1
|
Schoen DJ, Speed D. The heritability of fitness in a wild annual plant population with hierarchical size structure. Evolution 2024; 78:1739-1745. [PMID: 39046460 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae112] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
The relative magnitude of additive genetic vs. residual variation for fitness traits is important in models for predicting the rate of evolution and population persistence in response to changes in the environment. In many annual plants, lifetime reproductive fitness is correlated with end-of-season plant biomass, which can vary significantly from plant to plant in the same population. We measured end-of-season plant biomasses and obtained single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes of plants in a dense, natural population of the annual plant species Impatiens capensis with hierarchical size structure. These data were used to estimate the amount of heritable variation for position in the size hierarchy and for plant biomass. Additive genetic variance for a position in the size hierarchy and plant biomass were both significantly different from zero. These results are discussed in relationship to the theory for the heritability of fitness in natural populations and ecological factors that potentially influence heritable variation for fitness in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Schoen
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Doug Speed
- Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Peschel AR, Shaw RG. Comparing the Predicted versus Realized Rate of Adaptation of Chamaecrista fasciculata to Climate Change. Am Nat 2024; 203:14-27. [PMID: 38207135 DOI: 10.1086/727507] [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] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractFisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection (FTNS) can be used in a quantitative genetics framework to predict the rate of adaptation in populations. Here, we estimated the capacity for a wild population of the annual legume Chamaecrista fasciculata to adapt to future environments and compared predicted and realized rates of adaptation. We planted pedigreed seeds from one population into three prairie reconstructions along an east-to-west decreasing precipitation gradient. The FTNS predicted adaptation at all sites, but we found a response to selection that was smaller at the home and westernmost sites and maladaptive at the middle site because of changes in the selective environment between generations. However, mean fitness of the progeny generation at the home and westernmost sites exceeded population replacement, which suggests that the environment was sufficiently favorable to promote population persistence. More studies employing the FTNS are needed to clarify the degree to which predictions of the rate of adaptation are realized and its utility in the conservation of populations at risk of extinction from climate change.
Collapse
|
3
|
Kulbaba MW, Yoko Z, Hamilton JA. Chasing the fitness optimum: temporal variation in the genetic and environmental expression of life-history traits for a perennial plant. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:1191-1204. [PMID: 37493041 PMCID: PMC10902883 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad100] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ability of plants to track shifting fitness optima is crucial within the context of global change, where increasing environmental extremes may have dramatic consequences for life history, fitness, and ultimately population persistence. However, tracking changing conditions relies on the relationship between genetic and environmental variance, where selection may favour plasticity, the evolution of genetic differences, or both depending on the spatial and temporal scale of environmental heterogeneity. METHODS Over three years, we compared the genetic and environmental components of phenological and life-history variation in a common environment for the spring perennial Geum triflorum. Populations were sourced from alvar habitats that exhibit extreme but predictable annual flood-desiccation cycles and prairie habitats that exhibit similar but less predictable variation in water availability. KEY RESULTS Heritability was generally higher for early life-history (emergence probability) relative to later life-history traits (total seed mass), indicating that traits associated with establishment are under stronger genetic control relative to later life-history fitness expressions, where plasticity may play a larger role. This pattern was particularly notable in seeds sourced from environmentally extreme but predictable alvar habitats relative to less predictable prairie environments. Fitness landscapes based on seed source origin, largely characterized by varying water availability and flower production, described selection as the degree of maladaptation of seed source environment relative to the prairie common garden environment. Plants from alvar populations were consistently closer to the fitness optimum across all years. Annually, the breadth of the fitness optimum expanded primarily along a moisture gradient, with inclusion of more populations onto the expanding optimum. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the importance of temporally and spatially varying selection in life-history evolution, indicating plasticity may become a primary mechanism needed to track fitness for later life-history events within perennial systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mason W Kulbaba
- Our Lady of the Lake University, Department of Mathematics and Science, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA
- St Mary’s University, Biology Area, 14500 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2X 1Z4
| | - Zebadiah Yoko
- North Dakota State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Jill A Hamilton
- North Dakota State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
