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Li XQ, Zhu HY, He YD, Ochola AC, Qiong L, Yang CF. Mother-reliant or self-reliant: the germination strategy of seeds in a species-rich alpine meadow is associated with the existence of pericarps. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:485-490. [PMID: 38809749 PMCID: PMC11341665 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae086] [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: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Some plants germinate their seeds enclosed by a pericarp, whereas others lack the outer packaging. As a maternal tissue, the pericarp might impart seeds with different germination strategies. Plants in a community with different flowering times might separately disperse and germinate their seeds; therefore, flowering time can be considered as one manifestation of maternal effects on the offspring. The mass of the seed is another important factor influencing germination and represents the intrinsic resource of the seed that supports germination. Using seeds from a species-rich alpine meadow located in the Hengduan Mountains of China, a global biodiversity hotspot, we aimed to illustrate whether and how the type of seed (with or without a pericarp) modulates the interaction of flowering time and seed mass with germination. METHODS Seeds were germinated in generally favourable conditions, and the speed of germination [estimated by mean germination time (MGT)] was calculated. We quantified the maternal conditions by separation of flowering time for 67 species in the meadow, of which 31 produced seeds with pericarps and 36 yielded seeds without pericarps. We also weighed 100 seeds of each species to assess their mass. KEY RESULTS The MGT varied between the two types of seeds. For seeds with pericarps, MGT was associated with flowering time but not with seed mass. Plants with earlier flowering times in the meadow exhibited more rapid seed germination. For seeds without a pericarp, the MGT depended on seed mass, with smaller seeds germinating more rapidly than larger seeds. CONCLUSIONS The distinct responses of germination to flowering time and seed mass observed in seeds with and without a pericarp suggest that germination strategies might be mother-reliant for seeds protected by pericarps but self-reliant for those without such protection. This new finding improves our understanding of seed germination by integrating ecologically mediated maternal conditions and inherent genetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Qing Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environmental on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Hong-Yu Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
- College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Yong-Deng He
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Anne Christine Ochola
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - La Qiong
- School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environmental on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
| | - Chun-Feng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
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Davies WJ, Saccheri IJ. Evolutionary trajectory of phenological escape in a flowering plant: Mechanistic insights from bidirectional avoidance of butterfly egg-laying pressure. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11330. [PMID: 38694753 PMCID: PMC11056787 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenological escape, whereby species alter the timing of life-history events to avoid seasonal antagonists, is usually analyzed either as a potential evolutionary outcome given current selection coefficients, or as a realized outcome in response to known enemies. We here gain mechanistic insights into the evolutionary trajectory of phenological escape in the brassicaceous herb Cardamine pratensis, by comparing the flowering schedules of two sympatric ecotypes in different stages of a disruptive response to egg-laying pressure imposed by the pierid butterfly Anthocharis cardamines, whose larvae are pre-dispersal seed predators (reducing realized fecundity by ~70%). When the focal point of highest intensity selection (peak egg-laying) occurs early in the flowering schedule, selection for late flowering dependent on reduced egg-laying combined with selection for early flowering dependent on reduced predator survival results in a symmetrical bimodal flowering curve; when the focal point occurs late, an asymmetrical flowering curve results with a large early flowering mode due to selection for reduced egg-laying augmented by selection for infested plants to outrun larval development and dehisce prior to seed-pod consumption. Unequal selection pressures on high and low fecundity ramets, due to asynchronous flowering and morphologically targeted (size-dependent) egg-laying, constrain phenological escape, with bimodal flowering evolving primarily in response to disruptive selection on high fecundity phenotypes. These results emphasize the importance of analyzing variation in selection coefficients among morphological phenotypes over the entire flowering schedule to predict how populations will evolve in response to altered phenologies resulting from climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. James Davies
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Department of Evolution, Ecology and BehaviourUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Ilik J. Saccheri
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, Department of Evolution, Ecology and BehaviourUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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Marinoni L, Zabala JM, Quiroga RE, Richard GA, Pensiero JF. Seed Weight and Trade-Offs: An Experiment in False Rhodes Grasses under Different Aridity Conditions. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2887. [PMID: 36365338 PMCID: PMC9654868 DOI: 10.3390/plants11212887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The false Rhodes grasses [Leptochloa crinita (Lag.) P.M. Peterson and N.W. Snow and Leptochloa pluriflora (E. Fourn.) P.M. Peterson and N.W. Snow] are considered valuable native forage resources for arid and semiarid rangelands in Argentina and the United States. Effectively using plant materials as forage under aridity conditions requires understanding their resource allocation under those conditions. In the present study, plant functional traits were evaluated in six populations of each false Rhodes grass species from different geographic origin in a humid and an arid region. The evaluation was focused on seed weight, due to the key role of this trait in plant survival. The implication of seed weight in germination under osmotic stress and trade-off relationships between functional traits were also analysed. A fixed ontogenetic variation was found in both species, since populations maintained a stable seed weight across environments. The tolerance to osmotic stress at germination stage was more related to seed weight than to population origin or maternal environment of seeds; heavier-seeded populations produced heavier seedlings instead of a higher number of germinated seeds or higher germination rates. Some traits varied between environments but other traits exhibited a fixed response. Variation patterns among populations were similar within environments and in some cases even for populations from the same geographic origin, revealing a fixed ontogenetic variation; this phenomenon was clearer in L. crinita than in L. pluriflora. Moreover, several different trade-off strategies were detected in both species. These results reinforce the knowledge about the key role of seed weight in survival and performance of seedlings at initial growth stages under arid conditions; however, at advanced stages, other traits would have an important function in growth and development of false Rhodes grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Marinoni
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral (ICiAgro Litoral UNL-CONICET), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FCA-UNL), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
| | - Juan M. Zabala
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral (ICiAgro Litoral UNL-CONICET), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FCA-UNL), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
| | - R. Emiliano Quiroga
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, EEA Catamarca, Sumalao 4705, Argentina
- Cátedra de Manejo de Pastizales Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Catamarca 4700, Argentina
| | - Geraldina A. Richard
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral (ICiAgro Litoral UNL-CONICET), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FCA-UNL), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
| | - José F. Pensiero
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral (ICiAgro Litoral UNL-CONICET), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FCA-UNL), Kreder 2805, Esperanza 3080, Argentina
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Durney JS, Engel A, Debinski DM, Burkle LA. Earlier spring snowmelt drives arrowleaf balsamroot phenology in montane meadows. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. Simone Durney
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Arden Engel
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | | | - Laura A. Burkle
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
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Kudo G, Shibata A. Is increased male flower production a strategy for avoidance of predispersal seed predation in andromonoecious plants? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5646-5656. [PMID: 34026036 PMCID: PMC8131791 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Floral gender in angiosperms often varies within and among populations. We conducted a field survey to test how predispersal seed predation affects sex allocation in an andromonoecious alpine herb Peucedanum multivittatum. We compared plant size, male and perfect flower production, fruit set, and seed predation rate over three years among nine populations inhabiting diverse snowmelt conditions in alpine meadows. Flowering period of individual populations varied from mid-July to late August reflecting the snowmelt time. Although perfect flower and fruit productions increased with plant size, size dependency of male flower production was less clear. The number of male flowers was larger in the early-flowering populations, while the number of perfect flowers increased in the late-flowering populations. Thus, male-biased sex allocation was common in the early-flowering populations. Fruit-set rates varied among populations and between years, irrespective of flowering period. Fruit-set success of individual plants increased with perfect flower number, but independent of male flower number. Seed predation by lepidopteran larvae was intense in the early-flowering populations, whereas predation damage was absent in the late-flowering populations, reflecting the extent of phenological matching between flowering time of host plants and oviposition period of predator moths. Seed predation rate was independent of male and perfect flower numbers of individual plants. Thus, seed predation is a stochastic event in each population. There was a clear correlation between the proportion of male flowers and the intensity of seed predation among populations. These results suggest that male-biased sex allocation could be a strategy to reduce seed predation damage but maintain the effort as a pollen donor under intensive seed predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaku Kudo
- Faculty of Environmental Earth ScienceHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Akari Shibata
- Faculty of Environmental Earth ScienceHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
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Flowering season of vernal herbs is shortened at elevated temperatures with reduced precipitation in early spring. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17494. [PMID: 33060698 PMCID: PMC7567058 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74566-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Vernal herbs are exposed to the risk of climate change under spring frost and canopy closure. Although vernal herbs contribute to the biodiversity of the understorey layer in temperate forests, few studies assessed the effect of climate change on the phenology of the herbs. To examine phenological shifts in flowering seasons of vernal herb species caused by climate change, a greenhouse experiment was conducted using four species (Adonis amurensis, Hepatica nobilis var. japonica, Viola phalacrocarpa, and Pulsatilla cernua) under two temperature conditions (ambient or elevated temperature) and two precipitation conditions (convective or reduced precipitation). Experimental warming advanced overall aspects of the flowering timing including the first and last day of flowering. The growth of flowering stalk was also promoted by elevated temperature. Effects of decreased precipitation varied among species, which advanced the last day of the flowering of the later flowering species. Consequently, a decrease in overall flowering period length was observed. These results indicate that overall, climate change results in a shortening of the flowering season of vernal herb species, specifically at a higher temperature and under conditions of less precipitation.
