1
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Li T, Li X, Zheng L, Li H. Stable body sizes in soil nematodes across altitudes: The role of intrageneric variation in community assembly. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70025. [PMID: 39011134 PMCID: PMC11246979 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal body size exhibits rapid responses to environmental variations and displays considerable variability across ecological scales, significantly influencing ecological community assembly. However, our understanding of the extent of body size variation and its responses to environmental differences within soil fauna remains limited, impeding a comprehensive grasp of soil fauna's functional ecology. Here, we aim to investigate the magnitude of intrageneric body size variation and its implications for soil nematode community assembly along an altitudinal gradient. We examined soil nematode body size responses along an altitudinal gradient spanning from 3136 to 4128 m in an alpine mountain region of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We assessed the contributions of intra- and intergeneric variations in body size, both within and among communities, using individual body size values. The implications of these variations for community assembly processes were determined through phenotypic variance ratios employing permutation tests. Our analyses did not reveal statistically significant correlations between altitude and the community-weighted mean body mass, regardless of considering intrageneric trait variation (IGTV). Approximately 15% of the variation in body size among communities and a substantial 72% of the variation in body size within communities can be attributed to IGTV. Altitude did not significantly affect IGTV within or among communities. Furthermore, our results underscored the dominant role of internal filtering within the community in governing nematode community assembly, with external filtering outside the community playing a limited role within our altitudinal range. Our findings emphasize the dominant role of body size variation within communities rather than among communities, attributable to strong internal filtering processes. These findings advance our understanding of body size variation in soil nematodes across ecological scales and highlight the pivotal role of intrageneric variation in shaping the functional ecology of soil fauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teng Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Xianping Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Lingyun Zheng
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
| | - Huixin Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China
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2
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Ji F, Li F, Hao D, Shiklomanov AN, Yang X, Townsend PA, Dashti H, Nakaji T, Kovach KR, Liu H, Luo M, Chen M. Unveiling the transferability of PLSR models for leaf trait estimation: lessons from a comprehensive analysis with a novel global dataset. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:111-131. [PMID: 38708434 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Leaf traits are essential for understanding many physiological and ecological processes. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with leaf spectroscopy are widely applied for trait estimation, but their transferability across space, time, and plant functional types (PFTs) remains unclear. We compiled a novel dataset of paired leaf traits and spectra, with 47 393 records for > 700 species and eight PFTs at 101 globally distributed locations across multiple seasons. Using this dataset, we conducted an unprecedented comprehensive analysis to assess the transferability of PLSR models in estimating leaf traits. While PLSR models demonstrate commendable performance in predicting chlorophyll content, carotenoid, leaf water, and leaf mass per area prediction within their training data space, their efficacy diminishes when extrapolating to new contexts. Specifically, extrapolating to locations, seasons, and PFTs beyond the training data leads to reduced R2 (0.12-0.49, 0.15-0.42, and 0.25-0.56) and increased NRMSE (3.58-18.24%, 6.27-11.55%, and 7.0-33.12%) compared with nonspatial random cross-validation. The results underscore the importance of incorporating greater spectral diversity in model training to boost its transferability. These findings highlight potential errors in estimating leaf traits across large spatial domains, diverse PFTs, and time due to biased validation schemes, and provide guidance for future field sampling strategies and remote sensing applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fujiang Ji
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Fa Li
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Dalei Hao
- Atmospheric, Climate, & Earth Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Alexey N Shiklomanov
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Mail code: 610.1, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
| | - Xi Yang
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Philip A Townsend
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Hamid Dashti
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Tatsuro Nakaji
- Uryu Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University, Moshiri, Horokanai, Hokkaido, 074-0741, Japan
| | - Kyle R Kovach
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Haoran Liu
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Meng Luo
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA
- Data Science Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 447 Lorch Ct, Madison, 53706, WI, USA
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3
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Zelený D, Helsen K, Lee YN. Extending the CWM approach to intraspecific trait variation: how to deal with overly optimistic standard tests? Oecologia 2024:10.1007/s00442-024-05568-1. [PMID: 38806949 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05568-1] [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: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Community weighted means (CWMs) are widely used to study the relationship between community-level functional traits and environment. For certain null hypotheses, CWM-environment relationships assessed by linear regression or ANOVA and tested by standard parametric tests are prone to inflated Type I error rates. Previous research has found that this problem can be solved by permutation tests (i.e., the max test). A recent extension of the CWM approach allows the inclusion of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) by the separate calculation of fixed, site-specific, and intraspecific CWMs. The question is whether the same Type I error rate inflation exists for the relationship between environment and site-specific or intraspecific CWM. Using simulated and real-world community datasets, we show that site-specific CWM-environment relationships have also inflated Type I error rate, and this rate is negatively related to the relative ITV magnitude. In contrast, for intraspecific CWM-environment relationships, standard parametric tests have the correct Type I error rate, although somewhat reduced statistical power. We introduce an ITV-extended version of the max test, which can solve the inflation problem for site-specific CWM-environment relationships and, without considering ITV, becomes equivalent to the "original" max test used for the CWM approach. We show that this new ITV-extended max test works well across the full possible magnitude of ITV on both simulated and real-world data. Most real datasets probably do not have intraspecific trait variation large enough to alleviate the problem of inflated Type I error rate, and published studies possibly report overly optimistic significance results.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Zelený
- Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Kenny Helsen
- Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Nuo Lee
- Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan
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4
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Ronk A, Boldgiv B, Casper BB, Liancourt P. Leaf trait plasticity reveals interactive effects of temporally disjunct grazing and warming on plant communities. Oecologia 2024; 204:833-843. [PMID: 38573499 PMCID: PMC11062997 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05540-z] [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: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Changes in climate and grazing intensity influence plant-community compositions and their functional structure. Yet, little is known about their possible interactive effects when climate change mainly has consequences during the growing season and grazing occurs off growing season (dormant season grazing). We examined the contribution of trait plasticity to the immediate responses in the functional structure of plant community due to the interplay between these two temporally disjunct drivers. We conducted a field experiment in the northern Mongolian steppe, where climate was manipulated by open-top chambers (OTCs) for two growing seasons, increasing temperature and decreasing soil moisture (i.e., increased aridity), and grazing was excluded for one dormant season between these two growing seasons. We calculated the community-weighted mean (CWM) and the functional diversity (FD) of six leaf traits. Based on a variance partitioning approach, we evaluated how much of the responses in CWM and FD to OTCs and dormant season grazing occur through plasticity. The interactive effect of OTCs and the dormant season grazing were detected only after considering the role of trait plasticity. Overall, OTCs influenced the responses in CWM more than in FD, but the effects of OTCs were much less pronounced where dormant season grazing occurred. Thus, warming (together with decreased soil moisture) and the elimination of dormant season grazing could interact to impact the functional trait structure of plant communities through trait plasticity. Climate change effects should be considered in the context of altered land use, even if temporally disjunct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argo Ronk
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Bazartseren Boldgiv
- Department of Biology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 14201, Mongolia
| | - Brenda B Casper
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Pierre Liancourt
- Department of Botany, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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5
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Douce P, Simon L, Colas F, Mermillod-Blondin F, Renault D, Sulmon C, Eymar-Dauphin P, Dubreucque R, Bittebiere AK. Warming drives feedback between plant phenotypes and ecosystem functioning in sub-Antarctic ponds. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169504. [PMID: 38145689 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Ample evidence indicates that warming affects individuals in plant communities, ultimately threatening biodiversity. Individual plants in communities are also exposed to plant-plant interaction that may affect their performance. However, trait responses to these two constraints have usually been studied separately, while they may influence processes at the ecosystem level. In turn, these ecological modifications may impact the phenotypes of plants through nutrient availability and uptake. We developed an experimental approach based on the macrophyte communities in the ponds of the sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen. Individuals of the species Limosella australis were grown under different temperature × plant-plant interaction treatments to assess their trait responses and create litters with different characteristics. The litters were then decomposed in the presence of individual plants at different temperatures to examine effects on ecosystem functioning and potential feedback affecting plant trait values. Leaf resource-acquisition- and -conservation-related traits were altered in the context of temperature × plant-plant interaction. At 13 °C, SLA and leaf C:N were higher under interspecific and intraspecific interactions than without interaction, whereas at 23 °C, these traits increased under intraspecific interaction only. These effects only slightly improved the individual performance, suggesting that plant-plant interaction is an additional selective pressure on individuals in the context of climate warming. The decay rate of litter increased with the Leaf Carbon Content at 13 °C and 18 °C, but decreased at 23 °C. The highest decay rate was recorded at 18 °C. Besides, we observed evidence of positive feedback of the decay rate alone, and in interaction with the temperature, respectively on the leaf C:N and Leaf Dry Matter Content, suggesting that variations in ecological processes affect plant phenotypes. Our findings demonstrate that warming can directly and indirectly affect the evolutionary and ecological processes occurring in aquatic ecosystems through plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Douce
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Laurent Simon
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Fanny Colas
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Florian Mermillod-Blondin
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - David Renault
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)], UMR 6553, F 35000 Rennes, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 Rue Descartes, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France.
| | - Cécile Sulmon
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)], UMR 6553, F 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Pauline Eymar-Dauphin
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Roman Dubreucque
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Anne-Kristel Bittebiere
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
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6
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Puglielli G, Bricca A, Chelli S, Petruzzellis F, Acosta ATR, Bacaro G, Beccari E, Bernardo L, Bonari G, Bolpagni R, Boscutti F, Calvia G, Campetella G, Cancellieri L, Canullo R, Carbognani M, Carboni M, Carranza ML, Castellani MB, Ciccarelli D, Coppi A, Cutini M, Dalla Vecchia A, Dalle Fratte M, de Francesco MC, De Frenne P, De Sanctis M, de Simone L, Di Cecco V, Fanelli G, Farris E, Ferrara A, Fenu G, Filibeck G, Gasperini C, Gargano D, Kindermann E, La Bella G, Lastrucci L, Lazzaro L, Maccherini S, Marignani M, Mugnai M, Naselli-Flores L, Passalacqua NG, Pavanetto N, Petraglia A, Rota F, Santoianni LA, Schettino A, Selvi F, Stanisci A, Trotta G, Vangansbeke P, Varricchione M, Vuerich M, Wellstein C, Tordoni E. Intraspecific variability of leaf form and function across habitat types. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14396. [PMID: 38456670 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Trait-based ecology has already revealed main independent axes of trait variation defining trait spaces that summarize plant adaptive strategies, but often ignoring intraspecific trait variability (ITV). By using empirical ITV-level data for two independent dimensions of leaf form and function and 167 species across five habitat types (coastal dunes, forests, grasslands, heathlands, wetlands) in the Italian peninsula, we found that ITV: (i) rotated the axes of trait variation that define the trait space; (ii) increased the variance explained by these axes and (iii) affected the functional structure of the target trait space. However, the magnitude of these effects was rather small and depended on the trait and habitat type. Our results reinforce the idea that ITV is context-dependent, calling for careful extrapolations of ITV patterns across traits and spatial scales. Importantly, our study provides a framework that can be used to start integrating ITV into trait space analyses.
