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Aycan M, Nahar L, Baslam M, Mitsui T. Transgenerational plasticity in salinity tolerance of rice: unraveling non-genetic phenotypic modifications and environmental influences. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:5037-5053. [PMID: 38727615 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Transgenerational plasticity in plants enables rapid adaptation to environmental changes, allowing organisms and their offspring to adapt to the environment without altering their underlying DNA. In this study, we investigated the transgenerational plasticity in salinity tolerance of rice plants using a reciprocal transplant experimental strategy. Our aim was to assess whether non-genetic environment-induced phenotypic modifications and transgenerational salinity affect the salinity tolerance of progeny while excluding nuclear genomic factors for two generations. Using salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice genotypes, we observed that the parentally salt-stressed salt-sensitive genotype displayed greater growth performance, photosynthetic activity, yield performance, and transcriptional responses than the parentally non-stressed salt-sensitive plants under salt stress conditions. Surprisingly, salt stress-exposed salt-tolerant progeny did not exhibit as much salinity tolerance as salt stress-exposed salt-sensitive progeny under salt stress. Our findings indicate that the phenotypes of offspring plants differed based on the environment experienced by their ancestors, resulting in heritable transgenerational phenotypic modifications in salt-sensitive genotypes via maternal effects. These results elucidated the mechanisms underlying transgenerational plasticity in salinity tolerance, providing valuable insights into how plants respond to changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Aycan
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
| | - Lutfun Nahar
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
- Department of Agricultural Botany, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Marouane Baslam
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
- GrowSmart, Seoul 03129, Republic of Korea
- Centre d'Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBio-tech-URL-CNRST-05), Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, 40000, Morocco
- Laboratory of Agro-Food, Biotechnologies and Valorization of Plant Bioresources (AGROBIOVAL), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, 40000, Morocco
| | - Toshiaki Mitsui
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181, Japan
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2
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Yuan W, Pigliucci M, Richards CL. Rapid phenotypic differentiation in the iconic Japanese knotweed s.l. invading novel habitats. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14640. [PMID: 38918411 PMCID: PMC11199593 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64109-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms that underlie plant invasions is critical for management and conservation of biodiversity. At the same time, invasive species also provide a unique opportunity to study rapid adaptation to complex environmental conditions. Using four replicate reciprocal transplant experiments across three habitats, we described patterns of phenotypic response and assessed the degree of local adaptation in knotweed populations. We found plants from beach habitats were generally smaller than plants from marsh and roadside habitats when grown in their home habitat. In the marsh habitat, marsh plants were generally larger than beach plants, but not different from roadside plants. There were no differences among plants grown in the roadside habitat. We found mixed evidence for local adaptation: plants from the marsh habitat had greater biomass in their "home" sites, while plants from beaches and roadsides had greater survival in their "home" sites compared to other plants. In sum, we found phenotypic differentiation and some support for the hypothesis of rapid local adaptation of plants from beach, marsh and roadside habitats. Identifying whether these patterns of differentiation result from genetic or heritable non-genetic mechanisms will require further work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yuan
- Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Massimo Pigliucci
- Department of Philosophy, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christina L Richards
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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3
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Zhang L, Wang X, Zu Y, He Y, Li Z, Li Y. Effects of UV-B Radiation Exposure on Transgenerational Plasticity in Grain Morphology and Proanthocyanidin Content in Yuanyang Red Rice. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4766. [PMID: 38731985 PMCID: PMC11084601 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The effect of UV-B radiation exposure on transgenerational plasticity, the phenomenon whereby the parental environment influences both the parent's and the offspring's phenotype, is poorly understood. To investigate the impact of exposing successive generations of rice plants to UV-B radiation on seed morphology and proanthocyanidin content, the local traditional rice variety 'Baijiaolaojing' was planted on terraces in Yuanyang county and subjected to enhanced UV-B radiation treatments. The radiation intensity that caused the maximum phenotypic plasticity (7.5 kJ·m-2) was selected for further study, and the rice crops were cultivated for four successive generations. The results show that in the same generation, enhanced UV-B radiation resulted in significant decreases in grain length, grain width, spike weight, and thousand-grain weight, as well as significant increases in empty grain percentage and