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Gao W, Dai D, Luo H, Yu D, Liu C, Zhang N, Liu L, You C, Zhou S, Tu L, Liu Y, Huang C, He X, Cui X. Habitat differentiation and environmental adaptability contribute to leaf size variations globally in C 3 and C 4 grasses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173309. [PMID: 38782268 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The grass family (Poaceae) dominates ~43 % of Earth's land area and contributes 33 % of terrestrial primary productivity that is critical to naturally regulating atmosphere CO2 concentration and global climate change. Currently grasses comprise ~11,780 species and ~50 % of them (~6000 species) utilize C4 photosynthetic pathway. Generally, grass species have smaller leaves under colder and drier environments, but it is unclear whether the primary drivers of leaf size differ between C3 and C4 grasses on a global scale. Here, we analyzed 34 environmental variables, such as latitude, elevation, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and solar radiation etc., through a comparatively comprehensive database of ~3.0 million occurrence records from 1380 C3 and 978 C4 grass species (2358 species in total). Results from this study confirm that C4 grasses have occupied habitats with lower latitudes and elevations, characterized by warmer, sunnier, drier and less fertile environmental conditions. Grass leaf size correlates positively with mean annual temperature and precipitation as expected. Our results also demonstrate that the mean temperature of the wettest quarter of the year is the primary control for C3 leaf size, whereas C4 leaf size is negatively correlated with the difference between summer and winter temperatures. For C4 grasses, phylogeny exerts a significant effect on leaf size but is less important than environmental factors. Our findings highlight the importance of evolutionarily contrasting variations in leaf size between C3 and C4 grasses for shaping their geographical distribution and habitat suitability at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuchao Gao
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Dachuan Dai
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Huan Luo
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Dongli Yu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Lin Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Chengming You
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Shixing Zhou
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Lihua Tu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Yang Liu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Congde Huang
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Xinhua He
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Xinglei Cui
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China.
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Conradi T, Eggli U, Kreft H, Schweiger AH, Weigelt P, Higgins SI. Reassessment of the risks of climate change for terrestrial ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:888-900. [PMID: 38409318 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02333-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Forecasting the risks of climate change for species and ecosystems is necessary for developing targeted conservation strategies. Previous risk assessments mapped the exposure of the global land surface to changes in climate. However, this procedure is unlikely to robustly identify priority areas for conservation actions because nonlinear physiological responses and colimitation processes ensure that ecological changes will not map perfectly to the forecast climatic changes. Here, we combine ecophysiological growth models of 135,153 vascular plant species and plant growth-form information to transform ambient and future climatologies into phytoclimates, which describe the ability of climates to support the plant growth forms that characterize terrestrial ecosystems. We forecast that 33% to 68% of the global land surface will experience a significant change in phytoclimate by 2070 under representative concentration pathways RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5, respectively. Phytoclimates without present-day analogue are forecast to emerge on 0.3-2.2% of the land surface and 0.1-1.3% of currently realized phytoclimates are forecast to disappear. Notably, the geographic pattern of change, disappearance and novelty of phytoclimates differs markedly from the pattern of analogous trends in climates detected by previous studies, thereby defining new priorities for conservation actions and highlighting the limits of using untransformed climate change exposure indices in ecological risk assessments. Our findings suggest that a profound transformation of the biosphere is underway and emphasize the need for a timely adaptation of biodiversity management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Conradi
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Urs Eggli
- Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich, Grün Stadt Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas H Schweiger
- Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Department of Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Patrick Weigelt
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science, Göttingen, Germany
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Armaroli E, Lugli F, Cipriani A, Tütken T. Spatial ecology of moose in Sweden: Combined Sr-O-C isotope analyses of bone and antler. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300867. [PMID: 38598461 PMCID: PMC11006136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of spatial (paleo)ecology in mammals is critical to understand how animals adapt to and exploit their environment. In this work we analysed the 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O and δ13C isotope composition of 65 moose bone and antler samples from Sweden from wild-shot individuals dated between 1800 and 1994 to study moose mobility and feeding behaviour for (paleo)ecological applications. Sr data were compared with isoscapes of the Scandinavian region, built ad-hoc during this study, to understand how moose utilise the landscape in Northern Europe. The 87Sr/86Sr isoscape was developed using a machine-learning approach with external geo-environmental predictors and literature data. Similarly, a δ18O isoscape, obtained from average annual precipitation δ18O values, was employed to highlight differences in the isotope composition of the local environment vs. bone/antler. Overall, 82% of the moose samples were compatible with the likely local isotope composition (n = 53), suggesting that they were shot not far from their year-round dwelling area. 'Local' samples were used to calibrate the two isoscapes, to improve the prediction of provenance for the presumably 'non-local' individuals. For the latter (n = 12, of which two are antlers and ten are bones), the probability of geographic origin was estimated using a Bayesian approach by combining the two isoscapes. Interestingly, two of these samples (one antler and one bone) seem to come from areas more than 250 km away from the place where the animals were hunted, indicating a possible remarkable intra-annual mobility. Finally, the δ13C data were compared with the forest cover of Sweden and ultimately used to understand the dietary preference of moose. We interpreted a difference in δ13C values of antlers (13C-enriched) and bones (13C-depleted) as a joint effect of seasonal variations in moose diet and, possibly, physiological stresses during winter-time, i.e., increased consumption of endogenous 13C-depleted lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Armaroli
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Federico Lugli
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Anna Cipriani
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States of America
| | - Thomas Tütken
- Arbeitsgruppe für Angewandte und Analytische Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg–Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Gómez-Fernández A, Aranda I, Milla R. Early human selection of crops' wild progenitors explains the acquisitive physiology of modern cultivars. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:25-36. [PMID: 38172574 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01588-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Crops have resource-acquisitive leaf traits, which are usually attributed to the process of domestication. However, early choices of wild plants amenable for domestication may also have played a key role in the evolution of crops' physiological traits. Here we compiled data on 1,034 annual herbs to place the ecophysiological traits of 69 crops' wild progenitors in the context of global botanical variation, and we conducted a common-garden experiment to measure the effects of domestication on crop ecophysiology. Our study found that crops' wild progenitors already had high leaf nitrogen, photosynthesis, conductance and transpiration and soft leaves. After domestication, ecophysiological traits varied little and in idiosyncratic ways. Crops did not surpass the trait boundaries of wild species. Overall, the resource-acquisitive strategy of crops is largely due to the inheritance from their wild progenitors rather than to further breeding improvements. Our study concurs with recent literature highlighting constraints of crop breeding for faster ecophysiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Gómez-Fernández
- Grupo de investigación en Ecología Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ismael Aranda
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rubén Milla
- Grupo de investigación en Ecología Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Instituto de Investigación en Cambio Global, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
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5
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Dimitrov D, Xu X, Su X, Shrestha N, Liu Y, Kennedy JD, Lyu L, Nogués-Bravo D, Rosindell J, Yang Y, Fjeldså J, Liu J, Schmid B, Fang J, Rahbek C, Wang Z. Diversification of flowering plants in space and time. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7609. [PMID: 37993449 PMCID: PMC10665465 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43396-8] [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: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid diversification and high species richness of flowering plants is regarded as 'Darwin's second abominable mystery'. Today the global spatiotemporal pattern of plant diversification remains elusive. Using a newly generated genus-level phylogeny and global distribution data for 14,244 flowering plant genera, we describe the diversification dynamics of angiosperms through space and time. Our analyses show that diversification rates increased throughout the early Cretaceous and then slightly decreased or remained mostly stable until the end of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event 66 million years ago. After that, diversification rates increased again towards the present. Younger genera with high diversification rates dominate temperate and dryland regions, whereas old genera with low diversification dominate the tropics. This leads to a negative correlation between spatial patterns of diversification and genus diversity. Our findings suggest that global changes since the Cenozoic shaped the patterns of flowering plant diversity and support an emerging consensus that diversification rates are higher outside the tropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitar Dimitrov
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, PO Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318, Oslo, Norway
| | - Xiaoting Xu
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiangyan Su
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, 100035, China
| | - Nawal Shrestha
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jonathan D Kennedy
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Lisha Lyu
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- School of Urban Planning and Design, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, Shenzhen, China
| | - David Nogués-Bravo
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James Rosindell
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Yong Yang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Rd., Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - Jon Fjeldså
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, PO Box 1172 Blindern, NO-0318, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jianquan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jingyun Fang
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Zhiheng Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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6
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Berasategui JA, Žerdoner Čalasan A, Zizka A, Kadereit G. Global distribution, climatic preferences and photosynthesis-related traits of C 4 eudicots and how they differ from those of C 4 grasses. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10720. [PMID: 37964791 PMCID: PMC10641307 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
C₄ is one of three known photosynthetic processes of carbon fixation in flowering plants. It evolved independently more than 61 times in multiple angiosperm lineages and consists of a series of anatomical and biochemical modifications to the ancestral C3 pathway increasing plant productivity under warm and light-rich conditions. The C4 lineages of eudicots belong to seven orders and 15 families, are phylogenetically less constrained than those of monocots and entail an enormous structural and ecological diversity. Eudicot C4 lineages likely evolved the C4 syndrome along different evolutionary paths. Therefore, a better understanding of this diversity is key to understanding the evolution of this complex trait as a whole. By compiling 1207 recognised C4 eudicots species described in the literature and presenting trait data among these species, we identify global centres of species richness and of high phylogenetic diversity. Furthermore, we discuss climatic preferences in the context of plant functional traits. We identify two hotspots of C4 eudicot diversity: arid regions of Mexico/Southern United States and Australia, which show a similarly high number of different C4 eudicot genera but differ in the number of C4 lineages that evolved in situ. Further eudicot C4 hotspots with many different families and genera are in South Africa, West Africa, Patagonia, Central Asia and the Mediterranean. In general, C4 eudicots are diverse in deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands. We found C4 eudicots to occur in areas with less annual precipitation than C4 grasses which can be explained by frequently associated adaptations to drought stress such as among others succulence and salt tolerance. The data indicate that C4 eudicot lineages utilising the NAD-ME decarboxylating enzyme grow in drier areas than those using the NADP-ME decarboxylating enzyme indicating biochemical restrictions of the later system in higher temperatures. We conclude that in most eudicot lineages, C4 evolved in ancestrally already drought-adapted clades and enabled these to further spread in these habitats and colonise even drier areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Berasategui
- Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der PflanzenLudwig‐Maximilians Universität MünchenMünchenGermany
- Institute for Molecular PhysiologyJohannes Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
| | - Anže Žerdoner Čalasan
- Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der PflanzenLudwig‐Maximilians Universität MünchenMünchenGermany
| | - Alexander Zizka
- Department of BiologyPhilipps‐University MarburgMarburgGermany
| | - Gudrun Kadereit
- Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der PflanzenLudwig‐Maximilians Universität MünchenMünchenGermany
- Botanischer Garten München‐Nymphenburg und Botanische Staatssammlung MünchenStaatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen BayernsMünchenGermany
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7
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Yogadasan N, Doxey AC, Chuong SDX. A Machine Learning Framework Identifies Plastid-Encoded Proteins Harboring C3 and C4 Distinguishing Sequence Information. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad129. [PMID: 37462292 PMCID: PMC10368328 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is known to have at least 61 independent origins across plant lineages making it one of the most notable examples of convergent evolution. Of the >60 independent origins, a predicted 22-24 origins, encompassing greater than 50% of all known C4 species, exist within the Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, Chloridoideae, Micrairoideae, Aristidoideae, and Danthonioideae (PACMAD) clade of the Poaceae family. This clade is therefore primed with species ideal for the study of genomic changes associated with the acquisition of the C4 photosynthetic trait. In this study, we take advantage of the growing availability of sequenced plastid genomes and employ a machine learning (ML) approach to screen for plastid genes harboring C3 and C4 distinguishing information in PACMAD species. We demonstrate that certain plastid-encoded protein sequences possess distinguishing and informative sequence information that allows them to train accurate ML C3/C4 classification models. Our RbcL-trained model, for example, informs a C3/C4 classifier with greater than 99% accuracy. Accurate prediction of photosynthetic type from individual sequences suggests biologically relevant, and potentially differing roles of these sequence products in C3 versus C4 metabolism. With this ML framework, we have identified several key sequences and sites that are most predictive of C3/C4 status, including RbcL, subunits of the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex, and specific residues within, further highlighting their potential significance in the evolution and/or maintenance of C4 photosynthetic machinery. This general approach can be applied to uncover intricate associations between other similar genotype-phenotype relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew C Doxey
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Simon D X Chuong
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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8
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Higgins SI, Conradi T, Kruger LM, O'Hara RB, Slingsby JA. Limited climatic space for alternative ecosystem states in Africa. Science 2023; 380:1038-1042. [PMID: 37289873 DOI: 10.1126/science.add5190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
One of the foundational premises of ecology is that climate determines ecosystems. This has been challenged by alternative ecosystem state models, which illustrate that internal ecosystem dynamics acting on the initial ecosystem state can overwhelm the influence of climate, and by observations suggesting that climate cannot reliably discriminate forest and savanna ecosystem types. Using a novel phytoclimatic transform, which estimates the ability of climate to support different types of plants, we show that climatic suitability for evergreen trees and C4 grasses are sufficient to discriminate between forest and savanna in Africa. Our findings reassert the dominant influence of climate on ecosystems and suggest that the role of feedbacks causing alternative ecosystem states is less prevalent than has been suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven I Higgins
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstrasse 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Timo Conradi
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstrasse 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Laurence M Kruger
- Organization for Tropical Studies, P.O. Box 33, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Robert B O'Hara
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim N-7491 Norway
| | - Jasper A Slingsby
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Fynbos Node, South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), South Africa
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9
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Zhang A, Yang Z, Zuo Y, Ma L, Zhang H. Geographic distribution of C 4 species and its phylogenetic structure across China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1214980. [PMID: 37360722 PMCID: PMC10285315 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1214980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Over the past fifty years, the distribution patterns of C4 species, across large spatial scales, are largely ignored. Here, we endeavored to examine patterns in the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of species with C4 photosynthetic pathways across the broad spatial extent of China and relate those to climatic gradients. We built a database of all plants with the C4 photosynthetic pathway in China. We analyzed the geographic distributions, taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity, and phylogenetic structure of all C4 species, as well as the three families with the most C4 species (Poaceae, Amaranthaceae and Cyperaceae), and compared their values along temperature and precipitation gradients at two scales-the level of the province and at the 100 x 100 km grid cell. We found 644 C4 plants (belonging to 23 families 165 genera) in China, with Poaceae (57%), Amaranthaceae (17%), Cyperaceae (13%) accounting for the majority of species. Standardized effect size values of phylogenetic distances were negative overall, indicating that C4 species showed a phylogenetic clustering pattern. Southern China had the highest species richness and the highest degree of phylogenetic clustering. C4 tended to be more phylogenetically over-dispersed in regions with colder and/or drier climates, but more clustered in warmer and/or wetter climates. Patterns within individual families were more nuanced. The distribution of C4 species and its phylogenetic structure across China was constrained by temperature and precipitation. C4 species showed a phylogenetic clustering pattern across China, while different families showed more nuanced responses to climate variation, suggesting a role for evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiying Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhongjie Yang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu Zuo
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Mineral Resources and Geological Survey Center, Shaanxi Institute of Geological Survey, Xi’an, China
| | - Hanyu Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
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10
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Wingler A, Sandel B. Relationships of the competitor, stress tolerator, ruderal functional strategies of grass species with lifespan, photosynthetic type, naturalization and climate. AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad021. [PMID: 37197712 PMCID: PMC10184452 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Grass species (family Poaceae) are globally distributed, adapted to a wide range of climates and express a diversity of functional strategies. We explored the functional strategies of grass species using the competitor, stress tolerator, ruderal (CSR) system and asked how a species' strategy relates to its functional traits, climatic distribution and propensity to become naturalized outside its native range. We used a global set of trait data for grass species to classify functional strategies according to the CSR system based on leaf traits. Differences in strategies in relation to lifespan (annual or perennial), photosynthetic type (C3 or C4), or naturalisation (native or introduced) were investigated. In addition, correlations with traits not included in the CSR classification were analyzed, and a model was fitted to predict a species' average mean annual temperature and annual precipitation across its range as a function of CSR scores. Values for competitiveness were higher in C4 species than in C3 species, values for stress tolerance were higher in perennials than in annuals, and introduced species had more pronounced competitive-ruderal strategies than native species. Relationships between the CSR classification, based on leaf traits, and other functional traits were analyzed. Competitiveness was positively correlated with height, while ruderality was correlated with specific root length, indicating that both above- and belowground traits underlying leaf and root economics contribute to realized CSR strategies. Further, relationships between climate and CSR classification showed that species with competitive strategies were more common in warm climates and at high precipitation, whereas species with stress tolerance strategies were more common in cold climates and at low precipitation. The findings presented here demonstrate that CSR classification of functional strategies based on leaf traits matches expectations for the adaptations of grass species that underlie lifespan, photosynthetic type, naturalization and climate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brody Sandel
- Department of Biology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA
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11
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Delfini C, Aliscioni SS, Acosta JM, Pensiero JF, Zuloaga FO. An Update of the Cenchrinae (Poaceae, Panicoideae, Paniceae) and a New Genus for the Subtribe to Clarify the Dubious Position of a Species of Panicum L. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:749. [PMID: 36840098 PMCID: PMC9966601 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Subtribe Cenchrinae, so-called as the "bristle clade", is a monophyletic group of panicoid grasses characterized by having sterile branches or bristles on the inflorescences in most of its species. Within this subtribe is also placed Panicum antidotale Retz., an "incertae sedis" species of Panicum L. which lacks bristles along the inflorescence. In this study, we present an update of the subtribe Cenchrinae based on molecular, morphological, and anatomical evidence to clarify the systematic position of P. antidotale in the Cenchrinae, excluding it from Panicum and establishing it in a new genus (i.e., Janochloa Zuloaga & Delfini); the morphological features distinguishing the new genus from other closely related taxa are properly discussed and an identification key to the 24 genera recognized within Cenchrinae is presented. We also add American Setaria species, not tested before, of subgenera Paurochaetium and Reverchoniae, discussing the position of these taxa in actual phylogeny of the genus as well as defining placements in the tree of Setaria species that were imprecisely located in previous analyses. A comparison with the results from other studies, comments on Stenotaphrum Trin. and a brief discussion on conflicting placements in Cenchrus and related taxa, and of Acritochaete Pilg. are also included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Delfini
- Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, Casilla de Correo 22, San Isidro B1642HYD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sandra S. Aliscioni
- Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, Casilla de Correo 22, San Isidro B1642HYD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cátedra de Botánica General, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires C1417DSE, Argentina
| | - Juan M. Acosta
- Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, Casilla de Correo 22, San Isidro B1642HYD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José F. Pensiero
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral, UNL–CONICET–FCA, Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080HOF, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Fernando O. Zuloaga
- Instituto de Botánica Darwinion (ANCEFN–CONICET), Labardén 200, Casilla de Correo 22, San Isidro B1642HYD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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12
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Wang H, Harrison SP, Li M, Prentice IC, Qiao S, Wang R, Xu H, Mengoli G, Peng Y, Yang Y. The China plant trait database version 2. Sci Data 2022; 9:769. [PMID: 36522346 PMCID: PMC9755148 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01884-4] [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: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant functional traits represent adaptive strategies to the environment, linked to biophysical and biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning. Compilations of trait data facilitate research in multiple fields from plant ecology through to land-surface modelling. Here we present version 2 of the China Plant Trait Database, which contains information on morphometric, physical, chemical, photosynthetic and hydraulic traits from 1529 unique species in 140 sites spanning a diversity of vegetation types. Version 2 has five improvements compared to the previous version: (1) new data from a 4-km elevation transect on the edge of Tibetan Plateau, including alpine vegetation types not sampled previously; (2) inclusion of traits related to hydraulic processes, including specific sapwood conductance, the area ratio of sapwood to leaf, wood density and turgor loss point; (3) inclusion of information on soil properties to complement the existing data on climate and vegetation (4) assessments and flagging the reliability of individual trait measurements; and (5) inclusion of standardized templates for systematical field sampling and measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wang
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Sandy P Harrison
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences (SAGES), University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AH, United Kingdom
| | - Meng Li
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