- Pennsylvania State University, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Boyd JN, Baskauf C, Lindsay A, Anderson JT, Brzyski J, Cruse‐Sanders J. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity shed light on endemism of rare Boechera perstellata and its potential vulnerability to climate warming. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10540. [PMID: 37720057 PMCID: PMC10502469 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10540] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid pace of contemporary environmental change puts many species at risk, especially rare species constrained by limited capacity to adapt or migrate due to low genetic diversity and/or fitness. But the ability to acclimate can provide another way to persist through change. We compared the capacity of rare Boechera perstellata (Braun's rockcress) and widespread B. laevigata to acclimate to change. We investigated the phenotypic plasticity of growth, biomass allocation, and leaf morphology of individuals of B. perstellata and B. laevigata propagated from seed collected from several populations throughout their ranges in a growth chamber experiment to assess their capacity to acclimate. Concurrently, we assessed the genetic diversity of sampled populations using 17 microsatellite loci to assess evolutionary potential. Plasticity was limited in both rare B. perstellata and widespread B. laevigata, but differences in the plasticity of root traits between species suggest that B. perstellata may have less capacity to acclimate to change. In contrast to its widespread congener, B. perstellata exhibited no plasticity in response to temperature and weaker plastic responses to water availability. As expected, B. perstellata also had lower levels of observed heterozygosity than B. laevigata at the species level, but population-level trends in diversity measures were inconsistent due to high heterogeneity among B. laevigata populations. Overall, the ability of phenotypic plasticity to broadly explain the rarity of B. perstellata versus commonness of B. laevigata is limited. However, some contextual aspects of our plasticity findings compared with its relatively low genetic variability may shed light on the narrow range and habitat associations of B. perstellata and suggest its vulnerability to climate warming due to acclimatory and evolutionary constraints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Nagel Boyd
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental ScienceUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaChattanoogaTennesseeUSA
| | - Carol Baskauf
- Department of BiologyAustin Peay State UniversityClarksvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Annie Lindsay
- Department of BiologyAustin Peay State UniversityClarksvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Jill T. Anderson
- Department of Genetics, Odum School of Ecology, Davison Life SciencesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Jessica Brzyski
- Department of BiologySeton Hill UniversityGreensburgPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Walter GM, Clark J, Terranova D, Cozzolino S, Cristaudo A, Hiscock SJ, Bridle J. Hidden genetic variation in plasticity provides the potential for rapid adaptation to novel environments. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:374-387. [PMID: 36651081 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Rapid environmental change is forcing populations into environments where plasticity will no longer maintain fitness. When populations are exposed to novel environments, evolutionary theory predicts that genetic variation in fitness will increase and should be associated with genetic differences in plasticity. If true, then genetic variation in plasticity can increase adaptive potential in novel environments, and population persistence via evolutionary rescue is more likely. To test whether genetic variation in fitness increases in novel environments and is associated with plasticity, we transplanted 8149 clones of 314 genotypes of a Sicilian daisy (Senecio chrysanthemifolius) within and outside its native range, and quantified genetic variation in fitness, and plasticity in leaf traits and gene expression. Although mean fitness declined by 87% in the novel environment, genetic variance in fitness increased threefold and was correlated with plasticity in leaf traits. High fitness genotypes showed greater plasticity in gene expression, but lower plasticity in most leaf traits. Interestingly, genotypes with the highest fitness in the novel environment had the lowest fitness at the native site. These results suggest that standing genetic variation in plasticity could help populations to persist and adapt to novel environments, despite remaining hidden in native environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greg M Walter
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - James Clark
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Delia Terranova
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, 95128, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Salvatore Cozzolino
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80126, Italy
| | - Antonia Cristaudo
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, 95128, Italy
| | - Simon J Hiscock
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Jon Bridle
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Boyd JN, Anderson JT, Brzyski J, Baskauf C, Cruse-Sanders J. Eco-evolutionary causes and consequences of rarity in plants: a meta-analysis. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1272-1286. [PMID: 35460282 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Species differ dramatically in their prevalence in the natural world, with many species characterized as rare due to restricted geographic distribution, low local abundance and/or habitat specialization. We investigated the ecoevolutionary causes and consequences of rarity with phylogenetically controlled metaanalyses of population genetic diversity, fitness and functional traits in rare and common congeneric plant species. Our syntheses included 252 rare species and 267 common congeners reported in 153 peer-reviewed articles published from 1978 to 2020 and one manuscript in press. Rare species have reduced population genetic diversity, depressed fitness and smaller reproductive structures than common congeners. Rare species also could suffer from inbreeding depression and reduced fertilization efficiency. By limiting their capacity to adapt and migrate, these characteristics could influence contemporary patterns of rarity and increase the susceptibility of rare species to rapid environmental change. We recommend that future studies present more nuanced data on the extent of rarity in focal species, expose rare and common species to ecologically relevant treatments, including reciprocal transplants, and conduct quantitative genetic and population genomic analyses across a greater array of systems. This research could elucidate the processes that contribute to rarity and generate robust predictions of extinction risks under global change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Nagel Boyd
