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Cheplick GP. Philomatry in plants: why do so many species have limited seed dispersal? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:29-45. [PMID: 34679185 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many have noted limited seed dispersal of plants in diverse environments and attempted evolutionary explanations for it. Although philopatric ("love of fatherland") is used by zoologists to describe organisms that remain near their place of origin, philomatric ("love of motherland") is proposed as more appropriate for plants because seeds develop on the maternal parent, fecundity and dispersal are maternally influenced characteristics, and the term dovetails with the mother-site hypothesis (MSH) for the evolution of restricted dispersal. Proximate reasons for philomatry include intrinsic drivers such as morphological features of diaspores and where on the maternal parent they are produced. Extrinsic drivers include local environmental conditions, surrounding vegetation, and ineffective dispersal agents. The MSH proposes that selection should favor philomatry in a population adapted to a particular habitat because offspring will likewise be adapted to that same habitat. Several studies show philomatry can mitigate distance-dependent costs of dispersing into surrounding inhospitable areas. Undispersed diaspores can eliminate energetic costs of accessory structures or biochemicals needed by dispersible diaspores, but it is unclear whether these costs are significant to the evolution of philomatry. Disadvantages of limited dispersal are inability to escape deteriorating habitat conditions, inability to colonize new habitats, and inbreeding among offspring. Heterocarpic species offset these disadvantages by producing dispersed plus undispersed diaspores. A conceptual framework is presented relating dispersal distance to the probability of seedling establishment. Future research should recognize dispersal as a covarying syndrome of multiple life history traits and focus on ecological selection agents that favor philomatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Cheplick
- Biology Program, Plant Science Subprogram, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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2
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Oldfather MF, Van Den Elzen CL, Heffernan PM, Emery NC. Dispersal evolution in temporally variable environments: implications for plant range dynamics. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:1584-1594. [PMID: 34587290 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal-the movement of an individual from the site of birth to a different site for reproduction-is an ecological and evolutionary driver of species ranges that shapes patterns of colonization, connectivity, gene flow, and adaptation. In plants, the traits that influence dispersal often vary within and among species, are heritable, and evolve in response to the fitness consequences of moving through heterogeneous landscapes. Spatial and temporal variation in the quality and quantity of habitat are important sources of selection on dispersal strategies across species ranges. While recent reviews have evaluated the interactions between spatial variation in habitat and dispersal dynamics, the extent to which geographic variation in temporal variability can also shape range-wide patterns in dispersal traits has not been synthesized. In this paper, we summarize key predictions from metapopulation models that evaluate how dispersal evolves in response to spatial and temporal habitat variability. Next, we compile empirical data that quantify temporal variability in plant demography and patterns of dispersal trait variation across species ranges to evaluate the hypothesis that higher temporal variability favors increased dispersal at plant range limits. We found some suggestive evidence supporting this hypothesis while more generally identifying a major gap in empirical work evaluating plant metapopulation dynamics across species ranges and geographic variation in dispersal traits. To address this gap, we propose several future research directions that would advance our understanding of the interplay between spatiotemporal variability and dispersal trait variation in shaping the dynamics of current and future species ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan F Oldfather
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | | | - Patrick M Heffernan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Nancy C Emery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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3
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Intra-Individual and Intraspecific Terpenoid Diversity in Erodium cicutarium. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10081574. [PMID: 34451618 PMCID: PMC8398229 DOI: 10.3390/plants10081574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The chemodiversity between and within individuals of several plant species is remarkable and shaped by the local habitat environment and the genetic background. The forb Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae) is globally distributed and partly invasive. This paper hypothesizes a high intra-specific and inter-individual chemical diversity in this species and investigates this by comparing the concentration and diversity of terpenoid compounds in different plant parts, i.e., leaves, blossoms and fruits. Plants were grown from seeds, originating from native range Bavaria (BY), Germany, and invaded range California (CA), USA, populations. In total, 20 different terpenoids were found, which occurred in distinct combinations and the patterns clustered into groups of distinct chemotypes for all plant parts. Several of the chemotypes were specific to plants of one region. The terpenoid compositions of different plant parts within individuals were highly correlated. Chemodiversity was higher in reproductive plant parts compared to the leaves, and higher in plants from BY compared to CA. This study highlights the intra-specific and inter-individual chemodiversity in E. cicutarium, linked to its geographical origin, which may facilitate its invasion success but also calls for further investigation of the role of chemodiversity in invasive plants on interactions with the environment.