| | - I Colin Prentice
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Shengchao Qiao
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Runxi Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Huiying Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Giulia Mengoli
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
| | - Yunke Peng
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH, Universitätsstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Yanzheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
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13
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Meyhoff SD, Johnson DL, Ellert BH, Lutes K. Seasonal changes of stable isotope signals in the primary feathers of plains sharp‐tailed grouse. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sejer D. Meyhoff
- University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive W Lethbridge AB T1K 6T5 Canada
| | - Daniel L. Johnson
- University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive W Lethbridge AB T1K 6T5 Canada
| | - Benjamin H. Ellert
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre 5403 1 Ave S Lethbridge AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Katelyn Lutes
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre 5403 1 Ave S Lethbridge AB T1J 4B1 Canada
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14
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Gu C, Waldron S, Bass AM. Anthropogenic land use and urbanization alter the dynamics and increase the export of dissolved carbon in an urbanized river system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157436. [PMID: 35863573 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157436] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Greenhouse gas emissions from urban rivers play a crucial role in global carbon (C) cycling, this is tightly linked to dissolved C in rivers but research gaps remain. The effects of urbanization and anthropogenic land-use change on riverine dissolved carbon dynamics were investigated in a temperate river, the River Kelvin in UK. The river was constantly a source of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere (excess concentration of CH4 ranged from 13 to 4441 nM, and excess concentration of CO2 ranged from 2.6 to 230.6 μM), and dissolved C concentrations show significant spatiotemporal variations (p < 0.05), reflecting a variety of proximal sources and controls. For example, the concentration variation of dissolved CH4 and dissolved CO2 were heavily controlled by the proximity of coal mine infrastructure in the tributary near the river head (~ 2 km) but were more likely controlled by adjacent landfills in the midstream section of the rivers main channel. Concentration and isotopic evidence revealed an important anthropogenic control on the riverine export of CO2 and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) input via groundwater at the catchment scale primarily controlled the dynamics of riverine DIC. Furthermore, the positive relationship between the isotopic composition of DIC and CO2 (r = 0.79, p < 0.01) indicates the DIC pool was at times also significantly influenced by soil respiratory CO2. Both DIC and DOC showed a weak but significant correlation with the proportion of urban/suburban land use, suggesting increased dissolved C export resulting from urbanization. This research elucidates a series of potentially key effects anthropogenic activities and land-use practices can have on riverine C dynamics and highlights the need for future consideration of the direct effects urbanization has on riverine C dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Gu
- School of Geographical & Earth Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Susan Waldron
- School of Geographical & Earth Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Adrian Michael Bass
- School of Geographical & Earth Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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15
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He Y, Li T, Zhang R, Wang J, Zhu J, Li Y, Chen X, Pan J, Shen Y, Wang F, Li J, Tian D. Plant Evolution History Overwhelms Current Environment Gradients in Affecting Leaf Chlorophyll Across the Tibetan Plateau. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:941983. [PMID: 35898216 PMCID: PMC9309890 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.941983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Leaf chlorophyll (Chl) is a fundamental component and good proxy for plant photosynthesis. However, we know little about the large-scale patterns of leaf Chl and the relative roles of current environment changes vs. plant evolution in driving leaf Chl variations. LOCATIONS The east to west grassland transect of the Tibetan Plateau. METHODS We performed a grassland transect over 1,600 km across the Tibetan Plateau, measuring leaf Chl among 677 site-species. RESULTS Leaf Chl showed a significantly spatial pattern across the grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau, decreasing with latitude but increasing with longitude. Along with environmental gradient, leaf Chl decreased with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), but increased with water availability and soil nitrogen availability. Furthermore, leaf Chl also showed significant differences among functional groups (C4 > C3 species; legumes < non-legume species), but no difference between annual and perennial species. However, we surprisingly found that plant evolution played a dominant role in shaping leaf Chl variations when comparing the sum and individual effects of all the environmental factors above. Moreover, we revealed that leaf Chl non-linearly decreased with plant evolutionary divergence time. This well-matches the non-linearly increasing trend in PAR or decreasing trend in temperature during the geological time-scale uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. MAIN CONCLUSION This study highlights the dominant role of plant evolution in determining leaf Chl variations across the Tibetan Plateau. Given the fundamental role of Chl for photosynthesis, these results provide new insights into reconsidering photosynthesis capacity in alpine plants and the carbon cycle in an evolutionary view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicheng He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Ruiyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Jinsong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Juntao Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Xinli Chen
- Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
| | - Junxiao Pan
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Ying Shen
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, China Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Furong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Jingwen Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Dashuan Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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16
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Matinzadeh Z, López‐Angulo J, Escudero A, Palacio S, Abedi M, Akhani H. Functional structure of plant communities along salinity gradients in Iranian salt marshes. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2022; 3:16-27. [PMID: 37283692 PMCID: PMC10168069 DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Salt marshes are unique habitats between sea or saline lakes and land that need to be conserved from the effects of global change. Understanding the variation in functional structure of plant community along environmental gradients is critical to predict the response of plant communities to ongoing environmental changes. We evaluated the changes in the functional structure of halophytic communities along soil gradients including salinity, in Iranian salt marshes; Lake Urmia, Lake Meyghan, Musa estuary, and Nayband Bay (Iran). We established 48 plots from 16 sites in four salt marshes and sampled 10 leaves per species to measure leaf functional traits. Five soil samples were sampled from each plot and 30 variables were analyzed. We examined the changes in the functional structure of plant communities (i.e., functional diversity [FD] and community weighted mean [CWM]) along local soil gradients using linear mixed effect models. Our results showed that FD and CWM of leaf thickness tended to increase with salinity, while those indices related to leaf shape decreased following soil potassium content. Our results suggest that the variations in functional structure of plant communities along local soil gradients reveal the effect of different ecological processes (e.g., niche differentiation related to the habitat heterogeneity) that drive the assembly of halophytic plant communities in SW Asian salt marshes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Matinzadeh
- Halophytes and C4 Plants Research Laboratory, Department of Plant SciencesCollege of ScienceSchool of BiologyUniversity of TehranTehranIran
| | - Jesús López‐Angulo
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química inorgánicaUniversidad Rey Juan CarlosMadridSpain
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH)ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química inorgánicaUniversidad Rey Juan CarlosMadridSpain
| | - Sara Palacio
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE‐CSIC)HuescaSpain
| | - Mehdi Abedi
- Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural ResourcesTarbiat Modares UniversityNoorIran
| | - Hossein Akhani
- Halophytes and C4 Plants Research Laboratory, Department of Plant SciencesCollege of ScienceSchool of BiologyUniversity of TehranTehranIran
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17
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Stolter C, Joubert DF, Uunona N, Nghalipo E, Amputu V, Felton AM. Effect of fire on the palatability of plants in an African woodland savanna: varying impacts depending on plant functional groups. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12721. [PMID: 35111393 PMCID: PMC8783561 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12721] [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: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Fire and herbivores are two important drivers of changes in vegetation composition, quality and dynamics and both are highly related to each other. Herbivores are known to respond to fire both in terms of foraging decisions and distribution. However, little is known about the actual changes in plant chemistry following a fire event and how long these changes will last. We investigated the effect of fire on two different plant functional groups (grasses and woody species) in a woodland savanna of southern Africa. We studied chemical compounds known to be important for palatability of five perennial grass and seven woody species (trees and shrubs) common in the woodland savanna and known to be utilized by herbivores. We wanted to know if plant chemistry differs between a recently burned site (burned 2 years ago) and a control site, burned 16 years ago, and if grasses and woody species show similar relative differences between sites (i.e., the plants' response to fire). We found a clear difference in chemical composition patterns between the plant functional groups, with an almost homogenous response to fire among woody species, but higher variability in response among grass species. Furthermore, we found that woody species maintained a higher nutritional value even 2 years after burning, whereas grasses did not show clear differences among the two investigated sites. Hence, few years after burning, woody plants might still serve as an attraction for herbivores, especially browsers, in contrast to grasses. The knowledge about these differences between the two functional groups in response to fire is beneficial for the development of management strategies for large herbivores whether domestic or wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Stolter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - David F. Joubert
- Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Nekulilo Uunona
- Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Elise Nghalipo
- Faculty of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Vistorina Amputu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Annika M. Felton
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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de Deus Vidal J, le Roux PC, Johnson SD, te Beest M, Clark VR. Beyond the Tree-Line: The C3-C4 “Grass-Line” Can Track Global Change in the World’s Grassy Mountain Systems. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.760118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
von Humboldt’s tree-line concept has dominated mountain ecology for almost two hundred years, and is considered a key indicator for monitoring change in biome boundaries and biodiversity shifts under climate change. Even though the concept of life zones and elevation gradients are a globally observed phenomenon, they have not been thoroughly explored for many contexts. One such example is the tree-line ecotone, a widely used conceptual tool to track climate change in many regions, which has limited application in the widespread tree-sparse, grassy systems that comprise a third of the world’s mountain systems. Among grasses (Poaceae), temperature is linked to variation in photosynthetic performance and community dominance for C3 and C4 metabolic groups, due to its role in limiting photorespiration in the C3 photosynthesis process. Here, we investigate this community shift in grassland-dominated mountains to demonstrate the role of climate in driving this transition and discuss the potential applications of this tool to mountain ecosystem conservation worldwide. For identifying grass-dominated mountains worldwide, we measured the grass-cover using satellite data. We then compiled Poaceae distribution data for ten grass-dominated mountains spanning from 42°S to 41°N and determined the temperature intervals and elevation ranges at which each genus was found, testing for effects of temperature, precipitation, and latitudinal gradients on the dominance of C3-C4 grasses. Temperature was the main driver of C3 dominance, with the richness of C3 genera tending to surpass the taxonomic dominance of C4 plants along mountain temperature gradients where the annual mean temperature was colder than ca. 14.6°C. Similar patterns were observed in eight out of ten mountains, suggesting that this may constitute an isotherm-driven ecotone. Consequently, this C3-C4 transition offers a promising tool for monitoring climate change impacts in grassy mountains. C3-C4 grass community shifts in response to environmental change will likely have major implications for fire frequency and severity, rangeland productivity and livelihoods, food security, and water budgets in mountain systems. Given the severity of the implications of global change on these social-ecological systems, we propose that a “grass-line” monitoring protocol be developed for global application.
