scholarly journals Morphological canalization, integration, and plasticity in response to population density in Abutilon theophrasti : Influences of soil conditions and growth stages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Wang ◽  
Dao‐Wei Zhou
Author(s):  
Shu Wang ◽  
Dao-Wei Zhou

Phenotypic integration and developmental canalization have been hypothesized to constrain the degree of phenotypic plasticity, but there is little evidence for the relationships among the three processes in different environments, especially for plants under natural conditions. To address this issue, we conducted a field experiment by subjecting plants of Abutilon theophrasti to low, medium and high densities, under infertile and fertile soil conditions, measured a variety of traits and analyzed canalization (coefficient of variation [CV]), integration (coefficient of integration [CI] and the number of significant correlations of a trait with other traits [NC]), and plasticity (REL RDPIs and ABS RDPIs) in these traits and their relationships at two stages of plant growth. Our results showed an increase in mean CV, NC and ABS RDPIs of traits with density, and the positive correlations between trait NC and ABS RDPIs became stronger with higher densities but weaker over time in fertile soil, while correlations among trait CV, NC and ABS RDPIs became stronger over time in infertile soil. Results suggested shared or cooperation mechanisms among phenotypic integration, canalization and plasticity. Soil conditions and growth stage may affect responses of these correlations to density via modifying plant size and competition strength. The attenuated canalization and enhanced integration may be helpful for the production of plasticity, especially under intense competition.


Author(s):  
Shu Wang ◽  
Dao-Wei Zhou

Most studies on animals have conducted comparative studies to deduce the possible relationships among developmental stability, canalization and phenotypic plasticity, there is a lack of direct evidence in plants, which should be better study materials. To investigate the correlations among developmental stability, canalization and plasticity in plants, we conducted a field experiment with Abutilon theophrasti, by subjected plants to three densities under infertile vs. fertile soil conditions, and measured leaf size, leaf fluctuating asymmetry (FA), and calculated coefficient of variation among leaves within individuals (CVleaf) and among individuals (CVin) and relative plasticity (PIrel) and its degree in leaf size at three growth stages, to analyze the responses of their correlations to density and how they may vary with soil conditions or growth stages. Results showed a decrease of FA, CVleaf and PIrel and an increase of CVin in leaf size, with increased density. In most cases, there were no correlations among these variables, but negative correlations between CVin and PIrel, positive correlations between FA and PIrel at high density and/or in fertile soil, in infertile soil. It suggested that higher FA may indicate the state of faster growth rather than an indicator of environmental stresses; there are correlations among developmental stability, canalization and plasticity, which may be complex, affected by other factors. The loss of developmental stability may be beneficial for plant response to environmental stresses, while decreased canalization can be either disadvantageous or advantageous, depending on that the size variation results from an increase or decrease of smaller individuals, and whether its correlations with other variables reflect beneficial or adverse environmental effects.


Plant Methods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Musse ◽  
G. Hajjar ◽  
N. Ali ◽  
B. Billiot ◽  
G. Joly ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Drought is a major consequence of global heating that has negative impacts on agriculture. Potato is a drought-sensitive crop; tuber growth and dry matter content may both be impacted. Moreover, water deficit can induce physiological disorders such as glassy tubers and internal rust spots. The response of potato plants to drought is complex and can be affected by cultivar type, climatic and soil conditions, and the point at which water stress occurs during growth. The characterization of adaptive responses in plants presents a major phenotyping challenge. There is therefore a demand for the development of non-invasive analytical techniques to improve phenotyping. Results This project aimed to take advantage of innovative approaches in MRI, phenotyping and molecular biology to evaluate the effects of water stress on potato plants during growth. Plants were cultivated in pots under different water conditions. A control group of plants were cultivated under optimal water uptake conditions. Other groups were cultivated under mild and severe water deficiency conditions (40 and 20% of field capacity, respectively) applied at different tuber growth phases (initiation, filling). Water stress was evaluated by monitoring soil water potential. Two fully-equipped imaging cabinets were set up to characterize plant morphology using high definition color cameras (top and side views) and to measure plant stress using RGB cameras. The response of potato plants to water stress depended on the intensity and duration of the stress. Three-dimensional morphological images of the underground organs of potato plants in pots were recorded using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. A significant difference in growth kinetics was observed at the early growth stages between the control and stressed plants. Quantitative PCR analysis was carried out at molecular level on the expression patterns of selected drought-responsive genes. Variations in stress levels were seen to modulate ABA and drought-responsive ABA-dependent and ABA-independent genes. Conclusions This methodology, when applied to the phenotyping of potato under water deficit conditions, provides a quantitative analysis of leaves and tubers properties at microstructural and molecular levels. The approaches thus developed could therefore be effective in the multi-scale characterization of plant response to water stress, from organ development to gene expression.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Wang ◽  
Dao-Wei Zhou

