scholarly journals Functional trait divergence and trait plasticity confer polyploid advantage in heterogeneous environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 221 (4) ◽  
pp. 2286-2297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Wei ◽  
Richard Cronn ◽  
Aaron Liston ◽  
Tia‐Lynn Ashman
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Wei ◽  
Richard Cronn ◽  
Aaron Liston ◽  
Tia-Lynn Ashman

ABSTRACTPolyploidy, or whole genome duplication, exists in all eukaryotes and is thought to drive ecological and evolutionary success especially in plants. The mechanisms of polyploid success in ecologically relevant contexts, however, remain largely unknown. Here we conducted an extensive test of functional trait divergence and trait plasticity in conferring polyploid fitness advantage in changing environments by growing clonal replicates of a worldwide genotype collection of six polyploid and five diploid wild strawberry (Fragaria) species in three climatically different common gardens. Among leaf functional traits, we detected divergence in means but not plasticities between polyploids and diploids, suggesting that increased genomic redundancy does not necessarily translate into broader phenotypic amplitude in polyploids. Across the heterogeneous garden environments, however, polyploids exhibited fitness advantage, which was conferred by both trait means and adaptive trait plasticities, supporting a ‘jack-and-master’ hypothesis for polyploids. Our findings provide unparalleled insight into the prevalence and persistence of polyploidization.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Zhongyue Li ◽  
Zhengquan Wang ◽  
Jiacun Gu

Absorptive and transport fine roots (diameter ≤ 2 mm) differ greatly in anatomy, morphology, and physiology, as well as their responses to environmental changes. However, it is still not well understood how their functional traits and biomass repartition respond to resource variability associated with increasing soil depth. Herein, we sampled the first five order roots of three hardwoods, i.e., Juglans mandshurica Maxim., Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr., and Phellodendron amurense Rupr. at surface (0–10 cm) and subsurface (20–30 cm) soil layers, respectively, and measured root biomass, anatomy, morphology, chemistry, and physiology at the branch-order level. Based on the anatomical characteristics, absorptive and transport fine roots were identified within each order, and their amounts and functional trait plasticity to soil depth were examined. The results showed that across soil layers, the first three order roots were mainly absorptive roots, while the fourth- and fifth-order roots were transport ones. From surface to subsurface soil layers, both the number and biomass proportion of absorptive fine roots decreased but those of transport fine roots increased. Transport fine root traits were more plastic to soil depth than absorptive ones, especially for the conduit-related traits. Absorptive fine roots in surface soil generally had stronger potential for resource acquisition than those in deeper soil, as indicated by their longer specific root length and greater root branching density. In comparison, transport fine roots in deeper soil were generally enhanced in their transportation function, with wider stele and higher hydraulic conductivity. Our findings suggest that functional specialization via multi-trait plasticity and coordination in both absorptive and transport fine roots along the soil depth would benefit the efficient soil resource exploitation of trees in forest ecosystems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (4) ◽  
pp. 1607-1620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Conti ◽  
Svenja Block ◽  
Madalin Parepa ◽  
Tamara Münkemüller ◽  
Wilfried Thuiller ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (9) ◽  
pp. 2393-2408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodoros Mastrotheodoros ◽  
Christoforos Pappas ◽  
Peter Molnar ◽  
Paolo Burlando ◽  
Trevor F. Keenan ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 103 (12) ◽  
pp. 2058-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Murphy ◽  
Jean H. Burns ◽  
Marie Fougère-Danezan ◽  
Rebecca E. Drenovsky

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Matthius Eger ◽  
Rebecca J. Best ◽  
Julia Kathleen Baum

Biodiversity and ecosystem function are often correlated, but there are multiple hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Ecosystem functions such as primary or secondary production may be maximized by species richness, evenness in species abundances, or the presence or dominance of species with certain traits. Here, we combined surveys of natural fish communities (conducted in July and August, 2016) with morphological trait data to examine relationships between diversity and ecosystem function (quantified as fish community biomass) across 14 subtidal eelgrass meadows in the Northeast Pacific (54° N 130° W). We employed both taxonomic and functional trait measures of diversity to investigate if ecosystem function is driven by species diversity (complementarity hypothesis) or by the presence or dominance of species with particular trait values (selection or dominance hypotheses). After controlling for environmental variation, we found that fish community biomass is maximized when taxonomic richness and functional evenness is low, and in communities dominated by species with particular trait values – those associated with benthic habitats and prey capture. While previous work on fish communities has found that species richness is positively correlated with ecosystem function, our results instead highlight the capacity for regionally prevalent and locally dominant species to drive ecosystem function in moderately diverse communities. We discuss these alternate links between community composition and ecosystem function and consider their divergent implications for ecosystem valuation and conservation prioritization.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document