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Pardo J, VanBuren R. Evolutionary innovations driving abiotic stress tolerance in C4 grasses and cereals. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:3391-3401. [PMID: 34387354 PMCID: PMC8566246 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Grasslands dominate the terrestrial landscape, and grasses have evolved complex and elegant strategies to overcome abiotic stresses. The C4 grasses are particularly stress tolerant and thrive in tropical and dry temperate ecosystems. Growing evidence suggests that the presence of C4 photosynthesis alone is insufficient to account for drought resilience in grasses, pointing to other adaptations as contributing to tolerance traits. The majority of grasses from the Chloridoideae subfamily are tolerant to drought, salt, and desiccation, making this subfamily a hub of resilience. Here, we discuss the evolutionary innovations that make C4 grasses so resilient, with a particular emphasis on grasses from the Chloridoideae (chloridoid) and Panicoideae (panicoid) subfamilies. We propose that a baseline level of resilience in chloridoid ancestors allowed them to colonize harsh habitats, and these environments drove selective pressure that enabled the repeated evolution of abiotic stress tolerance traits. Furthermore, we suggest that a lack of evolutionary access to stressful environments is partially responsible for the relatively poor stress resilience of major C4 crops compared to their wild relatives. We propose that chloridoid crops and the subfamily more broadly represent an untapped reservoir for improving resilience to drought and other abiotic stresses in cereals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Pardo
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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20
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Metcalfe JZ. C 3 plant isotopic variability in a boreal mixed woodland: implications for bison and other herbivores. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12167. [PMID: 34631314 PMCID: PMC8466085 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant isotopic baselines are critical for accurately reconstructing ancient diets and environments and for using stable isotopes to monitor ecosystem conservation. This study examines the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions (δ 13C, δ 15N) of terrestrial C3 plants in Elk Island National Park (EINP), Alberta, Canada, with a focus on plants consumed by grazers. EINP is located in a boreal mixed woodland ecozone close to the transition area between historic wood and plains bison habitats, and is currently home to separate herds of wood and plains bison. For this study, 165 C3 plant samples (grasses, sedges, forbs, shrubs, and horsetail) were collected from three habitat types (open, closed, and wet) during two seasons (summer and fall). There were no statistically significant differences in the δ 13C or δ 15N values of grasses, sedges, shrubs and forbs. On the other hand, plant δ 13C and δ 15N values varied among habitats and plant parts, and the values increased from summer to fall. These results have several implications for interpreting herbivore tissue isotopic compositions: (1) consuming different proportions of grasses, sedges, shrubs, and forbs might not result in isotopic niche partitioning, (2) feeding in different microhabitats or selecting different parts of the same types of plants could result in isotopic niche partitioning, and (3) seasonal isotopic changes in herbivore tissues could reflect seasonal isotopic changes in dietary plants rather than (or in addition to) changes in animal diet or physiology. In addition, the positively skewed plant δ 15N distributions highlight the need for researchers to carefully evaluate the characteristics of their distributions prior to reporting data (e.g., means, standard deviations) or applying statistical models (e.g., parametric tests that assume normality). Overall, this study reiterates the importance of accessing ecosystem-specific isotopic baselines for addressing research questions in archaeology, paleontology, and ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Z Metcalfe
- Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
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21
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Falster D, Gallagher R, Wenk EH, Wright IJ, Indiarto D, Andrew SC, Baxter C, Lawson J, Allen S, Fuchs A, Monro A, Kar F, Adams MA, Ahrens CW, Alfonzetti M, Angevin T, Apgaua DMG, Arndt S, Atkin OK, Atkinson J, Auld T, Baker A, von Balthazar M, Bean A, Blackman CJ, Bloomfield K, Bowman DMJS, Bragg J, Brodribb TJ, Buckton G, Burrows G, Caldwell E, Camac J, Carpenter R, Catford JA, Cawthray GR, Cernusak LA, Chandler G, Chapman AR, Cheal D, Cheesman AW, Chen SC, Choat B, Clinton B, Clode PL, Coleman H, Cornwell WK, Cosgrove M, Crisp M, Cross E, Crous KY, Cunningham S, Curran T, Curtis E, Daws MI, DeGabriel JL, Denton MD, Dong N, Du P, Duan H, Duncan DH, Duncan RP, Duretto M, Dwyer JM, Edwards C, Esperon-Rodriguez M, Evans JR, Everingham SE, Farrell C, Firn J, Fonseca CR, French BJ, Frood D, Funk JL, Geange SR, Ghannoum O, Gleason SM, Gosper CR, Gray E, Groom PK, Grootemaat S, Gross C, Guerin G, Guja L, Hahs AK, Harrison MT, Hayes PE, Henery M, Hochuli D, Howell J, Huang G, Hughes L, Huisman J, Ilic J, Jagdish A, Jin D, Jordan G, Jurado E, Kanowski J, Kasel S, Kellermann J, Kenny B, Kohout M, Kooyman RM, Kotowska MM, Lai HR, Laliberté E, Lambers H, Lamont BB, Lanfear R, van Langevelde F, Laughlin DC, Laugier-Kitchener BA, Laurance S, Lehmann CER, Leigh A, Leishman MR, Lenz T, Lepschi B, Lewis JD, Lim F, Liu U, Lord J, Lusk CH, Macinnis-Ng C, McPherson H, Magallón S, Manea A, López-Martinez A, Mayfield M, McCarthy JK, Meers T, van der Merwe M, Metcalfe DJ, Milberg P, Mokany K, Moles AT, Moore BD, Moore N, Morgan JW, Morris W, Muir A, Munroe S, Nicholson Á, Nicolle D, Nicotra AB, Niinemets Ü, North T, O'Reilly-Nugent A, O'Sullivan OS, Oberle B, Onoda Y, Ooi MKJ, Osborne CP, Paczkowska G, Pekin B, Guilherme Pereira C, Pickering C, Pickup M, Pollock LJ, Poot P, Powell JR, Power SA, Prentice IC, Prior L, Prober SM, Read J, Reynolds V, Richards AE, Richardson B, Roderick ML, Rosell JA, Rossetto M, Rye B, Rymer PD, Sams MA, Sanson G, Sauquet H, Schmidt S, Schönenberger J, Schulze ED, Sendall K, Sinclair S, Smith B, Smith R, Soper F, Sparrow B, Standish RJ, Staples TL, Stephens R, Szota C, Taseski G, Tasker E, Thomas F, Tissue DT, Tjoelker MG, Tng DYP, de Tombeur F, Tomlinson K, Turner NC, Veneklaas EJ, Venn S, Vesk P, Vlasveld C, Vorontsova MS, Warren CA, Warwick N, Weerasinghe LK, Wells J, Westoby M, White M, Williams NSG, Wills J, Wilson PG, Yates C, Zanne AE, Zemunik G, Ziemińska K. AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Sci Data 2021; 8:254. [PMID: 34593819 PMCID: PMC8484355 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-01006-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Falster
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Rachael Gallagher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Elizabeth H Wenk
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Dony Indiarto
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Caitlan Baxter
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - James Lawson
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, Australia
| | - Stuart Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anne Fuchs
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Anna Monro
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Fonti Kar
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mark A Adams
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
| | - Collin W Ahrens
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew Alfonzetti
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Deborah M G Apgaua
- Centre for Rainforest Studies, School for Field Studies, Yungaburra, Queensland, 4872, Australia
| | | | - Owen K Atkin
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Joe Atkinson
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tony Auld
- NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia
| | | | - Maria von Balthazar
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | - Jason Bragg
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - James Camac
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Lucas A Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Alex R Chapman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - David Cheal
- Centre for Environmental Management, School of Health & Life Sciences, Federation University, Mount Helen, Australia
| | | | - Si-Chong Chen
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Richmond, Kew, United Kingdom
| | - Brendan Choat
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Brook Clinton
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Peta L Clode
- University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Helen Coleman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - William K Cornwell
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Michael Crisp
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Erika Cross
- Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
| | - Kristine Y Crous
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Saul Cunningham
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Ellen Curtis
- University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew I Daws
- Environment Department, Alcoa of Australia, Huntly, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jane L DeGabriel
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Douglas, Australia
| | - Matthew D Denton
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ning Dong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Honglang Duan
- Institute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | | | - Richard P Duncan
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Canberra, Australia
| | - Marco Duretto
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - John M Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | | | - John R Evans
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Susan E Everingham
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Jennifer Firn
- Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Carlos Roberto Fonseca
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Natal - RN, Brazil
| | | | - Doug Frood
- Pathways Bushland and Environment Consultancy, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Oula Ghannoum
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Carl R Gosper
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia
| | - Emma Gray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Saskia Grootemaat
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Greg Guerin
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Lydia Guja
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Amy K Hahs
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Martin Henery
- arks Australia, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Hobart, Australia
| | - Dieter Hochuli
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | - Guomin Huang
- Nanchang Institute of Technology, Nanchang, China
| | - Lesley Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - John Huisman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Ashika Jagdish
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Daniel Jin
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | - Enrique Jurado
- Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
| | | | | | - Jürgen Kellermann
- State Herbarium of South Australia, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Hackney Road, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | | | - Michele Kohout
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robert M Kooyman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hao Ran Lai
- University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Etienne Laliberté
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, H1X 2B2, Canada
| | - Hans Lambers
- University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | | | - Robert Lanfear
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrea Leigh
- University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Tanja Lenz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Brendan Lepschi
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Felix Lim
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | | | - Hannah McPherson
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Susana Magallón
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Anthony Manea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Andrea López-Martinez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Margaret Mayfield
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | | | - Marlien van der Merwe
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Angela T Moles
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ben D Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Annette Muir
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | - Samantha Munroe
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | | | - Dean Nicolle
- Currency Creek Arboretum, Currency Creek, Australia
| | | | - Ülo Niinemets
- Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tom North
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | | | - Brad Oberle
- Division of Natural Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, USA
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mark K J Ooi
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Colin P Osborne
- University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Grazyna Paczkowska
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - Burak Pekin
- Istanbul Technical University, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Caio Guilherme Pereira
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | | | | | | | - Pieter Poot
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Jeff R Powell
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer Read
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Victoria Reynolds
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | - Ben Richardson
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | | | - Julieta A Rosell
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maurizio Rossetto
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Barbara Rye
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - Paul D Rymer
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael A Sams
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Gordon Sanson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Hervé Sauquet
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Susanne Schmidt
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Jürg Schönenberger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Kerrie Sendall
- Rider University, Lawrence Township, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Steve Sinclair
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Smith
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Renee Smith
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Ben Sparrow
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Rachel J Standish
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
| | - Timothy L Staples
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Ruby Stephens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Guy Taseski
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Tasker
- NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia
| | | | - David T Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mark G Tjoelker
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Yue Phin Tng
- Centre for Rainforest Studies, School for Field Studies, Yungaburra, Queensland, 4872, Australia
| | - Félix de Tombeur
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Susanna Venn
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
| | - Peter Vesk
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Carolyn Vlasveld
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | | | - Charles A Warren
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | | | - Jessie Wells
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Mark Westoby
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew White
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Jarrah Wills
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Peter G Wilson
- National Herbarium of NSW and Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Colin Yates
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia
| | - Amy E Zanne
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146 USA, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | | | - Kasia Ziemińska
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Simpson KJ, Atkinson RRL, Mockford EJ, Bennett C, Osborne CP, Rees M. Large seeds provide an intrinsic growth advantage that depends on leaf traits and root allocation. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emily J. Mockford
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Christopher Bennett
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Colin P. Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Mark Rees
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
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Amaral EJ, Franco AC, Rivera VL, Munhoz CBR. Environment, phylogeny, and photosynthetic pathway as determinants of leaf traits in savanna and forest graminoid species in central Brazil. Oecologia 2021; 197:1-11. [PMID: 33885981 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04923-w] [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: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Leaf traits are closely linked to plant responses to the environment and can provide important information on adaptation and evolution. These traits may also result from common ancestry, so phylogenetic relationships also play an important role in adaptive evolution. We evaluated the effects of the closed forest environment (gallery forest) and the open savanna environment (cerrado) on the selection of leaf traits of graminoid species. The two plant communities differ in light, nutrients, and water availability, which are important drivers in the selection and differentiation of these traits. We also investigated the functional structure and the role of phylogeny in the functional organization of species, considering leaf traits. Patterns of leaf trait variation differed between forest and savanna species suggesting habitat specialization. Wider and longer leaves, with higher values of specific leaf area, chlorophyll, and nitrogen, seem to be an advantage for graminoid species growing in forest environments, while thicker leaves, with higher values of leaf dry-matter content and carbon, benefit species growing in savanna environments. We found few phylogenetic signals related to leaf traits in each environment. Therefore, the functional similarity that the gallery forest and cerrado graminoid species share within their group is independent of their phylogenetic proximity. Environmental filters affect the functional structure of communities differently, generating communities with trait values that are more distant than expected by chance in cerrado (functional dispersion), and closer than expected by chance in the gallery forest (functional convergence).