proanthocyanidin content, compared with crops grown under natural light conditions. Proanthocyanidin content increased as the number of generations of rice exposed to radiation increased, but in generation G3, it decreased, along with the empty grain ratio. At the same time, biomass, tiller number, and thousand-grain weight increased, and rice growth returned to control levels. When the offspring's radiation memory and growth environment did not match, rice growth was negatively affected, and seed proanthocyanidin content was increased to maintain seed activity. The correlation analysis results show that phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL) enzyme activity positively influenced proanthocyanidin content. Overall, UV-B radiation affected transgenerational plasticity in seed morphology and proanthocyanidin content, showing that rice was able to adapt to this stressor if previous generations had been continuously exposed to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Xiupin Wang
- College of Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Yanqun Zu
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Yongmei He
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Zuran Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Yuan Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
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4
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Rodríguez-Alarcón S, Tamme R, Carmona CP. Intraspecific variation in fine-root traits is larger than in aboveground traits in European herbaceous species regardless of drought. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1375371. [PMID: 38654904 PMCID: PMC11035731 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1375371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Differences within species (Intraspecific trait variation - ITV) contribute substantially to overall trait variability and environmental harshness can reduce among-species variation. While aboveground traits have received considerable attention, knowledge about ITV in fine-root traits and how it differs from ITV in aboveground traits remains limited. This study examined the partitioning of trait variation aboveground and fine-root traits in 52 European herbaceous species and how such proportions change in response to drought, offering valuable insights for accurate functional species characterization and inter-species comparisons. We studied seven morphological aboveground and fine-root traits under drought and well-watered conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Linear mixed effect models and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) were employed to decompose trait variation, ensuring the robustness of our results. We also calculated variance partitioning for the combination of aboveground traits and the combination of fine-root traits, as well as pairs of analogous leaf and fine-root traits (i.e., traits that fulfill similar functions) for each treatment (control and drought). Among-species trait differences explained a greater proportion of overall variance than within-species variation, except for root dry matter content (RDMC). Height and leaf area stood out, with species' identity accounting for 87-90% of total trait variation. Drought had no significant effect on the proportions of variation in any of the traits. However, the combination of fine-root traits exhibited higher intraspecific variability (44-44%) than aboveground traits (19-21%) under both drought and control. Analogous root traits also showed higher ITV (51-50%) than analogous leaf traits (27-31%). Our findings highlight substantial within-species variation and the nuanced responses of fine-root traits, particularly RDMC, suggesting root traits' flexibility to soil heterogeneity that fosters less differentiation among species. Among-species trait differences, especially aboveground, may underscore distinct strategies and competitive abilities for resource acquisition and utilization. This study contributes to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the multifunctionality of the above- and belowground plants compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Riin Tamme
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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Yang J, Wang X, Carmona CP, Wang X, Shen G. Inverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2895. [PMID: 38570481 PMCID: PMC10991546 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47295-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Theory suggests that intraspecific trait variability may promote species coexistence when competitively inferior species have higher intraspecific trait variability than their superior competitors. Here, we provide empirical evidence for this phenomenon in tree seedlings. We evaluated intraspecific variability and plastic response of ten traits in 6750 seedlings of ten species in a three-year greenhouse experiment. While we observed no relationship between intraspecific trait variability and species competitiveness in competition-free homogeneous environments, an inverse relationship emerged under interspecific competition and in spatially heterogeneous environments. We showed that this relationship is driven by the plastic response of the competitively inferior species: Compared to their competitively superior counterparts, they exhibited a greater increase in trait variability, particularly in fine-root traits, in response to competition, environmental heterogeneity and their combination. Our findings contribute to understanding how interspecific competition and intraspecific trait variability together structure plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xiya Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Xihua Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Guochun Shen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China.
