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Ramos-Muñoz M, Blanco-Sánchez M, Pías B, Escudero A, Matesanz S. Transgenerational plasticity to drought: contrasting patterns of non-genetic inheritance in two semi-arid Mediterranean shrubs. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:101-116. [PMID: 38488820 PMCID: PMC11161564 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae039] [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: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Intra- and transgenerational plasticity may provide substantial phenotypic variation to cope with environmental change. Since assessing the unique contribution of the maternal environment to the offspring phenotype is challenging in perennial, outcrossing plants, little is known about the evolutionary and ecological implications of transgenerational plasticity and its persistence over the life cycle in these species. We evaluated how intra- and transgenerational plasticity interplay to shape the adaptive responses to drought in two perennial Mediterranean shrubs. METHODS We used a novel common garden approach that reduced within-family genetic variation in both the maternal and offspring generations by growing the same maternal individual in two contrasting watering environments, well-watered and drought, in consecutive years. We then assessed phenotypic differences at the reproductive stage between offspring reciprocally grown in the same environments. KEY RESULTS Maternal drought had an effect on offspring performance only in Helianthemum squamatum. Offspring of drought-stressed plants showed more inflorescences, less sclerophyllous leaves and higher growth rates in both watering conditions, and heavier seeds under drought, than offspring of well-watered maternal plants. Maternal drought also induced similar plasticity patterns across maternal families, showing a general increase in seed mass in response to offspring drought, a pattern not observed in the offspring of well-watered plants. In contrast, both species expressed immediate adaptive plasticity, and the magnitude of intragenerational plasticity was larger than the transgenerational plastic responses. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight that adaptive effects associated with maternal drought can persist beyond the seedling stage and provide evidence of species-level variation in the expression of transgenerational plasticity. Such differences between co-occurring Mediterranean species in the prevalence of this form of non-genetic inheritance may result in differential vulnerability to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Ramos-Muñoz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Mario Blanco-Sánchez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Beatriz Pías
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Nováis 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
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García-Robles H, Cañadas EM, Lorite J, Fernández-Ondoño E. Trade-Off between Facilitation and Interference of Allelopathic Compounds in Vegetation Recovery: The Case of Rosmarinus officinalis in Degraded Gypsum Habitats. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11030459. [PMID: 35161439 PMCID: PMC8839294 DOI: 10.3390/plants11030459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rosmarinus officinalis advantageously competes with other species in restored gypsum outcrops, and further research is needed to understand the causes. Specifically, we focus on the potential allelopathic effects derived from its terpenes on the emergence of gypsum species. To this end, we established 120 circular subplots in a previously restored gypsum outcrop, and randomly applied four different treatments based on the presence/absence of rosemary plants and their leaves on the soil. Afterwards, we conducted an experimental sowing of native gypsophiles. All subplots were monitored to estimate seedling emergence, and soil and leaf samples were analysed for terpenes. The results show that the treatments had significant effects on the overall emergence of seedlings, and terpenes were found in rosemary leaves and soils, with no significant differences in terpene composition. In particular, we identified a clear negative effect in the treatment where rosemary plants were eliminated but its leaves were left along with allelopathy (2.57 ± 0.54 individuals/subplot). Unexpectedly, the presence of rosemary plants seems to facilitate the emergence of gypsum species (9.93 ± 1.61 individuals/subplot), counteracting the effects of the allelopathic substances in the soil. Consequently, we do not suggest removing rosemary plants in early stages to encourage the emergence of gypsum species in restored areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena García-Robles
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (E.M.C.); (J.L.)
- Correspondence: author:
| | - Eva María Cañadas
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (E.M.C.); (J.L.)
| | - Juan Lorite
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (E.M.C.); (J.L.)
| | - Emilia Fernández-Ondoño
- Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain;
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Demographic effects of interacting species: exploring stable coexistence under increased climatic variability in a semiarid shrub community. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3099. [PMID: 33542350 PMCID: PMC7862631 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Population persistence is strongly determined by climatic variability. Changes in the patterns of climatic events linked to global warming may alter population dynamics, but their effects may be strongly modulated by biotic interactions. Plant populations interact with each other in such a way that responses to climate of a single population may impact the dynamics of the whole community. In this study, we assess how climate variability affects persistence and coexistence of two dominant plant species in a semiarid shrub community on gypsum soils. We use 9 years of demographic data to parameterize demographic models and to simulate population dynamics under different climatic and ecological scenarios. We observe that populations of both coexisting species may respond to common climatic fluctuations both similarly and in idiosyncratic ways, depending on the yearly combination of climatic factors. Biotic interactions (both within and among species) modulate some of their vital rates, but their effects on population dynamics highly depend on climatic fluctuations. Our results indicate that increased levels of climatic variability may alter interspecific relationships. These alterations might potentially affect species coexistence, disrupting competitive hierarchies and ultimately leading to abrupt changes in community composition.