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliel J Amaral
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Augusto C Franco
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.,Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Vanessa L Rivera
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Cássia B R Munhoz
- Graduate Program in Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.,Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
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24
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Simpson KJ, Jardine EC, Archibald S, Forrestel EJ, Lehmann CER, Thomas GH, Osborne CP. Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 230:832-844. [PMID: 33155275 PMCID: PMC8048952 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Plant populations persist under recurrent fire via resprouting from surviving tissues (resprouters) or seedling recruitment (seeders). Woody species are inherently slow maturing, meaning that seeders are confined to infrequent fire regimes. However, for grasses, which mature faster, the relationships between persistence strategy and fire regime remain unknown. Globally, we analysed associations between fire regimes experienced by hundreds of grass species and their persistence strategy, within a phylogenetic context. We also tested whether persistence strategies are associated with morphological and physiological traits. Resprouters were associated with less frequent fire than seeders. Whilst modal fire frequencies were similar (fire return interval of 4-6 yr), seeders were restricted to regions with more frequent fire than resprouters, suggesting that greater competition with long-lived resprouters restricts seeder recruitment and survival when fire is rare. Resprouting was associated with lower leaf N, higher C:N ratios and the presence of belowground buds, but was unrelated to photosynthetic pathway. Differences between the life histories of grasses and woody species led to a contrasting prevalence of seeders and resprouters in relation to fire frequency. Rapid sexual maturation in grasses means that seeder distributions, relative to fire regime, are determined by competitive ability and recruitment, rather than time to reproductive maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley J. Simpson
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUK
| | - Emma C. Jardine
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUK
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African EcologySchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandPrivate Bag 3Witwatersrand2050South Africa
| | | | - Caroline E. R. Lehmann
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghEH8 9XPUK
- Tropical DiversityRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghEH3 5NZUK
| | - Gavin H. Thomas
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUK
| | - Colin P. Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2TNUK
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25
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Munroe SEM, McInerney FA, Andrae J, Welti N, Guerin GR, Leitch E, Hall T, Szarvas S, Atkins R, Caddy-Retalic S, Sparrow B. The photosynthetic pathways of plant species surveyed in Australia's national terrestrial monitoring network. Sci Data 2021; 8:97. [PMID: 33795698 PMCID: PMC8016977 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-00877-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The photosynthetic pathway of plants is a fundamental trait that influences terrestrial environments from the local to global level. The distribution of different photosynthetic pathways in Australia is expected to undergo a substantial shift due to climate change and rising atmospheric CO2; however, tracking change is hindered by a lack of data on the pathways of species, as well as their distribution and relative cover within plant communities. Here we present the photosynthetic pathways for 2428 species recorded across 541 plots surveyed by Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) between 2011 and 2017. This dataset was created to facilitate research exploring trends in vegetation change across Australia. Species were assigned a photosynthetic pathway using published literature and stable carbon isotope analysis of bulk tissue. The photosynthetic pathway of species can be extracted from the dataset individually, or used in conjunction with vegetation surveys to study the occurrence and abundance of pathways across the continent. This dataset will be updated as TERN's plot network expands and new information becomes available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha E M Munroe
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
| | - Francesca A McInerney
- School of Physical Sciences and the Sprigg Geobiology Centre, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Jake Andrae
- School of Physical Sciences and the Sprigg Geobiology Centre, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Nina Welti
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Urrbrae, South Australia, 5064, Australia
| | - Greg R Guerin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Emrys Leitch
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Tony Hall
- School of Physical Sciences and the Sprigg Geobiology Centre, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Steve Szarvas
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Urrbrae, South Australia, 5064, Australia
| | - Rachel Atkins
- School of Physical Sciences and the Sprigg Geobiology Centre, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Stefan Caddy-Retalic
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Ben Sparrow
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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Zhang A, Xie Z. C 4 herbs dominate the reservoir flood area of the Three Gorges Reservoir. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142479. [PMID: 33035969 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dam operations can dramatically degenerate riparian vegetation. To improve the restoration practices of reservoir riparian vegetation, it is important to understand which and how a dominant species physiologically and ecologically maintain high fitness in this type of ecosystems. We explored the compositional change of riparian plants during the long-term flood-dry-flood cycle in the reservoir flood area (RFA) of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA), China. In total 769 vascular plant species (belonging to 415 genera in 122 families) existed in the study area before damming (prior to 2006, i.e. the natural riparian zone). Following damming (2008-2018), plant species diversity rapidly declined, with only 51 species identified in 2018 (45 genera in 22 families). Before damming, perennial herbs, annual herbs and shrubs co-dominated the study area. After damming, the proportion of shrubs decreased significantly, and the proportion of annuals to total plants increased by 20%. Alien invasive species proportion increased from 5% to 18%. Notably, the proportion of C4 species increased significantly from 7% to 31%. Ten of the 16 dominant species in RFA since 2015 were C4 Poaceae species. Our study indicates that dam construction could cause severe biodiversity loss of riparian plants and draw alien species invasion. Besides, C4 herbs would dominate the RFA. A higher photosynthetic rate could help C4 plants grow faster to cope with the nitrogen deficiency and short growth cycles in RFA. Hence, screening C4 herbs for vegetation restoration might aid in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functions in flood-dry-flood reservoir flood areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, NO.866, Yuhangtang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310058, China
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities in the Soils of Desert Habitats. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020229. [PMID: 33499315 PMCID: PMC7912695 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Deserts cover a significant proportion of the Earth’s surface and continue to expand as a consequence of climate change. Mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are functionally important plant root symbionts, and may be particularly important in drought stressed systems such as deserts. Here we provide a first molecular characterization of the AM fungi occurring in several desert ecosystems worldwide. We sequenced AM fungal DNA from soil samples collected from deserts in six different regions of the globe using the primer pair WANDA-AML2 with Illumina MiSeq. We recorded altogether 50 AM fungal phylotypes. Glomeraceae was the most common family, while Claroideoglomeraceae, Diversisporaceae and Acaulosporaceae were represented with lower frequency and abundance. The most diverse site, with 35 virtual taxa (VT), was in the Israeli Negev desert. Sites representing harsh conditions yielded relatively few reads and low richness estimates, for example, a Saudi Arabian desert site where only three Diversispora VT were recorded. The AM fungal taxa recorded in the desert soils are mostly geographically and ecologically widespread. However, in four sites out of six, communities comprised more desert-affiliated taxa (according to the MaarjAM database) than expected at random. AM fungal VT present in samples were phylogenetically clustered compared with the global taxon pool, suggesting that nonrandom assembly processes, notably habitat filtering, may have shaped desert fungal assemblages.
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28
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Bianconi ME, Hackel J, Vorontsova MS, Alberti A, Arthan W, Burke SV, Duvall MR, Kellogg EA, Lavergne S, McKain MR, Meunier A, Osborne CP, Traiperm P, Christin PA, Besnard G. Continued Adaptation of C4 Photosynthesis After an Initial Burst of Changes in the Andropogoneae Grasses. Syst Biol 2020; 69:445-461. [PMID: 31589325 PMCID: PMC7672695 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis is a complex trait that sustains fast growth and high productivity in tropical and subtropical conditions and evolved repeatedly in flowering plants. One of the major C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} lineages is Andropogoneae, a group of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\sim $\end{document}1200 grass species that includes some of the world’s most important crops and species dominating tropical and some temperate grasslands. Previous efforts to understand C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} evolution in the group have compared a few model C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} plants to distantly related C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} species so that changes directly responsible for the transition to C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} could not be distinguished from those that preceded or followed it. In this study, we analyze the genomes of 66 grass species, capturing the earliest diversification within Andropogoneae as well as their C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} relatives. Phylogenomics combined with molecular dating and analyses of protein evolution show that many changes linked to the evolution of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis in Andropogoneae happened in the Early Miocene, between 21 and 18 Ma, after the split from its C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} sister lineage, and before the diversification of the group. This initial burst of changes was followed by an extended period of modifications to leaf anatomy and biochemistry during the diversification of Andropogoneae, so that a single C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} origin gave birth to a diversity of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} phenotypes during 18 million years of speciation events and migration across geographic and ecological spaces. Our comprehensive approach and broad sampling of the diversity in the group reveals that one key transition can lead to a plethora of phenotypes following sustained adaptation of the ancestral state. [Adaptive evolution; complex traits; herbarium genomics; Jansenelleae; leaf anatomy; Poaceae; phylogenomics.]
