmental Research Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - Anna W. Schoettle
- Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service Ft. Collins CO USA
| | - Alejandro Leal‐Sàenz
- Programa Institucional de Doctorado en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango Durango Mexico
| | - Christian Wehenkel
- Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango Durango Mexico
| | - Francisco Molina‐Freaner
- Institutos de Geologia y Ecologia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Estación Regional del Noroeste Hermosillo Sonora Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Samuel A. Cushman
- Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service Flagstaff AZ USA
| | | | - Andrew J. Eckert
- Department of Biology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond VA USA
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11
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Potts DL, Minor RL, Braun Z, Barron-Gafford GA. Photosynthetic phenological variation may promote coexistence among co-dominant tree species in a Madrean sky island mixed conifer forest. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 37:1229-1238. [PMID: 28938055 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpx076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Across much of western North America, forests are predicted to experience a transition from snow- to rain-dominated precipitation regimes due to anthropogenic climate warming. Madrean sky island mixed conifer forests receive a large portion of their precipitation from summertime convective storms and may serve as a lens into the future for snow-dominated forests after prolonged warming. To better understand the linkage between physiological traits, climate variation, and the structure and function of mixed conifer forests, we measured leaf photosynthetic (A) responses to controlled variation in internal CO2 concentration (Ci) to quantify interspecific phenological variation in A/Ci-derived ecophysiological traits among ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson and C. Lawson), southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis Engelm.) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Species had similar, positive responses in net photosynthesis under ambient conditions (Anet) to the onset of summertime monsoonal precipitation, but during the cooler portions of the year P. ponderosa was able to maintain greater Anet than P. menziesii and P. strobiformis. Moreover, P. ponderosa had greater Anet in response to ephemerally favorable springtime conditions than either P. menziesii or P. strobiformis. Monsoonal precipitation was associated with a sharp rise in the maximum rates of electron transport (Jmax) and carboxylation (VCmax) in P. menziesii in comparison with P. ponderosa and P. strobiformis. In contrast, species shared similar low values of Jmax and VCmax in response to cool winter temperatures. Patterns of relative stomatal limitation followed predictions based on species' elevational distributions, reinforcing the role of stomatal behavior in maintaining hydraulic conductivity and shaping bioclimatic limits. Phenological variation in ecophysiologial traits among co-occurring tree species in a Madrean mixed conifer forest may promote temporal resource partitioning and thereby contribute to species' coexistence. Moreover, these results provide a physiological basis for predicting the ecological implications of North American mixed conifer forests currently transitioning from snow- to rain-dominated precipitation regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Potts
- Biology Department, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA
| | - R L Minor
- School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- B2 Earthscience, Biosphere 2, Office of Research, Development, and Innovation, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Z Braun
- B2 Earthscience, Biosphere 2, Office of Research, Development, and Innovation, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Biology Department, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112, USA
| | - G A Barron-Gafford
- School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- B2 Earthscience, Biosphere 2, Office of Research, Development, and Innovation, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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