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Grants
- Ente Parco Nazionale del Pollino (Rotonda, Italy) in the frame of the project "Un laboratorio naturale permanente nel Parco Nazionale del Pollino"
- National Biodiversity Future Center NBFC, CUP J33C22001190001
- European Union - NextGenerationEU within the framework of National Biodiversity Future Center (Spoke 4, Activity 4)
- NBFC to the University of Florence, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033
- NBFC to University of Roma Tre/Department of Science, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033. Grant of Excellence Departments 2018- 2022, MIUR Italy
- NBFC to University of Molise/Department of Bioscience and Territory, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, "Dalla ricerca all'impresa", Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033, MIUR Italy
- PID2021-122214NA-I00 MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by FEDER "ESF Investing in your future"
- Grant of Excellence Departments 2018- 2022, MIUR Italy
- G.Bo. and SM acknowledge the support of NBFC to University of Siena, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, 'Dalla ricerca all', Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Puglielli
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alessandro Bricca
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Stefano Chelli
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | | | | | - Giovanni Bacaro
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Eleonora Beccari
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liliana Bernardo
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Gianmaria Bonari
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rossano Bolpagni
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Boscutti
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Giacomo Calvia
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Giandiego Campetella
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Laura Cancellieri
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Roberto Canullo
- School of Biosciences & Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | | | - Marta Carboni
- Department of Sciences, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Carranza
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | | | | | - Andrea Coppi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Alice Dalla Vecchia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Michele Dalle Fratte
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Maria Carla de Francesco
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Michele De Sanctis
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Valter Di Cecco
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Giuliano Fanelli
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Emmanuele Farris
- Department of Chemical, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Arianna Ferrara
- BIOME Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fenu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Goffredo Filibeck
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Cristina Gasperini
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Domenico Gargano
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Elisabeth Kindermann
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Greta La Bella
- Department of Sciences, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Lorenzo Lazzaro
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Simona Maccherini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Michela Marignani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michele Mugnai
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Luigi Naselli-Flores
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Pavanetto
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alessandro Petraglia
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesco Rota
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Federico Selvi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Angela Stanisci
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Giacomo Trotta
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Pieter Vangansbeke
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle, Belgium
| | - Marco Varricchione
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, ENVIXLAB, University of Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Marco Vuerich
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Camilla Wellstein
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Enrico Tordoni
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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7
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Rios CO, Pimentel PA, Bicalho EM, Garcia QS, Pereira EG. Photochemical attributes determine the responses of plant species from different functional groups of ferruginous outcrops when grown in iron mining substrates. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2024; 51:FP23207. [PMID: 38163648 DOI: 10.1071/fp23207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Environments originating from banded iron formations, such as the canga , are important reference ecosystems for the recovery of degraded areas by mining. The objective of this work was to evaluate if the relationship between morphofunctional and photosynthetic attributes of native canga species from different functional group results in distinct responses when grown in iron mining tailings substrate. The experiment was carried out with species belonging to different functional groups: a widespread semi-deciduous tree-shrub, Myrcia splendens ; an endemic deciduous shrub, Jacaranda caroba ; and a nitrogen-fixing herbaceous species, Periandra mediterranea . The species were grown in two conditions, reference soil and iron ore tailing. Despite belonging to different functional groups when grown in tailings, the morphofunctional attributes presented similar responses between species. M. splendens was the species most affected by the conditions imposed by the iron ore mining tailings, with decreased light-use efficiency and electron transport. P. mediterranea had satisfactory growth and maintenance of photosynthetic attributes. J. caroba growing in the tailings increased the effective quantum yield of PSII. The photochemical and growth assessments were able to better explain the adaptive strategies developed by the species, guaranteeing a greater chance of success during the rehabilitation of mining substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Oliveira Rios
- Graduate program in Plant Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paulo Antônio Pimentel
- Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Elisa Monteze Bicalho
- Plant Growth and Development Laboratory, Plant Physiology, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), University Campus, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Queila Souza Garcia
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Gusmão Pereira
- Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Campus Florestal, Florestal, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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8
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Shahmohamadloo RS, Rudman SM, Clare CI, Westrick JA, Wang X, De Meester L, Fryxell JM. Intraspecific genetic variation is critical to robust toxicological predictions of aquatic contaminants. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.06.543817. [PMID: 37333160 PMCID: PMC10274664 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.06.543817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Environmental risk assessment is a critical tool for protecting aquatic life and its effectiveness is predicated on predicting how natural populations respond to contaminants. Yet, routine toxicity testing typically examines only one genotype, which may render risk assessments inaccurate as populations are most often composed of genetically distinct individuals. To determine the importance of intraspecific variation in the translation of toxicity testing to populations, we quantified the magnitude of genetic variation within 20 Daphnia magna clones derived from one lake using whole genome sequencing and phenotypic assays. We repeated these assays across two exposure levels of microcystins, a cosmopolitan and lethal aquatic contaminant produced by harmful algal blooms. We found considerable intraspecific genetic variation in survival, growth, and reproduction, which was amplified by microcystins exposure. Finally, using simulations we demonstrate that the common practice of employing a single genotype to calculate toxicity tolerance failed to produce an estimate within the 95% confidence interval over half of the time. These results illuminate the importance of incorporating intraspecific genetic variation into toxicity testing to reliably predict how natural populations will respond to aquatic contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- René S. Shahmohamadloo
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, 98686, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Seth M. Rudman
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, 98686, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Catherine I. Clare
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, 98686, United States
| | - Judy A. Westrick
- Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, 48202, United States
| | - Xueqi Wang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Luc De Meester
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, University of Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - John M. Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
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9
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Castro Sánchez-Bermejo P, Davrinche A, Matesanz S, Harpole WS, Haider S. Within-individual leaf trait variation increases with phenotypic integration in a subtropical tree diversity experiment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1390-1404. [PMID: 37710419 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19250] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Covariation of plant functional traits, that is, phenotypic integration, might constrain their variability. This was observed for inter- and intraspecific variation, but there is no evidence of a relationship between phenotypic integration and the functional variation within single plants (within-individual trait variation; WTV), which could be key to understand the extent of WTV in contexts like plant-plant interactions. We studied the relationship between WTV and phenotypic integration in c. 500 trees of 21 species in planted forest patches varying in species richness in subtropical China. Using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS), we measured nine leaf morphological and chemical traits. For each tree, we assessed metrics of single and multitrait variation to assess WTV, and we used plant trait network properties based on trait correlations to quantify phenotypic integration. Against expectations, strong phenotypic integration within a tree led to greater variation across leaves. Not only this was true for single traits, but also the dispersion in a tree's multitrait hypervolume was positively associated with tree's phenotypic integration. Surprisingly, we only detected weak influence of the surrounding tree-species diversity on these relationships. Our study suggests that integrated phenotypes allow the variability of leaf phenotypes within the organism and supports that phenotypic integration prevents maladaptive variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Castro Sánchez-Bermejo
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andréa Davrinche
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química inorgánica, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Lüneburg, 21335, Germany
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10
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Mayfield MM, Lau JA, Tobias JA, Ives AR, Strauss SY. What Can Evolutionary History Tell Us about the Functioning of Ecological Communities? The ASN Presidential Debate. Am Nat 2023; 202:587-603. [PMID: 37963115 DOI: 10.1086/726336] [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: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractIn January 2018, Sharon Strauss, then president of the American Society of Naturalists, organized a debate on the following topic: does evolutionary history inform the current functioning of ecological communities? The debaters-Ives, Lau, Mayfield, and Tobias-presented pro and con arguments, caricatured in standard debating format. Numerous examples show that both recent microevolutionary and longer-term macroevolutionary history are important to the ecological functioning of communities. On the other hand, many other examples illustrate that the evolutionary history of communities or community members does not influence ecological function, or at least not very much. This article aims to provide a provocative discussion of the consistent and conflicting patterns that emerge in the study of contemporary and historical evolutionary influences on community function, as well as to identify questions for further study. It is intended as a thought-provoking exercise to explore this complex field, specifically addressing (1) key assumptions and how they can lead us astray and (2) issues that need additional study. The debaters all agree that evolutionary history can inform us about at least some aspects of community function. The underlying question at the root of the debate, however, is how the fields of ecology and evolution can most profitably collaborate to provide a deeper and broader understanding of ecological communities.
