1
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Beck JJ, McKone MJ, Wagenius S. Masting, fire-stimulated flowering, and the evolutionary ecology of synchronized reproduction. Ecology 2024; 105:e4261. [PMID: 38363004 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4261] [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: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Synchronized episodic reproduction among long-lived plants shapes ecological interactions, ecosystem dynamics, and evolutionary processes worldwide. Two active scientific fields investigate the causes and consequences of such synchronized reproduction: the fields of masting and fire-stimulated flowering. While parallels between masting and fire-stimulated flowering have been previously noted, there has been little dialogue between these historically independent fields. We predict that the synthesis of these fields will facilitate new insight into the causes and consequences of synchronized reproduction. Here we briefly review parallels between masting and fire-stimulated flowering, using two case studies and a database of 1870 plant species to facilitate methodological, conceptual, geographical, taxonomic, and phylogenetic comparisons. We identify avenues for future research and describe three key opportunities associated with synthesis. First, the taxonomic and geographic complementarity of empirical studies from these historically independent fields highlights the potential to derive more general inferences about global patterns and consequences of synchronized reproduction in perennial plants. Second, masting's well developed conceptual framework for evaluating adaptive hypotheses can help guide empirical studies of fire-stimulated species and enable stronger inferences about the evolutionary ecology of fire-stimulated flowering. Third, experimental manipulation of reproductive variation in fire-stimulated species presents unique opportunities to empirically investigate foundational questions about ecological and evolutionary processes underlying synchronized reproduction. Synthesis of these fields and their complementary insights offers a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of synchronized reproduction in perennial plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared J Beck
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark J McKone
- Department of Biology, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, USA
| | - Stuart Wagenius
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois, USA
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2
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Xie Y, Thammavong HT, Berry LG, Huang CH, Park DS. Sex-dependent phenological responses to climate vary across species' ranges. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306723120. [PMID: 37956437 PMCID: PMC10691327 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306723120] [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: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change has significantly altered the flowering times (i.e., phenology) of plants worldwide, affecting their reproduction, survival, and interactions. Recent studies utilizing herbarium specimens have uncovered significant intra- and inter-specific variation in flowering phenology and its response to changes in climate but have mostly been limited to animal-pollinated species. Thus, despite their economic and ecological importance, variation in phenological responses to climate remain largely unexplored among and within wind-pollinated dioecious species and across their sexes. Using both herbarium specimens and volunteer observations of cottonwood (Populus) species, we examined how phenological sensitivity to climate varies across species, their ranges, sexes, and phenophases. The timing of flowering varied significantly across and within species, as did their sensitivity to spring temperature. In particular, male flowering generally happened earlier in the season and was more sensitive to warming than female flowering. Further, the onset of flowering was more sensitive to changes in temperature than leaf out. Increased temporal gaps between male and female flowering time and between the first open flower date and leaf out date were predicted for the future under two climate change scenarios. These shifts will impact the efficacy of sexual reproduction and gene flow among species. Our study demonstrates significant inter- and intra-specific variation in phenology and its responses to environmental cues, across species' ranges, phenophases, and sex, in wind-pollinated species. These variations need to be considered to predict accurately the effects of climate change and assess their ecological and evolutionary consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Xie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY41099
| | - Hanna T. Thammavong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Lily G. Berry
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Chingyan H. Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
| | - Daniel S. Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN47907
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3
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Li X, Liang E, Camarero JJ, Rossi S, Zhang J, Zhu H, Fu YH, Sun J, Wang T, Piao S, Peñuelas J. Warming-induced phenological mismatch between trees and shrubs explains high-elevation forest expansion. Natl Sci Rev 2023; 10:nwad182. [PMID: 37671321 PMCID: PMC10476895 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of species interaction in modulating the range shifts of plants, little is known about the responses of coexisting life forms to a warmer climate. Here, we combine long-term monitoring of cambial phenology in sympatric trees and shrubs at two treelines of the Tibetan Plateau, with a meta-analysis of ring-width series from 344 shrubs and 575 trees paired across 11 alpine treelines in the Northern Hemisphere. Under a spring warming of +1°C, xylem resumption advances by 2-4 days in trees, but delays by 3-8 days in shrubs. The divergent phenological response to warming was due to shrubs being 3.2 times more sensitive than trees to chilling accumulation. Warmer winters increased the thermal requirement for cambial reactivation in shrubs, leading to a delayed response to warmer springs. Our meta-analysis confirmed such a mechanism across continental scales. The warming-induced phenological mismatch may give a competitive advantage to trees over shrubs, which would provide a new explanation for increasing alpine treeline shifts under the context of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Laboratoire sur les écosystèmes terrestres boréaux, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi G7H2B1, Canada
