1
|
Veresoglou SD, Xi J, Peñuelas J. Mechanisms of coexistence: Exploring species sorting and character displacement in woody plants to alleviate belowground competition. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14489. [PMID: 39075934 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14489] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Rarely do we observe competitive exclusion within plant communities, even though plants compete for a limited pool of resources. Thus, our understanding of the mechanisms sustaining plant biodiversity might be limited. In this study, we explore two common ecological strategies, species sorting and character displacement, that promote coexistence by reducing competition. We assess the degree to which woody plants may implement these two strategies to lower belowground competition for nutrients which occurs via nutritional (mostly mycorrhizal) mutualisms. First, we compile data on plant traits and the mycorrhizal association state of woody angiosperms using a global inventory of indigenous flora. Our analysis reveals that species in locations with high mycorrhizal diversity exhibit distinct mean values in leaf area and wood density based on their mycorrhizal type, indicating species sorting. Second, we reanalyse a large dataset on leaf area to demonstrate that in areas with high mycorrhizal diversity, trees maintain divergent leaf area values, showcasing character displacement. Character displacement among plants is considered rare, making our observation significant. In summary, our study uncovers a rare occurrence of character displacement and identifies a common mechanism employed by plants to alleviate competition, shedding light on the complexities of plant coexistence in diverse ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stavros D Veresoglou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingjing Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Usinowicz J, O'Connor MI. The fitness value of ecological information in a variable world. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:621-639. [PMID: 36849871 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Information processing is increasingly recognized as a fundamental component of life in variable environments, including the evolved use of environmental cues, biomolecular networks, and social learning. Despite this, ecology lacks a quantitative framework for understanding how population, community, and ecosystem dynamics depend on information processing. Here, we review the rationale and evidence for 'fitness value of information' (FVOI), and synthesize theoretical work in ecology, information theory, and probability behind this general mathematical framework. The FVOI quantifies how species' per capita population growth rates can depend on the use of information in their environment. FVOI is a breakthrough approach to linking information processing and ecological and evolutionary outcomes in a changing environment, addressing longstanding questions about how information mediates the effects of environmental change and species interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Usinowicz
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Mary I O'Connor
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Brachmann MK, Parsons K, Skúlason S, Ferguson MM. The interaction of resource use and gene flow on the phenotypic divergence of benthic and pelagic morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7315-7334. [PMID: 34188815 PMCID: PMC8216915 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Conceptual models of adaptive divergence and ecological speciation in sympatry predict differential resource use, phenotype-environment correlations, and reduced gene flow among diverging phenotypes. While these predictions have been assessed in past studies, connections among them have rarely been assessed collectively. We examined relationships among phenotypic, ecological, and genetic variation in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) from six Icelandic localities that have undergone varying degrees of divergence into sympatric benthic and pelagic morphs. We characterized morphological variation with geometric morphometrics, tested for differential resource use between morphs using stable isotopes, and inferred the amount of gene flow from single nucleotide polymorphisms. Analysis of stable isotopic signatures indicated that sympatric morphs showed similar difference in resource use across populations, likely arising from the common utilization of niche space within each population. Carbon isotopic signature was also a significant predictor of individual variation in body shape and size, suggesting that variation in benthic and pelagic resource use is associated with phenotypic variation. The estimated percentage of hybrids between sympatric morphs varied across populations (from 0% to 15.6%) but the majority of fish had genotypes (ancestry coefficients) characteristic of pure morphs. Despite evidence of reduced gene flow between sympatric morphs, we did not detect the expected negative relationship between divergence in resource use and gene flow. Three lakes showed the expected pattern, but morphs in the fourth showed no detectable hybridization and had relatively low differences in resource use between them. This coupled with the finding that resource use and genetic differentiation had differential effects on body shape variation across populations suggests that reproductive isolation maintains phenotypic divergence between benthic and pelagic morphs when the effects of resource use are relatively low. Our ability to assess relationships between phenotype, ecology, and genetics deepens our understanding of the processes underlying adaptive divergence in sympatry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kevin Parsons
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineSchool of Life ScienceUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySaudárkrókurIceland
- Icelandic Museum of Natural HistoryReykjavíkIceland