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6
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Walsh MR, Christian A, Feder M, Korte M, Tran K. Are parental condition transfer effects more widespread than is currently appreciated? J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246094. [PMID: 38449326 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
It has long been recognized that the environment experienced by parents can influence the traits of offspring (i.e. 'parental effects'). Much research has explored whether mothers respond to predictable shifts in environmental signals by modifying offspring phenotypes to best match future conditions. Many organisms experience conditions that theory predicts should favor the evolution of such 'anticipatory parental effects', but such predictions have received limited empirical support. 'Condition transfer effects' are an alternative to anticipatory effects that occur when the environment experienced by parents during development influences offspring fitness. Condition transfer effects occur when parents that experience high-quality conditions produce offspring that exhibit higher fitness irrespective of the environmental conditions in the offspring generation. Condition transfer effects are not driven by external signals but are instead a byproduct of past environmental quality. They are also likely adaptive but have received far less attention than anticipatory effects. Here, we review the generality of condition transfer effects and show that they are much more widespread than is currently appreciated. Condition transfer effects are observed across taxa and are commonly associated with experimental manipulations of resource conditions experienced by parents. Our Review calls for increased research into condition transfer effects when considering the role of parental effects in ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Anne Christian
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Mikaela Feder
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Meghan Korte
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Kevin Tran
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
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Zhang X, Li B, Peñuelas J, Sardans J, Cheng D, Yu H, Zhong Q. Resource-acquisitive species have greater plasticity in leaf functional traits than resource-conservative species in response to nitrogen addition in subtropical China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166177. [PMID: 37572896 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The evergreen broad-leaf forest is subtropical zonal vegetation in China, and its species diversity and stability are crucial for maintaining forest ecosystem functions. The region is generally affected by global changes such as high levels of nitrogen deposition. Therefore, it is critical to determine the adaptation strategies of subtropical dominant species under nitrogen addition. Here, we conducted two-year field experiments with nitrogen addition levels as 0 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (CK), 50 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (LN) and 100 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (HN). We investigated the effects of nitrogen addition on leaf functional traits (including nutrition, structural and physiological characteristics) of five dominant species in subtropical evergreen broad-leaf forest. Results suggested that the effect of nitrogen addition on leaf functional traits was species-specific. Contrary to Rhododendron delavayi and Eurya muricata, Quercus glauca, Schima superba and Castanopsis eyrei all responded more to the HN treatment than LN treatment. Compared to other leaf functional traits, leaf anatomical structure traits had the highest average plasticity (0.246), and the relative effect of leaf photosynthetic property was highest (7.785) under N addition. Among the five species, S. superba was highest in terms of the index of plasticity for leaf functional traits under nitrogen addition, followed by Q. glauca, E. muricata, C. eyrei and R. delavayi. The major leaf functional traits representing the economic spectrum of leaves (LES) showed resource acquisitive strategy (high SLA, LNC, LPC, Pn) and conservative strategy (high LTD, LDMC, C/N) clustering on the opposite ends of the PCA axis. The PCA analysis indicated that species with high leaf plasticity adopt resource acquisitive strategy (S. superba and Q. glauca), whereas species with low leaf plasticity adopt resource conservative strategy (E. muricata, C. eyrei and R. delavayi). In aggregate, resource-acquisitive species benefit from nitrogen addition more than resource-conservative species, suggesting that S. superba and Q. glauca will occupy the dominant position in community succession under persistently elevated nitrogen deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Baoyin Li
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit, CSIC, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Sardans
- Global Ecology Unit, CSIC, CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain; CREAF, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Dongliang Cheng
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Hua Yu
- Ocean College, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China
| | - Quanlin Zhong
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Ecophysiology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; College of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Mountain Ecology (Ministry of Science and Technology and Fujian Province funded), Fuzhou, Fujian Province 350007, China.