| | - Eryuan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - J Julio Camarero
- InstitutoPirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza 50059, Spain
| | - Sergio Rossi
- Laboratoire sur les écosystèmes terrestres boréaux, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi G7H2B1, Canada
| | - Jingtian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Haifeng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yongshuo H Fu
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Jian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Tao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shilong Piao
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona 08193, Spain
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain
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4
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Schiffer A, Loy X, Morozumi C, Brosi BJ. Differences in individual flowering time change pollen limitation and seed set in three montane wildflowers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:1-14. [PMID: 36571456 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16123] [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: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Changes to flowering time caused by climate change could affects plant fecundity, but studies that compare the individual-level responses of phenologically distinct, co-occurring species are lacking. We assessed how variation in floral phenology affects the fecundity of individuals from three montane species with different seasonal flowering times, including in snowmelt acceleration treatments to increase variability in phenology. METHODS We collected floral phenology and seed set data for individuals of three montane plant species (Mertensia fusiformis, Delphinium nuttallianum, Potentilla pulcherrima). To examine the drivers of seed set, we measured conspecific floral density and conducted pollen limitation experiments to isolate pollination function. We advanced the phenology of plant communities in a controlled large-scale snowmelt acceleration experiment. RESULTS Differences in individual phenology relative to the rest of the population affected fecundity in our focal species, but effects were species-specific. For our early-season species, individuals that bloomed later than the population peak bloom had increased fecundity, while for our midseason species, simply blooming before or after the population peak increased individual fecundity. For our late-season species, blooming earlier than the population peak increased fecundity. The early and midseason species were pollen-limited, and conspecific density affected seed set only for our early-season species. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that variation in individual phenology affects fecundity in three phenologically distinct montane species, and that pollen limitation may be more influential than conspecific density. Our results suggest that individual-level changes in phenology are important to consider for understanding plant reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Schiffer
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd. 317, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Xingwen Loy
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd. 317, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Southeastern Center for Conservation, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA, 30309, USA
| | - Connor Morozumi
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd. 317, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, 139 Life Sciences Building, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Berry J Brosi
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd. 317, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, W Stevens Way, Seattle, WA, 98195-1800, USA
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5
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Fleurot E, Lobry JR, Boulanger V, Debias F, Mermet-Bouvier C, Caignard T, Delzon S, Bel-Venner MC, Venner S. Oak masting drivers vary between populations depending on their climatic environments. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1117-1124.e4. [PMID: 36764300 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Large interannual variation in seed production, called masting, is very common in wind-pollinated tree populations and has profound implications for the dynamics of forest ecosystems and the epidemiology of certain human diseases.1,2,3,4,5 Comparing the reproductive characteristics of populations established in climatically contrasting environments would provide powerful insight into masting mechanisms, but the required data are extremely scarce. We built a database from an unprecedented fine-scale 8-year survey of 150 sessile oak trees (Quercus petraea) from 15 populations distributed over a broad climatic gradient, including individual recordings of annual flowering effort, fruiting rate, and fruit production. Although oak masting was previously considered to depend mainly on fruiting rate variations,6,7 we show that the female flowering effort is highly variable from year to year and explains most of the fruiting dynamics in two-thirds of the populations. What drives masting was found to differ among populations living under various climates. In soft-climate populations, the fruiting rate increases initially strongly with the flowering effort, and the intensity of masting results mainly from the flowering synchrony level between individuals. By contrast, the fruiting rate of harsh-climate populations depends mainly on spring weather, which ensures intense masting regardless of the flowering synchronization level. Our work highlights the need for jointly measuring flowering effort and fruit production to decipher the diversity of masting mechanisms among populations. Accounting for such diversity will be decisive in proposing accurate, and possibly contrasted, scenarios about future reproductive patterns of perennial plants with ongoing climate change and their numerous cascading effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Fleurot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean R Lobry
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département Recherche, Développement et Innovation, Office National des Forêts, 77300 Fontainebleau, France
| | - François Debias
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Camille Mermet-Bouvier
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thomas Caignard
- UMR 1202, BIOGECO, Université de Bordeaux, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- UMR 1202, BIOGECO, Université de Bordeaux, 33615 Pessac, France
| | - Marie-Claude Bel-Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Samuel Venner
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, 69622 Villeurbanne, France.