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E Bianconi
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jan Hackel
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Maria S Vorontsova
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Adriana Alberti
- CEA - Institut de Biologie Francois-Jacob, Genoscope, 2 Rue Gaston Cremieux 91057 Evry Cedex, France
| | - Watchara Arthan
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Sean V Burke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Melvin R Duvall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Kellogg
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MI 63132, USA
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRS – Université Grenoble Alpes, UMR 5553, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael R McKain
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, 500 Hackberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Alexandre Meunier
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Paweena Traiperm
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, King Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Correspondence to be sent to: Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France; E-mail:
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29
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Brightly WH, Hartley SE, Osborne CP, Simpson KJ, Strömberg CAE. High silicon concentrations in grasses are linked to environmental conditions and not associated with C 4 photosynthesis. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:7128-7143. [PMID: 32897634 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The uptake and deposition of silicon (Si) as silica phytoliths is common among land plants and is associated with a variety of functions. Among these, herbivore defense has received significant attention, particularly with regard to grasses and grasslands. Grasses are well known for their high silica content, a trait which has important implications ranging from defense to global Si cycling. Here, we test the classic hypothesis that C4 grasses evolved stronger mechanical defenses than C3 grasses through increased phytolith deposition, in response to extensive ungulate herbivory ("C4 -grazer hypothesis"). Despite mixed support, this hypothesis has received broad attention, even outside the realm of plant biology. Because C3 and C4 grasses typically dominate in different climates, with the latter more abundant in hot, dry regions, we also investigated the effects of water availability and temperature on Si deposition. We compiled a large dataset of grasses grown under controlled environmental conditions. Using phylogenetically informed generalized linear mixed models and character evolution models, we evaluated whether photosynthetic pathway or growth condition influenced Si concentration. We found that C4 grasses did not show consistently elevated Si concentrations compared with C3 grasses. High temperature treatments were associated with increased concentration, especially in taxa adapted to warm regions. Although the effect was less pronounced, reduced water treatment also promoted silica deposition, with slightly stronger response in dry habitat species. The evidence presented here rejects the "C4 -grazer hypothesis." Instead, we propose that the tendency for C4 grasses to outcompete C3 species under hot, dry conditions explains previous observations supporting this hypothesis. These findings also suggest a mechanism via which anthropogenic climate change may influence silica deposition in grasses and, by extension, alter the important ecological and geochemical processes it affects.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H Brightly
- Department of Biology and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sue E Hartley
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Kimberley J Simpson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Caroline A E Strömberg
- Department of Biology and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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30
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Griffith DM, Osborne CP, Edwards EJ, Bachle S, Beerling DJ, Bond WJ, Gallaher TJ, Helliker BR, Lehmann CER, Leatherman L, Nippert JB, Pau S, Qiu F, Riley WJ, Smith MD, Strömberg CAE, Taylor L, Ungerer M, Still CJ. Lineage-based functional types: characterising functional diversity to enhance the representation of ecological behaviour in Land Surface Models. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 228:15-23. [PMID: 33448428 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Process-based vegetation models attempt to represent the wide range of trait variation in biomes by grouping ecologically similar species into plant functional types (PFTs). This approach has been successful in representing many aspects of plant physiology and biophysics but struggles to capture biogeographic history and ecological dynamics that determine biome boundaries and plant distributions. Grass-dominated ecosystems are broadly distributed across all vegetated continents and harbour large functional diversity, yet most Land Surface Models (LSMs) summarise grasses into two generic PFTs based primarily on differences between temperate C3 grasses and (sub)tropical C4 grasses. Incorporation of species-level trait variation is an active area of research to enhance the ecological realism of PFTs, which form the basis for vegetation processes and dynamics in LSMs. Using reported measurements, we developed grass functional trait values (physiological, structural, biochemical, anatomical, phenological, and disturbance-related) of dominant lineages to improve LSM representations. Our method is fundamentally different from previous efforts, as it uses phylogenetic relatedness to create lineage-based functional types (LFTs), situated between species-level trait data and PFT-level abstractions, thus providing a realistic representation of functional diversity and opening the door to the development of new vegetation models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Griffith
- Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
- US Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Seton Bachle
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - David J Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - William J Bond
- South African Environmental Observation Network, National Research Foundation, Claremont, 7735, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Timothy J Gallaher
- Department of Biology and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98915, USA
- Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, 96817, USA
| | - Brent R Helliker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19401, USA
| | | | - Lila Leatherman
- Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Jesse B Nippert
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Stephanie Pau
- Department of Geography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32303, USA
| | - Fan Qiu
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - William J Riley
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA
| | - Caroline A E Strömberg
- Department of Biology and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98915, USA
| | - Lyla Taylor
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Mark Ungerer
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Christopher J Still
- Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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31
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Conradi T, Slingsby JA, Midgley GF, Nottebrock H, Schweiger AH, Higgins SI. An operational definition of the biome for global change research. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:1294-1306. [PMID: 32255502 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Biomes are constructs for organising knowledge on the structure and functioning of the world's ecosystems, and serve as useful units for monitoring how the biosphere responds to anthropogenic drivers, including climate change. The current practice of delimiting biomes relies on expert knowledge. Recent studies have questioned the value of such biome maps for comparative ecology and global-change research, partly due to their subjective origin. Here we propose a flexible method for developing biome maps objectively. The method uses range modelling of several thousands of plant species to reveal spatial attractors for different growth-form assemblages that define biomes. The workflow is illustrated using distribution data from 23 500 African plant species. In an example application, we create a biome map for Africa and use the fitted species models to project biome shifts. In a second example, we map gradients of growth-form suitability that can be used to identify sites for comparative ecology. This method provides a flexible framework that (1) allows a range of biome types to be defined according to user needs and (2) enables projections of biome changes that emerge purely from the individualistic responses of plant species to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Conradi
- Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jasper A Slingsby
- Fynbos Node, South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, 7735, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation (SEEC), University of Cape Town, 7701, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Guy F Midgley
- Global Change Biology Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, 7602, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Henning Nottebrock
- Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Andreas H Schweiger
- Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Steven I Higgins
- Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
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32
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Sadok W, Lopez JR, Zhang Y, Tamang BG, Muehlbauer GJ. Sheathing the blade: Significant contribution of sheaths to daytime and nighttime gas exchange in a grass crop. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2020; 43:1844-1861. [PMID: 32459028 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite representing a sizeable fraction of the canopy, very little is known about leaf sheath gas exchange in grasses. Specifically, estimates of sheath stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthesis along with their responses to light, CO2 and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) are unknown. Furthermore, the anatomical basis of these responses is poorly documented. Here, using barley as a model system, and combining leaf-level gas exchange, whole-plant gravimetric measurements, transpiration inhibitors, anatomical observations, and biophysical modelling, we found that sheath and blade stomatal conductance and transpiration were similar, especially at low light, in addition to being genotypically variable. Thanks to high abaxial stomata densities and surface areas nearly half those of the blades, sheaths accounted for up to 17% of the daily whole-plant water use, which -surprisingly- increased to 45% during the nighttime. Sheath photosynthesis was on average 17-25% that of the blade and was associated with lower water use efficiency. Finally, sheaths responded differently to the environment, exhibiting a lack of response to CO2 but a strong sensitivity to VPD. Overall, these results suggest a key involvement of sheaths in feedback loops between canopy architecture and gas exchange with potentially significant implications on adaptation to current and future climates in grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Sadok
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jose R Lopez
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yangyang Zhang
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Grassland Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Bishal G Tamang
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gary J Muehlbauer
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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33
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Li K, Wang J, Qiao L, Zheng R, Ma Y, Chen Y, Hou X, Du Y, Gao J, Liu H. Diversity of Reproductive Phenology Among Subtropical Grasses Is Constrained by Evolution and Climatic Niche. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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34
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Chen I, Li KT, Tsang CH. Silicified bulliform cells of Poaceae: morphological characteristics that distinguish subfamilies. BOTANICAL STUDIES 2020; 61:5. [PMID: 32124105 PMCID: PMC7052108 DOI: 10.1186/s40529-020-0282-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Grass phytoliths are the most common phytoliths in sediments; recognizing grass phytolith types is important when using phytoliths as a tool to reconstruct paleoenvironments. Grass bulliform cells may be silicified to large size parallelepipedal or cuneiform shaped phytoliths, which were often regarded as of no taxonomic value. However, studies in eastern Asia had identified several forms of grass bulliform phytoliths, including rice bulliform phytolith, a phytolith type frequently used to track the history of rice domestication. Identification with a higher level of taxonomic resolution is possible, yet a systematic investigation on morphology of Poaceae bulliform phytoliths is lacking. We aimed at providing a morphological description of bulliform phytoliths of Poaceae from Taiwan based on morphometric measurements in anatomical aspect. The results are important references for paleo-ecological studies. RESULT The morphology of grass bulliform phytoliths is usually consistent within a subfamily; the end profile is relatively rectangular in Panicoideae and Micrairoideae, whereas cuneiform to nearly circular in Oryzoideae, Bambusoideae, Arundinoideae, and Chloridoideae. Bulliform phytoliths were seldom observed in Pooideae. Certain morphotypes are limited to plants growing in specific environments. For example, large, thin, and pointed bulliform phytoliths are associated with wet habitat; Chloridoideae types are mostly from C4 plants occupying open arid places. CONCLUSION Grass bulliform phytoliths can be identified at least to the subfamily level, and several forms were distinguished within large subfamilies. Previously un-reported silicified cell types, i.e., arm cells and fusoids, and two special trichome phytolith types associated with bulliform phytoliths, were described. Morphometric methods were great tools for delimiting morphotypes; with refined morphological classification the association between forms and habit/habitats was revealed. The knowledge provides new ways to interpret phytolith assemblage data, and it is especially useful when the sediments are enriched in large blocky phytoliths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iju Chen
