Selection in response to community diversity alters plant performance and functional traits

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1101/158709 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Sofia J. van Moorsel ◽

Marc W. Schmid ◽

Terhi Hahl ◽

Debra Zuppinger-Dingley ◽

Bernhard Schmid

Keyword(s):

Rapid Evolution ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Plant Performance ◽

Conservation Practice ◽

Grassland Species ◽

Selection History ◽

Species Mixtures ◽

Biodiversity Effects

In grassland biodiversity experiments the positive biodiversity−ecosystem functioning relationship generally increases over time. However, we know little about the underlying short-term evolutionary processes. Using five plant species selected for twelve years in a biodiversity experiment in mixture or monoculture and plants without such a selection history, we assessed whether differential selection altered productivity, biodiversity effects, and functional trait differences within newly assembled monocultures and 2-species mixtures. Plants without past community selection history produced the lowest assemblage biomass and showed the weakest biodiversity effects. In newly assembled mixtures, plants with a selection history in mixtures produced more biomass than plants with a monoculture selection history. Biodiversity effects were generally positive and differed significantly between selection histories. However, contrary to our expectations, biodiversity effects were not stronger for mixture-type plants. Biodiversity effects were influenced by both trait differences between plants and community-weighted means, but these relationships were mostly independent of selection history. Our findings suggest that twelve years of selection history in monocultures or species mixtures differentiated plants of each species into monoculture-and mixture-types. Such rapid evolution of different community-types within grassland species and its effect on ecosystem services and functioning are likely to be important for species conservation practice.

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Evidence for rapid evolution in a grassland biodiversity experiment

10.1101/262303 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sofia J. van Moorsel ◽

Marc W. Schmid ◽

Niels C.A.M. Wagemaker ◽

Thomas van Gurp ◽

Bernhard Schmid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rapid Evolution ◽

Genotyping By Sequencing ◽

Local Environment ◽

Plant Productivity ◽

Genetic Differences ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Prunella Vulgaris ◽

Jena Experiment ◽

Grassland Species ◽

Biodiversity Effects

AbstractBiodiversity often increases plant productivity. In long-term grassland experiments, positive biodiversity effects on plant productivity commonly increase with time. Also, it has been shown that such positive biodiversity effects persist not only in the local environment but also when plants are transferred into a common environment. Thus, we hypothesized that community diversity had acted as a selective agent, resulting in the emergence of plant monoculture and mixture types with differing genetic composition. To test our hypothesis, we grew offspring from plants that were grown for eleven years in monoculture or mixture environments in a biodiversity experiment (Jena Experiment) under controlled glasshouse conditions in monocultures or two-species mixtures. We used epiGBS, a genotyping-by-sequencing approach combined with bisulfite conversion to provide integrative genetic and epigenetic data. We observed significant genetic and epigenetic divergence according to selection history in three out of five perennial grassland species, namely Galium mollugo, Prunella vulgaris and Veronica chamaedrys, with epigenetic differences mostly reflecting the genetic differences. In addition, current diversity levels in the glasshouse had weak effects on epigenetic variation. However, given the limited genome coverage of the reference-free bisulfite method epiGBS, it remains unclear how much of this epigenetic divergence was independent of underlying genetic differences. Our results thus suggest that selection of genetic variants, and possibly epigenetic variants, caused the rapid emergence of monoculture and mixture types within plant species in the Jena Experiment.

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Evolution of species complementarity in response to drought in a grassland biodiversity experiment

10.21203/rs.3.rs-530107/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuxin Chen ◽

Anja Vogel ◽

Cameron Wagg ◽

Tianyang Xu ◽

Maitane Iturrate-Garcia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Drought Event ◽

Evolutionary Processes ◽

Climatic Extremes ◽

Grassland Species ◽

Extreme Climatic Events ◽

Grassland Biodiversity ◽

Species Mixtures ◽

Biodiversity Effects

Abstract Growing threats from extreme climatic events and biodiversity loss have raised concerns about their interactive consequences for ecosystem functioning. Evidence suggests that biodiversity is crucial to buffer ecosystem functioning facing climatic extremes. However, whether evolutionary processes in species mixtures underpin such biodiversity-dependent stabilizing effects remains elusive. We tested this hypothesis by exposing experimental mixtures of grassland species to eight recurrent summer droughts vs. control in the field. Seed offspring of 12 species were subsequently grown individually, in monocultures or in 2-species mixtures and subjected to a novel drought event in the glasshouse. Comparing mixtures with monocultures, drought-selected plants showed greater between-species complementarity than ambient-selected plants when recovering from the drought event, which led to greater biodiversity effects on community productivity and better recovery of drought-selected mixtures after the drought. These findings suggest biodiversity can buffer the impacts of extreme climatic events through evolution of species complementarity.

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AMF inoculation of green roof substrate improves plant performance but reduces drought resistance of native dry grassland species

Ecological Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.ecoleng.2019.105583 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 105583 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Roland Schröder ◽

Milena Mohri ◽

Kathrin Kiehl

Keyword(s):

Drought Resistance ◽

Green Roof ◽

Plant Performance ◽

Dry Grassland ◽

Grassland Species ◽

Amf Inoculation

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A functional-trait approach reveals community diversity and assembly processes responses to flood disturbance in a subtropical wetland

Ecological Research ◽

10.1007/s11284-014-1207-5 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 57-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Hui Fu ◽

Jiayou Zhong ◽

Guixiang Yuan ◽

Chunjing Guo ◽

Huijun Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Trait ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Flood Disturbance ◽

Subtropical Wetland

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A Comparative Study of Germination Biology and Plant Performance in Two Dry Grassland Species