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, USA
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, 120 Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Jessica Brzyski
- Department of Biology, Seton Hill University, 1 Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg, PA, 15601, USA
| | - Carol Baskauf
- Department of Biology, Austin Peay State University, PO Box 4718, Clarksville, TN, 37044, USA
| | - Jennifer Cruse-Sanders
- State Botanical Garden of Georgia, University of Georgia, 2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA, 30605, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Boyd JN, Odell J, Cruse‐Sanders J, Rogers W, Anderson JT, Baskauf C, Brzyski J. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity elucidate rarity and vulnerability of an endangered riparian plant. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Nagel Boyd
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee USA
| | - Jared Odell
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee USA
| | - Jennifer Cruse‐Sanders
- Department of Genetics Odum School of Ecology, Davison Life Sciences, University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA
| | - Will Rogers
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee USA
- State Botanical Garden of Georgia University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA
| | - Jill T. Anderson
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee USA
- Department of Genetics Odum School of Ecology, Davison Life Sciences, University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA
- State Botanical Garden of Georgia University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA
| | - Carol Baskauf
- Department of Biology Austin Peay State University Clarksville Tennessee USA
| | - Jessica Brzyski
- Department of Biology Seton Hill University Greensburg Pennsylvania USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Afkhami ME, Friesen ML, Stinchcombe JR. Multiple Mutualism Effects generate synergistic selection and strengthen fitness alignment in the interaction between legumes, rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1824-1834. [PMID: 34110064 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Nearly all organisms participate in multiple mutualisms, and complementarity within these complex interactions can result in synergistic fitness effects. However, it remains largely untested how multiple mutualisms impact eco-evolutionary dynamics in interacting species. We tested how multiple microbial mutualists-N-fixing bacteria and mycorrrhizal fungi-affected selection and heritability of traits in their shared host plant (Medicago truncatula), as well as fitness alignment between partners. Our results demonstrate for the first time that multiple mutualisms synergistically affect the selection and heritability of host traits and enhance fitness alignment between mutualists. Specifically, we found interaction with multiple microbial symbionts doubled the strength of natural selection on a plant architectural trait, resulted in 2- to 3-fold higher heritability of plant reproductive success, and more than doubled fitness alignment between N-fixing bacteria and plants. These findings show synergism generated by multiple mutualisms extends to key components of microevolutionary change, emphasising the importance of multiple mutualism effects on evolutionary trajectories.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maren L Friesen
- Department of Plant Pathology, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Reid JM, Arcese P, Nietlisbach P, Wolak ME, Muff S, Dickel L, Keller LF. Immigration counter-acts local micro-evolution of a major fitness component: Migration-selection balance in free-living song sparrows. Evol Lett 2021; 5:48-60. [PMID: 33552535 PMCID: PMC7857281 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Ongoing adaptive evolution, and resulting “evolutionary rescue” of declining populations, requires additive genetic variation in fitness. Such variation can be increased by gene flow resulting from immigration, potentially facilitating evolution. But, gene flow could in fact constrain rather than facilitate local adaptive evolution if immigrants have low additive genetic values for local fitness. Local migration‐selection balance and micro‐evolutionary stasis could then result. However, key quantitative genetic effects of natural immigration, comprising the degrees to which gene flow increases the total local additive genetic variance yet counteracts local adaptive evolutionary change, have not been explicitly quantified in wild populations. Key implications of gene flow for population and evolutionary dynamics consequently remain unclear. Our quantitative genetic analyses of long‐term data from free‐living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) show that mean breeding value for local juvenile survival to adulthood, a major component of fitness, increased across cohorts more than expected solely due to drift. Such micro‐evolutionary change should be expected given nonzero additive genetic variance and consistent directional selection. However, this evolutionary increase was counteracted by negative additive genetic effects of recent immigrants, which increased total additive genetic variance but prevented a net directional evolutionary increase in total additive genetic value. These analyses imply an approximate quantitative genetic migration‐selection balance in a major fitness component, and hence demonstrate a key mechanism by which substantial additive genetic variation can be maintained yet decoupled from local adaptive evolutionary change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane M Reid