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6
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Chen Y, Collins SL, Zhao Y, Zhang T, Yang X, An H, Hu G, Xin C, Zhou J, Sheng X, He M, Zhang P, Guo Z, Zhang H, Li L, Ma M. Warming reduced flowering synchrony and extended community flowering season in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Ecology 2023; 104:e3862. [PMID: 36062319 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The timing of phenological events is highly sensitive to climate change, and may influence ecosystem structure and function. Although changes in flowering phenology among species under climate change have been reported widely, how species-specific shifts will affect phenological synchrony and community-level phenology patterns remains unclear. We conducted a manipulative experiment of warming and precipitation addition and reduction to explore how climate change affected flowering phenology at the species and community levels in an alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that warming advanced the first and last flowering times differently and with no consistent shifts in flowering duration among species, resulting in the entire flowering period of species emerging earlier in the growing season. Early-flowering species were more sensitive to warming than mid- and late-flowering species, thereby reducing flowering synchrony among species and extending the community-level flowering season. However, precipitation and its interactions with warming had no significant effects on flowering phenology. Our results suggest that temperature regulates flowering phenology from the species to community levels in this alpine meadow community, yet how species shifted their flowering timing and duration in response to warming varied. This species-level divergence may reshape flowering phenology in this alpine plant community. Decreasing flowering synchrony among species and the extension of community-level flowering seasons under warming may alter future trophic interactions, with cascading consequences to community and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaya Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Yunpeng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Tianwu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiangrong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hang An
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Guorui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chunming Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Juan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiongjie Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Mingrui He
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Panhong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zengpeng Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lanping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China
| | - Miaojun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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7
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Hirayama K, Mizo K, Tatsuno M, Yoshikawa M, Tachikawa C. Annual variability in the sound acorn production of
Quercus serrata
is regulated by a seed‐predatory weevil in western Japan. Ecol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimiko Hirayama
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences Kyoto Prefectural University Kyoto Japan
| | - Kenta Mizo
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences Kyoto Prefectural University Kyoto Japan
| | - Manaka Tatsuno
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Kyoto Prefectural University Kyoto Japan
| | - Mizuki Yoshikawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Kyoto Prefectural University Kyoto Japan
| | - Chieri Tachikawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Kyoto Prefectural University Kyoto Japan
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8
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Richardson LK, Wagenius S. Fire influences reproductive outcomes by modifying flowering phenology and mate-availability. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:2083-2093. [PMID: 34921422 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A recent study posited that fire in grasslands promotes persistence of plant species by improving mating opportunities and reproductive outcomes. We devised an investigation to test these predicted mechanisms in two widespread, long-lived perennials. We expect fire to synchronize flowering, increase mating and boost seed set. We quantified individual flowering phenology and seed set of Liatris aspera and Solidago speciosa for 3 yr on a preserve in Minnesota, USA. The preserve comprises two management units burned on alternating years, allowing for comparisons between plants in burned and unburned areas within the same year, and plants in the same area across years with and without burns. Fire increased flowering synchrony and increased time between start date and peak flowering. Individuals of both species that initiated flowering later in the season had higher seed set. Fire was associated with substantially higher flowering rates and seed set in L. aspera but not S. speciosa. In L. aspera, greater synchrony was associated with increased mean seed set. Although fire affected flowering phenology in both species, reproductive success improved only in the species in which fire also synchronized among-year flowering. Our results support the hypothesis that reproduction in some grassland species benefits from fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea K Richardson
- Program in Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Drive - Hogan 6-140B, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
| | - Stuart Wagenius
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
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9