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Tanaka K, Tokuda M. Road preference of ants in a Japanese warm temperate forest and its implications for the regeneration of myrmecochorous sedges. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Koki Tanaka
- Faculty of Agriculture Saga University Saga Japan
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5
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology Faculty of Biology Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań Poland
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California at Davis Davis CA USA
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6
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Grasty MR, Thompson PG, Hendrickson EC, Pheil AE, Cruzan MB. Fine-scale habitat heterogeneity and vole runways influence seed dispersal in Plagiobothrys nothofulvus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:413-422. [PMID: 32090323 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Seed dispersal allows plants to colonize new sites and contributes to gene flow among populations. Despite its fundamental importance to ecological and evolutionary processes, our understanding of seed dispersal is limited due to the difficulty of directly observing dispersal events. This is particularly true for the majority of plant species that are considered to have gravity as their primary dispersal mechanism. The potential for long-distance movement of gravity-dispersed seeds by secondary dispersal vectors is rarely evaluated. METHODS We employ whole-genome assays of maternally inherited cpDNA in Plagiobothrys nothofulvus to resolve patterns of genetic variation due to effective (realized) seed dispersal within a 16 hectare prairie that is characterized by a mosaic of habitat types. We evaluate the effects of microgeographic landscape features extracted from micro-UAV aerial surveys on patterns of seed dispersal using landscape genetics methods. RESULTS We found evidence of high resistance to seed-mediated gene flow (effective dispersal) within patches of Plagiobothrys nothofulvus, and strong genetic structure over distances of less than 20 m. Geographic distance was a poor predictor of dispersal distance, while landscape features had stronger influences on patterns of dispersal (distance and direction of seed movement). Patterns of dispersal were best predicted by the combined distribution of flower patches, habitat type, and the network of vole runways, with the latter explaining the largest proportion of variation in the model. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that primary dispersal occurs mostly within microhabitats and infrequent secondary dispersal may occur over longer distances due to the activity of small mammals and other vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica R Grasty
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA
| | - Pamela G Thompson
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Hendrickson
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA
| | - Avery E Pheil
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA
| | - Mitchell B Cruzan
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207, USA
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Muthukrishnan R, Sullivan LL, Shaw AK, Forester JD. Trait plasticity alters the range of possible coexistence conditions in a competition-colonisation trade-off. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:791-799. [PMID: 32086876 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Most of the classical theory on species coexistence has been based on species-level competitive trade-offs. However, it is becoming apparent that plant species display high levels of trait plasticity. The implications of this plasticity are almost completely unknown for most coexistence theory. Here, we model a competition-colonisation trade-off and incorporate trait plasticity to evaluate its effects on coexistence. Our simulations show that the classic competition-colonisation trade-off is highly sensitive to environmental circumstances, and coexistence only occurs in narrow ranges of conditions. The inclusion of plasticity, which allows shifts in competitive hierarchies across the landscape, leads to coexistence across a much broader range of competitive and environmental conditions including disturbance levels, the magnitude of competitive differences between species, and landscape spatial patterning. Plasticity also increases the number of species that persist in simulations of multispecies assemblages. Plasticity may generally increase the robustness of coexistence mechanisms and be an important component of scaling coexistence theory to higher diversity communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjan Muthukrishnan
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Lauren L Sullivan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Allison K Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - James D Forester
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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Eilers EJ, Heger T. Past Competition Affects Offspring Foliar Terpenoid Concentrations, Seed Traits, and Fitness in the Invasive Forb Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae). Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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Gallardo‐Cruz JA, Hernández‐Stefanoni JL, Moser D, Martínez‐Yrizar A, Llobet S, Meave JA. Relating species richness to the structure of continuous landscapes: alternative methodological approaches. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- José Alberto Gallardo‐Cruz
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Coyoacán, Ciudad deMéxico 04510 Mexico
