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Kiełtyk P. Elevational variation in morphology and biomass allocation in carpathian snowbell Soldanella carpatica (Primulaceae). PeerJ 2024; 12:e17500. [PMID: 38827286 PMCID: PMC11141553 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Plants growing along wide elevation gradients in mountains experience considerable variations in environmental factors that vary across elevations. The most pronounced elevational changes are in climate conditions with characteristic decrease in air temperature with an increase in elevation. Studying intraspecific elevational variations in plant morphological traits and biomass allocation gives opportunity to understand how plants adapted to steep environmental gradients that change with elevation and how they may respond to climate changes related to global warming. In this study, phenotypic variation of an alpine plant Soldanella carpatica Vierh. (Primulaceae) was investigated on 40 sites distributed continuously across a 1,480-m elevation gradient in the Tatra Mountains, Central Europe. Mixed-effects models, by which plant traits were fitted to elevation, revealed that on most part of the gradient total leaf mass, leaf size and scape height decreased gradually with an increase in elevation, whereas dry mass investment in roots and flowers as well as individual flower mass did not vary with elevation. Unexpectedly, in the uppermost part of the elevation gradient overall plant size, including both below-and aboveground plant parts, decreased rapidly causing abrupt plant miniaturization. Despite the plant miniaturization at the highest elevations, biomass partitioning traits changed gradually across the entire species elevation range, namely, the leaf mass fraction decreased continuously, whereas the flower mass fraction and the root:shoot ratio increased steadily from the lowest to the highest elevations. Observed variations in S. carpatica phenotypes are seen as structural adjustments to environmental changes across elevations that increase chances of plant survival and reproduction at different elevations. Moreover, results of the present study agreed with the observations that populations of species from the 'Soldanella' intrageneric group adapted to alpine and subnival zones still maintain typical 'Soldanella'-like appearance, despite considerable reduction in overall plant size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Kiełtyk
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Chumová Z, Monier Z, Šemberová K, Havlíčková E, Euston-Brown D, Muasya AM, Bergh NG, Trávníček P. Diploid and tetraploid cytotypes of the flagship Cape species Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (Asteraceae): variation in distribution, ecological niche, morphology and genetics. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 133:851-870. [PMID: 37410810 PMCID: PMC11082512 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad084] [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: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The Greater Cape Floristic Region is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and is considered poor in polyploids. To test this assumption, ploidy variation was investigated in a widespread Cape shrub, Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (renosterbos, Asteraceae). The aim was to elucidate the cytotype distribution and population composition across the species range, and to assess differences in morphology, environmental niches and genetics. METHODS Ploidy level and genome size were determined via flow cytometry and cytotype assignment was confirmed by chromosome counting. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) analyses were used to infer genetic relationships. Cytotype climatic and environmental niches were compared using a range of environmental layers and a soil model, while morphological differences were examined using multivariate methods. KEY RESULTS The survey of 171 populations and 2370 individuals showed that the species comprises diploid and tetraploid cytotypes, no intermediates and only 16.8 % of mixed populations. Mean 2C values were 1.80-2.06 pg for diploids and 3.48-3.80 pg for tetraploids, with very similar monoploid genome sizes. Intra-cytotype variation showed a significant positive correlation with altitude and longitude in both cytotypes and with latitude in diploids. Although niches of both cytotypes were highly equivalent and similar, their optima and breadth were shifted due to differences mainly in isothermality and available water capacity. Morphometric analyses showed significant differences in the leaves and corolla traits, the number of florets per capitulum, and cypsela dimensions between the two cytotypes. Genetic analyses revealed four groups, three of them including both cytotypes. CONCLUSIONS Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis includes two distinct cytotypes that are genetically similar. While tetraploids arise several times independently within different genetic groups, morphological and ecological differences are evident between cytotypes. Our results open up new avenues for questions regarding the importance of ploidy in the megadiverse Cape flora, and exemplify the need for population-based studies focused on ploidy variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Chumová
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
| | - Zafar Monier
- Bolus Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7707, South Africa
| | - Kristýna Šemberová
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
| | - Eliška Havlíčková
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, Prague, 120 00, Czech Republic
| | | | - A Muthama Muasya
- Bolus Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7707, South Africa
| | - Nicola G Bergh
- Bolus Herbarium, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 7707, South Africa
- The Compton Herbarium, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town, 7735, South Africa
| | - Pavel Trávníček
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, 252 43, Czech Republic
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Rurik I, Melichárková A, Gbúrová Štubová E, Kučera J, Kochjarová J, Paun O, Vďačný P, Slovák M. Homoplastic versus xenoplastic evolution: exploring the emergence of key intrinsic and extrinsic traits in the montane genus Soldanella (Primulaceae). THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:753-765. [PMID: 38217489 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16630] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Specific ecological conditions in the high mountain environment exert a selective pressure that often leads to convergent trait evolution. Reticulations induced by incomplete lineage sorting and introgression can lead to discordant trait patterns among gene and species trees (hemiplasy/xenoplasy), providing a false illusion that the traits under study are homoplastic. Using phylogenetic species networks, we explored the effect of gene exchange on trait evolution in Soldanella, a genus profoundly influenced by historical introgression. At least three features evolved independently multiple times: the single-flowered dwarf phenotype, dysploid cytotype, and ecological generalism. The present analyses also indicated that the recurring occurrence of stoloniferous growth might have been prompted by an introgression event between an ancestral lineage and a still extant species, although its emergence via convergent evolution cannot be completely ruled out. Phylogenetic regression suggested that the independent evolution of larger genomes in snowbells is most likely a result of the interplay between hybridization events of dysploid and euploid taxa and hostile environments at the range margins of the genus. The emergence of key intrinsic and extrinsic traits in snowbells has been significantly impacted not only by convergent evolution but also by historical and recent introgression events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rurik