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Pesendorfer MB, Ascoli D, Bogdziewicz M, Hacket-Pain A, Pearse IS, Vacchiano G. The ecology and evolution of synchronized reproduction in long-lived plants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200369. [PMID: 34657462 PMCID: PMC8520778 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations of many long-lived plants exhibit spatially synchronized seed production that varies extensively over time, so that seed production in some years is much higher than on average, while in others, it is much lower or absent. This phenomenon termed masting or mast seeding has important consequences for plant reproductive success, ecosystem dynamics and plant-human interactions. Inspired by recent advances in the field, this special issue presents a series of articles that advance the current understanding of the ecology and evolution of masting. To provide a broad overview, we reflect on the state-of-the-art of masting research in terms of underlying proximate mechanisms, ontogeny, adaptations, phylogeny and applications to conservation. While the mechanistic drivers and fitness consequences of masting have received most attention, the evolutionary history, ontogenetic trajectory and applications to plant-human interactions are poorly understood. With increased availability of long-term datasets across broader geographical and taxonomic scales, as well as advances in molecular approaches, we expect that many mysteries of masting will be solved soon. The increased understanding of this global phenomenon will provide the foundation for predictive modelling of seed crops, which will improve our ability to manage forests and agricultural fruit and nut crops in the Anthropocene. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences, University of Torino, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-712 Poznań, Poland
- INRAE, LESSEM, University Grenoble Alpes, 38400 Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Ian S. Pearse
- Fort Collins Science Center, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Giorgio Vacchiano
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
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10
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Garcia G, Re B, Orians C, Crone E. By wind or wing: pollination syndromes and alternate bearing in horticultural systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200371. [PMID: 34657465 PMCID: PMC8520786 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclical fluctuations in reproductive output are widespread among perennial plants, from multi-year masting cycles in forest trees to alternate bearing in horticultural crops. In natural systems, ecological drivers such as climate and pollen limitation can result in synchrony among plants. Agricultural practices are generally assumed to outweigh ecological drivers that might synchronize alternate-bearing individuals, but this assumption has not been rigorously assessed and little is known about the role of pollen limitation as a driver of synchrony in alternate-bearing crops. We tested whether alternate-bearing perennial crops show signs of alternate bearing at a national scale and whether the magnitude of national-scale alternate bearing differs across pollination syndromes. We analysed the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations time series (1961-2018) of national crop yields across the top-producing countries of 27 alternate-bearing taxa, 6 wind-pollinated and 21 insect-pollinated. Alternate bearing was common in these national data and more pronounced in wind-pollinated taxa, which exhibited a more negative lag-1 autocorrelation and a higher coefficient of variation (CV). We highlight the mutual benefits of integrating ecological theory and agricultural data for (i) advancing our understanding of perennial plant reproduction across time, space and taxa, and (ii) promoting stable farmer livelihoods and global food supply. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Garcia
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Bridget Re
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Colin Orians
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Elizabeth Crone
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford MA 02155 USA
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11
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Dale EE, Foest JJ, Hacket-Pain A, Bogdziewicz M, Tanentzap AJ. Macroevolutionary consequences of mast seeding. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200372. [PMID: 34657467 PMCID: PMC8520783 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Masting characterizes large, intermittent and highly synchronous seeding events among individual plants and is found throughout the plant Tree of Life (ToL). Although masting can increase plant fitness, little is known about whether it results in evolutionary changes across entire clades, such as by promoting speciation or enhanced trait selection. Here, we tested if masting has macroevolutionary consequences by combining the largest existing dataset of population-level reproductive time series and time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of vascular plants. We found that the coefficient of variation (CVp) of reproductive output for 307 species covaried with evolutionary history, and more so within clades than expected by random. Speciation rates estimated at the species level were highest at intermediate values of CVp and regional-scale synchrony (Sr) in seed production, that is, there were unimodal correlations. There was no support for monotonic correlations between either CVp or Sr and rates of speciation or seed size evolution. These results were robust to different sampling decisions, and we found little bias in our dataset compared with the wider plant ToL. While masting is often adaptive and encompasses a rich diversity of reproductive behaviours, we suggest it may have few consequences beyond the species level. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther E. Dale
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Jessie J. Foest
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań 61-614, Poland
- INRAE, LESSEM, University Grenoble Alpes, Saint-Martin-d'Heres, France