| | | | - Dietmar Moser
- Vienna Institute for Nature Conservation and Analyses Giessergasse 6/7 Vienna 1090 Austria
| | - Angelina Martínez‐Yrizar
- Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Unidad Hermosillo Hermosillo Sonora 83000 Mexico
| | - Sergi Llobet
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Coyoacán, Ciudad deMéxico 04510 Mexico
| | - Jorge A. Meave
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Coyoacán, Ciudad deMéxico 04510 Mexico
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Johnson JS, Gaddis KD, Cairns DM, Konganti K, Krutovsky KV. Landscape genomic insights into the historic migration of mountain hemlock in response to Holocene climate change. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2017; 104:439-450. [PMID: 28325831 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Untangling alternative historic dispersal pathways in long-lived tree species is critical to better understand how temperate tree species may respond to climatic change. However, disentangling these alternative pathways is often difficult. Emerging genomic technologies and landscape genetics techniques improve our ability to assess these pathways in natural systems. We address the question to what degree have microrefugial patches and long-distance dispersal been responsible for the colonization of mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) on the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula. METHODS We used double-digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to identify genetic variants across eight mountain hemlock sample sites on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. We assessed genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium using landscape and population genetics approaches. Alternative historic dispersal pathways were assessed using discriminant analysis of principle components and electrical circuit theory. KEY RESULTS A combination of decreasing diversity, high gene flow, and landscape connectivity indicates that mountain hemlock colonization on the Kenai Peninsula is the result of long-distance dispersal. We found that contemporary climate best explained gene flow patterns and that isolation by resistance was a better model explaining genetic variation than isolation by distance. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the conclusion that mountain hemlock colonization is the result of several long-distance dispersal events following Pleistocene glaciation. The high dispersal capability suggests that mountain hemlock may be able to respond to future climate change and expand its range as new habitat opens along its northern distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Johnson
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, 810 Eller O&M Building, MS 3147 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-3147 USA
| | - Keith D Gaddis
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, 810 Eller O&M Building, MS 3147 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-3147 USA
| | - David M Cairns
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, 810 Eller O&M Building, MS 3147 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-3147 USA
| | - Kranti Konganti
- Texas A&M Institute for Genome Sciences and Society, Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Research Building, MS 2470 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77433-2470 USA
| | - Konstantin V Krutovsky
- Department of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Ecosystem Science & Management, Texas A&M University, 305 Horticulture and Forest Science Building, MS 2138 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-2138 USA
- N. I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Gubkina Str., Moscow 119333, Russia
- Genome Research and Education Center, Siberian Federal University, 50a/2 Akademgorodok, Krasnoyarsk 660036, Russia
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11
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Van Den Elzen CL, LaRue EA, Emery NC. Oh, the places you'll go! Understanding the evolutionary interplay between dispersal and habitat adaptation as a driver of plant distributions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:2015-2018. [PMID: 27965241 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L Van Den Elzen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Campus Box 334, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80304-0334 USA
| | - Elizabeth A LaRue
- Department of Biological Sciences, 915 W. State Street, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-0252 USA
| | - Nancy C Emery
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Campus Box 334, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80304-0334 USA
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12
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Paccard A, Vance M, Willi Y. Weak impact of fine-scale landscape heterogeneity on evolutionary potential in Arabidopsis lyrata. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:2331-40. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Paccard
- Evolutionary Botany; Institute of Biology; University of Neuchâtel; Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - M. Vance
- Evolutionary Botany; Institute of Biology; University of Neuchâtel; Neuchâtel Switzerland
| | - Y. Willi
- Evolutionary Botany; Institute of Biology; University of Neuchâtel; Neuchâtel Switzerland
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13