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Orsucci M, Sicard A. Flower evolution in the presence of heterospecific gene flow and its contribution to lineage divergence. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:971-989. [PMID: 33537708 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa549] [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: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The success of species depends on their ability to exploit ecological resources in order to optimize their reproduction. However, species are not usually found within single-species ecosystems but in complex communities. Because of their genetic relatedness, closely related lineages tend to cluster within the same ecosystem, rely on the same resources, and be phenotypically similar. In sympatry, they will therefore compete for the same resources and, in the case of flowering plants, exchange their genes through heterospecific pollen transfer. These interactions, nevertheless, pose significant challenges to species co-existence because they can lead to resource limitation and reproductive interference. In such cases, divergent selective pressures on floral traits will favour genotypes that isolate or desynchronize the reproduction of sympatric lineages. The resulting displacement of reproductive characters will, in turn, lead to pre-mating isolation and promote intraspecific divergence, thus initiating or reinforcing the speciation process. In this review, we discuss the current theoretical and empirical knowledge on the influence of heterospecific pollen transfer on flower evolution, highlighting its potential to uncover the ecological and genomic constraints shaping the speciation process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marion Orsucci
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural, Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Adrien Sicard
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural, Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Aguilar-Rodríguez PA, Tschapka M, García-Franco JG, Krömer T, MacSwiney G MC. Bromeliads going batty: pollinator partitioning among sympatric chiropterophilous Bromeliaceae. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz014. [PMID: 31186827 PMCID: PMC6537948 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators can be a limited resource and natural selection should favour differences in phenotypic characteristics to reduce competition among plants. Bats are important pollinators of many Neotropical plants, including the Bromeliaceae; however, the pre-pollination mechanisms for isolation among sympatric bat-pollinated bromeliads are unknown. Here, we studied the mechanisms for reproductive segregation between Pitcairnia recurvata, Pseudalcantarea viridiflora, Werauhia noctiflorens and W. nutans. The study was conducted at Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, in Veracruz, Mexico We carried out ex situ and in situ manual pollination treatments to determine the breeding system by assessing fruiting and seedling success and sampled bat visitors using mist-nets and infrared cameras. We determined the nocturnal nectar production pattern, estimating the energetic content of this reward. All four bromeliads are self-compatible, but only P. recurvata appears to require pollinators, because the physical separation between anthers and stigma prevents self-pollination, it is xenogamous and presents a strictly nocturnal anthesis. The bats Anoura geoffroyi, Glossophaga soricina and Hylonycteris underwoodi are probable pollinators of three of the studied bromeliads. We did not record any animal visiting the fourth species. The flowering season of each species is staggered throughout the year, with minimal overlap, and the floral morphology segregates the locations on the body of the bat where the pollen is deposited. The most abundant nectar per flower is provided by P. viridiflora, but P. recurvata offers the best reward per hectare, considering the density of flowering plants. Staggered flowering, different pollen deposition sites on the body of the pollinator and differences in the reward offered may have evolved to reduce the competitive costs of sharing pollinators while providing a constant supply of food to maintain a stable nectarivorous bat community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Adrián Aguilar-Rodríguez
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, José María Morelos, Col. Centro, C.P. Xalapa, Veracruz, México
- Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert Einstein Allee 11, D Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, Apartado, Panamá, Republica de Panamáa
| | - José G García-Franco
- Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, C.P. Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Thorsten Krömer
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, José María Morelos, Col. Centro, C.P. Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - M Cristina MacSwiney G
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, José María Morelos, Col. Centro, C.P. Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Devaux C, Porcher E, Lande R. Mating systems and avoidance of inbreeding depression as evolutionary drivers of pollen limitation in animal-pollinated self-compatible plants. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:327-336. [PMID: 30351386 PMCID: PMC6344218 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy181] [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: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Most theory addressing the evolution of pollen limitation in flowering plants focuses on stochasticity in the relative abundance of plant and pollinator populations affecting trade-offs in resource allocation to ovule production or pollinator attraction vs. seed maturation. Mating system evolution is an underappreciated but potentially widespread additional mechanism for the evolutionary emergence of pollen limitation in animal-pollinated self-compatible plants. METHODS We model individual plant flowering phenologies influencing both pollinator attraction and geitonogamous self-fertilization caused by pollinator movements among flowers within plants, incorporating demographic but not environmental stochasticity. Plant phenology and the resulting pollen limitation are analysed at evolutionarily stable equilibria (ESS). Pollen limitation is measured by two quantities: the proportion of unpollinated flowers and the reduction in maternal fitness caused by inbreeding depression in selfed seeds. KEY RESULTS When pollinators visit multiple flowers per plant, pollen limitation is never minimized at an ESS and results from the evolution of flowering phenologies balancing the amount and genetic composition (outbred vs. inbred) of pollen receipt. CONCLUSIONS Results are consistent with previous theory demonstrating that pollen limitation can be an evolved property, not just a constraint; they complement existing models by showing that plant avoidance of inbreeding depression constitutes a genetic mechanism contributing to evolution of pollen limitation, in addition to ecological mechanisms previously studied.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Céline Devaux