| | - Andrew J. Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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Hacket-Pain A, Bogdziewicz M. Climate change and plant reproduction: trends and drivers of mast seeding change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200379. [PMID: 34657461 PMCID: PMC8520772 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is reshaping global vegetation through its impacts on plant mortality, but recruitment creates the next generation of plants and will determine the structure and composition of future communities. Recruitment depends on mean seed production, but also on the interannual variability and among-plant synchrony in seed production, the phenomenon known as mast seeding. Thus, predicting the long-term response of global vegetation dynamics to climate change requires understanding the response of masting to changing climate. Recently, data and methods have become available allowing the first assessments of long-term changes in masting. Reviewing the literature, we evaluate evidence for a fingerprint of climate change on mast seeding and discuss the drivers and impacts of these changes. We divide our discussion into the main characteristics of mast seeding: interannual variation, synchrony, temporal autocorrelation and mast frequency. Data indicate that masting patterns are changing but the direction of that change varies, likely reflecting the diversity of proximate factors underlying masting across taxa. Experiments to understand the proximate mechanisms underlying masting, in combination with the analysis of long-term datasets, will enable us to understand this observed variability in the response of masting. This will allow us to predict future shifts in masting patterns, and consequently ecosystem impacts of climate change via its impacts on masting. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZT, UK
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Ulica Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań, 61‐614 Poland
- INRAE, LESSEM, University Grenoble Alpes, 2 rue de la Papeterie, BP 76, Saint‐Martin‐d'Hères, 38400 France
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Bogdziewicz M, Hacket-Pain A, Ascoli D, Szymkowiak J. Environmental variation drives continental-scale synchrony of European beech reproduction. Ecology 2021; 102:e03384. [PMID: 33950521 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Spatial synchrony is the tendency of spatially separated populations to display similar temporal fluctuations. Synchrony affects regional ecosystem functioning, but it remains difficult to disentangle its underlying mechanisms. We leveraged regression on distance matrices and geography of synchrony to understand the processes driving synchrony of European beech masting over the European continent. Masting in beech shows distance-decay, but significant synchrony is maintained at spatial scales of up to 1,500 km. The spatial synchrony of the weather cues that drive interannual variation in reproduction also explains the regional spatial synchrony of masting. Proximity played no apparent role in influencing beech masting synchrony after controlling for synchrony in environmental variation. Synchrony of beech reproduction shows a clear biogeographical pattern, decreasing from the northwest to southeast Europe. Synchrony networks for weather cues resemble networks for beech masting, indicating that the geographical structure of weather synchrony underlies the biogeography of masting synchrony. Our results support the hypothesis that environmental factors, the Moran effect, are key drivers of spatial synchrony in beech seed production at regional scales. The geographical patterns of regional synchronization of masting have implications for regional forest production, gene flow, carbon cycling, disease dynamics, biodiversity, and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology Research Unit, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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Waterton J, Cleland EE. Vertebrate herbivory weakens directional selection for earlier emergence in competition. Evol Lett 2021; 5:265-276. [PMID: 34136274 PMCID: PMC8190447 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.222] [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: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing of seedling emergence is strongly linked with fitness because it determines the biotic and abiotic environment experienced by plants in this vulnerable life stage. Experiments and observations consistently find that earlier-emerging plants have a competitive advantage over those emerging later. However, substantial genetic and phenotypic variation in emergence timing is harbored within and among plant populations, making it important to characterize the selective agents-including biotic interactions-that contribute to this variation. In seasonal herbaceous communities, we hypothesized that consumption of early-emerging individuals by vertebrates could weaken the strength of directional selection for earlier emergence in competitive environments. To investigate this, we carried out phenotypic selection analyses on emergence timing in two California grass species, the native Stipa pulchra and non-native Bromus diandrus, growing in intraspecific competitive neighborhoods with and without vertebrate herbivore exclusion. Vertebrate herbivores consistently weakened directional selection for earlier emergence. Our results demonstrate that vertebrate herbivores play an underappreciated selective role on phenology in plant populations, with implications for contemporary evolution, such as the potential of species to adapt to global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Waterton
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section University of California San Diego La Jolla California 92093.,Current Address: Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana 47405
| | - Elsa E Cleland
- Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section University of California San Diego La Jolla California 92093
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