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Matesanz S, Ramos-Muñoz M, Blanco-Sánchez M, Escudero A. High differentiation in functional traits but similar phenotypic plasticity in populations of a soil specialist along a climatic gradient. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:969-980. [PMID: 32016374 PMCID: PMC7218810 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plants experiencing contrasting environmental conditions may accommodate such heterogeneity by expressing phenotypic plasticity, evolving local adaptation or a combination of both. We investigated patterns of genetic differentiation and plasticity in response to drought in populations of the gypsum specialist Lepidium subulatum. METHODS We created an outdoor common garden with rain exclusion structures using 60 maternal progenies from four distinct populations that substantially differ in climatic conditions. We characterized fitness, life history and functional plasticity in response to two contrasting treatments that realistically reflect soil moisture variation in gypsum habitats. We also assessed neutral genetic variation and population structure using microsatellite markers. KEY RESULTS In response to water stress, plants from all populations flowered earlier, increased allocation to root tissues and advanced leaf senescence, consistent with a drought escape strategy. Remarkably, these probably adaptive responses were common to all populations, as shown by the lack of population × environment interaction for almost all functional traits. This generally common pattern of response was consistent with substantial neutral genetic variation and large differences in population trait means. However, such population-level trait variation was not related to climatic conditions at the sites of origin. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that, rather than ecotypes specialized to local climatic conditions, these populations are composed of highly plastic, general-purpose genotypes in relation to climatic heterogeneity. The strikingly similar patterns of plasticity among populations, despite substantial site of origin differences in climate, suggest past selection on a common norm of reaction due to similarly high levels of variation within sites. It is thus likely that plasticity will have a prevalent role in the response of this soil specialist to further environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/Tulipán s/n 28933, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Marina Ramos-Muñoz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/Tulipán s/n 28933, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Mario Blanco-Sánchez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/Tulipán s/n 28933, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/Tulipán s/n 28933, Móstoles, Spain
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Sulis E, Bacchetta G, Cogoni D, Fenu G. Short-term population dynamics of Helianthemum caput-felis, a perennial Mediterranean coastal plant: a key element for an effective conservation programme. SYST BIODIVERS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2018.1492469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sulis
- Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 13, I-09123 Cagliari, Italia
| | - Gianluigi Bacchetta
- Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 13, I-09123 Cagliari, Italia
| | - Donatella Cogoni
- Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 13, I-09123 Cagliari, Italia
| | - Giuseppe Fenu
- Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (CCB), Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 13, I-09123 Cagliari, Italia
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Sánchez AM, Alonso-Valiente P, Albert MJ, Escudero A. How might edaphic specialists in gypsum islands respond to climate change? Reciprocal sowing experiment to infer local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2017; 120:135-146. [PMID: 28510631 PMCID: PMC5737687 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are considered key mechanisms for coping with climate warming, especially for plant species that inhabit island-like habitats. In Spain a complete guild of edaphic specialists, most of them threatened, occurs in gypsum outcrops, but how these species will respond to climate change has received little attention. METHODS A reciprocal sowing experiment was performed to determine the extent of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in five gypsophytes with contrasting distributions along a climate gradient. Germination, seedling growth and survival were recorded during a 4-year period. KEY RESULTS Plants responded plastically according to their positions along the regional climate gradient, as well as locally between matched locations. All species exhibited highly plastic responses and stress-tolerant behaviours, especially in terms of seedling survival during summer drought. However, no evidence of local adaptation was detected in any of the locations, where local individuals never performed better than those from other sites. In some sites, both germination and seedling recruitment were higher irrespective of parent plant origin. CONCLUSIONS The lack of local adaptation to drought displayed at the regeneration stage indicates limited capacity for in situ genetic response to new climate scenarios. Nevertheless, a plastic response along the climatic gradient does suggest a wider species-level capacity to enable these edaphic specialists to cope with increasing aridity over coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M. Sánchez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Alonso-Valiente
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. José Albert