- Archaeology Department, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, No. 130, Section 2, Academia Rd., Nangang District, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
| | - Kuang-Ti Li
- Archaeology Department, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, No. 130, Section 2, Academia Rd., Nangang District, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hwa Tsang
- Archaeology Department, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, No. 130, Section 2, Academia Rd., Nangang District, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
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Simunovic M, Dwarakanath D, Addison-Smith B, Susanto NH, Erbas B, Baker P, Davies JM. Grass pollen as a trigger of emergency department presentations and hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in the subtropics: A systematic review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 182:109125. [PMID: 32069762 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It is unknown if high concentration of airborne grass pollen, where subtropical grasses (Chloridoideae and Panicoideae) dominate, is a risk factor for respiratory health. Here we systematically reviewed the association between airborne grass pollen exposure and asthma emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions in subtropical climates. OBJECTIVES A systematic review was performed to identify and summarise studies that reported on respiratory health (asthma ED presentations and hospital admissions) and airborne grass pollen exposure in subtropical climates. METHODS Searches were conducted in: MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase and Google Scholar databases (1966-2019). Risk of bias was assessed using a validated quality assessment tool. A meta-analysis was planned, however due to the heterogeneity in study design it was determined inappropriate and instead a narrative synthesis was undertaken. RESULTS Nineteen studies were identified for inclusion, with a total of 598,931 asthma ED presentation participants and 36,504 asthma hospital admission participants in six countries (Australia, India, Israel, Italy, Spain, USA). The narrative synthesis found airborne grass pollen appears to have a small and inconsistent increase on asthma ED presentations (judged as: probably little effect n = 5, may have little effect n = 4, no effect n = 2 and uncertain if there is an effect n = 4) and hospital admissions (judged as: probably increase slightly n = 2 probably little effect n = 1, may have a little effect n = 1, no effect n = 3 and we are uncertain if there is an effect n = 4) in the subtropics. Furthermore, the reported effect sizes were small and its clinical relevance may be difficult to discern. CONCLUSION Exposure to airborne grass pollen appears to have a small and inconsistent increase on asthma ED presentations and hospital admissions in the subtropics. These findings are comparable to reported observations from studies undertaken in temperate regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Simunovic
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Divya Dwarakanath
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Beth Addison-Smith
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nugroho H Susanto
- School of Public Health and Epidemiology, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bircan Erbas
- School of Public Health and Epidemiology, LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Philip Baker
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Janet M Davies
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Office of Research, Metro North Hospital and Health Services,Herston, Queensland, Australia
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Varghese R, Behera MD. Annual and seasonal variations in gross primary productivity across the agro-climatic regions in India. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2019; 191:631. [PMID: 31520222 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7796-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Gross primary productivity (GPP) is a vital ecosystem variable that is used as a proxy to study the functional behaviour of a terrestrial ecosystem and its ability to regulate atmospheric CO2 by working as a carbon pool. India, having the potential terrestrial ecosystem dynamics to absorb the atmospheric carbon dioxide to some extent, is one of the least-explored regions in terms of carbon monitoring studies. The current study evaluates the applicability of a newly developed, quantum yield-based, remote sensing data-driven diagnostic model called the Southampton Carbon Flux (SCARF). This model was used to estimate the annual and seasonal variability of the terrestrial GPP over the Indian region with a spatial resolution of 1 km during 2008. This modified version of the conventional production efficiency model successfully predicted GPP using meteorological variables (PAR, air temperature and dew point temperature), the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation and quantum yield of C3 and C4 plants as the key input parameters. The annual GPP values were in the range from 0 to 4147.55 g C m-2 year-1, with a mean value of 1507.32 g C m-2 year-1. The maximum and minimum GPP were during the summer monsoon and pre-monsoon, respectively. The seasonal and annual distributions of GPP over the study area obtained using the SCARF model, and the MODIS GPP product (MOD17A2H) were similar. However, MODIS was found to underestimate the GPP in all regions and an overestimation in eastern Himalaya region. The study reveals that environmental scalars, specifically water stress, are the pivotal controlling variables responsible for the variation of GPP in India. The estimates of the GPP in different regions of the study area were made using SCARF, and an eddy covariance technique was similar. The SCARF model can be used to estimate GPP on a global scale. SCARF appears to be a better model in terms of the simplicity of the algorithm, performance and resolution. Thus, it may give higher accuracy in carbon monitoring studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma Varghese
- Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India.
| | - M D Behera
- Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
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Khaing TT, Pasion BO, Lapuz RS, Tomlinson KW. Determinants of composition, diversity and structure in a seasonally dry forest in Myanmar. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Lambertucci SA, Navarro J, Sanchez Zapata JA, Hobson KA, Alarcón PAE, Wiemeyer G, Blanco G, Hiraldo F, Donázar JA. Tracking data and retrospective analyses of diet reveal the consequences of loss of marine subsidies for an obligate scavenger, the Andean condor. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0550. [PMID: 29848650 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last century, marine mammals have been dramatically reduced in the world's oceans. We examined evidence that this change caused dietary and foraging pattern shifts of the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) in Patagonia. We hypothesized that, after the decrease in marine mammals and the increase in human use of coastlines, condor diet changed to a more terrestrial diet, which in turn influenced their foraging patterns. We evaluated the diet by means of stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S) of current (last decade) and historical (1841-1933) feathers. We further evaluated the movement patterns of 23 condors using satellite tracking of individuals. Condors reduced their use of marine-derived prey in recent compared with historical times from 33 ± 13% to less than 8 ± 3% respectively; however, they still breed close to the coast. The average distance between the coast and nests was 62.5 km, but some nests were located close to the sea (less than 5 km). Therefore, some birds must travel up to 86 km from nesting sites, crossing over the mountain range to find food. The worldwide reduction in marine mammal carcasses, especially whales, may have major consequences on the foraging ecology of scavengers, as well as on the flux of marine inputs within terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET), R8400FRF, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Joan Navarro
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar, CSIC, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Keith A Hobson
- Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5
| | - Pablo A E Alarcón
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET), R8400FRF, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Guillermo Wiemeyer
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue-CONICET), R8400FRF, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - José A Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Bhattacharyya S, Dawson DA, Hipperson H, Ishtiaq F. A diet rich in C 3 plants reveals the sensitivity of an alpine mammal to climate change. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:250-265. [PMID: 30136323 PMCID: PMC6391869 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Plant-herbivore interactions provide critical insights into the mechanisms that govern the spatiotemporal distributions of organisms. These interactions are crucial to understanding the impacts of climate change, which are likely to have an effect on the population dynamics of alpine herbivores. The Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei, hereafter pika) is a lagomorph found in the western Himalaya and is dependent on alpine plants that are at risk from climate change. As the main prey of many carnivores in the region, the pika plays a crucial role in trophic interactions. We examined topographical features, plant genera presence and seasonal dynamics as drivers of the plant richness in the pika's diet across an elevational gradient (2,600-4,450 m). We identified 79 plant genera in the faecal pellets of pikas, of which 89% were forbs, >60% were endemic to the Himalaya, and 97.5% of the diet plant genera identified followed the C3 photosynthetic pathway. We found that, during the premonsoon season, the number of genera in the pika's diet decreased with increasing elevation. We demonstrate that a large area of talus supports greater plant diversity and, not surprisingly, results in higher species richness in the pika's diet. However, in talus habitat with deep crevices, pikas consumed fewer plant genera suggesting they may be foraging suboptimally due to predation risk. The continued increase in global temperature is expected to have an effect on the distribution dynamics of C3 plants and consequently influence pika diet and distribution, resulting in a significant negative cascading effect on the Himalayan ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabuj Bhattacharyya
- Centre for Ecological SciencesIndian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesWestern BankUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Deborah A. Dawson
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesWestern BankUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Helen Hipperson
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesWestern BankUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Farah Ishtiaq
- Centre for Ecological SciencesIndian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
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Shifts in the timing of the early flowering in plants from a semi-arid ecoregion under climate change. Biologia (Bratisl) 2018. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-018-00175-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Solofondranohatra CL, Vorontsova MS, Hackel J, Besnard G, Cable S, Williams J, Jeannoda V, Lehmann CER. Grass Functional Traits Differentiate Forest and Savanna in the Madagascar Central Highlands. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Some like it hot: the physiological ecology of C 4 plant evolution. Oecologia 2018; 187:941-966. [PMID: 29955992 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4191-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis requires an intermediate phase where photorespiratory glycine produced in the mesophyll cells must flow to the vascular sheath cells for metabolism by glycine decarboxylase. This glycine flux concentrates photorespired CO2 within the sheath cells, allowing it to be efficiently refixed by sheath Rubisco. A modest C4 biochemical cycle is then upregulated, possibly to support the refixation of photorespired ammonia in sheath cells, with subsequent increases in C4 metabolism providing incremental benefits until an optimized C4 pathway is established. 'Why' C4 photosynthesis evolved is largely explained by ancestral C3 species exploiting photorespiratory CO2 to improve carbon gain and thus enhance fitness. While photorespiration depresses C3 performance, it produces a resource (photorespired CO2) that can be exploited to build an evolutionary bridge to C4 photosynthesis. 'Where' C4 evolved is indicated by the habitat of species branching near C3-to-C4 transitions on phylogenetic trees. Consistent with the photorespiratory bridge hypothesis, transitional species show that the large majority of > 60 C4 lineages arose in hot, dry, and/or saline regions where photorespiratory potential is high. 'When' C4 evolved has been clarified by molecular clock analyses using phylogenetic data, coupled with isotopic signatures from fossils. Nearly all C4 lineages arose after 25 Ma when atmospheric CO2 levels had fallen to near current values. This reduction in CO2, coupled with persistent high temperature at low-to-mid-latitudes, met a precondition where photorespiration was elevated, thus facilitating the evolutionary selection pressure that led to C4 photosynthesis.