Abstract The relationships among developmental stability, canalization and phenotypic plasticity have not been well understood. Inconsistent conclusions from different studies suggested the complexity of their associations, probably depending on specific traits, environmental contexts and plant growth stages. To address this issue, we conducted three experiments (EXP I ~ III) with several annual herbaceous species, to investigate the relationships among leaf (or cotyledon) developmental stability, canalization and plasticity and their variations with different biotic and abiotic environmental conditions and plant growth stages, with comparisons among different species at their early growth stage. We analyzed variations in mean trait value, lamina fluctuating asymmetry (FA), coefficient of variation (CV) and plasticity (RDPIs) and their correlations for lamina size (LS) of individual plants, for LS, petiole length (PL) and petiole angle (PA) of different plant layers in Abutilon theophrasti at three densities in infertile and fertile (or only fertile) soil conditions at three (or two) stages, and for cotyledon size (CS) of five species in contrasting light conditions and seeding depths. High vs. low density decreased LS (with negative RDPIs), FA indexes and CVs, either for individual plants or different layers, especially in fertile soil. Shading was more likely to increase CS (except for A. therophrasti) and FA and decrease CV; deep seeding increased CS of some species in full light, but decreased CS and FA of other species in shading (except for A. therophrasti). FA indexes more likely had positive correlations with mean value, CV and RDPIs of traits; correlations between CV and RDPIs can be positive, negative or insignificant. Correlations among the three variables were more likely positive or insignificant for traits of LS, CS and PL, but more likely negative or insignificant for PA. High density and infertile soil may favor more positive over negative correlations among variables. Results suggested higher levels of lamina FA more likely indicate higher growth rates of plants or modules. Developmental stability was more likely to have positive correlations with canalization, and negative correlations with plasticity, indicating certain common mechanisms associated with them. Environmental stresses can lead to greater phenotypic variations at different levels, facilitating cooperation between the three processes in dealing with environmental challenges.


1995 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce D. Lampinen ◽  
Kenneth A. Shackel ◽  
Stephen M. Southwick ◽  
Bill Olson ◽  
James T. Yeager ◽  
...  

The sensitivity of French prune (Prunus domestica L. syn. `Petite d'Agen') to water deprivation at various fruit growth stages was studied over 3 years in a drip-irrigated orchard. The soil was a poorly drained Rocklin fine sandy loam with a hardpan that varied from 4.75 to I m from the surface at the northern end of the orchard (shallow soil condition) to no hardpan apparent to 2 m below the surface at the southern end of the orchard (deep soil condition). Water deprivation during a) the first exponential phase of fruit growth or stage I, b) lag phase of fruit growth or stage II, c) first half of stage II, d) second half of stage II, e) second exponential fruit growth phase or stage III, and f) postharvest was compared to a fully watered control. Water deprivation caused the most severe reduction in tree water status when it was imposed over longer periods of time and during periods of high evaporative demand and also had mm-e severe effects under shallow soil conditions. Compared to the control treatment, deprivation during all of stage II (the most severe deprivation treatment) was associated with increased Ilowering, reduced fruit hydration ratio, and smaller fruit size under all soil conditions. Under deep soil conditions, deprivation during all of stage II resulted in increased return bloom, which was reflected in higher fruit loads and dry t-ha-' fruit yield. However, under shallow soil conditions, even though return bloom was increased with this treatment, fruit loads and dry t·ha-1 fruit yields were the lowest of all treatments. These differences in treatment effects in shallow vs. deep soil conditions were most likely the result of increased fruit drop, which occurred under shallow soil conditions as a result of rapid onset and increased severity ofstress. Treatments that had parallel effects in shallow and deep soil conditions resulted in statistically significant overall treatment effects, while those that had opposing effects in shallow vs. deep soil conditions did not show significant overall treatment effects. Substantial alternate hearing occurred, and, in general, dry fruit yields above ≈9 dry t·ha-1 resulted in a decrease in fruit load the following year, while loads below this value showed a subsequent increase. Based on a separate estimate of the theoretically stable value for each treatment, all deprivation treatments resulted in a higher sustainable fruit load compared to the fully irrigated control. This suggests that, for the purpose of prune fruit production, there may be an optimal level of tree water stress.


Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 2453-2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abasola C. M. Simon ◽  
Horacio D. Lopez-Nicora ◽  
Laura E. Lindsey ◽  
Terry L. Niblack ◽  
Pierce A. Paul

Soil samples were collected from 425 corn fields in 28 Ohio counties between growth stages V3 and V6 during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. Ten morphological groups of plant-parasitic nematodes, namely spiral, lesion, lance, dagger, stunt, pin, ring, stubby-root, cyst, and “tylenchids” (several genera morphologically similar to members of the subfamily Tylenchinae [NCBI Taxonomy] including Cephelenchus, Filenchus, Malenchus, and Tylenchus) were identified. Eight species belonging to six of these groups were characterized. Spiral, tylenchids, lesion, pin, lance, stunt, and dagger nematodes were detected in 94, 96, 80, 57, 48, 48, and 37% of the fields, respectively, whereas the stubby-root, cyst, and ring nematodes were present in fewer than 14% of the samples. Averaged across fields, the spiral, tylenchids, and pin nematodes had the highest mean population densities. For all groups, incidence and population density varied among counties, and in some cases, among soil regions and cropping practices. Both population parameters were heterogeneous at multiple spatial scales, with the lowest heterogeneity among soil regions and the highest among fields within county and soil region. Estimated variances at the soil region level were not significantly different from zero for most of the nematodes evaluated. Stunt and lance were two of the most variable groups at all tested spatial scales. In general, the population densities were significantly more heterogeneous at the field level than at the county level. Findings from this study will be useful for developing sampling protocols and establishing on-farm trials to estimate losses and evaluate nematode management strategies.


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