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7
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Teder T. Phenological responses to climate warming in temperate moths and butterflies: species traits predict future changes in voltinism. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiit Teder
- Dept of Zoology, Inst. of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Univ. of Tartu Vanemuise 46 EE‐51003 Tartu Estonia
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech Univ. of Life Sciences Prague Kamýcká 129 Praha – Suchdol 165 00 Czech Republic
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8
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Gallagher MK, Campbell DR. Pollinator visitation rate and effectiveness vary with flowering phenology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:445-455. [PMID: 32086803 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Flowering time may influence pollination success and seed set through a variety of mechanisms, including seasonal changes in total pollinator visitation or the composition and effectiveness of pollinator visitors. METHODS We investigated mechanisms by which changes in flowering phenology influence pollination and reproductive success of Mertensia ciliata (Boraginaceae). We manipulated flowering onset of potted plants and assessed the frequency and composition of pollinator visitors, as well as seed set. We tested whether floral visitors differed in their effectiveness as pollinators by measuring pollen receipt and seed set resulting from single visits to virgin flowers. RESULTS Despite a five-fold decrease in pollinator visitation over four weeks, we detected no significant difference in seed set among plants blooming at different times. On a per-visit basis, each bumblebee transferred more conspecific pollen than did a solitary bee or a fly. The proportion of visits by bumblebees increased over the season, countering the decrease in visitation rate so that flowering time had little net effect on seed set. CONCLUSIONS This work illustrates the need to consider pollinator effectiveness, along with changes in pollinator visitation and species composition to understand the mechanisms by which phenology affects levels of pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kate Gallagher
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
- The Botanical Garden, School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Diane R Campbell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
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Boivin T, Doublet V, Candau JN. The ecology of predispersal insect herbivory on tree reproductive structures in natural forest ecosystems. INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 26:182-198. [PMID: 29082661 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Plant-insect interactions are key model systems to assess how some species affect the distribution, the abundance, and the evolution of others. Tree reproductive structures represent a critical resource for many insect species, which can be likely drivers of demography, spatial distribution, and trait diversification of plants. In this review, we present the ecological implications of predispersal herbivory on tree reproductive structures by insects (PIHR) in forest ecosystems. Both insect's and tree's perspectives are addressed with an emphasis on how spatiotemporal variation and unpredictability in seed availability can shape such particular plant-animal interactions. Reproductive structure insects show strong trophic specialization and guild diversification. Insects evolved host selection and spatiotemporal dispersal strategies in response to variable and unpredictable abundance of reproductive structures in both space and time. If PIHR patterns have been well documented in numerous systems, evidences of the subsequent demographic and evolutionary impacts on tree populations are still constrained by time-scale challenges of experimenting on such long-lived organisms, and modeling approaches of tree dynamics rarely consider PIHR when including biotic interactions in their processes. We suggest that spatially explicit and mechanistic approaches of the interactions between individual tree fecundity and insect dynamics will clarify predictions of the demogenetic implications of PIHR in tree populations. In a global change context, further experimental and theoretical contributions to the likelihood of life-cycle disruptions between plants and their specialized herbivores, and to how these changes may generate novel dynamic patterns in each partner of the interaction are increasingly critical.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jean-Noël Candau
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada
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Valdés A, Ehrlén J. Caterpillar seed predators mediate shifts in selection on flowering phenology in their host plant. Ecology 2018; 98:228-238. [PMID: 28052392 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Variation in selection among populations and years has important implications for evolutionary trajectories of populations. Yet, the agents of selection causing this variation have rarely been identified. Selection on the time of reproduction within a season in plants might differ both among populations and among years, and selection can be mediated by both mutualists and antagonists. We investigated if differences in the direction of phenotypic selection on flowering phenology among 20 populations of Gentiana pneumonanthe during 2 yr were related to the presence of the butterfly seed predator Phengaris alcon, and if butterfly incidence was associated with the abundance of the butterfly's second host, Myrmica ants. In plant populations without the butterfly, phenotypic selection favored earlier flowering. In populations where the butterfly was present, caterpillars preferentially attacked early-flowering individuals, shifting the direction of selection to favoring later flowering. Butterfly incidence in plant populations increased with ant abundance. Our results demonstrate that antagonistic interactions can shift the direction of selection on flowering phenology, and suggest that such shifts might be associated with differences in the community context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Valdés
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Johan Ehrlén
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
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11