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11
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Sonkoly J, Tóth E, Balogh N, Balogh L, Bartha D, Csendesné Bata K, Bátori Z, Békefi N, Botta-Dukát Z, Bölöni J, Csecserits A, Csiky J, Csontos P, Dancza I, Deák B, Dobolyi ZK, E-Vojtkó A, Gyulai F, Hábenczyus AA, Henn T, Horváth F, Höhn M, Jakab G, Kelemen A, Király G, Kis S, Kovacsics-Vári G, Kun A, Lehoczky É, Lengyel A, Lhotsky B, Löki V, Lukács BA, Matus G, McIntosh-Buday A, Mesterházy A, Miglécz T, Molnár V A, Molnár Z, Morschhauser T, Papp L, Pósa P, Rédei T, Schmidt D, Szmorad F, Takács A, Tamás J, Tiborcz V, Tölgyesi C, Tóth K, Tóthmérész B, Valkó O, Virók V, Wirth T, Török P. PADAPT 1.0 - the Pannonian Dataset of Plant Traits. Sci Data 2023; 10:742. [PMID: 37880224 PMCID: PMC10600112 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02619-9] [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: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The existing plant trait databases' applicability is limited for studies dealing with the flora and vegetation of the eastern and central part of Europe and for large-scale comparisons across regions, mostly because their geographical data coverage is limited and they incorporate records from several different sources, often from regions with markedly different climatic conditions. These problems motivated the compilation of a regional dataset for the flora of the Pannonian region (Eastern Central Europe). PADAPT, the Pannonian Dataset of Plant Traits relies on regional data sources and collates data on 54 traits and attributes of the plant species of the Pannonian region. The current version covers approximately 90% of the species of the region and consists of 126,337 records on 2745 taxa. By including species of the eastern part of Europe not covered by other databases, PADAPT can facilitate studying the flora and vegetation of the eastern part of the continent. Although data coverage is far from complete, PADAPT meets the longstanding need for a regional database of the Pannonian flora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Sonkoly
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Edina Tóth
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Nóra Balogh
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Lajos Balogh
- Natural History Department, Savaria Museum, Szombathely, Hungary
| | - Dénes Bartha
- Institute of Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary
| | | | - Zoltán Bátori
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Nóra Békefi
- 1016 Budapest, Piroska u. 4., Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Botta-Dukát
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - János Bölöni
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Anikó Csecserits
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - János Csiky
- Department of Ecology, University of Pécs, H-7624 Pécs, Ifjúság u. 6., Pécs, Hungary
| | - Péter Csontos
- Institute for Soil Sciences, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Balázs Deák
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | | | - Anna E-Vojtkó
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Ferenc Gyulai
- Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | | | - Tamás Henn
- József Attila City Library and Museum Collection, Komló, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Horváth
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Mária Höhn
- Department of Botany, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budai Campus, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gusztáv Jakab
- Department of Environmental and Landscape Geography, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Kelemen
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Gergely Király
- Institute of Silviculture and Forest Protection, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary
| | - Szabolcs Kis
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Conservation Biology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | | | - András Kun
- 1115 Budapest, Halmi u. 5. 3/16., Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Lehoczky
- Department of Environmental Sustainability, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Georgikon Campus, H-8360 Keszthely, Deák F. u. 16, Keszthely, Hungary
| | - Attila Lengyel
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Barbara Lhotsky
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
- National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktor Löki
- Wetland Ecology Research Group, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Balázs András Lukács
- Wetland Ecology Research Group, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Gábor Matus
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Andrea McIntosh-Buday
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Attila Mesterházy
- Wetland Ecology Research Group, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Tamás Miglécz
- ÖMKi - Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Molnár V
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Conservation Biology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Molnár
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Tamás Morschhauser
- Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - László Papp
- Botanical Garden, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Patrícia Pósa
- Balaton-felvidéki National Park Directorate, Csopak, Hungary
| | - Tamás Rédei
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Dávid Schmidt
- Institute of Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Szmorad
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Takács
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Conservation Biology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Júlia Tamás
- Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktor Tiborcz
- Saint Orsolya Catholic Secondary and Elementary School, Sopron, Hungary
| | - Csaba Tölgyesi
- HUN-REN-UD Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
- MTA-SZTE 'Momentum' Applied Ecology Research Group, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Katalin Tóth
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Béla Tóthmérész
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-UD Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Valkó
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Viktor Virók
- Aggtelek National Park Directorate, Jósvafő, Hungary
| | - Tamás Wirth
- Botanical Garden, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Péter Török
- Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
- HUN-REN-UD Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group, Debrecen, Hungary.
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Botanical Garden - Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Warszawa, Poland.
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12
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Boero F, Mergeay J. Darwin's feathers: Eco-evolutionary biology, predictions and policy. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2023; 95:91-111. [PMID: 37923540 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2023.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The scientific community is often asked to predict the future state of the environment and, to do so, the structure (biodiversity) and the functions (ecosystem functioning) of the investigated systems must be described and understood. In his "handful of feathers" metaphor, Charles Darwin explained the difference between simple and predictable systems, obeying definite laws, and complex (and unpredictable) systems, featured by innumerable components and interactions among them. In order not to waste efforts in impossible enterprises, it is crucial to ascertain if accurate predictions are possible in a given domain, and to what extent they might be reliable. Since ecology and evolution (together forming "natural history") deal with complex historical systems that are extremely sensitive to initial conditions and to contingencies or 'black swans', it is inherently impossible to accurately predict their future states. Notwithstanding this impossibility, policy makers are asking the community of ecological and evolutionary biologists to predict the future. The struggle for funding induces many supposed naturalists to do so, also because other types of scientists (from engineers to modellers) are keen to sell predictions (usually in form of solutions) to policy makers that are willing to pay for them. This paper is a plea for bio-ecological realism. The "mission" of ecologists and evolutionary biologists (natural historians) is not to predict the future state of inherently unpredictable systems, but to convince policy makers that we must live with uncertainties. Natural history, however, can provide knowledge-based wisdom to face the uncertainties about the future. Natural historians produce scenarios that are of great help in figuring out how to manage our relationship with the rest of nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinando Boero
- Fondazione Dohrn, Museo Darwin Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Napoli, Italy; CNR-IAS, Genova, Italy.
| | - Joachim Mergeay
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Gaverstraat, Geraardsbergen, Belgium; Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, KULeuven, Deberiotstraat, Leuven, Belgium
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13
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Kassout J, Hmimsa Y, Fatehi SE, Kadaoui K, Houssni M, Chakkour S, Sahli A, El Chami MA, Ariza-Mateos D, Palacios-Rodríguez G, Navarro-Cerrillo RM, Ater M. Aridity Gradients Shape Intraspecific Variability of Morphological Traits in Native Ceratonia siliqua L. of Morocco. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3447. [PMID: 37836187 PMCID: PMC10575131 DOI: 10.3390/plants12193447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a significant fruit tree in the Mediterranean region with cultural, biological, and ecological importance. Despite its importance, intraspecific trait variability (ITV) in carob trees has been largely overlooked in previous studies. Understanding ITV and its relationship with environmental conditions is crucial for conservation and breeding programs. In this study, we investigated the variability of carob pod and seed-related traits across different ecological scales in 25 studied populations in Morocco. Significant differences in morphological traits were observed between carob populations at various ecological levels, and pod-related traits exhibited greater variability than seed traits. Correlation analysis revealed strong associations between carob morphological traits and environmental conditions, with altitude and aridity index playing an influential role. The aridity gradient was strongly related to changes in pod size, seed number, and size, as well as seed yield. Our findings highlight an important ITV reaching 45% at the intra-population level, 36.5% at the inter-geographic level, and 30% at the inter-population level. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights into the ecology and adaptation of carob trees, emphasizing the importance of considering intraspecific variability when studying this remarkable species. This knowledge is critical for addressing the challenges posed by climate change and human activities on the long-term survival and ecological functioning of carob populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalal Kassout
- Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Marrakech, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, P.O. Box 415, Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco
| | - Younes Hmimsa
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
- TEDAEEP Team Research, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache (FPL), University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, P.O. Box 745, Larache 92000, Morocco
| | - Salama El Fatehi
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
- TEDAEEP Team Research, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache (FPL), University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, P.O. Box 745, Larache 92000, Morocco
| | - Khalil Kadaoui
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Mhammad Houssni
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Soufian Chakkour
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Abdelouahab Sahli
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
| | - Mohamad Ali El Chami
- Forestry Engineering Department, ERSAF Research Group RNM-360, University of Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (M.A.E.C.); (D.A.-M.); (G.P.-R.); (R.M.N.-C.)
| | - David Ariza-Mateos
- Forestry Engineering Department, ERSAF Research Group RNM-360, University of Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (M.A.E.C.); (D.A.-M.); (G.P.-R.); (R.M.N.-C.)
| | - Guillermo Palacios-Rodríguez
- Forestry Engineering Department, ERSAF Research Group RNM-360, University of Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (M.A.E.C.); (D.A.-M.); (G.P.-R.); (R.M.N.-C.)
| | - Rafael M. Navarro-Cerrillo
- Forestry Engineering Department, ERSAF Research Group RNM-360, University of Córdoba, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; (M.A.E.C.); (D.A.-M.); (G.P.-R.); (R.M.N.-C.)
| | - Mohamed Ater
- Laboratory of Applied Botany, Bio-Agrodiversity Team, Faculty of Sciences, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan 93030, Morocco; (Y.H.); (S.E.F.); (K.K.); (M.H.); (S.C.); (A.S.); (M.A.)
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14
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Yang Y, Chen Z, Xu B, Ghanizadeh H, Li W, Ding C, Zhou R, Wen Z. Contrasting patterns of community-weighted mean traits and functional diversity in driving grassland productivity changes under N and P addition. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1145709. [PMID: 37649999 PMCID: PMC10465162 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1145709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Fertilization could influence ecosystem structure and functioning through species turnover (ST) and intraspecific trait variation (ITV), especially in nutrient limited ecosystems. To quantify the relative importance of ITV and ST in driving community functional structure and productivity changes under nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) addition in semiarid grasslands. In this regard, we conducted a four-year fertilizer addition experiment in a semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau, China. We examined how fertilization affects species-level leaf and root trait plasticity to evaluate the ability of plants to manifest different levels of traits in response to different N and P addition. Also, we assessed how ITV or ST dominated community-weighted mean (CWM) traits and functional diversity variations and evaluated their effects on grassland productivity. The results showed that the patterns of plasticity varied greatly among different plant species, and leaf and root traits showed coordinated variations following fertilization. Increasing the level of N and P increased CWM_specific leaf area (CWM_SLA), CWM_leaf N concentration (CWM_LN) and CWM_maximum plant height (CWM_Hmax) and ITV predominate these CWM traits variations. As a results, increased CWM_Hmax, CWM_LN and CWM_SLA positively influenced grassland productivity. In contrast, functional divergence decreased with increasing N and P and showed negative relationships with grassland productivity. Our results emphasized that CWM traits and functional diversity contrastingly drive changes in grassland productivity under N and P addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Yang
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhifei Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Bingcheng Xu
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hossein Ghanizadeh
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Wei Li
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chengqin Ding
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ronglei Zhou
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhongming Wen
- College of Grassland Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
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15
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Ferreira SB, Burns JHR, Pascoe KH, Kapono CA, Reyes AJ, Fukunaga A. Prediction of habitat complexity using a trait-based approach on coral reefs in Guam. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11095. [PMID: 37422484 PMCID: PMC10329656 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38138-1] [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: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Scleractinian corals are primary contributors to the structural complexity of coral reef ecosystems. The structure derived from their carbonate skeletons underpins the biodiversity and myriad of ecosystem services provided by coral reefs. This study used a trait-based approach to provide new insights into the relationships between habitat complexity and coral morphology. Three-Dimensional (3D) photogrammetry techniques were used to survey 208 study plots on the island of Guam, from which structural complexity metrics were derived and physical traits of corals were quantified. Three traits at the individual colony level (e.g., morphology, size, and genera) and two site-level environmental characteristics (e.g., wave exposure and substratum-habitat type) were examined. Standard taxonomy-based metrics were also included at the reef-plot level (e.g., coral abundance, richness, and diversity). Different traits disproportionately contributed to 3D metrics of habitat complexity. Larger colonies with a columnar morphology have the highest contribution to surface complexity, slope, and vector ruggedness measure, whereas branching and encrusting columnar colonies have the highest contribution to planform and profile curvature. These results highlight the importance of considering colony morphology and size in addition to conventional taxonomic metrics for the understanding and monitoring reef structural complexity. The approach presented here provides a framework for studies in other locations to predict the trajectory of reefs under changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia B Ferreira
- MEGA Lab, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA.