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8
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Auge G, Hankofer V, Groth M, Antoniou-Kourounioti R, Ratikainen I, Lampei C. Plant environmental memory: implications, mechanisms and opportunities for plant scientists and beyond. AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad032. [PMID: 37415723 PMCID: PMC10321398 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad032] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Plants are extremely plastic organisms. They continuously receive and integrate environmental information and adjust their growth and development to favour fitness and survival. When this integration of information affects subsequent life stages or the development of subsequent generations, it can be considered an environmental memory. Thus, plant memory is a relevant mechanism by which plants respond adaptively to different environments. If the cost of maintaining the response is offset by its benefits, it may influence evolutionary trajectories. As such, plant memory has a sophisticated underlying molecular mechanism with multiple components and layers. Nonetheless, when mathematical modelling is combined with knowledge of ecological, physiological, and developmental effects as well as molecular mechanisms as a tool for understanding plant memory, the combined potential becomes unfathomable for the management of plant communities in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of plant memory, discuss the ecological requirements for its evolution, outline the multilayered molecular network and mechanisms required for accurate and fail-proof plant responses to variable environments, point out the direct involvement of the plant metabolism and discuss the tremendous potential of various types of models to further our understanding of the plant's environmental memory. Throughout, we emphasize the use of plant memory as a tool to unlock the secrets of the natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valentin Hankofer
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin Groth
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Oberschleißheim, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti
- School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow, Sir James Black Building, University Ave, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Irja Ratikainen
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Realfagbygget, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Christian Lampei
- Department of Biology (FB17), Plant Ecology and Geobotany Group, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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Yan Z, Tian D, Han W, Ji C, Hou X, Guo Y, Fang J. Weak transgenerational effects of ancestral nitrogen and phosphorus availabilities on offspring phenotypes in Arabidopsis thaliana. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2023; 136:515-525. [PMID: 37055608 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-023-01456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient availability significantly regulates plant growth and metabolic functions, but whether and how the long-term exposure of ancestral plants to contrasting nutrient environments influences offspring phenotypic performance (i.e., transgenerational plasticity) remain poorly addressed. Here we conducted experimental manipulations using Arabidopsis thaliana with the ancestral plants grown in different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availabilities over eleven consecutive generations, and then examined the offspring phenotypic performance under the interactive effects of current and ancestral nutrient environments. We found that current rather than ancestral nutrient environments dominantly explained the variations in offspring plant traits (i.e., flowering time, aboveground biomass and biomass allocation fractions), suggesting the relatively weak transgenerational effects of ancestral N and P availabilities on offspring phenotypes. In contrast, increasing N and P availabilities in the offspring generation remarkably shortened the flowering time, increased the aboveground biomass, and altered biomass allocation fractions differentially among organs. Despite the overall weak transgenerational phenotypic plasticity, under the low nutrient environment, the offspring of ancestral plants from the low nutrient environment had a significantly higher fruit mass fraction than those from the suitable nutrient environment. Taken together, our findings suggest that A. thaliana exhibits a much stronger within- than trans-generational trait plasticity under contrasting nutrient availabilities, and may provide important insights into the understanding of plant adaptation and evolutionary processes under changing nutrient environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengbing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China.