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier, UMR, Montpellier, France
| | - Emmanuelle Porcher
- Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, UMR, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Russell Lande
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sympatric, temporally isolated populations of the pine white butterfly Neophasia menapia, are morphologically and genetically differentiated. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176989. [PMID: 28562656 PMCID: PMC5451007 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal isolation remains an understudied, and potentially under-appreciated, mechanism of reproductive isolation. Phenological differences have been discovered in populations of the pine white butterfly (Neophasia menapia), a typically univoltine species found throughout western North America. At two locations in the Coast Range of California there are two periods of adult emergence per year, one in early summer (July) and one in late summer/autumn (September/October). Differences in flight time are accompanied by differences in wing shape and pigmentation. Here we use a combination of population genomics and morphological analyses to assess the extent to which temporal isolation is able to limit gene flow between sympatric early and late flights. Not only did we detect both genetic and morphological differences between early and late flights at the two sites, we also found that the patterns of differentiation between the two flights were different at each location, suggesting an independent origin for the two sympatric flights. Additionally, we found no evidence that these sympatric flights originated via colonization from any of the other sampled localities. We discuss several potential hypotheses about the origin of these temporally isolated sympatric flights.
Collapse
|
8
|
Hipperson H, Dunning LT, Baker WJ, Butlin RK, Hutton I, Papadopulos AST, Smadja CM, Wilson TC, Devaux C, Savolainen V. Ecological speciation in sympatric palms: 2. Pre- and post-zygotic isolation. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:2143-2156. [PMID: 27374779 PMCID: PMC5096058 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated reproductive isolation in two species of palms (Howea) that have evolved sympatrically on Lord Howe Island (LHI, Australia). We estimated the strength of some pre- and post-zygotic mechanisms in maintaining current species boundaries. We found that flowering time displacement between species is consistent across in and ex situ common gardens and is thus partly genetically determined. On LHI, pre-zygotic isolation due solely to flowering displacement was 97% for Howea belmoreana and 80% for H. forsteriana; this asymmetry results from H. forsteriana flowering earlier than H. belmoreana and being protandrous. As expected, only a few hybrids (here confirmed by genotyping) at both juvenile and adult stages could be detected in two sites on LHI, in which the two species grow intermingled (the Far Flats) or adjacently (Transit Hill). Yet, the distribution of hybrids was different between sites. At Transit Hill, we found no hybrid adult trees, but 13.5% of younger palms examined there were of late hybrid classes. In contrast, we found four hybrid adult trees, mostly of late hybrid classes, and only one juvenile F1 hybrid in the Far Flats. This pattern indicates that selection acts against hybrids between the juvenile and adult stages. An in situ reciprocal seed transplant between volcanic and calcareous soils also shows that early fitness components (up to 36 months) were affected by species and soil. These results are indicative of divergent selection in reproductive isolation, although it does not solely explain the current distribution of the two species on LHI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Hipperson
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, UK
| | - L T Dunning
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, UK
| | - W J Baker
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK
| | - R K Butlin
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences, Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, Stromstäd, Sweden
| | - I Hutton
- Lord Howe Island Museum, Lord Howe Island, NSW, Australia
| | - A S T Papadopulos
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, UK
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK
| | - C M Smadja
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, UK
| | - T C Wilson
- Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - V Savolainen
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, UK.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Nottebrock H, Schmid B, Treurnicht M, Pagel J, Esler KJ, Böhning-Gaese K, Schleuning M, Schurr FM. Coexistence of plant species in a biodiversity hotspot is stabilized by competition but not by seed predation. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henning Nottebrock
- Inst. of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Univ. of Hohenheim; August-von-Hartmann-Str. 3 DE-70599 Stuttgart Germany
- Inst. des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554; Univ. Montpellier 2; Montpellier France
- Dept of Conservation Biology and Entomology and Centre for Invasion Biology; Stellenbosch University; Matieland South Africa