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Kawakita K, Fontana AC, Garcia JM, Rodrigues RS, Filgueiras TS. Poaceae em uma planície de inundação no Brasil: distribuição espacial e conservação. RODRIGUÉSIA 2018. [DOI: 10.1590/2175-7860201869223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Resumo Com 94 espécies, Poaceae é uma das maiores famílias botânicas ocorrentes na Planície de Inundação do Alto Rio Paraná (PIAP) e seu entorno, localizada a 22º38’-22º57’S e 53º5’-53º36’O, a qual abrange áreas dos estados do Mato Grosso do Sul e do Paraná, Brasil. Sazonalmente inundável, a PIAP faz parte da Área de Proteção Ambiental Federal das Ilhas e Várzeas do Rio Paraná (APA-IVRP) e do Parque Estadual das Várzeas do Rio Ivinhema (PEVRI). Com o objetivo de ampliar os conhecimentos botânicos, ecológicos e oferecer subsídios que possam contribuir para a conservação, no presente trabalho foi avaliado o padrão de distribuição espacial das gramíneas na PIAP e no seu entorno. Para as espécies ocorrentes na PIAP foram considerados: fitofisionomia, exposição à luz, via fotossintética, condição hídrica do substrato em que preferencialmente ocorrem, classificação da morfovegetação, frequências absoluta e relativa, origem e Domínio Fitogeográfico. Os resultados mostram que as espécies distribuem-se espacialmente de acordo com a configuração geomorfológica da PIAP, aqui representadas em dois perfis esquemáticos.
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Tauler-Ametller H, Hernández-Matías A, Parés F, Pretus JL, Real J. Assessing the applicability of stable isotope analysis to determine the contribution of landfills to vultures' diet. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196044. [PMID: 29718940 PMCID: PMC5931503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human activities cause changes to occur in the environment that affect resource availability for wildlife. The increase in the human population of cities has led to a rise in the amount of waste deposited in landfills, installations that have become a new food resource for both pest and threatened species such as vultures. In this study we used stable isotope analysis (SIA) and conventional identification of food remains from Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus) to assess the applicability of SIA as a new tool for determining the composition of the diets of vultures, a group of avian scavengers that is threatened worldwide. We focused on an expanding Egyptian Vulture population in NE Iberian Peninsula to determine the part played by landfills and livestock in the diet of these species, and aimed to reduce the biases associated with conventional ways of identifying food remains. We compared proportions of diet composition obtained with isotope mixing models and conventional analysis for five main prey. The greatest agreement between the two methods was in the categories ‘landfills’ and ‘birds’ and the greatest differences between the results from the two methods were in the categories ‘livestock’, ‘carnivores’ and ‘wild herbivores’. Despite uncertainty associated to SIA, our results showed that stable isotope analysis can help to distinguish between animals that rely on waste and so present enriched levels of δ 13C than those that feed on the countryside. Indeed, a high proportion of food derived from landfills (nearly 50%) was detected in some breeding pairs. Furthermore we performed GLMM analyses that showed that high values of δ 13C in Egyptian Vulture feathers (a proxy of feeding in landfills) are related with high levels of humanization of territories. This method has the potential to be applied to other threatened vulture species for which there is a lack of information regarding resources they are consuming, being especially important as the main causes of vultures decline worldwide are related to the consumption and availability of food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Tauler-Ametller
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Antonio Hernández-Matías
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, Girona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Francesc Parés
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Joan Ll. Pretus
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Joan Real
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
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Watcharamongkol T, Christin PA, Osborne CP. C4photosynthesis evolved in warm climates but promoted migration to cooler ones. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:376-383. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Teera Watcharamongkol
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
| | | | - Colin P. Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield S10 2TN UK
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Ratnam J, Tomlinson KW, Rasquinha DN, Sankaran M. Savannahs of Asia: antiquity, biogeography, and an uncertain future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0305. [PMID: 27502371 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The savannahs of Asia remain locally unrecognized as distinctive ecosystems, and continue to be viewed as degraded forests or seasonally dry tropical forests. These colonial-era legacies are problematic, because they fail to recognize the unique diversity of Asian savannahs and the critical roles of fire and herbivory in maintaining ecosystem health and diversity. In this review, we show that: the palaeo-historical evidence suggests that the savannahs of Asia have existed for at least 1 million years, long before widespread landscape modification by humans; savannah regions across Asia have levels of C4 grass endemism and diversity that are consistent with area-based expectations for non-Asian savannahs; there are at least three distinct Asian savannah communities, namely deciduous broadleaf savannahs, deciduous fine-leafed and spiny savannahs and evergreen pine savannahs, with distinct functional ecologies consistent with fire- and herbivory-driven community assembly. Via an analysis of savannah climate domains on other continents, we map the potential extent of savannahs across Asia. We find that the climates of African savannahs provide the closest analogues for those of Asian deciduous savannahs, but that Asian pine savannahs occur in climates different to any of the savannahs in the southern continents. Finally, we review major threats to the persistence of savannahs in Asia, including the mismanagement of fire and herbivory, alien woody encroachment, afforestation policies and future climate uncertainty associated with the changing Asian monsoon. Research agendas that target these issues are urgently needed to manage and conserve these ecosystems.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayashree Ratnam
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kyle W Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Dina N Rasquinha
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Mahesh Sankaran
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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Unravelling the Relative Contribution of Dissolved Carbon by the Red River to the Atchafalaya River. WATER 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/w9110871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Bond W, Zaloumis NP. The deforestation story: testing for anthropogenic origins of Africa's flammable grassy biomes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0170. [PMID: 27216527 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Africa has the most extensive C4 grassy biomes of any continent. They are highly flammable accounting for greater than 70% of the world's burnt area. Much of Africa's savannas and grasslands occur in climates warm enough and wet enough to support closed forests. The combination of open grassy systems and the frequent fires they support have long been interpreted as anthropogenic artefacts caused by humans igniting frequent fires. True grasslands, it was believed, would be restricted to climates too dry or too cold to support closed woody vegetation. The idea that higher-rainfall savannas are anthropogenic and that fires are of human origin has led to initiatives to 'reforest' Africa's open grassy systems paid for by carbon credits under the assumption that the net effect of converting these system to forests would sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate global warming. This paper reviews evidence for the antiquity of African grassy ecosystems and for the fires that they sustain. Africa's grassy biomes and the fires that maintain them are ancient and there is no support for the idea that humans caused large-scale deforestation. Indicators of old-growth grasslands are described. These can help distinguish secondary grasslands suitable for reforestation from ancient grasslands that should not be afforested.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Bond
- South African Environmental Observation Network, National Research Foundation, P/Bag X7, Claremont 7735, South Africa Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Trown, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Nicholas P Zaloumis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Trown, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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Biederman L, Mortensen B, Fay P, Hagenah N, Knops J, La Pierre K, Laungani R, Lind E, McCulley R, Power S, Seabloom E, Tognetti P. Nutrient addition shifts plant community composition towards earlier flowering species in some prairie ecoregions in the U.S. Central Plains. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178440. [PMID: 28552986 PMCID: PMC5446158 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution of flowering across the growing season is governed by each species’ evolutionary history and climatic variability. However, global change factors, such as eutrophication and invasion, can alter plant community composition and thus change the distribution of flowering across the growing season. We examined three ecoregions (tall-, mixed, and short-grass prairie) across the U.S. Central Plains to determine how nutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and potassium (+micronutrient)) addition alters the temporal patterns of plant flowering traits. We calculated total community flowering potential (FP) by distributing peak-season plant cover values across the growing season, allocating each species’ cover to only those months in which it typically flowers. We also generated separate FP profiles for exotic and native species and functional group. We compared the ability of the added nutrients to shift the distribution of these FP profiles (total and sub-groups) across the growing season. In all ecoregions, N increased the relative cover of both exotic species and C3 graminoids that flower in May through August. The cover of C4 graminoids decreased with added N, but the response varied by ecoregion and month. However, these functional changes only aggregated to shift the entire community’s FP profile in the tall-grass prairie, where the relative cover of plants expected to flower in May and June increased and those that flower in September and October decreased with added N. The relatively low native cover in May and June may leave this ecoregion vulnerable to disturbance-induced invasion by exotic species that occupy this temporal niche. There was no change in the FP profile of the mixed and short-grass prairies with N addition as increased abundance of exotic species and C3 graminoids replaced other species that flower at the same time. In these communities a disturbance other than nutrient addition may be required to disrupt phenological patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori Biederman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Brent Mortensen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Philip Fay
- USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Lab, United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Temple, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nicole Hagenah
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Johannes Knops
- School of Biological Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Kimberly La Pierre
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Ramesh Laungani
- Department of Biology, Doane University, Crete, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Eric Lind
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Rebecca McCulley
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Sally Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eric Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Pedro Tognetti
- IFEVA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Barbe L, Jung V, Prinzing A, Bittebiere AK, Butenschoen O, Mony C. Functionally dissimilar neighbors accelerate litter decomposition in two grass species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:1092-1102. [PMID: 28205289 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Plant litter decomposition is a key regulator of nutrient recycling. In a given environment, decomposition of litter from a focal species depends on its litter quality and on the efficiency of local decomposers. Both may be strongly modified by functional traits of neighboring species, but the consequences for decomposition of litter from the focal species remain unknown. We tested whether decomposition of a focal plant's litter is influenced by the functional-trait dissimilarity to the neighboring plants. We cultivated two grass species (Brachypodium pinnatum and Elytrigia repens) in experimental mesocosms with functionally similar and dissimilar neighborhoods, and reciprocally transplanted litter. For both species, litter quality increased in functionally dissimilar neighborhoods, partly as a result of changes in functional traits involved in plant-plant interactions. Furthermore, functional dissimilarity increased overall decomposer efficiency in one species, probably via complementarity effects. Our results suggest a novel mechanism of biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning in grasslands: interspecific functional diversity within plant communities can enhance intraspecific contributions to litter decomposition. Thus, plant species might better perform in diverse communities by benefiting from higher remineralization rates of their own litter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou Barbe
- Université de Rennes 1 - OSUR, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, Avenue du Gal Leclerc, Rennes Cedex, 35042, France
| | - Vincent Jung
- Université de Rennes 1 - OSUR, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, Avenue du Gal Leclerc, Rennes Cedex, 35042, France
| | - Andreas Prinzing
- Université de Rennes 1 - OSUR, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, Avenue du Gal Leclerc, Rennes Cedex, 35042, France
| | - Anne-Kristel Bittebiere
- Université de Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 43 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69622, France
| | - Olaf Butenschoen
- J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Berliner Strasse 28, Goettingen, 37073, Germany
| | - Cendrine Mony
- Université de Rennes 1 - OSUR, UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, Avenue du Gal Leclerc, Rennes Cedex, 35042, France
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