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Di Tian
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Wenxuan Han
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of the Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Chengjun Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Xinghui Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Yalong Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Jingyun Fang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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Latzel V, Fischer M, Groot M, Gutzat R, Lampei C, Ouborg J, Parepa M, Schmid K, Vergeer P, Zhang Y, Bossdorf O. Parental environmental effects are common and strong, but unpredictable, in Arabidopsis thaliana. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:1014-1023. [PMID: 36319609 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The phenotypes of plants can be influenced by the environmental conditions experienced by their parents. However, there is still much uncertainty about how common and how predictable such parental environmental effects really are. We carried out a comprehensive experimental test for parental effects, subjecting plants of multiple Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes to 24 different biotic or abiotic stresses, or combinations thereof, and comparing their offspring phenotypes in a common environment. The majority of environmental stresses caused significant parental effects, with -35% to +38% changes in offspring fitness. The expression of parental effects was strongly genotype-dependent, and multiple environmental stresses often acted nonadditively when combined. The direction and magnitude of parental effects were unrelated to the direct effects on the parents: Some environmental stresses did not affect the parents but caused substantial effects on offspring, while for others, the situation was reversed. Our study demonstrates that parental environmental effects are common and often strong in A. thaliana, but they are genotype-dependent, act nonadditively, and are difficult to predict. We should thus be cautious with generalizing from simple studies with single plant genotypes and/or only few individual environmental stresses. A thorough and general understanding of parental effects requires large multifactorial experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vít Latzel
- Institute of Botany of the CAS, Zámek 1, 252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maartje Groot
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud University, PO Box 9100, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ruben Gutzat
- Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Lampei
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
- Institute of Biology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Joop Ouborg
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud University, PO Box 9100, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Madalin Parepa
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 5, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Schmid
- Institute of Plant Breeding, Seed Science and Population Genetics, University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Philippine Vergeer
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Radboud University, PO Box 9100, 6500 GL, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Yuanye Zhang
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China
| | - Oliver Bossdorf
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 5, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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11
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Xue W, Huang L, Yu F, Bezemer TM. Light condition experienced by parent plants influences the response of offspring to light via both parental effects and soil legacy effects. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xue
- Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology / Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Taizhou University Taizhou China
| | - Lin Huang
- Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology / Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Taizhou University Taizhou China
| | - Fei‐Hai Yu
- Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology / Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Taizhou University Taizhou China
| | - T. Martijn Bezemer
- Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) Aboveground Belowground Interactions Group, Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
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12
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Quan J, Münzbergová Z, Latzel V. Time dynamics of stress legacy in clonal transgenerational effects: A case study on
Trifolium repens. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8959. [PMID: 35646308 PMCID: PMC9130644 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress can be remembered by plants in a form of stress legacy that can alter future phenotypes of previously stressed plants and even phenotypes of their offspring. DNA methylation belongs among the mechanisms mediating the stress legacy. It is however not known for how long the stress legacy is carried by plants. If the legacy is long‐lasting, it can become maladaptive in situations when parental–offspring environment do not match. We investigated for how long after the last exposure of a parental plant to drought can the phenotype of its clonal offspring be altered. We grew parental plants of three genotypes of Trifolium repens for five months either in control conditions or in control conditions that were interrupted with intense drought periods applied for two months in four different time slots. We also treated half of the parental plants with a demethylating agent (5‐azacytidine, 5‐azaC) to test for the potential role of DNA methylation in the stress memory. Then, we transplanted parental cuttings (ramets) individually to control environment and allowed them to produce offspring ramets for two months. The drought stress experienced by parents affected phenotypes of offspring ramets. The stress legacy resulted in enhanced number of offspring ramets originating from plants that experienced drought stress even 56 days before their transplantation to the control environment. 5‐azaC altered transgenerational effects on offspring ramets. We confirmed that drought stress can trigger transgenerational effects in T. repens that is very likely mediated by DNA methylation. Most importantly, the stress legacy in parental plants persisted for at least 8 weeks suggesting that the stress legacy can persist in a clonal plant Trifolium repens for relatively long period. We suggest that the stress legacy should be considered in future ecological studies on clonal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Quan