| | - Baptiste Schmid
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung; Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Dept of Conservation Biology and Entomology and Centre for Invasion Biology; Stellenbosch University; Matieland South Africa
| | - Martina Treurnicht
- Inst. of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Univ. of Hohenheim; August-von-Hartmann-Str. 3 DE-70599 Stuttgart Germany
- Dept of Conservation Biology and Entomology and Centre for Invasion Biology; Stellenbosch University; Matieland South Africa
| | - Jörn Pagel
- Inst. of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Univ. of Hohenheim; August-von-Hartmann-Str. 3 DE-70599 Stuttgart Germany
| | - Karen J. Esler
- Dept of Conservation Biology and Entomology and Centre for Invasion Biology; Stellenbosch University; Matieland South Africa
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung; Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt; Inst. for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity; Frankfurt (Main) Germany
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung; Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Frank M. Schurr
- Inst. of Landscape and Plant Ecology; Univ. of Hohenheim; August-von-Hartmann-Str. 3 DE-70599 Stuttgart Germany
- Inst. des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554; Univ. Montpellier 2; Montpellier France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Norton NA, Fernando MTR, Herlihy CR, Busch JW. Reproductive character displacement shapes a spatially structured petal color polymorphism in Leavenworthia stylosa. Evolution 2015; 69:1191-207. [PMID: 25873258 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Character displacement is a potentially important process driving trait evolution and species diversification. Floral traits may experience character displacement in response to pollinator-mediated competition (ecological character displacement) or the risk of forming hybrids with reduced fitness (reproductive character displacement). We test these and alternative hypotheses to explain a yellow-white petal color polymorphism in Leavenworthia stylosa, where yellow morphs are spatially associated with a white-petaled congener (Leavenworthia exigua) that produces hybrids with complete pollen sterility. A reciprocal transplant experiment found limited evidence of local adaptation of yellow color morphs via increased survival and seed set. Pollinator observations revealed that Leavenworthia attract various pollinators that generally favor white petals and exhibit color constancy. Pollen limitation experiments showed that yellow petals do not alleviate competition for pollination. Interspecific pollinator movements were infrequent and low hybridization rates (∼0.40-0.85%) were found in each morph, with natural rates likely being lower. Regardless, hybridization rates were significantly higher in white morphs of L. stylosa, yielding a small selection coefficient of s = 0.0042 against this phenotype in sympatry with L. exigua. These results provide support for RCD as a mechanism contributing to the pattern of petal color polymorphism in L. stylosa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Norton
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, Washington, 99164
| | - M Thilina R Fernando
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Ecology Group, Middle Tennessee State University, PO Box 60, Murfreesboro,Tennessee, 37132
| | - Christopher R Herlihy
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Ecology Group, Middle Tennessee State University, PO Box 60, Murfreesboro,Tennessee, 37132
| | - Jeremiah W Busch
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, Washington, 99164.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Difference in flowering time can initiate speciation of nocturnally flowering species. J Theor Biol 2015; 370:61-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2015.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 01/25/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
12
|
Weis AE, Nardone E, Fox GA. The strength of assortative mating for flowering date and its basis in individual variation in flowering schedule. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:2138-51. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2013] [Revised: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. E. Weis
- Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill; University of Toronto; King City ON Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| | - E. Nardone
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| | - G. A. Fox
- Department of Integrative Biology; University of South Florida; Tampa FL USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
Coevolution, reciprocal adaptation between two or more taxa, is commonly invoked as a primary mechanism responsible for generating much of Earth's biodiversity. This conceptually appealing hypothesis is incredibly broad in evolutionary scope, encompassing diverse patterns and processes operating over timescales ranging from microbial generations to geological eras. However, we have surprisingly little evidence that large-scale associations between coevolution and diversity reflect a causal relationship at smaller timescales, in which coevolutionary selection is directly responsible for the formation of new species. In this synthesis, we critically evaluate evidence for the often-invoked hypothesis that coevolution is an important process promoting biological diversification. We conclude that the lack of widespread evidence for coevolutionary diversification may be best explained by the fact that coevolution's importance in diversification varies depending on the type of interaction and the scale of the diversification under consideration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David H Hembry