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Dai C, Luo WJ, Gong YB, Liu F, Wang ZX. Resource reallocation patterns within Sagittaria trifolia inflorescences following differential pollination. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:803-811. [PMID: 29710426 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Understanding resource allocation to reproduction, a key factor in life history tradeoffs, has long intrigued plant ecologists. Despite the recognized importance of understanding the movement of resources among flowers following variable pollination, the patterns of resource reallocation to plant reproductive organs have not been thoroughly addressed. In this study, we aimed to empirically explore how resources redistribute within inflorescences in response to differential pollination intensities. METHODS Using a common herb, Sagittaria trifolia, we conducted supplemental and controlled pollination for single, some, or all flowers in simple and complex inflorescences, and compared their resulting fruiting probabilities, seed production, and average seed masses. KEY RESULTS Pollen supplementation of a single flower significantly increased its fruiting probability; however, the same manipulation of an inflorescence did not increase its overall reproduction. Single pollen-supplemented flowers had a higher percentage fruit set than inflorescences receiving supplemental pollination. In complex inflorescences, supplemental pollination had no effect on the reproductive success of flowers on the lateral or main branches. CONCLUSIONS We provided evidence of resource reallocation from controlled to pollen-supplemented flowers in simple inflorescences; however, resources were unlikely to be reallocated between the main and lateral branches in the complex inflorescences, suggesting that flowering branches represent integrated physiological units in S. trifolia. The results also demonstrated that single-flower supplemental pollination would exaggerate pollen limitation and lead to a biased understanding of a plant's reproductive status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Dai
- School of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Wuhan, 430062, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response (Hubei University), Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Wen-Jie Luo
- School of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Yan-Bing Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Fan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zheng-Xiang Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Wuhan, 430062, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response (Hubei University), Wuhan, 430062, China
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12
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Li H, Jin X, Yang Y. Consequences of asynchronous heading in a perennial bunchgrass (Elymus excelsus). Sci Rep 2018; 8:3323. [PMID: 29463857 PMCID: PMC5820277 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21759-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproduction is vital to plant population adaptation. The consequences of asynchronous reproduction in a perennial bunchgrass grass is not well studied. The heading reproductive tillers from early to late forms a continuum due to asynchronous heading and flowering in Elymus excelsus population. In two peak years of production, the three-year-old and four-year-old reproductive tillers of experimental E. excelsus population were marked from the early to late heading stage every four days at five different heading times and these tillers were harvested at the dough stage, respectively. The growth, biomass, seed production and reproductive allocation were measured to analyze the consequences of asynchronous reproduction. Reproductive tiller height, biomass, inflorescence length, inflorescence biomass, floret number, seed number, seed biomass, seed-set percentage, biomass allocation to inflorescence (RA1) and to seed (RA2) significantly decreased with the delay of heading date over the two years. Above ten phenotypic characteristics exponentially increased at a significant or extremely significant level with increasing differences in reproductive period. Reproductive tillers preferentially allocated the biomass to inflorescences, and then the inflorescences preferentially allocated the biomass to seeds throughout reproductive period. Earlier heading tillers had more contribution to E. excelsus population adaptation and development in the two peak years of production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Li
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China.
| | - Xiaowei Jin
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China
| | - Yunfei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China.
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13
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Lindh M, Johansson J, Bolmgren K, Lundström NLP, Brännström Å, Jonzén N. Constrained growth flips the direction of optimal phenological responses among annual plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 209:1591-1599. [PMID: 26548947 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Phenological changes among plants due to climate change are well documented, but often hard to interpret. In order to assess the adaptive value of observed changes, we study how annual plants with and without growth constraints should optimize their flowering time when productivity and season length changes. We consider growth constraints that depend on the plant's vegetative mass: self-shading, costs for nonphotosynthetic structural tissue and sibling competition. We derive the optimal flowering time from a dynamic energy allocation model using optimal control theory. We prove that an immediate switch (bang-bang control) from vegetative to reproductive growth is optimal with constrained growth and constant mortality. Increasing mean productivity, while keeping season length constant and growth unconstrained, delayed the optimal flowering time. When growth was constrained and productivity was relatively high, the optimal flowering time advanced instead. When the growth season was extended equally at both ends, the optimal flowering time was advanced under constrained growth and delayed under unconstrained growth. Our results suggests that growth constraints are key factors to consider when interpreting phenological flowering responses. It can help to explain phenological patterns along productivity gradients, and links empirical observations made on calendar scales with life-history theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus Lindh
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, SE-901 87, Sweden
| | - Jacob Johansson
- Department of Biology, Theoretical Population Ecology and Evolution Group, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 62, Sweden
| | - Kjell Bolmgren
- Unit for Field-based Forest Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lammhult, SE-360 30, Sweden
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Niklas L P Lundström
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, SE-901 87, Sweden
| | - Åke Brännström
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, SE-901 87, Sweden
- Evolution and Ecology Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, A-2361, Austria
| | - Niclas Jonzén
- Department of Biology, Theoretical Population Ecology and Evolution Group, Lund University, Lund, SE-223 62, Sweden
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