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China Ministry of Education Northwest University Xi’an China
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Münzbergová
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
| | - Vít Latzel
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Průhonice Czech Republic
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13
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Mounger JM, van Riemsdijk I, Boquete MT, Wagemaker CAM, Fatma S, Robertson MH, Voors SA, Oberstaller J, Gawehns F, Hanley TC, Grosse I, Verhoeven KJF, Sotka EE, Gehring CA, Hughes AR, Lewis DB, Schmid MW, Richards CL. Genetic and Epigenetic Differentiation Across Intertidal Gradients in the Foundation Plant Spartina alterniflora. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.868826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological genomics approaches have informed us about the structure of genetic diversity in natural populations that might underlie patterns in trait variation. However, we still know surprisingly little about the mechanisms that permit organisms to adapt to variable environmental conditions. The salt marsh foundation plant Spartina alterniflora exhibits a dramatic range in phenotype that is associated with a pronounced intertidal environmental gradient across a narrow spatial scale. Both genetic and non-genetic molecular mechanisms might underlie this phenotypic variation. To investigate both, we used epigenotyping-by-sequencing (epiGBS) to evaluate the make-up of natural populations across the intertidal environmental gradient. Based on recent findings, we expected that both DNA sequence and DNA methylation diversity would be explained by source population and habitat within populations. However, we predicted that epigenetic variation might be more strongly associated with habitat since similar epigenetic modifications could be rapidly elicited across different genetic backgrounds by similar environmental conditions. Overall, with PERMANOVA we found that population of origin explained a significant amount of the genetic (8.6%) and epigenetic (3.2%) variance. In addition, we found that a small but significant amount of genetic and epigenetic variance (<1%) was explained by habitat within populations. The interaction of population and habitat explained an additional 2.9% of the genetic variance and 1.4% of the epigenetic variance. By examining genetic and epigenetic variation within the same fragments (variation in close-cis), we found that population explained epigenetic variation in 9.2% of 8,960 tested loci, even after accounting for differences in the DNA sequence of the fragment. Habitat alone explained very little (<0.1%) of the variation in these close-cis comparisons, but the interaction of population and habitat explained 2.1% of the epigenetic variation in these loci. Using multiple matrix regression with randomization (MMRR) we found that phenotypic differences in natural populations were correlated with epigenetic and environmental differences even when accounting for genetic differences. Our results support the contention that sequence variation explains most of the variation in DNA methylation, but we have provided evidence that DNA methylation distinctly contributes to plant responses in natural populations.
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14
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Zhou X, Li J, Gao Y, Peng P, He W. Maternal effects of climate warming and nitrogen deposition vary with home and introduced ranges. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao‐Hui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Resources and Environment University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Jing‐Ji Li
- College of Ecology and Environment Chengdu University of Technology Chengdu China
| | - Yuan‐Yuan Gao
- Institute of Ecological Resources and Landscape Architecture Chengdu University of Technology Chengdu China
| | - Pei‐Hao Peng
- Institute of Ecological Resources and Landscape Architecture Chengdu University of Technology Chengdu China
| | - Wei‐Ming He
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Resources and Environment University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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15
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Deng Y, Bossdorf O, Scheepens JF. Transgenerational effects of temperature fluctuations in Arabidopsis thaliana. AOB PLANTS 2021; 13:plab064. [PMID: 34950444 PMCID: PMC8691168 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant stress responses can extend into the following generations, a phenomenon called transgenerational effects. Heat stress, in particular, is known to affect plant offspring, but we do not know to what extent these effects depend on the temporal patterns of the stress, and whether transgenerational responses are adaptive and genetically variable within species. To address these questions, we carried out a two-generation experiment with nine Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes. We subjected the plants to heat stress regimes that varied in timing and frequency, but not in mean temperature, and we then grew the offspring of these plants under controlled conditions as well as under renewed heat stress. The stress treatments significantly carried over to the offspring generation, with timing having stronger effects on plant phenotypes than stress frequency. However, there was no evidence that transgenerational effects were adaptive. The magnitudes of transgenerational effects differed substantially among genotypes, and for some traits the strength of plant responses was significantly associated with the climatic variability at the sites of origin. In summary, timing of heat stress not only directly affects plants, but it can also cause transgenerational effects on offspring phenotypes. Genetic variation in transgenerational effects, as well as correlations between transgenerational effects and climatic variability, indicates that transgenerational effects can evolve, and have probably already done so in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Deng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- Natural History Research Center, Shanghai Natural History Museum, Shanghai 200041, China