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Devaux C, Lepers C, Porcher E. Constraints imposed by pollinator behaviour on the ecology and evolution of plant mating systems. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1413-30. [PMID: 24750302 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Most flowering plants rely on pollinators for their reproduction. Plant-pollinator interactions, although mutualistic, involve an inherent conflict of interest between both partners and may constrain plant mating systems at multiple levels: the immediate ecological plant selfing rates, their distribution in and contribution to pollination networks, and their evolution. Here, we review experimental evidence that pollinator behaviour influences plant selfing rates in pairs of interacting species, and that plants can modify pollinator behaviour through plastic and evolutionary changes in floral traits. We also examine how theoretical studies include pollinators, implicitly or explicitly, to investigate the role of their foraging behaviour in plant mating system evolution. In doing so, we call for more evolutionary models combining ecological and genetic factors, and additional experimental data, particularly to describe pollinator foraging behaviour. Finally, we show that recent developments in ecological network theory help clarify the impact of community-level interactions on plant selfing rates and their evolution and suggest new research avenues to expand the study of mating systems of animal-pollinated plant species to the level of the plant-pollinator networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Devaux
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Matsumoto T, Yasumoto AA, Nitta K, Yahara T, Tachida H. Difference in flowering time as an isolating barrier. J Theor Biol 2013; 317:161-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2012.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2012] [Revised: 09/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/01/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
16
|
Jones EI, Bronstein JL, Ferrière R. The fundamental role of competition in the ecology and evolution of mutualisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2012; 1256:66-88. [PMID: 22583047 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06552.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mutualisms are interspecific interactions that yield reciprocal benefits. Here, by adopting a consumer-resource perspective, we show how considering competition is necessary in order to understand the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of mutualism. We first review the ways in which competition shapes the ecology of mutualisms, using a graphical framework based on resource flows rather than net effects to highlight the opportunities for competition. We then describe the known mechanisms of competition and show how it is a critical driver of the evolutionary dynamics, persistence, and diversification of mutualism. We argue that empirical and theoretical research on the ecology and evolution of mutualisms will jointly progress by addressing four key points: (i) the existence and shape of physiological trade-offs among cooperation, competition, and other life-history and functional traits; (ii) the capacity for individuals to express conditional responses to variation in their mutualistic and competitive environment; (iii) the existence of heritable variation for mutualistic and competitive traits and their potentially conditional expression; and (iv) the structure of the network of consumer-resource interactions in which individuals are embedded.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily I Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Shared pollinators and pollen transfer dynamics in two hybridizing species, Rhinanthus minor and R. angustifolius. Oecologia 2012; 170:709-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2346-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 04/19/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
18
|
Muchhala N, Thomson JD. Interspecific competition in pollination systems: costs to male fitness via pollen misplacement. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01950.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
19
|
Internicola AI, Harder LD. Bumble-bee learning selects for both early and long flowering in food-deceptive plants. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:1538-43. [PMID: 22090384 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.1849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most rewardless orchids engage in generalized food-deception, exhibiting floral traits typical of rewarding species and exploiting the instinctive foraging of pollinators. Generalized food-deceptive (GFD) orchids compete poorly with rewarding species for pollinator services, which may be overcome by flowering early in the growing season when relatively more pollinators are naive and fewer competing plant species are flowering, and/or flowering for extended periods to enhance the chance of pollinator visits. We tested these hypotheses by manipulating flowering time and duration in a natural population of Calypso bulbosa and quantifying pollinator visitation based on pollen removal. Both early and long flowering increased bumble-bee visitation compared with late and brief flowering, respectively. To identify the cause of reduced visitation during late flowering, we tested whether negative experience with C. bulbosa (avoidance learning) and positive experience with a rewarding species, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, (associative learning) by captive bumble-bees could reduce C. bulbosa's competitiveness. Avoidance learning explained the higher visitation of early- compared with late-flowering C. bulbosa. The resulting pollinator-mediated selection for early flowering may commonly affect GFD orchids, explaining their tendency to flower earlier than rewarding orchids. For dissimilar deceptive and rewarding sympatric species, associative learning may additionally favour early flowering by GFD species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonina I Internicola
- Laboratoire de botanique évolutive, Rue Emile-Argand 11, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
SMADJA CAROLEM, BUTLIN ROGERK. A framework for comparing processes of speciation in the presence of gene flow. Mol Ecol 2011; 20:5123-40. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05350.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 251] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