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway.,School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK
| | - Peter Arcese
- Forest & Conservation Sciences University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Pirmin Nietlisbach
- School of Biological Sciences Illinois State University Normal Illinois USA
| | - Matthew E Wolak
- Department of Biological Sciences Auburn University Auburn Alaska USA
| | - Stefanie Muff
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway.,Department of Mathematical Sciences NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | - Lisa Dickel
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics NTNU Trondheim Norway
| | - Lukas F Keller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland.,Zoological Museum University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Peschel AR, Boehm EL, Shaw RG. Estimating the capacity of Chamaecrista fasciculata for adaptation to change in precipitation. Evolution 2020; 75:73-85. [PMID: 33215695 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Adaptation through natural selection may be the only means by which small and fragmented plant populations will persist through present day environmental change. A population's additive genetic variance for fitness (VA (W)) represents its immediate capacity to adapt to the environment in which it exists. We evaluated this property for a population of the annual legume Chamaecrista fasciculata through a quantitative genetic experiment in the tallgrass prairie region of the Midwestern United States, where changing climate is predicted to include more variability in rainfall. To reduce incident rainfall, relative to controls receiving ambient rain, we deployed rain exclusion shelters. We found significant VA (W) in both treatments. We also detected a significant genotype-by-treatment interaction for fitness, which suggests that the genetic basis of the response to natural selection will differ depending on precipitation. For the trait-specific leaf area, we detected maladaptive phenotypic plasticity and an interaction between genotype and environment. Selection for thicker leaves was detected with increased precipitation. These results indicate capacity of this population of C. fasciculata to adapt in situ to environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Riba Peschel
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108
| | - Emma Lauren Boehm
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108.,Current Address: Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405
| | - Ruth Geyer Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Magnoli SM. Rapid adaptation (or not) in restored plant populations. Evol Appl 2020; 13:2030-2037. [PMID: 32908602 PMCID: PMC7463322 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mismatches between the traits of a colonizing population and a novel habitat can generate strong selection, potentially resulting in rapid adaptation. However, for most colonization events, it can be difficult to detect rapid adaptation or distinguish it from nonadaptive evolutionary changes. Here, I take advantage of a replicated prairie restoration experiment to compare recently established plant populations in two closely located restored prairies to each other and to their shared source population to test for rapid adaptation. Using a reciprocal transplant experiment six years after the populations were established, I found that one restored plant population showed evidence of adaptation, outperforming the other restored population when grown at its home site. In contrast, I detected no evidence for adaptation at the other site. These findings demonstrate that while rapid adaptation can occur in colonizing plant populations, it may not be the rule. Better understanding of when adaptation may or may not occur in these contexts may help us use evolution to our advantage, potentially improving establishment of desirable species in restored habitats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan M. Magnoli
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityHickory CornersMIUSA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Anderson J, Song BH. Plant adaptation to climate change - Where are we? JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 58:533-545. [PMID: 33584833 PMCID: PMC7875155 DOI: 10.1111/jse.12649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Climate change poses critical challenges for population persistence in natural communities, agriculture and environmental sustainability, and food security. In this review, we discuss recent progress in climatic adaptation in plants. We evaluate whether climate change exerts novel selection and disrupts local adaptation, whether gene flow can facilitate adaptive responses to climate change, and if adaptive phenotypic plasticity could sustain populations in the short term. Furthermore, we discuss how climate change influences species interactions. Through a more in-depth understanding of these eco-evolutionary dynamics, we will increase our capacity to predict the adaptive potential of plants under climate change. In addition, we review studies that dissect the genetic basis of plant adaptation to climate change. Finally, we highlight key research gaps, ranging from validating gene function, to elucidating molecular mechanisms, expanding research systems from model species to other natural species, testing the fitness consequences of alleles in natural environments, and designing multifactorial studies that more closely reflect the complex and interactive effects of multiple climate change factors. By leveraging interdisciplinary tools (e.g., cutting-edge omics toolkits, novel ecological strategies, newly-developed genome editing technology), researchers can more accurately predict the probability that species can persist through this rapid and intense period of environmental change, as well as cultivate crops to withstand climate change, and conserve biodiversity in natural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill Anderson
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Authors for correspondence. Bao-Hua Song. ; Jill Anderson.