| | - John H R Burns
- MEGA Lab, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Kailey H Pascoe
- MEGA Lab, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Clifford A Kapono
- MEGA Lab, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
| | - Andres J Reyes
- Marine Scientist, NAVFAC Systems Command Marianas, Joint Region Marianas, Santa Rita, GU, 96915, USA
| | - Atsuko Fukunaga
- MEGA Lab, College of Natural and Health Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
- Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA
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16
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McNichol BH, Russo SE. Plant Species' Capacity for Range Shifts at the Habitat and Geographic Scales: A Trade-Off-Based Framework. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1248. [PMID: 36986935 PMCID: PMC10056461 DOI: 10.3390/plants12061248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is causing rapid shifts in the abiotic and biotic environmental conditions experienced by plant populations, but we lack generalizable frameworks for predicting the consequences for species. These changes may cause individuals to become poorly matched to their environments, potentially inducing shifts in the distributions of populations and altering species' habitat and geographic ranges. We present a trade-off-based framework for understanding and predicting whether plant species may undergo range shifts, based on ecological strategies defined by functional trait variation. We define a species' capacity for undergoing range shifts as the product of its colonization ability and the ability to express a phenotype well-suited to the environment across life stages (phenotype-environment matching), which are both strongly influenced by a species' ecological strategy and unavoidable trade-offs in function. While numerous strategies may be successful in an environment, severe phenotype-environment mismatches result in habitat filtering: propagules reach a site but cannot establish there. Operating within individuals and populations, these processes will affect species' habitat ranges at small scales, and aggregated across populations, will determine whether species track climatic changes and undergo geographic range shifts. This trade-off-based framework can provide a conceptual basis for species distribution models that are generalizable across plant species, aiding in the prediction of shifts in plant species' ranges in response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey H. McNichol
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1101 T Street, 402 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA;
| | - Sabrina E. Russo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1101 T Street, 402 Manter Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA;
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 1901 Vine Street, N300 Beadle Center, Lincoln, NE 68588-0118, USA
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17
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Arroyo-Correa B, Jordano P, Bartomeus I. Intraspecific variation in species interactions promotes the feasibility of mutualistic assemblages. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:448-459. [PMID: 36688287 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Patterns of resource use observed at the species level emerge from the way individuals exploit the range of available resources. Hence, accounting for interindividual differences in resource use, such as pollinator use by plants, is essential to advance our understanding of community assembly and persistence. By using finely resolved data on plant-pollinator interactions, we evaluated how interindividual plant variation in pollinator use scales up to affect community structure and dynamics. All co-occurring plant species comprised specialists interacting with proper subsets of pollinators that visited generalists, and differences in interaction patterns were driven by among-individual trait variation. Furthermore, the nested structure and feasibility of plant-pollinator communities were maximised at higher levels of interindividual plant variation in traits and pollinator use. Our study sheds light on how pervasive properties of community structure arise from individual-level processes and contributes to elucidate the importance of preserving intraspecific variation in traits and resource use within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca Arroyo-Correa
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain.,Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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18
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Anderegg LDL. Why can't we predict traits from the environment? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:1998-2004. [PMID: 36308517 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits are powerful ecological tools, but the relationships between plant traits and climate (or environmental variables more broadly) are often remarkably weak. This presents a paradox: Plant traits govern plant interactions with their environment, but the environment does not strongly predict the traits of plants living there. Unpacking this paradox requires differentiating the mechanisms of trait variation and potential confounds of trait-environment relationships at different evolutionary and ecological scales ranging from within species to among communities. It also necessitates a more integrated understanding of physiological and evolutionary equifinality among many traits and plant strategies, and challenges us to understand how supposedly 'functional' traits integrate into a whole-organism phenotype in ways that may be largely orthogonal to environmental tolerances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leander D L Anderegg
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93117, USA
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19
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Callaghan CT, Palacio FX, Benedetti Y, Morelli F, Bowler DE. Large-scale spatial variability in urban tolerance of birds. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:403-416. [PMID: 36477754 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying intraspecific and interspecific trait variability is critical to our understanding of biogeography, ecology and conservation. But quantifying such variability and understanding the importance of intraspecific and interspecific variability remain challenging. This is especially true of large geographic scales as this is where the differences between intraspecific and interspecific variability are likely to be greatest. Our goal is to address this research gap using broad-scale citizen science data to quantify intraspecific variability and compare it with interspecific variability, using the example of bird responses to urbanization across the continental United States. Using more than 100 million observations, we quantified urban tolerance for 338 species within randomly sampled spatial regions and then calculated the standard deviation of each species' urban tolerance. We found that species' spatial variability in urban tolerance (i.e. standard deviation) was largely explained by the variability of urban cover throughout a species' range (R2 = 0.70). Variability in urban tolerance was greater in species that were more tolerant of urban cover (i.e. the average urban tolerance throughout their range), suggesting that generalist life histories are better suited to adapt to novel anthropogenic environments. Overall, species differences explained most of the variability in urban tolerance across spatial regions. Together, our results indicate that (1) intraspecific variability is largely predicted by local environmental variability in urban cover at a large spatial scale and (2) interspecific variability is greater than intraspecific variability, supporting the common use of mean values (i.e. collapsing observations across a species' range) when assessing species-environment relationships. Further studies, across different taxa, traits and species-environment relationships are needed to test the role of intraspecific variability, but nevertheless, we recommend that when possible, ecologists should avoid using discrete categories to classify species in how they respond to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey T Callaghan
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, Florida, USA.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena - Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle - Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Facundo X Palacio
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.,Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Diana E Bowler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena - Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,Helmoholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services, Leipzig, Germany
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20
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Forey E, Lodhar SYF, Galvin SD, Lowry JH, Gopaul S, Hanson G, Carboni M, Chauvat M, Boehmer HJ. Alien palm invasion leads to selective biotic filtering of resident plant communities towards competitive functional traits. Biol Invasions 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02991-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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21
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Becker C, Berthomé R, Delavault P, Flutre T, Fréville H, Gibot-Leclerc S, Le Corre V, Morel JB, Moutier N, Muños S, Richard-Molard C, Westwood J, Courty PE, de Saint Germain A, Louarn G, Roux F. The ecologically relevant genetics of plant-plant interactions. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:31-42. [PMID: 36114125 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Interactions among plants have been long recognized as a major force driving plant community dynamics and crop yield. Surprisingly, our knowledge of the ecological genetics associated with variation of plant-plant interactions remains limited. In this opinion article by scientists from complementary disciplines, the international PLANTCOM network identified four timely questions to foster a better understanding of the mechanisms mediating plant assemblages. We propose that by identifying the key relationships among phenotypic traits involved in plant-plant interactions and the underlying adaptive genetic and molecular pathways, while considering environmental fluctuations at diverse spatial and time scales, we can improve predictions of genotype-by-genotype-by-environment interactions and modeling of productive and stable plant assemblages in wild habitats and crop fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claude Becker
- Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians-University, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Richard Berthomé
- LIPME, INRAE, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | | | - Timothée Flutre
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, UMR GQE-Le Moulon, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Hélène Fréville
- AGAP, Université Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphanie Gibot-Leclerc
- Agroécologie, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université du Bourgogne, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Valérie Le Corre
- Agroécologie, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université du Bourgogne, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Benoit Morel
- PHIM Plant Health Institute, Université Montpellier, INRAE, CIRAD, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Moutier
- Institute for Genetics, Environment and Plant Protection (IGEPP), INRAE, Institut Agro, Université Rennes 1, 35650 Le Rheu, France
| | - Stéphane Muños
- LIPME, INRAE, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Céline Richard-Molard
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR EcoSys, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
| | - James Westwood
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Courty
- Agroécologie, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université du Bourgogne, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Alexandre de Saint Germain
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000 Versailles, France
| | | | - Fabrice Roux
- LIPME, INRAE, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
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22
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Angelini C, Antonucci F, Aguzzi J, Costa C. Different Traits, Different Evolutionary Pathways: Insights from Salamandrina (Amphibia, Caudata). Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233326. [PMID: 36496848 PMCID: PMC9739870 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Species delimitation is often based on a single or very few genetic or phenetic traits, something which leads to misinterpretations and often does not provide information about evolutionary processes. Here, we investigated the diversity pattern of multiple phenetic traits of the two extant species of Salamandrina, a genus split only after molecular traits had been studied but the two species of which are phenetically very similar. The phenetic traits we studied are size, external body shape and head colour pattern, in a model comparison framework using non-linear mixed models and unsupervised and supervised clustering. Overall, we found high levels of intra-specific variability for body size and shape, depending on population belonging and habitat, while differences between species were generally lower. The habitat the salamanders dwell in also seems important for colour pattern. Basing on our findings, from the methodological point of view, we suggest (i) to take into account the variability at population level when testing for higher level variability, and (ii) a semi-supervised learning approach to high dimensional data. We also showed that different phenotypic traits of the same organism could result from different evolutionary routes. Local adaptation is likely responsible for body size and shape variability, with selective pressures more similar across species than within them. Head colour pattern also depends on habitat, differently from ventral colour pattern (not studied in this paper) which likely evolved under genetic drift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Angelini
- Salamandrina Sezzese Search Society, Via G. Marconi 30, 04018 Sezze, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Francesca Antonucci
- Consiglio per la ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Jacopo Aguzzi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Paseo Marítimo de la Barceloneta, 37–49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Corrado Costa