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Rice KJ, Gerlach JD, Dyer AR, McKay JK. Evolutionary ecology along invasion fronts of the annual grass Aegilops triuncialis. Biol Invasions 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-013-0471-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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14
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Porter SS. Adaptive divergence in seed color camouflage in contrasting soil environments. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 197:1311-1320. [PMID: 23312014 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Although adaptive plant population divergence across contrasting soil conditions is often driven by abiotic soil factors, natural enemies may also contribute. Cryptic matching to the native soil color is a form of defensive camouflage that seeds can use to avoid detection by seed predators. The legume Acmispon wrangelianus occurs across a variety of gray-green serpentine soils and brown nonserpentine soils. Quantitative digital image analysis of seed and soil colors was used to test whether genetically based seed color is a closer match to the color of the native soil than to the color of other nearby soils. Lineages bear seeds that more closely match the color of their native serpentine or nonserpentine soil type than the opposing soil type. Further, even within a soil type, lineages bear seeds with a closer color match to the soil at their native site than to other sites. The striking concordance between seed and native soil color suggests that natural selection for locally camouflaged seed color morphs, probably driven by seed predators, may maintain adaptive divergence in pigmentation, despite the opportunity for migration between soil environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Porter
- The Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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15
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Porter SS, Rice KJ. TRADE-OFFS, SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY, AND THE MAINTENANCE OF MICROBIAL DIVERSITY. Evolution 2012; 67:599-608. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01788.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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16
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Quantifying how fine-grained environmental heterogeneity and genetic variation affect demography in an annual plant population. Oecologia 2012; 170:659-67. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2349-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Jacobs BS, Lesmeister SA. Maternal environmental effects on fitness, fruit morphology and ballistic seed dispersal distance in an annual forb. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.01964.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Porter SS, Stanton ML, Rice KJ. Mutualism and adaptive divergence: co-invasion of a heterogeneous grassland by an exotic legume-rhizobium symbiosis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27935. [PMID: 22174755 PMCID: PMC3235091 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Species interactions play a critical role in biological invasions. For example, exotic plant and microbe mutualists can facilitate each other's spread as they co-invade novel ranges. Environmental context may influence the effect of mutualisms on invasions in heterogeneous environments, however these effects are poorly understood. We examined the mutualism between the legume, Medicago polymorpha, and the rhizobium, Ensifer medicae, which have both invaded California grasslands. Many of these invaded grasslands are composed of a patchwork of harsh serpentine and relatively benign non-serpentine soils. We grew legume genotypes collected from serpentine or non-serpentine soil in both types of soil in combination with rhizobium genotypes from serpentine or non-serpentine soils and in the absence of rhizobia. Legumes invested more strongly in the mutualism in the home soil type and trends in fitness suggested that this ecotypic divergence was adaptive. Serpentine legumes had greater allocation to symbiotic root nodules in serpentine soil than did non-serpentine legumes and non-serpentine legumes had greater allocation to nodules in non-serpentine soil than did serpentine legumes. Therefore, this invasive legume has undergone the rapid evolution of divergence for soil-specific investment in the mutualism. Contrary to theoretical expectations, the mutualism was less beneficial for legumes grown on the stressful serpentine soil than on the non-serpentine soil, possibly due to the inhibitory effects of serpentine on the benefits derived from the interaction. The soil-specific ability to allocate to a robust microbial mutualism may be a critical, and previously overlooked, adaptation for plants adapting to heterogeneous environments during invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Porter
- Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