| | - Bao-Hua Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
- Authors for correspondence. Bao-Hua Song. ; Jill Anderson.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Garant D. Natural and human-induced environmental changes and their effects on adaptive potential of wild animal populations. Evol Appl 2020; 13:1117-1127. [PMID: 32684950 PMCID: PMC7359845 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A major challenge of evolutionary ecology over the next decades is to understand and predict the consequences of the current rapid and important environmental changes on wild populations. Extinction risk of species is linked to populations' evolutionary potential and to their ability to express adaptive phenotypic plasticity. There is thus a vital need to quantify how selective pressures, quantitative genetics parameters, and phenotypic plasticity, for multiple traits in wild animal populations, may vary with changes in the environment. Here I review our previous research that integrated ecological and evolutionary theories with molecular ecology, quantitative genetics, and long-term monitoring of individually marked wild animals. Our results showed that assessing evolutionary and plastic changes over time and space, using multi-trait approaches, under a realistic range of environmental conditions are crucial steps toward improving our understanding of the evolution and adaptation of natural populations. Our current and future work focusses on assessing the limits of adaptive potential by determining the factors constraining the evolvability of plasticity, those generating covariation among genetic variance and selection, as well as indirect genetic effects, which can affect population's capacity to adjust to environmental changes. In doing so, we aim to provide an improved assessment of the spatial and temporal scale of evolutionary processes in wild animal populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dany Garant
- Département de biologieFaculté des SciencesUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Denney DA, Jameel MI, Bemmels JB, Rochford ME, Anderson JT. Small spaces, big impacts: contributions of micro-environmental variation to population persistence under climate change. AOB PLANTS 2020; 12:plaa005. [PMID: 32211145 PMCID: PMC7082537 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Individuals within natural populations can experience very different abiotic and biotic conditions across small spatial scales owing to microtopography and other micro-environmental gradients. Ecological and evolutionary studies often ignore the effects of micro-environment on plant population and community dynamics. Here, we explore the extent to which fine-grained variation in abiotic and biotic conditions contributes to within-population variation in trait expression and genetic diversity in natural plant populations. Furthermore, we consider whether benign microhabitats could buffer local populations of some plant species from abiotic stresses imposed by rapid anthropogenic climate change. If microrefugia sustain local populations and communities in the short term, other eco-evolutionary processes, such as gene flow and adaptation, could enhance population stability in the longer term. We caution, however, that local populations may still decline in size as they contract into rare microhabitats and microrefugia. We encourage future research that explicitly examines the role of the micro-environment in maintaining genetic variation within local populations, favouring the evolution of phenotypic plasticity at local scales and enhancing population persistence under global change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Denney
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - M Inam Jameel
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jordan B Bemmels
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mia E Rochford
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
MacTavish R, Anderson JT. Resource availability alters fitness trade-offs: implications for evolution in stressful environments. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:308-318. [PMID: 31943133 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Industrialization and human activities have elevated temperatures and caused novel precipitation patterns, altering soil moisture and nutrient availability. Predicting evolutionary responses to climate change requires information on the agents of selection that drive local adaptation and influence resource acquisition and allocation. Here, we examined the contribution of nutrient and drought stress to local adaptation, and we tested whether trade-offs across fitness components constrain or facilitate adaptation under resource stress. METHODS We exposed 35 families of Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae) to three levels of water and two levels of nutrient supply in a factorial design in the greenhouse. We sourced maternal families from a broad elevational gradient (2499-3530 m a.s.l.), representing disparate soil moisture and nutrient availability. RESULTS Concordant with local adaptation, maternal families from arid, low-elevation populations had enhanced fecundity under severe drought over those from more mesic, high-elevation sites. Furthermore, fitness trade-offs between growth and reproductive success depended on the environmental context. Under high, but not low, nutrient levels, we found a negative phenotypic relationship between the probability of reproduction and growth rate. Similarly, a negative phenotypic association only emerged between fecundity and growth under severe drought stress, not the benign water treatment levels, indicating that stressful resource environments alter the direction of trait correlations. Genetic covariances were broadly concordant with these phenotypic patterns. CONCLUSIONS Despite high heritabilities in all fitness components across treatments, trade-offs between growth and reproduction could constrain adaptation to increasing drought stress and novel nutrient levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel MacTavish
- Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bemmels JB, Anderson JT. Climate change shifts natural selection and the adaptive potential of the perennial forb Boechera stricta in the Rocky Mountains. Evolution 2019; 73:2247-2262. [PMID: 31584183 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Heritable genetic variation is necessary for populations to evolve in response to anthropogenic climate change. However, antagonistic genetic correlations among traits may constrain the rate of adaptation, even if substantial genetic variation exists. We examine potential genetic responses to selection by comparing multivariate genetic variance-covariances of traits and fitness (multivariate Robertson-Price identities) across different environments in a reciprocal transplant experiment of the forb Boechera stricta in the Rocky Mountains. By transplanting populations into four common gardens arrayed along an elevational gradient, and exposing populations to control and snow removal treatments, we simulated future and current climates and snowmelt regimes. Genetic variation in flowering and germination phenology declined in plants moved downslope to warmer, drier sites, suggesting that these traits may have a limited ability to evolve under future climates. Simulated climate change via snow removal altered the strength of selection on flowering traits, but we found little evidence that genetic correlations among traits are likely to affect the rate of adaptation to climate change. Overall, our results suggest that climate change may alter the evolutionary potential of B. stricta, but reduced expression of genetic variation may be a larger impediment to adaptation than constraints imposed by antagonistic genetic correlations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan B Bemmels
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.,Current Address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, PO Box 519, Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Flint SA, Olofson D, Jordan NR, Shaw RG. Population source affects competitive response and effect in a C
4
grass (
Panicum virgatum
). Restor Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shelby A. Flint
- University of Minnesota, Conservation Biology Graduate Program, 135B Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - Dana Olofson
- University of Minnesota, University Honors Program, 390 Northrop, 84 Church Street SE Minneapolis MN 55455 U.S.A
- Mayo Clinic, Translational Research, Innovation, and Test Development Office, 200 First Street Southwest Rochester MN 55905 U.S.A
| | - Nicholas R. Jordan
- Department of Agronomy and Plant GeneticsUniversity of Minnesota, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - Ruth G. Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and BehaviorUniversity of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Kulbaba MW, Sheth SN, Pain RE, Eckhart VM, Shaw RG. Additive genetic variance for lifetime fitness and the capacity for adaptation in an annual plant. Evolution 2019; 73:1746-1758. [PMID: 31432512 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The immediate capacity for adaptation under current environmental conditions is directly proportional to the additive genetic variance for fitness, VA (W). Mean absolute fitness, W ¯ , is predicted to change at the rate V A ( W ) W ¯ , according to Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection. Despite ample research evaluating degree of local adaptation, direct assessment of VA (W) and the capacity for ongoing adaptation is exceedingly rare. We estimated VA (W) and W ¯ in three pedigreed populations of annual Chamaecrista fasciculata, over three years in the wild. Contrasting with common expectations, we found significant VA (W) in all populations and years, predicting increased mean fitness in subsequent generations (0.83 to 6.12 seeds per individual). Further, we detected two cases predicting "evolutionary rescue," where selection on standing VA (W) was expected to increase fitness of declining populations ( W ¯ < 1.0) to levels consistent with population sustainability and growth. Within populations, inter-annual differences in genetic expression of fitness were striking. Significant genotype-by-year interactions reflected modest correlations between breeding values across years, indicating temporally variable selection at the genotypic level that could contribute to maintaining VA (W). By directly estimating VA (W) and total lifetime W ¯ , our study presents an experimental approach for studies of adaptive capacity in the wild.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mason W Kulbaba
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55455
| | - Seema N Sheth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55455.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
| | - Rachel E Pain
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55455
| | | | - Ruth G Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55455
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Torres‐Martínez L, McCarten N, Emery NC. The adaptive potential of plant populations in response to extreme climate events. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:866-874. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Torres‐Martínez
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University 915 W. State Street West Lafayette IN47907‐2054 USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology University of California Riverside CA92521 USA
| | - Niall McCarten
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources University of California Davis CA95616 USA
| | - Nancy C. Emery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Campus Box 334 Boulder CO80309‐0334 USA
| |
Collapse
|