- Consiglio per la ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Centro di Ricerca Ingegneria e Trasformazioni Agroalimentari, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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23
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Rotter MC, Christie K, Holeski LM. Climate and the biotic community structure plant resistance across biogeographic groups of yellow monkeyflower. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9520. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Rotter
- Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
- Department of Biology Utah Valley University Orem Utah USA
| | - Kyle Christie
- Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
- Department of Plant Biology Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan USA
| | - Liza M. Holeski
- Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
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24
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Balaguera-Reina SA, Angulo-Bedoya M, Moncada-Jimenez JF, Webster M, Roberto IJ, Mazzotti FJ. Update: Assessing the evolutionary trajectory of the Apaporis caiman ( Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis, Medem 1955) via mitochondrial molecular markers. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is currently considered to be a species complex due to the relatively high morphological and molecular diversity expressed across its range. One of the populations of interest, inhabiting the Apaporis River (Colombia), was described based on skull features as an incipient species (C. c. apaporiensis) and has been treated by some authors as a full species. Recent molecular work challenged this hypothesis, because relatively low mitochondrial molecular differentiation was found between the morphologically described Apaporis caiman and C. crocodilus (s.s.) Amazonian populations. Here, we present an update on the topic based on a larger molecular sample size and on analysis of expanded geometric morphometric data that include six newly collected skulls. Morphometric data support the existence of previously recognized morphotypes within the complex in Colombia and demonstrate that the newly collected material can be assigned to the classic Apaporis caiman morphotype. However, our expanded genetic analysis fails to find appreciable mitochondrial molecular divergence of the Apaporis caiman population from the C. c. crocodilus population (COI-CytB: Amazon Peru 0.17 ± 0.06%, CytB-only: Caquetá River Colombia 0.08 ± 0.07%). The Apaporis caiman is interpreted to be a phenotypically distinct member of the cis-Andean C. crocodilus metapopulation that has not yet achieved (or may not be undergoing at all) appreciable genetic differentiation. Thus, it should not be considered a fully independent evolutionary lineage, nor given full species rank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Balaguera-Reina
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
- Programa de Biología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad de Ibagué , Ibagué , Colombia
| | | | - Juan F Moncada-Jimenez
- Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Tolima, Calle 42 #1B-1 Barrio Santa Helena, Ibagué, 730001 , Colombia
| | - Mark Webster
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Igor J Roberto
- Laboratorio de Biologia e Ecologia de Animais Silvestres (LABEAS), Universidade Federal do Cariri (UFCA) , Brejo Santo, Ceará, 69077-000 , Brazil
| | - Frank J Mazzotti
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida , Fort Lauderdale, FL , USA
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25
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Duan X, Jia Z, Li J, Wu S. The influencing factors of leaf functional traits variation of Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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26
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Transcriptome Analysis and Intraspecific Variation in Spanish Fir ( Abies pinsapo Boiss.). Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169351. [PMID: 36012612 PMCID: PMC9409315 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo Boiss.) is an endemic, endangered tree that has been scarcely investigated at the molecular level. In this work, the transcriptome of Spanish fir was assembled, providing a large catalog of expressed genes (22,769), within which a high proportion were full-length transcripts (12,545). This resource is valuable for functional genomics studies and genome annotation in this relict conifer species. Two intraspecific variations of A. pinsapo can be found within its largest population at the Sierra de las Nieves National Park: one with standard green needles and another with bluish-green needles. To elucidate the causes of both phenotypes, we studied different physiological and molecular markers and transcriptome profiles in the needles. "Green" trees showed higher electron transport efficiency and enhanced levels of chlorophyll, protein, and total nitrogen in the needles. In contrast, needles from "bluish" trees exhibited higher contents of carotenoids and cellulose. These results agreed with the differential transcriptomic profiles, suggesting an imbalance in the nitrogen status of "bluish" trees. Additionally, gene expression analyses suggested that these differences could be associated with different epigenomic profiles. Taken together, the reported data provide new transcriptome resources and a better understanding of the natural variation in this tree species, which can help improve guidelines for its conservation and the implementation of adaptive management strategies under climatic change.
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27
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Palma E, Vesk PA, Catford JA. Building trait datasets: effect of methodological choice on a study of invasion. Oecologia 2022; 199:919-935. [PMID: 35976442 PMCID: PMC9464113 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05230-8] [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: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trait-based approaches are commonly used to understand ecological phenomena and processes. Trait data are typically gathered by measuring local specimens, retrieving published records, or a combination of the two. Implications of methodological choices in trait-based ecological studies—including source of data, imputation technique, and species selection criteria—are poorly understood. We ask: do different approaches for dataset-building lead to meaningful differences in trait datasets? If so, do these differences influence findings of a trait-based examination of plant invasiveness, measured as abundance and spread rate? We collected on-site (Victoria, Australia) and off-site (TRY database) height and specific leaf area records for as many species as possible out of 157 exotic herbaceous plants. For each trait, we built six datasets of species-level means using records collected on-site, off-site, on-site and off-site combined, and off-site supplemented via imputation based on phylogeny and/or trait correlations. For both traits, the six datasets were weakly correlated (ρ = 0.31–0.95 for height; ρ = 0.14–0.88 for SLA), reflecting differences in species’ trait values from the various estimations. Inconsistencies in species’ trait means across datasets did not translate into large differences in trait-invasion relationships. Although we did not find that methodological choices for building trait datasets greatly affected ecological inference about local invasion processes, we nevertheless recommend: (1) using on-site records to answer local-scale ecological questions whenever possible, and (2) transparency around methodological decisions related to selection of study species and estimation of missing trait values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estibaliz Palma
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Peter A Vesk
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Jane A Catford
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.,Department of Geography, King's College London, 30 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG, UK
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28
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Lin Y, Hyyppä J. Towards 3D basic theories of plant forms. Commun Biol 2022; 5:703. [PMID: 35835949 PMCID: PMC9283379 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03652-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Allometric, metabolic, and biomechanical theories are the critical foundations for scientifically deciphering plant forms. Their concrete laws, however, are found to deviate for plenty of plant specimens. This phenomenon has not been extensively studied, due to technical restrictions. This bottleneck now can be overcome by the state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) mapping technologies, such as fine-scale terrestrial laser scanning. On these grounds, we proposed to reexamine the basic theories regarding plant forms, and then, we case validated the feasibility of upgrading them into 3D modes. As an in-time enlightening of 3D revolutionizing the related basic subject, our theoretical prospect further sorted out the potential challenges as the cutting points for advancing its future exploration, which may enable 3D reconstruction of the basic theories of plant forms and even boost life science. In this Perspective, the authors discuss how state-of-the-art three-dimensional mapping technologies such as fine-scale terrestrial laser scanning can help us understand the theories of plant forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lin
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Juha Hyyppä
- Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, FI-02430, Masala, Finland
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29
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Disentangling the Interspecific and Intraspecific Variation in Functional Traits of Desert Plant Communities under Different Moisture Gradients. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13071088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Studying the inter- and intraspecific variation in plant functional traits elucidates their environmental adaptation strategies and the mechanisms of community construction. This study selected the desert plant community in the Lake Ebinur watershed as the research object and considered five different traits: plant height (H), diameter at breast height/base diameter (DBH/BD), leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), and leaf thickness (LT). This study used redundancy and correlation analyses to investigate the inter- and intraspecies variation in community-level traits, its relationship with soil physicochemical factors under different soil moisture conditions, and their change laws. We also used variance decomposition to analyze the contribution of inter- and intraspecific variation to community weighting. The results showed the following: (1) the values of the plant community functional traits varied according to the water gradient, and the LL (p = 0.01) and DBH/BD (p = 0.038) varied significantly; (2) for intraspecific variation, the DBH/BD variation was high at a low moisture gradient, LL (p = 0.018) and LT (p = 0.030) variation were high at a high moisture gradient, and the differences were significant; (3) under a high moisture gradient, inter- and intraspecific variation contributed 85.8% and 35.7% to community weighting, respectively, whereas under low moisture gradients, inter- and intraspecific variation contributed 53.3% and 25.1%, respectively.
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30
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Luiz OJ, Olden JD, Kennard MJ, Crook DA, Douglas MM, Saunders TM, Wedd D, Adair B, King AJ. Substantial intraspecific trait variation across a hydrological gradient in northern Australian fishes. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Osmar J. Luiz
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Julian D. Olden
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
- Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - Mark J. Kennard
- Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University Nathan Queensland Australia
| | - David A. Crook
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
- Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems La Trobe University Wodonga Victoria Australia
| | - Michael M. Douglas
- School of Biological Sciences, School of Agriculture and Environment The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia
| | - Thor M. Saunders
- Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Dion Wedd
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Brendan Adair
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Alison J. King
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
- Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems La Trobe University Wodonga Victoria Australia
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Ecological Strategy Spectra for Communities of Different Successional Stages in the Tropical Lowland Rainforest of Hainan Island. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13070973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Plant ecological strategies are shaped by long-term adaptation to the environment and are beneficial to plant survival and reproduction. Research is ongoing to better understand how plants best allocate resources for growth, survival and reproduction, as well as how ecological strategies may shift in plant communities over the course of succession. In this study, 12 forest dynamics plots in three different successional stages were selected for study in the tropical lowland rainforest ecosystem of Hainan Island. For each plot, using Grime’s competitor, a stress-tolerator, the ruderal (CSR) scheme and using the CSR ratio tool “StrateFy”, an ecological strategy spectrum was constructed using functional trait data obtained by collecting leaf samples from all woody species. The ecological strategy spectra were compared across successional stages to reveal successional dynamics. The results showed: (1) The ecological strategy spectra varied among forest communities belonging to three different successional stages. (2) The community-weighted mean CSR (CWM-CSR) strategies shifted with succession: CWM-S values decreased, while the CWM-C and CWM-R values increased. Overall, shifts in plant functional traits occurred slowly and steadily with succession showing complex and diverse trade-offs and leading to variation among the ecological strategy spectra of different successional stages.