Folia Geobotanica ◽

10.1007/s12224-010-9084-3 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 35-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Monika Partzsch ◽

Christine Piesch ◽

Isabell Hensen

Keyword(s):

Comparative Study ◽

Plant Performance ◽

Dry Grassland ◽

Grassland Species

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Sex allocation theory aids species conservation

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2005.0430 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 229-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Bruce C Robertson ◽

Graeme P Elliott ◽

Daryl K Eason ◽

Mick N Clout ◽

Neil J Gemmell

Keyword(s):

Sex Allocation ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Sex Ratios ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Supplementary Feeding ◽

Intensive Management ◽

Maternal Condition ◽

Conservation Practice ◽

Individual Survival ◽

Sex Allocation Theory

Supplementary feeding is often a key tool in the intensive management of captive and threatened species. Although it can increase such parameters as breeding frequency and individual survival, supplementary feeding may produce undesirable side effects that increase overall extinction risk. Recent attempts to increase breeding frequency and success in the kakapo Strigops habroptilus using supplementary feeding inadvertently resulted in highly male-biased chick sex ratios. Here, we describe how the inclusion of sex allocation theory has remedied this conservation dilemma. Our study is the first to manipulate chick sex ratios in an endangered species by altering maternal condition and highlights the importance of incorporating evolutionary theory into modern conservation practice.

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The Ecology and Evolution of Alien Plants

Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics ◽

10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110617-062654 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 25-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Mark van Kleunen ◽

Oliver Bossdorf ◽

Wayne Dawson

Keyword(s):

Propagule Pressure ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Biotic Interactions ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Alien Plants ◽

Great Promise ◽

Habitat Specificity ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Open Questions ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

We review the state of the art of alien plant research with emphasis on conceptual advances and knowledge gains on general patterns and drivers, biotic interactions, and evolution. Major advances include the identification of different invasion stages and invasiveness dimensions (geographic range, habitat specificity, local abundance) and the identification of appropriate comparators while accounting for propagule pressure and year of introduction. Developments in phylogenetic and functional trait research bear great promise for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Global patterns are emerging with propagule pressure, disturbance, increased resource availability, and climate matching as major invasion drivers, but species characteristics also play a role. Biotic interactions with resident communities shape invasion outcomes, with major roles for species diversity, enemies, novel weapons, and mutualists. Mounting evidence has been found for rapid evolution of invasive aliens and evolutionary responses of natives, but a mechanistic understanding requires tighter integration of molecular and phenotypic approaches. We hope the open questions identified in this review will stimulate further research on the ecology and evolution of alien plants.

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Recent warming reduces the reproductive advantage of large size and contributes to evolutionary downsizing in nature

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0608 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1928) ◽

pp. 20200608 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David C. Fryxell ◽

Alexander N. Hoover ◽

Daniel A. Alvarez ◽

Finn J. Arnesen ◽

Javiera N. Benavente ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Common Source ◽

Juvenile Growth ◽

Thermal Environments ◽

Large Size ◽

Source Populations ◽

Warming World

Body size is a key functional trait that is predicted to decline under warming. Warming is known to cause size declines via phenotypic plasticity, but evolutionary responses of body size to warming are poorly understood. To test for warming-induced evolutionary responses of body size and growth rates, we used populations of mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ) recently established (less than 100 years) from a common source across a strong thermal gradient (19–33°C) created by geothermal springs. Each spring is remarkably stable in temperature and is virtually closed to gene flow from other thermal environments. Field surveys show that with increasing site temperature, body size distributions become smaller and the reproductive advantage of larger body size decreases. After common rearing to reveal recently evolved trait differences, warmer-source populations expressed slowed juvenile growth rates and increased reproductive effort at small sizes. These results are consistent with an adaptive basis of the plastic temperature–size rule, and they suggest that temperature itself can drive the evolution of countergradient variation in growth rates. The rapid evolution of reduced juvenile growth rates and greater reproduction at a small size should contribute to substantial body downsizing in populations, with implications for population dynamics and for ecosystems in a warming world.

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Ecological differences between two closely related morphologically similar benthic whitefish (Prosopium spilonotus and Prosopium abyssicola) in an endemic whitefish complex

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f06-065 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 63 (8) ◽

pp. 1700-1709 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Benjamen M Kennedy ◽

Brett W Thompson ◽

Chris Luecke

Keyword(s):

Resource Use ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Distinct Group ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Lake Ecosystem ◽

Ecosystem Structure ◽

Lake Whitefish ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Bear Lake ◽

Ecological Differences

Identifying the differences in ecology between closely related species occupying the same environment contributes to our understanding of community diversity, ecosystem structure, and species conservation. Endemic Bear Lake whitefish (Prosopium abyssicola) and Bonneville whitefish (Prosopium spilonotus) are benthic, morphologically similar, and closely related, yet the extent of differential resource use remains poorly understood. To determine the ecological differences between these two species, we studied their seasonal distribution and diet in Bear Lake, Utah–Idaho. We used bottom-set gill nets to examine how catch of each species of whitefish varied in relation to depth and season (spring and summer). In both spring and summer, Bonneville whitefish dominated the shallower depths (5–30 m), whereas Bear Lake whitefish dominated the deeper depths (45–55 m). Bonneville whitefish ate a variety of benthic invertebrates, but mostly Chironomidae, whereas Bear Lake whitefish fed mostly on Ostracoda. These data describe a closely related morphologically similar, yet ecologically distinct group of whitefish in an ecoregion completely different from those studied before. These results indicated that each species has a very different role in the Bear Lake ecosystem. To conserve this unique fish assemblage, both shallow and deepwater habitats need to be protected.

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