| | - Oliver Bossdorf
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - J F Scheepens
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
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16
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Waterman R, Sultan SE. Transgenerational effects of parent plant competition on offspring development in contrasting conditions. Ecology 2021; 102:e03531. [PMID: 34496058 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Conditions during a parent's lifetime can induce phenotypic changes in offspring, providing a potentially important source of variation in natural populations. Yet, to date, biotic factors have seldom been tested as sources of transgenerational effects in plants. In a greenhouse experiment with the generalist annual Polygonum persicaria, we tested for effects of parental competition on offspring by growing isogenic parent plants either individually or in competitive arrays and comparing their seedling progeny in contrasting growth environments. Offspring of competing vs. non-competing parents showed significantly altered development, resulting in greater biomass and total leaf area, but only when growing in neighbor or simulated canopy shade, rather than sunny dry conditions. A follow-up experiment in which parent plants instead competed in dry soil found that offspring in dry soil had slightly reduced growth, both with and without competitors. In neither experiment were effects of parental competition explained by changes in seed provisioning, suggesting a more complex mode of regulatory inheritance. We hypothesize that parental competition in moist soil (i.e., primarily for light) confers specific developmental effects that are beneficial for light-limited offspring, while parental competition in dry soil (i.e., primarily for belowground resources) produces offspring of slightly lower overall quality. Together, these results indicate that competitive conditions during the parental generation can contribute significantly to offspring variation, but these transgenerational effects will depend on the abiotic resources available to both parents and progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Waterman
- Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459, USA.,Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823, USA
| | - Sonia E Sultan
- Biology Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459, USA
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Mounger J, Boquete MT, Schmid MW, Granado R, Robertson MH, Voors SA, Langanke KL, Alvarez M, Wagemaker CAM, Schrey AW, Fox GA, Lewis DB, Lira CF, Richards CL. Inheritance of DNA methylation differences in the mangrove Rhizophora mangle. Evol Dev 2021; 23:351-374. [PMID: 34382741 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The capacity to respond to environmental challenges ultimately relies on phenotypic variation which manifests from complex interactions of genetic and nongenetic mechanisms through development. While we know something about genetic variation and structure of many species of conservation importance, we know very little about the nongenetic contributions to variation. Rhizophora mangle is a foundation species that occurs in coastal estuarine habitats throughout the neotropics where it provides critical ecosystem functions and is potentially threatened by anthropogenic environmental changes. Several studies have documented landscape-level patterns of genetic variation in this species, but we know virtually nothing about the inheritance of nongenetic variation. To assess one type of nongenetic variation, we examined the patterns of DNA sequence and DNA methylation in maternal plants and offspring from natural populations of R. mangle from the Gulf Coast of Florida. We used a reduced representation bisulfite sequencing approach (epi-genotyping by sequencing; epiGBS) to address the following questions: (a) What are the levels of genetic and epigenetic diversity in natural populations of R. mangle? (b) How are genetic and epigenetic variation structured within and among populations? (c) How faithfully is epigenetic variation inherited? We found low genetic diversity but high epigenetic diversity from natural populations of maternal plants in the field. In addition, a large portion (up to ~25%) of epigenetic differences among offspring grown in common garden was explained by maternal family. Therefore, epigenetic variation could be an important source of response to challenging environments in the genetically depauperate populations of this foundation species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeannie Mounger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - M Teresa Boquete
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Department of Evolutionary Ecology, CSIC, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Renan Granado
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Diretoria de Pesquisas, Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Marta H Robertson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Sandy A Voors
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Kristen L Langanke
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Mariano Alvarez
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Avalo, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Aaron W Schrey
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus, Savannah, Georgia, USA