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32
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The importance of intraspecific variation in litter consumption rate of aquatic and terrestrial macro-detritivores. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Da R, Hao M, Qiao X, Zhang C, Zhao X. Unravelling Trait-Environment Relationships at Local and Regional Scales in Temperate Forests. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:907839. [PMID: 35707613 PMCID: PMC9189410 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.907839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the trait-environment relationships has been a core ecological research topic in the face of global climate change. However, the strength of trait-environment relationships at the local and regional scales in temperate forests remains poorly known. In this study, we investigated the local and regional scale forest plots of the natural broad-leaved temperate forest in northeastern China, to assess what extent community-level trait composition depends on environmental drivers across spatial scales. We measured five key functional traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf carbon content, leaf nitrogen content, and wood density) of woody plant, and quantified functional compositions of communities by calculating the "specific" community-weighted mean (CWM) traits. The sum of squares decomposition method was used to quantify the relative contribution of intraspecific trait variation to total trait variation among communities. Multiple linear regression model was then used to explore the community-level trait-environment relationships. We found that (i) intraspecific trait variation contributed considerably to total trait variation and decreased with the spatial scale from local to regional; (ii) functional composition was mainly affected by soil and topography factors at the local scale and climate factor at the regional scale, while explaining that variance of environment factors were decreased with increasing spatial scale; and (iii) the main environment driver of functional composition was varied depending on the traits and spatial scale. This work is one of the few multi-scale analyses to investigate the environmental drivers of community functional compositions. The extent of intraspecific trait variation and the strength of trait-environment relationship showed consistent trends with increasing spatial scale. Our findings demonstrate the influence of environmental filtering on both local- and regional-scale temperate forest communities, and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of trait-environment relationships across spatial scales.
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Song L, Luo W, Griffin-Nolan RJ, Ma W, Cai J, Zuo X, Yu Q, Hartmann H, Li MH, Smith MD, Collins SL, Knapp AK, Wang Z, Han X. Differential responses of grassland community nonstructural carbohydrate to experimental drought along a natural aridity gradient. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 822:153589. [PMID: 35122840 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) can reflect community and ecosystem responses to environmental changes such as water availability. Climate change is predicted to increase aridity and the frequency of extreme drought events in grasslands, but it is unclear how community-scale NSC will respond to drought or how such responses may vary along aridity gradients. We experimentally imposed a 4-year drought in six grasslands along a natural aridity gradient and measured the community-weighted mean of leaf soluble sugar (SSCWM) and total leaf NSC (NSCCWM) concentrations. We observed a bell-shape relationship across this gradient, where SSCWM and total NSCCWM concentrations were lowest at intermediate aridity, with this pattern driven primarily by species turnover. Drought manipulation increased both SSCWM and total NSCCWM concentrations at one moderately arid grassland but decreased total NSCCWM concentrations at one moist site. These differential responses to experimental drought depended on the relative role of species turnover and intraspecific variation in driving shifts in SSCWM and total NSCCWM concentrations. Specifically, the synergistic effects of species turnover and intraspecific variation drove the responses of leaf NSC concentrations to drought, while their opposing effects diminished the effect of drought on plant SSCWM and total NSCCWM concentrations. Plant resource strategies were more acquisitive, via higher chlorophyllCWM concentration, to offset reduced NSCCWM concentrations and net aboveground primary productivity (ANPP) with increasing aridity at more mesic sites, but more conservative (i.e., decreased plant heightCWM and ANPP) to reduce NSC consumption at drier sites. The relationship between water availability and NSCCWM concentrations may contribute to community drought resistance and improve plant viability and adaptation strategies to a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Song
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wentao Luo
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
| | | | - Wang Ma
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiangping Cai
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qiang Yu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Henrik Hartmann
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Mai-He Li
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf CH-8903, Switzerland; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
| | - Xingguo Han
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Margreiter V, Porro F, Mondoni A, Erschbamer B. Recruitment Traits Could Influence Species' Geographical Range: A Case Study in the Genus Saxifraga L. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:827330. [PMID: 35646004 PMCID: PMC9136331 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.827330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The reasons why some species occur widespread, while related species have restricted geographical ranges have been attributed to habitat specialization or ecological niche breadth. For species in the genus Saxifraga, habitat specialization alone cannot explain the distributional differences observed. We hypothesize that recruitment traits (i.e., germination, emergence, and survival) may account for differences in geographical ranges and that early life stages correlate to survival. We studied recruitment responses in 13 widespread and 12 narrow-ranged Saxifraga species in the laboratory and common garden experiments using seeds collected from 79 populations in the European Alps. We found that in the laboratory cold temperature led to higher germination percentages compared with warm temperature for both distribution groups. This represents an exception to the general assumption that alpine species require warm cues for germination. In warm laboratory temperatures, widespread species germinated better than narrow-ranged species, indicating a greater tolerance of warm temperatures for the former. Subsequent to germination, recruitment traits between the two distribution groups were lower or null in the common garden, suggesting that the impact of recruitment on species' geographical ranges occurs at the earliest life stage. Mean time to emergence of narrow-ranged species showed lower variability than that of widespread species. Consistently, intraspecific variation of mean annual temperatures between seed collection sites was lower for narrow-ranged species, indicating a close relationship between home sites and emergence time. Emergence percentage was a strong predictor of survival only for widespread species, underlining that seed and seedling functional traits differ between distribution groups, which require further research. Our results support the view that early life stages are critical to population dynamics and thus can influence species' geographical ranges. The wider responses to climatic conditions in widespread species may have facilitated their spread across the Alps. Our results also suggest that all Saxifraga species face a considerable threat from climate warming due to their overall cold-adapted recruitment niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Margreiter
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Francesco Porro
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Mondoni
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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Gorné LD, Díaz S, Minden V, Onoda Y, Kramer K, Muir C, Michaletz ST, Lavorel S, Sharpe J, Jansen S, Slot M, Chacon E, Boenisch G. The acquisitive-conservative axis of leaf trait variation emerges even in homogeneous environments. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:709-722. [PMID: 33245747 PMCID: PMC9113165 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The acquisitive-conservative axis of plant ecological strategies results in a pattern of leaf trait covariation that captures the balance between leaf construction costs and plant growth potential. Studies evaluating trait covariation within species are scarcer, and have mostly dealt with variation in response to environmental gradients. Little work has been published on intraspecific patterns of leaf trait covariation in the absence of strong environmental variation. METHODS We analysed covariation of four leaf functional traits [specific leaf area (SLA) leaf dry matter content (LDMC), force to tear (Ft) and leaf nitrogen content (Nm)] in six Poaceae and four Fabaceae species common in the dry Chaco forest of Central Argentina, growing in the field and in a common garden. We compared intraspecific covariation patterns (slopes, correlation and effect size) of leaf functional traits with global interspecific covariation patterns. Additionally, we checked for possible climatic and edaphic factors that could affect the intraspecific covariation pattern. KEY RESULTS We found negative correlations for the LDMC-SLA, Ft-SLA, LDMC-Nm and Ft-Nm trait pairs. This intraspecific covariation pattern found both in the field and in the common garden and not explained by climatic or edaphic variation in the field follows the expected acquisitive-conservative axis. At the same time, we found quantitative differences in slopes among different species, and between these intraspecific patterns and the interspecific ones. Many of these differences seem to be idiosyncratic, but some appear consistent among species (e.g. all the intraspecific LDMC-SLA and LDMC-Nm slopes tend to be shallower than the global pattern). CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that the acquisitive-conservative leaf functional trait covariation pattern occurs at the intraspecific level even in the absence of relevant environmental variation in the field. This suggests a high degree of variation-covariation in leaf functional traits not driven by environmental variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas D Gorné
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV, Córdoba, Argentina
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET, IMBiV, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake, Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Koen Kramer
- Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sean T Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | - Eduardo Chacon
- School of Biology, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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Spitzer CM, Sundqvist MK, Wardle DA, Gundale MJ, Kardol P. Root trait variation along a sub‐arctic tundra elevational gradient. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clydecia M. Spitzer
- Dept of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Maja K. Sundqvist
- Dept of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - David A. Wardle
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological Univ. Singapore Singapore
| | - Michael J. Gundale
- Dept of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Paul Kardol
- Dept of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
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Huang G, Fang Q, Peng S, Li Y. Genotypic variation of plant biomass under nitrogen deficiency is positively correlated with conservative economic traits in wheat. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2175-2189. [PMID: 34897456 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits, including leaf and root economic traits, are important for understanding the composition and function of ecosystems. However, plant functional traits of crop species and the relationships between them, and their responses to environmental variations are not fully understood. In the present study, the traits in the leaf and root economics spectrum (LES and RES) and plant biomass were investigated in 14 wheat genotypes grown with sufficient or limited nitrogen (N) supply. We found that N had significant impacts on the LES and RES traits and on the relationships among them. Our results generally supported the hypothesized LES, but did not support the RES or plant economics spectrum concept among wheat plants regardless of N treatment. More importantly, we found that more conservative leaf and root economic traits are beneficial for shoot biomass accumulation in wheat plants grown with limited N supply, and for the improvement in the tolerance of wheat to N stress. The data presented suggest that growth conditions should be accounted for when studying trait-to-trait relationships, and that more conservative resource use strategies could be used as promising targets for wheat breeding programs with limited N input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanjun Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qing Fang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shaobing Peng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yong Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Rubio‐Ríos J, Pérez J, Salinas MJ, Fenoy E, Boyero L, Casas JJ. Climate‐induced plasticity in leaf traits of riparian plants. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Rubio‐Ríos
- Department of Biology and Geology University of Almeria (UAL) Almería Spain
- Andalusian Centre for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Global Change CAESCG Almería Spain
| | - Javier Pérez
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Leioa Spain
| | - María J. Salinas
- Department of Biology and Geology University of Almeria (UAL) Almería Spain
- Andalusian Centre for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Global Change CAESCG Almería Spain
| | - Encarnación Fenoy
- Department of Biology and Geology University of Almeria (UAL) Almería Spain
- Andalusian Centre for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Global Change CAESCG Almería Spain
| | - Luz Boyero
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Leioa Spain
| | - José Jesús Casas
- Department of Biology and Geology University of Almeria (UAL) Almería Spain
- Andalusian Centre for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Global Change CAESCG Almería Spain
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40
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Bravo-Monzón ÁE, Montiel-González C, Benítez-Malvido J, Arena-Ortíz ML, Flores-Puerto JI, Chiappa-Carrara X, Avila-Cabadilla LD, Alvarez-Añorve MY. The Assembly of Tropical Dry Forest Tree Communities in Anthropogenic Landscapes: The Role of Chemical Defenses. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11040516. [PMID: 35214850 PMCID: PMC8877018 DOI: 10.3390/plants11040516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The effect of anthropogenic disturbance on plant community traits and tradeoffs remains poorly explored in tropical forests. In this study, we aimed to identify tradeoffs between defense and other plant functions related to growth processes in order to detect potential aboveground and edaphic environmental conditions modulating traits variation on plant communities, and to find potential assembly rules underlying species coexistence in secondary (SEF) and old-growth forests (OGF). We measured the foliar content of defense phytochemicals and leaf traits related to fundamental functions on 77 species found in SEF and OGF sites in the Jalisco dry forest ecoregion, Mexico, and we explored (1) the trait-trait and trait-habitat associations, (2) the intra and interspecies trait variation, and (3) the traits-environment associations. We found that phytochemical content was associated with high leaf density and leaf fresh mass, resulting in leaves resistant to drought and high radiation, with chemical and physical defenses against herbivore/pathogen attack. The phytochemicals and chlorophyll concentrations were negatively related, matching the predictions of the Protein Competition Model. The phylogenetic signal in functional traits, suggests that abundant clades share the ability to resist the harsh biotic and abiotic conditions and face similar tradeoffs between productive and defensive functions. Environmental filters could modulate the enhanced expression of defensive phytochemicals in SEF, while, in OGFs, we found a stronger filtering effect driving community assembly. This could allow for the coexistence of different defensive strategies in OGFs, where a greater species richness could dilute the prevalence of pathogens/herbivores. Consequently, anthropogenic disturbance could alter TDF ecosystem properties/services and functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel E. Bravo-Monzón
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Ecosistemas Terrestres, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico; (Á.E.B.-M.); (C.M.-G.); (J.I.F.-P.)