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Andrea Melichárková
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Eliška Gbúrová Štubová
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Slovak National Museum, Natural History Museum, Vajanského nábrežie 2, 810 06, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jaromír Kučera
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Judita Kochjarová
- Department of Phytology, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University Zvolen, Masarykova 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
| | - Ovidiu Paun
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Vďačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Marek Slovák
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01, Prague, Czech Republic
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Slovák M, Melichárková A, Štubňová EG, Kučera J, Mandáková T, Smyčka J, Lavergne S, Passalacqua NG, Vďačný P, Paun O. Pervasive Introgression During Rapid Diversification of the European Mountain Genus Soldanella (L.) (Primulaceae). Syst Biol 2023; 72:491-504. [PMID: 36331548 PMCID: PMC10276626 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Hybridization is a key mechanism involved in lineage diversification and speciation, especially in ecosystems that experienced repeated environmental oscillations. Recently radiated plant groups, which have evolved in mountain ecosystems impacted by historical climate change provide an excellent model system for studying the impact of gene flow on speciation. We combined organellar (whole-plastome) and nuclear genomic data (RAD-seq) with a cytogenetic approach (rDNA FISH) to investigate the effects of hybridization and introgression on evolution and speciation in the genus Soldanella (snowbells, Primulaceae). Pervasive introgression has already occurred among ancestral lineages of snowbells and has persisted throughout the entire evolutionary history of the genus, regardless of the ecology, cytotype, or distribution range size of the affected species. The highest extent of introgression has been detected in the Carpathian species, which is also reflected in their extensive karyotype variation. Introgression occurred even between species with dysploid and euploid cytotypes, which were considered to be reproductively isolated. The magnitude of introgression detected in snowbells is unprecedented in other mountain genera of the European Alpine System investigated hitherto. Our study stresses the prominent evolutionary role of hybridization in facilitating speciation and diversification on the one hand, but also enriching previously isolated genetic pools. [chloroplast capture; diversification; dysploidy; European Alpine system; introgression; nuclear-cytoplasmic discordance; ribosomal DNA.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Slovák
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andrea Melichárková
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eliška Gbúrová Štubňová
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Slovak National Museum, Natural History Museum, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jaromír Kučera
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Terezie Mandáková
- Central European Institute of Technology, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, CZ-625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Smyčka
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Jilská 1, 110 00 Praha, Czech Republic
- Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Peter Vďačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ovidiu Paun
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Chumová Z, Záveská E, Hloušková P, Ponert J, Schmidt PA, Čertner M, Mandáková T, Trávníček P. Repeat proliferation and partial endoreplication jointly shape the patterns of genome size evolution in orchids. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 107:511-524. [PMID: 33960537 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15306] [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: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Although the evolutionary drivers of genome size change are known, the general patterns and mechanisms of plant genome size evolution are yet to be established. Here we aim to assess the relative importance of proliferation of repetitive DNA, chromosomal variation (including polyploidy), and the type of endoreplication for genome size evolution of the Pleurothallidinae, the most species-rich orchid lineage. Phylogenetic relationships between 341 Pleurothallidinae representatives were refined using a target enrichment hybrid capture combined with high-throughput sequencing approach. Genome size and the type of endoreplication were assessed using flow cytometry supplemented with karyological analysis and low-coverage Illumina sequencing for repeatome analysis on a subset of samples. Data were analyzed using phylogeny-based models. Genome size diversity (0.2-5.1 Gbp) was mostly independent of profound chromosome count variation (2n = 12-90) but tightly linked with the overall content of repetitive DNA elements. Species with partial endoreplication (PE) had significantly greater genome sizes, and genomic repeat content was tightly correlated with the size of the non-endoreplicated part of the genome. In PE species, repetitive DNA is preferentially accumulated in the non-endoreplicated parts of their genomes. Our results demonstrate that proliferation of repetitive DNA elements and PE together shape the patterns of genome size diversity in orchids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Chumová
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, Prague, CZ-12800, Czech Republic
| | - Eliška Záveská
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | | | - Jan Ponert
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
- Prague Botanical Garden, Trojská 800/196, Prague, CZ-17100, Czech Republic
- Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 5, Prague, CZ-12844, Czech Republic
| | - Philipp-André Schmidt
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Čertner
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, Prague, CZ-12800, Czech Republic
| | - Terezie Mandáková
- CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, CZ-62500, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Trávníček
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic
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Ecology and species distribution pattern of Soldanella sect. Soldanella (Primulaceae) within vegetation types in the Carpathians and the adjacent mountains. Biologia (Bratisl) 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-019-00200-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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