| | - Gordon A Fox
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - David B Lewis
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Catarina Fonseca Lira
- Diretoria de Pesquisas, Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Christina L Richards
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.,Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Institute of Evolution & Ecology, Tübingen, Germany
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18
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Mounger J, Ainouche ML, Bossdorf O, Cavé-Radet A, Li B, Parepa M, Salmon A, Yang J, Richards CL. Epigenetics and the success of invasive plants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200117. [PMID: 33866809 PMCID: PMC8059582 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological invasions impose ecological and economic problems on a global scale, but also provide extraordinary opportunities for studying contemporary evolution. It is critical to understand the evolutionary processes that underly invasion success in order to successfully manage existing invaders, and to prevent future invasions. As successful invasive species sometimes are suspected to rapidly adjust to their new environments in spite of very low genetic diversity, we are obliged to re-evaluate genomic-level processes that translate into phenotypic diversity. In this paper, we review work that supports the idea that trait variation, within and among invasive populations, can be created through epigenetic or other non-genetic processes, particularly in clonal invaders where somatic changes can persist indefinitely. We consider several processes that have been implicated as adaptive in invasion success, focusing on various forms of 'genomic shock' resulting from exposure to environmental stress, hybridization and whole-genome duplication (polyploidy), and leading to various patterns of gene expression re-programming and epigenetic changes that contribute to phenotypic variation or even novelty. These mechanisms can contribute to transgressive phenotypes, including hybrid vigour and novel traits, and may thus help to understand the huge successes of some plant invaders, especially those that are genetically impoverished. This article is part of the theme issue 'How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeannie Mounger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617, USA
| | - Malika L. Ainouche
- UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, OSUR, Université de Rennes 1, Campus Scientifique de Beaulieu, Rennes, France
| | - Oliver Bossdorf
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Armand Cavé-Radet
- UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, OSUR, Université de Rennes 1, Campus Scientifique de Beaulieu, Rennes, France
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bo Li
- National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Madalin Parepa
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Armel Salmon
- UMR CNRS 6553 ECOBIO, OSUR, Université de Rennes 1, Campus Scientifique de Beaulieu, Rennes, France
| | - Ji Yang
- National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Christina L. Richards
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617, USA
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Veselá A, Hadincová V, Vandvik V, Münzbergová Z. Maternal effects strengthen interactions of temperature and precipitation, determining seed germination of dominant alpine grass species. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:798-810. [PMID: 33988866 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Despite the existence of many studies on the responses of plant species to climate change, there is a knowledge gap on how specific climatic factors and their interactions regulate seed germination in alpine species. This understanding is complicated by the interplay between responses of seeds to the environment experienced during germination, the environment experienced by the maternal plant during seed development and genetic adaptations of the maternal plant to its environment of origin. METHODS The study species (Anthoxanthum alpinum, A. odoratum) originated from localities with factorial combinations of temperature and precipitation. Seed germination was tested in conditions simulating the extreme ends of the current field conditions and a climate change scenario. We compared the performance of field-collected seeds with that of garden-collected seeds. RESULTS A change to warmer and wetter conditions resulted in the highest germination of A. alpinum, while A. odoratum germinated the most in colder temperature and with home moisture. The maternal environment did have an impact on plant performance of the study species. Field-collected seeds of A. alpinum tolerated warmer conditions better than those from the experimental garden. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate how knowledge of responses to climate change can increase our ability to understand and predict the fate of alpine species. Studies that aim to understand the germination requirements of seeds under future climates should use experimental designs allowing the separation of genetic differentiation, plasticity and maternal effects and their interactions, since all these mechanisms play an important role in driving species' germination patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Veselá
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Věroslava Hadincová
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vigdis Vandvik
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Zuzana Münzbergová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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20
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van Moorsel SJ. Born with a silver spoon: dandelion parents' life experiences affect the lives and afterlives of their offspring. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:3044-3047. [PMID: 33617004 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia J van Moorsel
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
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