| | - Cristina Montiel-González
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Ecosistemas Terrestres, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico; (Á.E.B.-M.); (C.M.-G.); (J.I.F.-P.)
| | - Julieta Benítez-Malvido
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Hábitats Alterados, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia 58190, Michoacán, Mexico;
| | - María Leticia Arena-Ortíz
- Laboratorio de Ecogenómica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Parque Científico y Tecnológico, Mérida 97302, Yucatán, Mexico;
| | - José Israel Flores-Puerto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Ecosistemas Terrestres, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico; (Á.E.B.-M.); (C.M.-G.); (J.I.F.-P.)
| | - Xavier Chiappa-Carrara
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico;
| | - Luis Daniel Avila-Cabadilla
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Ecosistemas Terrestres, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico; (Á.E.B.-M.); (C.M.-G.); (J.I.F.-P.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.A.-C.); (M.Y.A.-A.)
| | - Mariana Yolotl Alvarez-Añorve
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional de Ecosistemas Terrestres, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mérida 97357, Yucatán, Mexico; (Á.E.B.-M.); (C.M.-G.); (J.I.F.-P.)
- Correspondence: (L.D.A.-C.); (M.Y.A.-A.)
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Buckley YM, Puy J. The macroecology of plant populations from local to global scales. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:1038-1050. [PMID: 34536970 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Population ecologists develop theoretical and pragmatic knowledge of how and why populations change or remain stable, how life histories evolve and devise management strategies for populations of concern. However, forecasting the effects of global change or recommending management strategies is often urgent, requiring ecologists to work without detailed local evidence while using data and models from outside the focal location or species. Here we explore how the comparative ecology of populations, population macroecology, can be used to develop generalisations within and between species across different scales, using available demographic, environmental, life history, occurrence and trait data. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of using broad climatic variables and suitability inferred from probability of occupancy models to represent environmental variation in comparative analyses. We evaluate the contributions of traits, environment and their interaction as drivers of life history strategy. We propose that insights from life history theory, together with the adaptive capacity of populations and individuals, can inform on 'persist in place' vs 'shift in space' responses to changing conditions. As demographic data accumulate at landscape and regional scales for single species, and throughout plant phylogenies, we will have new opportunities for testing macroecological generalities within and across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne M Buckley
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Javier Puy
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Environmental optima for an ecosystem engineer: a multidisciplinary trait-based approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22986. [PMID: 34837006 PMCID: PMC8626476 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02351-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors underpins the distribution of species and operates across different levels of biological organization and life history stages. Understanding ecosystem engineer reproductive traits is critical for comprehending and managing the biodiversity-rich habitats they create. Little is known about how the reproduction of the reef-forming worm, Sabellaria alveolata, varies across environmental gradients. By integrating broad-scale environmental data with in-situ physiological data in the form of biochemical traits, we identified and ranked the drivers of intraspecific reproductive trait variability (ITV). ITV was highest in locations with variable environmental conditions, subjected to fluctuating temperature and hydrodynamic conditions. Our trait selection pointed to poleward sites being the most physiologically stressful, with low numbers of irregularly shaped eggs suggesting potentially reduced reproductive success. Centre-range individuals allocated the most energy to reproduction, with the highest number of intermediate-sized eggs, whilst equatorward sites were the least physiologically stressful, thus confirming the warm-adapted nature of our model organism. Variation in total egg diameter and relative fecundity were influenced by a combination of environmental conditions, which changed depending on the trait and sampling period. An integrated approach involving biochemical and reproductive traits is essential for understanding macro-scale patterns in the face of anthropogenic-induced climate change across environmental and latitudinal gradients.
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43
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Zhao YH, Lázaro A, Li HD, Tao ZB, Liang H, Zhou W, Ren ZX, Xu K, Li DZ, Wang H. Morphological trait-matching in plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera mutualisms across an elevational gradient. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:196-209. [PMID: 34668568 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Morphological trait-matching and species abundance are thought to be the main factors affecting the frequency and strength of mutualistic interactions. However, the relative importance of trait-matching and species abundance in shaping species interactions across environmental gradients remains poorly understood, especially for plant-insect mutualisms involving generalist species. Here, we characterised variation in species and trait composition and the relative importance of trait-matching and species abundance in shaping plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera mutualisms in four meadows across an elevational gradient (2,725-3,910 m) in Yulong Snow Mountain, Southwest China. We also evaluated the effects of morphological traits of flower visitors and plant composition on their foraging specialisation (d' and normalised degree). There was a high degree of dissimilarity in the composition of Hymenoptera and Diptera visitors and their visited plants between communities. This variation was mainly driven by the spatial replacement of species. Both for plant-Hymenoptera and plant-Diptera networks, trait-matching between nectar tube depth and proboscis length was a stronger predictor of the interactions between temporally co-occurring plants and flower visitors than species abundance. Fourth-corner analyses revealed statistically significant trait-matching between nectar tube depth and proboscis length in plant-Hymenoptera networks at all sites, suggesting that Hymenoptera consistently foraged on plant species with nectar tube depths matching their proboscis lengths. By contrast, significant trait-matching in plant-Diptera networks was only observed at the two lower elevation sites. The species-level specialisation d' of flower visitors increased significantly as the proboscis length and the difference in nectar tube depth between the plant community and the plants visited by flower visitors increased. Our results highlight that the importance of trait-matching in shaping pairwise interactions and niche partitioning depends on the specific features (e.g. species composition and trait availability) of the plant-pollinator system. For specialised plant-Hymenoptera systems, trait-matching is an important determinant of species interactions, whereas for generalist plant-Diptera systems, trait-matching is relatively unimportant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hui Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Amparo Lázaro
- Global Change Research Group, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (UIB-CSIC), Esporles, Spain
| | - Hai-Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Bin Tao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Huan Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Plant Germplasm and Genomics Center, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Zong-Xin Ren
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Kun Xu
- Lijiang Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - De-Zhu Li
- Plant Germplasm and Genomics Center, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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44
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Gervais-Bergeron B, Chagnon PL, Labrecque M. Willow Aboveground and Belowground Traits Can Predict Phytoremediation Services. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10091824. [PMID: 34579357 PMCID: PMC8471398 DOI: 10.3390/plants10091824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The increasing number of contaminated sites worldwide calls for sustainable remediation, such as phytoremediation, in which plants are used to decontaminate soils. We hypothesized that better anchoring phytoremediation in plant ecophysiology has the potential to drastically improve its predictability. In this study, we explored how the community composition, diversity and coppicing of willow plantations, influenced phytoremediation services in a four-year field trial. We also evaluated how community-level plant functional traits might be used as predictors of phytoremediation services, which would be a promising avenue for plant selection in phytoremediation. We found no consistent impact of neither willow diversity nor coppicing on phytoremediation services directly. These services were rather explained by willow traits related to resource economics and management strategy along the plant "fast-slow" continuum. We also found greater belowground investments to promote plant bioconcentration and soil decontamination. These traits-services correlations were consistent for several trace elements investigated, suggesting high generalizability among contaminants. Overall, our study provides evidence, even using a short taxonomic (and thus functional) plant gradient, that traits can be used as predictors for phytoremediation efficiency for a broad variety of contaminants. This suggests that a trait-based approach has great potential to develop predictive plant selection strategies in phytoremediation trials, through a better rooting of applied sciences in fundamental plant ecophysiology.