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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García-Cervigón AI, Iriondo JM, Linares JC, Olano JM. Disentangling Facilitation Along the Life Cycle: Impacts of Plant-Plant Interactions at Vegetative and Reproductive Stages in a Mediterranean Forb. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:129. [PMID: 26904086 PMCID: PMC4748247 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Facilitation enables plants to improve their fitness in stressful environments. The overall impact of plant-plant interactions on the population dynamics of protégées is the net result of both positive and negative effects that may act simultaneously along the plant life cycle, and depends on the environmental context. This study evaluates the impact of the nurse plant Juniperus sabina on different stages of the life cycle of the forb Helleborus foetidus. Growth, number of leaves, flowers, carpels, and seeds per flower were compared for 240 individuals collected under nurse canopies and in open areas at two sites with contrasting stress levels. Spatial associations with nurse plants and age structures were also checked. A structural equation model was built to test the effect of facilitation on fecundity, accounting for sequential steps from flowering to seed production. The net impact of nurse plants depended on a combination of positive and negative effects on vegetative and reproductive variables. Although nurse plants caused a decrease in flower production at the low-stress site, their net impact there was neutral. In contrast, at the high-stress site the net outcome of plant-plant interactions was positive due to an increase in effective recruitment, plant density, number of viable carpels per flower, and fruit set under nurse canopies. The naturally lower rates of secondary growth and flower production at the high-stress site were compensated by the net positive impact of nurse plants here. Our results emphasize the need to evaluate entire processes and not only final outcomes when studying plant-plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I. García-Cervigón
- Área de Biología Vegetal, Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de ValladolidSoria, Spain
- *Correspondence: Ana I. García-Cervigón,
| | - José M. Iriondo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMóstoles, Spain
| | - Juan C. Linares
- Área de Ecología, Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de OlavideSevilla, Spain
| | - José M. Olano
- Área de Biología Vegetal, Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de ValladolidSoria, Spain
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8
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Kitchen SG, Meyer SE, Carlson SL. Mechanisms for maintenance of dominance in a nonclonal desert shrub. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es15-00083.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Matesanz S, Gómez-Fernández A, Alcocer I, Escudero A. Fragment size does not matter when you are well connected: effects of fragmentation on fitness of coexisting gypsophiles. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2015; 17:1047-1056. [PMID: 25765458 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Most habitat fragmentation studies have focused on the effects of population size on reproductive success of single species, but studies assessing the effects of both fragment size and connectivity, and their interaction, on several coexisting species are rare. In this study, we selected 20 fragments along two continuous gradients of size and degree of isolation in a gypsum landscape in central Spain. In each fragment, we selected 15 individuals of each of three dominant gypsophiles (Centaurea hyssopifolia, Lepidium subulatum and Helianthemum squamatum, 300 plants per species, 900 plants in total) and measured several reproductive traits: inflorescence number, fruit set, seed set and seed mass. We hypothesised that plant fitness would be lower on small and isolated fragments due to an interaction between fragment size and connectivity, and that response patterns would be species-specific. Overall, fragment size had very little effect on reproductive traits compared to that of connectivity. We observed a positive effect of fragment connectivity on C. hyssopifolia fitness, mediated by the increased seed predation in plants from isolated fragments, resulting in fewer viable seeds per capitulum and lower seed set. Furthermore, seed mass was lower in plants from isolated fragments for both C. hyssopifolia and L. subulatum. In contrast, few reproductive traits of H. squamatum were affected by habitat fragmentation. We discuss the implications of species-specific responses to habitat fragmentation for the dynamics and conservation of gypsum plant communities. Our results highlight the complex interplay among plants and their mutualistic and antagonistic visitors, and reinforce the often-neglected role of habitat connectivity as a key component of the fragmentation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Matesanz
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - A Gómez-Fernández
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - I Alcocer
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - A Escudero
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
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Olano JM, Almería I, Eugenio M, von Arx G. Under pressure: how a Mediterranean high-mountain forb coordinates growth and hydraulic xylem anatomy in response to temperature and water constraints. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Miguel Olano
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales; EU de Ingenierías Agrarias; Universidad de Valladolid; Los Pajaritos s/n Soria E-42004 Spain
| | - Iván Almería
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales; EU de Ingenierías Agrarias; Universidad de Valladolid; Los Pajaritos s/n Soria E-42004 Spain
| | - Màrcia Eugenio
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales; EU de Ingenierías Agrarias; Universidad de Valladolid; Los Pajaritos s/n Soria E-42004 Spain
| | - Georg von Arx
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest; Snow and Landscape Research WSL; Zuercherstrasse 111 CH-8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland
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