21
|
Gilman RT, Fabina NS, Abbott KC, Rafferty NE. Evolution of plant-pollinator mutualisms in response to climate change. Evol Appl 2011; 5:2-16. [PMID: 25568025 PMCID: PMC3353335 DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2011.00202.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change has the potential to desynchronize the phenologies of interdependent species, with potentially catastrophic effects on mutualist populations. Phenologies can evolve, but the role of evolution in the response of mutualisms to climate change is poorly understood. We developed a model that explicitly considers both the evolution and the population dynamics of a plant–pollinator mutualism under climate change. How the populations evolve, and thus whether the populations and the mutualism persist, depends not only on the rate of climate change but also on the densities and phenologies of other species in the community. Abundant alternative mutualist partners with broad temporal distributions can make a mutualism more robust to climate change, while abundant alternative partners with narrow temporal distributions can make a mutualism less robust. How community composition and the rate of climate change affect the persistence of mutualisms is mediated by two-species Allee thresholds. Understanding these thresholds will help researchers to identify those mutualisms at highest risk owing to climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Tucker Gilman
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin
| | | | - Karen C Abbott
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Pfennig KS, Stewart AB. Asymmetric reproductive character displacement in male aggregation behaviour. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:2348-54. [PMID: 21177683 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive character displacement--the evolution of traits that minimize reproductive interactions between species--can promote striking divergence in male signals or female mate preferences between populations that do and do not occur with heterospecifics. However, reproductive character displacement can affect other aspects of mating behaviour. Indeed, avoidance of heterospecific interactions might contribute to spatial (or temporal) aggregation of conspecifics. We examined this possibility in two species of hybridizing spadefoot toad (genus Spea). We found that in Spea bombifrons sympatric males were more likely than allopatric males to associate with calling males. Moreover, contrary to allopatric males, sympatric S. bombifrons males preferentially associated with conspecific male calls. By contrast, Spea multiplicata showed no differences between sympatry and allopatry in likelihood to associate with calling males. Further, sympatric and allopatric males did not differ in preference for conspecifics. However, allopatric S. multiplicata were more variable than sympatric males in their responses. Thus, in S. multiplicata, character displacement may have refined pre-existing aggregation behaviour. Our results suggest that heterospecific interactions can foster aggregative behaviour that might ultimately contribute to clustering of conspecifics. Such clustering can generate spatial or temporal segregation of reproductive activities among species and ultimately promote reproductive isolation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karin S Pfennig
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, CB no. 3280, Coker Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Coevolutionary interactions between species are thought to be an important cause of evolutionary diversification. Despite this general belief, little theoretical basis exists for distinguishing between the types of interactions that promote diversification and those types that have no effect or that even restrict it. Using analytical models and simulations of phenotypic evolution across a metapopulation, we show that coevolutionary interactions promote diversification when they impose a cost of phenotype matching, as is the case for competition or host-parasite antagonism. In contrast, classical coevolutionary arms races have no tendency to promote or inhibit diversification, and mutualistic interactions actually restrict diversification. Together with the results of recent phylogenetic and ecological studies, these results suggest that the causes of diversification in many coevolutionary systems may require reassessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy B Yoder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Abstract
We model the impact of pollinator visitation rate and behavior on the short-term evolution of population flowering phenologies determined by the distributions of flowering times within and among individual plants. Evolution of population flowering phenologies depends on the phenotypic variances and heritabilities of the within-individual mean and variance of flowering time. In the ecological scenarios we investigate selection does not produce a correlation of the mean and variance of individual flowering time. Self-incompatibility causes weak stabilizing selection on flowering time that acts to reduce the within-individual variance in flowering time. Disruptive selection due to pollinator limitation acts mostly to increase the among-individual variance in flowering time. Stabilizing selection due to pollinator attraction, or short reproductive season, acts mostly to decrease the within-individual variance in flowering time. Temporal autocorrelation of environmental stochasticity in pollinator visitation rate strongly selects to increase the within-individual variance in flowering time. These predictions can be tested by measuring the causal factors described above, partitioning the variance in population phenology within and among individuals, and estimating the inheritance of, and selection on, within-individual mean and variance of flowering time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Céline Devaux
- Division of Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom.
| | | |
Collapse
|