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45
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Villellas J, Ehrlén J, Crone EE, Csergő AM, Garcia MB, Laine AL, Roach DA, Salguero-Gómez R, Wardle GM, Childs DZ, Elderd BD, Finn A, Munné-Bosch S, Bachelot B, Bódis J, Bucharova A, Caruso CM, Catford JA, Coghill M, Compagnoni A, Duncan RP, Dwyer JM, Ferguson A, Fraser LH, Griffoul E, Groenteman R, Hamre LN, Helm A, Kelly R, Laanisto L, Lonati M, Münzbergová Z, Nuche P, Olsen SL, Oprea A, Pärtel M, Petry WK, Ramula S, Rasmussen PU, Enri SR, Roeder A, Roscher C, Schultz C, Skarpaas O, Smith AL, Tack AJM, Töpper JP, Vesk PA, Vose GE, Wandrag E, Wingler A, Buckley YM. PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY MASKS RANGE-WIDE GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION FOR VEGETATIVE BUT NOT REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS IN A SHORT-LIVED PLANT. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2378-2393. [PMID: 34355467 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity jointly shape intraspecific trait variation, but their roles differ among traits. In short-lived plants, reproductive traits may be more genetically determined due to their impact on fitness, whereas vegetative traits may show higher plasticity to buffer short-term perturbations. Combining a multi-treatment greenhouse experiment with observational field data throughout the range of a widespread short-lived herb, Plantago lanceolata, we (1) disentangled genetic and plastic responses of functional traits to a set of environmental drivers and (2) assessed how genetic differentiation and plasticity shape observational trait-environment relationships. Reproductive traits showed distinct genetic differentiation that largely determined observational patterns, but only when correcting traits for differences in biomass. Vegetative traits showed higher plasticity and opposite genetic and plastic responses, masking the genetic component underlying field-observed trait variation. Our study suggests that genetic differentiation may be inferred from observational data only for the traits most closely related to fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Villellas
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Johan Ehrlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elizabeth E Crone
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Mária Csergő
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Department of Botany and Soroksár Botanical Garden, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Maria B Garcia
- Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Anna-Liisa Laine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Organismal & Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Deborah A Roach
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Roberto Salguero-Gómez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Glenda M Wardle
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dylan Z Childs
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Bret D Elderd
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alain Finn
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sergi Munné-Bosch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Benedicte Bachelot
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Judit Bódis
- Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Georgikon Faculty, University of Pannonia, Keszthely, Hungary
| | - Anna Bucharova
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group, Institut of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Germany.,Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institut of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christina M Caruso
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jane A Catford
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, UK.,Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Matthew Coghill
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Aldo Compagnoni
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Richard P Duncan
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - John M Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,CSIRO Land & Water, EcoSciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Lauchlan H Fraser
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Liv Norunn Hamre
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
| | - Aveliina Helm
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ruth Kelly
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Lauri Laanisto
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Michele Lonati
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Science, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Zuzana Münzbergová
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Paloma Nuche
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Adrian Oprea
- Botanic Garden "Anastasie Fatu", University "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" Iaşi, Romania
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - William K Petry
- Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Satu Ramula
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Pil U Rasmussen
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Simone Ravetto Enri
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Science, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Anna Roeder
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cheryl Schultz
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA
| | - Olav Skarpaas
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Annabel L Smith
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Peter A Vesk
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gregory E Vose
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth Wandrag
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Astrid Wingler
- School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences and Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Yvonne M Buckley
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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46
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Zhang Y, He N, Yu G. Opposing shifts in distributions of chlorophyll concentration and composition in grassland under warming. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15736. [PMID: 34344961 PMCID: PMC8333091 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95281-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming has significantly altered the distribution and productivity of vegetation owing to shifts in plant functional traits. However, chlorophyll adaptations-good representative of plant production-in grasslands have not been investigated on a large scale, hindering ecological predictions of climate change. Three grassland transects with a natural temperature gradient were designed in the Tibetan, Mongolian, and Loess Plateau to describe the changes in chlorophyll under different warming scenarios for 475 species. In the three plateaus, variations and distributions of species chlorophyll concentration and composition were compared. The results showed that the means of chlorophyll concentration and composition (chlorophyll a/b) increased with the mean annual temperature. Still, their distributions shifted in opposite manners: chlorophyll concentration was distributed in a broader but more differential manner, while chlorophyll composition was distributed in a narrower but more uniform manner. Compared to chlorophyll concentration, chlorophyll composition was more conservative, with a slight shift in distribution. At the regional level, the chlorophyll concentration and composition depend on the limitations of the local climate or resources. The results implied that warming might drive shifts in grassland chlorophyll distribution mainly by alternations in species composition. Large-scale chlorophyll investigations will be useful for developing prediction techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Nianpeng He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China.
| | - Guirui Yu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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47
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Myers EMV, Anderson MJ, Liggins L, Harvey ES, Roberts CD, Eme D. High functional diversity in deep-sea fish communities and increasing intraspecific trait variation with increasing latitude. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10600-10612. [PMID: 34367600 PMCID: PMC8328419 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in both inter- and intraspecific traits affects community dynamics, yet we know little regarding the relative importance of external environmental filters versus internal biotic interactions that shape the functional space of communities along broad-scale environmental gradients, such as latitude, elevation, or depth. We examined changes in several key aspects of functional alpha diversity for marine fishes along depth and latitude gradients by quantifying intra- and interspecific richness, dispersion, and regularity in functional trait space. We derived eight functional traits related to food acquisition and locomotion and calculated seven complementary indices of functional diversity for 144 species of marine ray-finned fishes along large-scale depth (50-1200 m) and latitudinal gradients (29°-51° S) in New Zealand waters. Traits were derived from morphological measurements taken directly from footage obtained using Baited Remote Underwater Stereo-Video systems and museum specimens. We partitioned functional variation into intra- and interspecific components for the first time using a PERMANOVA approach. We also implemented two tree-based diversity metrics in a functional distance-based context for the first time: namely, the variance in pairwise functional distance and the variance in nearest neighbor distance. Functional alpha diversity increased with increasing depth and decreased with increasing latitude. More specifically, the dispersion and mean nearest neighbor distances among species in trait space and intraspecific trait variability all increased with depth, whereas functional hypervolume (richness) was stable across depth. In contrast, functional hypervolume, dispersion, and regularity indices all decreased with increasing latitude; however, intraspecific trait variation increased with latitude, suggesting that intraspecific trait variability becomes increasingly important at higher latitudes. These results suggest that competition within and among species are key processes shaping functional multidimensional space for fishes in the deep sea. Increasing morphological dissimilarity with increasing depth may facilitate niche partitioning to promote coexistence, whereas abiotic filtering may be the dominant process structuring communities with increasing latitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth M. V. Myers
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Marti J. Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Libby Liggins
- School of Natural and Computational SciencesMassey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
- Auckland War Memorial MuseumTāmaki Paenga HiraAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Euan S. Harvey
- School of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityBentleyWAAustralia
| | | | - David Eme
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
- IFREMERUnité Ecologie et Modèles pour l’HalieutiqueNantesFrance
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48
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Luo W, Griffin-Nolan RJ, Ma W, Liu B, Zuo X, Xu C, Yu Q, Luo Y, Mariotte P, Smith MD, Collins SL, Knapp AK, Wang Z, Han X. Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands. Ecology 2021; 102:e03465. [PMID: 34236696 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Extreme drought decreases aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in most grasslands, but the magnitude of ANPP reductions varies especially in C3 -dominated grasslands. Because the mechanisms underlying such differential ecosystem responses to drought are not well resolved, we experimentally imposed an extreme 4-yr drought (2015-2018) in two C3 grasslands that differed in aridity. These sites had similar annual precipitation and dominant grass species (Leymus chinensis) but different annual temperatures and thus water availability. Drought treatments differentially affected these two semiarid grasslands, with ANPP of the drier site reduced more than at the wetter site. Structural equation modeling revealed that community-weighted means for some traits modified relationships between soil moisture and ANPP, often due to intraspecific variation. Specifically, drought reduced community mean plant height at both sites, resulting in a reduction in ANPP beyond that attributable to reduced soil moisture alone. Higher community mean leaf carbon content enhanced the negative effects of drought on ANPP at the drier site, and ANPP-soil-moisture relationships were influenced by soil C:N ratio at the wetter site. Importantly, neither species richness nor functional dispersion were significantly correlated with ANPP at either site. Overall, as expected, soil moisture was a dominant, direct driver of ANPP response to drought, but differential sensitivity to drought in these two grasslands was also related to soil fertility and plant traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Luo
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | | | - Wang Ma
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Chong Xu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Qiang Yu
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yahuang Luo
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
| | - Pierre Mariotte
- Agroscope, Grazing systems, Route de Duillier 50, 1260, Nyon, Switzerland
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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49
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Camps GA, Cosacov A, Sérsic AN. Centre-periphery approaches based on geography, ecology and historical climate stability: what explains the variation in morphological traits of Bulnesia sarmientoi? ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:943-955. [PMID: 33640970 PMCID: PMC8225285 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The centre-periphery hypothesis posits that higher species performance is expected in geographic and ecological centres rather than in peripheral populations. However, this is not the commonly found pattern; therefore, alternative approaches, including the historical dimension of species geographical ranges, should be explored. Morphological functional traits are fundamental determinants of species performance, commonly related to environmental stability and productivity. We tested whether or not historical processes may have shaped variations in tree and leaf traits of the Chaco tree Bulnesia sarmientoi. METHODS Morphological variation patterns were analysed from three centre-periphery approaches: geographical, ecological and historical. Tree (stem and canopy) and leaf (leaf size and specific leaf area) traits were measured in 24 populations across the species range. A principal component analysis was performed on morphological traits to obtain synthetic variables. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test which of the implemented centre-periphery approaches significantly explained trait spatial patterns. KEY RESULTS The patterns retrieved from the three centre-periphery approaches were not concordant. The historical approach revealed that trees were shorter in centre populations than in the periphery. Significant differences in leaf traits were observed between the geographical centre and the periphery, mainly due to low specific leaf area values towards the geographical centre. We did not find any pattern associated with the ecological centre-periphery approach. CONCLUSIONS The decoupled response between leaf and tree traits suggests that these sets of traits respond differently to processes occurring at different times. The geographical and historical approaches showed centres with extreme environments in relation to their respective peripheries, but the historical centre has also been a climatically stable area since the Last Glacial Maximum. The historical approach allowed for the recovery of historical processes underlying variation in tree traits, highlighting that centre-periphery delimitations should be based on a multi-approach framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo A Camps
- Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales (IFRGV), CIAP, INTA, Córdoba, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva - Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea Cosacov
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva - Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Alicia N Sérsic
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva - Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield, Córdoba, Argentina
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50
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Cardoni M, Mercado-Blanco J, Villar R. Functional Traits of Olive Varieties and Their Relationship with the Tolerance Level towards Verticillium Wilt. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10061079. [PMID: 34072219 PMCID: PMC8230176 DOI: 10.3390/plants10061079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO), caused by the soil-borne pathogen Verticillium dahliae, is considered one of the most important diseases affecting this tree crop. One of the best VWO management measures is the use of tolerant cultivars. Remarkably, no information is available about olive functional traits and their potential relationship with tolerance to V. dahliae. Twenty-five selected functional traits (for leaf, stem, root and whole plant) were evaluated in six olive varieties differing in their VWO tolerance level to identify possible links between this phenotype and functional traits’ variation. High intervarietal diversity was found among cultivars and several functional traits were related with VWO tolerance. Tolerant varieties showed higher leaf area, dry matter content (leaf, stem and plant) and mass fraction for stems, but lower for leaves. Significant differences were also detected for root functional traits, tolerant cultivars displaying larger fine root diameter and lignin content but smaller specific length and area of thick and fine roots. Correlations were found among functional traits both within varieties and between levels of tolerance/susceptibility to VWO. Associations were observed between biomass allocation, dry matter content and VWO tolerance. The most relevant difference between tolerant and susceptible cultivars was related to root system architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Cardoni
- Departamento de Protección de Cultivos, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, CSIC, Campus ‘Alameda del Obispo’ s/n, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain;
| | - Jesús Mercado-Blanco
- Departamento de Protección de Cultivos, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, CSIC, Campus ‘Alameda del Obispo’ s/n, Avd. Menéndez Pidal s/n, 14004 Córdoba, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Rafael Villar
- Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus Universitario de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain;
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