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Baythavong BS. Linking the spatial scale of environmental variation and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity: selection favors adaptive plasticity in fine-grained environments. Am Nat 2011; 178:75-87. [PMID: 21670579 DOI: 10.1086/660281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive phenotypic plasticity and adaptive genetic differentiation enable plant lineages to maximize their fitness in response to environmental heterogeneity. The spatial scale of environmental variation relative to the average dispersal distance of a species determines whether selection will favor plasticity, local adaptation, or an intermediate strategy. Habitats where the spatial scale of environmental variation is less than the dispersal distance of a species are fine grained and should favor the expression of adaptive plasticity, while coarse-grained habitats, where environmental variation occurs on spatial scales greater than dispersal, should favor adaptive genetic differentiation. However, there is relatively little information available characterizing the link between the spatial scale of environmental variation and patterns of selection on plasticity measured in the field. I examined patterns of spatial environmental variation within a serpentine mosaic grassland and selection on an annual plant (Erodium cicutarium) within that landscape. Results indicate that serpentine soil patches are a significantly finer-grained habitat than non-serpentine patches. Additionally, selection generally favored increased plasticity on serpentine soils and diminished plasticity on non-serpentine soils. This is the first empirical example of differential selection for phenotypic plasticity in the field as a result of strong differences in the grain of environmental heterogeneity within habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke S Baythavong
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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20
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Burgess SC, Marshall DJ. Temperature-induced maternal effects and environmental predictability. J Exp Biol 2011; 214:2329-36. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.054718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Maternal effects could influence the persistence of species under environmental change, but the adaptive significance of many empirically estimated maternal effects remains unclear. Inferences about the adaptive significance of maternal effects depend on the correlation between maternal and offspring environments, the relative importance of frequency- or density-dependent selection and whether absolute or relative fitness measures are used. Here, we combine the monitoring of the environment over time with a factorial experiment where we manipulated both the maternal and offspring environment in a marine bryozoan (Bugula neritina). We focused on temperature as our environmental variable as temperature commonly varies over short time scales in nature. We found that offspring from mothers kept in warmer water were smaller and more variable in size, but had increased dispersal potential and higher metamorphic success than offspring from mothers kept in cooler water. Our results suggest that, under frequency- or density-independent selection, mothers that experienced higher temperatures compared with lower temperatures were favoured. Under frequency- or density-dependent selection, there were indications that mothers that experienced higher temperatures would be favoured only if their offspring encountered similar (warmer) temperatures, though these results were not statistically significant. Analysis of time series data on temperature in the field shows that the maternal thermal environment is a good predictor of the temperatures offspring are likely to experience early in life. We suggest that future studies on maternal effects estimate environmental predictability and present both absolute and relative estimates of maternal fitness within each offspring environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott C. Burgess
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
- Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Cleveland QLD 4163, Australia
| | - Dustin J. Marshall
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
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Evangelista D, Hotton S, Dumais J. The mechanics of explosive dispersal and self-burial in the seeds of the filaree, Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae). J Exp Biol 2011; 214:521-9. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.050567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
The filaree (Erodium cicutarium), a small, flowering plant related to geraniums, possesses a unique seed dispersal mechanism: the plant can fling its seeds up to half a meter away; and the seeds can bury themselves by drilling into the ground, twisting and untwisting in response to changes in humidity. These feats are accomplished using awns, helical bristles of dead but hygroscopically active tissue attached to the seeds. Here, we describe the kinematics of explosive dispersal and self-burial based on detailed high-speed and time-lapse videos. We use these observations to develop a simple mechanical model that accounts for the coiling behavior of the awn and allows comparison of the strain energy stored in the awn with the kinetic energy at launch. The model is used to examine tradeoffs between dispersal distance and reliability of the dispersal mechanism. The mechanical model may help in understanding the invasive potential of this species and provides a framework for examining other evolutionary tradeoffs in seed dispersal mechanisms among the Geraniaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Evangelista
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Scott Hotton
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jacques Dumais
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Baythavong BS, Stanton ML. CHARACTERIZING SELECTION ON PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN RESPONSE TO NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HETEROGENEITY. Evolution 2010; 64:2904-20. [PMID: 20649815 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01057.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke S Baythavong
- Center for Population Biology and Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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