Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →

Data from: Adaptive genetic potential and plasticity of trait variation in the foundation prairie grass Andropogon gerardii across the US Great Plains' climate gradient: Implications for climate change and restoration

Plant response to climate depends on a species' adaptive potential. To address this, we used reciprocal gardens to detect genetic and environmental plasticity effects on phenotypic variation and combined with genetic analyses. Four reciprocal garden sites were planted with three regional ecotypes of Andropogon gerardii, a dominant Great Plains prairie grass, using dry, mesic, wet ecotypes originating from western KS to Illinois that span 500 to 1,200 mm rainfall year-1. We aimed to answer: (1) What is the relative role of genetic constraints and phenotypic plasticity in controlling phenotypes? 2) When planted in the home site, is there a trait syndrome for each ecotype? 3) How are genotypes and phenotypes structured by climate? (4) What are implications of these results for response to climate change and use of ecotypes for restoration? Surprisingly, we did not detect consistent local adaptation. Rather, we detected co-gradient variation primarily for most vegetative responses. All ecotypes were stunted in western KS. Eastward, the wet ecotype was increasingly robust relative to other ecotypes. In contrast, fitness showed evidence for local adaptation in wet and dry ecotypes with wet and mesic ecotypes producing little seed in western KS. Earlier flowering time in the dry ecotype suggests adaptation to end of season drought. Considering ecotype traits in home site, the dry ecotype was characterized by reduced canopy area and diameter, short plants, and low vegetative biomass and putatively adapted to water limitation. The wet ecotype was robust, tall with high biomass and wide leaves putatively adapted for the highly competitive, light-limited Eastern Great Plains. Ecotype differentiation was supported by random forest classification and PCA. We detected genetic differentiation and outlier genes associated primarily with precipitation. We identified candidate gene GA1 for which allele frequency associated with plant height. Sourcing of climate adapted ecotypes should be considered for restoration.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Climate variables explain neutral and adaptive variation within salmonid metapopulations: the importance of replication in landscape genetics

Understanding how environmental variation influences population genetic structure is important for conservation management because it can reveal how human stressors influence population connectivity, genetic diversity, and persistence. We used riverscape genetics modeling to assess whether climatic and habitat variables were related to neutral and adaptive patterns of genetic differentiation (population specific and pairwise FST) within five metapopulations (79 populations, 4,583 individuals) of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Columbia River Basin, USA. Using 151 putatively neutral and 29 candidate adaptive SNP loci, we found that climate-related variables (winter precipitation, summer maximum temperature, winter highest 5% flow events, and summer mean flow) often explained neutral and adaptive patterns of genetic differentiation within metapopulations, suggesting that climatic variation likely influences both demography (neutral variation) and local adaptation (adaptive variation). However, we did not observe consistent relationships between climate variables and FST across all metapopulations, underscoring the need for replication when extrapolating results from one scale to another (e.g., basin-wide to the metapopulation scale). Sensitivity analysis (leave-one-population-out) revealed consistent relationships between climate variables and FST within three metapopulations; however, these patterns were not consistent in two metapopulations likely due to small sample sizes (N = 10). These results provide correlative evidence that climatic variation has shaped the genetic structure of steelhead populations and highlight the need for replication and sensitivity analyses in land and riverscape genetics.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Lowland biotic attrition revisited: body size and variation among climate change 'winners' and 'losers'

The responses of lowland tropical communities to climate change will critically influence global biodiversity but remain poorly understood. If species in these systems are unable to tolerate warming, the communities—currently the most diverse on Earth—may become depauperate ('biotic attrition'). In response to temperature changes, animals can adjust their distribution in space or their activity in time, but these two components of the niche are seldom considered together. We assessed the spatio-temporal niches of rainforest mammal species in Borneo across gradients in elevation and temperature. Most species are not predicted to experience changes in spatio-temporal niche availability, even under pessimistic warming scenarios. Responses to temperature are not predictable by phylogeny but do appear to be trait-based, being much more variable in smaller-bodied taxa. General circulation models and weather station data suggest unprecedentedly high midday temperatures later in the century; predicted responses to this warming among small-bodied species range from 9% losses to 6% gains in spatio-temporal niche availability, while larger species have close to 0% predicted change. Body mass may therefore be a key ecological trait influencing the identity of climate change winners and losers. Mammal species composition will probably change in some areas as temperatures rise, but full-scale biotic attrition this century appears unlikely.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Variation in intraspecific demography drives localised concordance but species-wide discordance in responses to Plio-Pleistocene climatic change

Understanding how species biology may facilitate resilience to climate change remains a critical factor in detecting and protecting species at risk of extinction. Many studies have focused on the role of particular ecological traits in driving species responses, but less so on demographic history and levels of standing genetic variation. We used environmental and genomic datasets to reconstruct the phylogeographic histories of two ecologically similar and largely co-distributed freshwater fishes to assess the degree of concordance in their responses to Plio-Pleistocene climatic changes. Although several co-occurring populations demonstrated concordant demographic histories, idiosyncratic population size changes were found at the range edges of the more spatially restricted species. Discordant responses between species were associated with low standing genetic variation in peripheral populations. This might have hindered adaptive potential, as documented in recent population declines and extinctions of the two species. Our results highlight both the role of spatial scale in the degree of concordance in species responses to climate change, and the importance of standing genetic variation in facilitating range shifts. Even when ecological traits are similar between species, long-term genetic diversity and historical population demography may lead to discordant responses to ongoing and future climate change

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

Sampling plot × species matrix from: Climate-driven elevational variation in range sizes of vascular plants in the central Himalayas: a supporting case for Rapoport's rule

A fundamental yet controversial topic in biogeography is how and why species range sizes vary along spatial gradients. To advance our understanding of these questions and to provide insights into biological conservation, we assessed elevational variations in the range sizes of vascular plants with different life forms and biogeographical affinities and explored the main drivers underlying these variations in the longest valley in China's Himalayas, the Gyirong Valley. Elevational range sizes of vascular plants were documented in 96 sampling plots along an elevational gradient ranging from 1,800 to 5,400 m above sea level. We assessed the elevational variations in range size by averaging the range sizes of all recorded species within each sampling plot. We then related the range size to climate, disturbance, and the mid-domain effect, and explored the relative importance of these factors in explaining the range size variations using the Random Forest model. A total of 545 vascular plants were recorded in the sampling plots along the elevational gradient. Of these, 158, 387, 337, and 112 were woody, herbaceous, temperate, and tropical species, respectively. The range size of each group of vascular plants exhibited uniform increasing trends along the elevational gradient, which was consistent with the prediction of Rapoport's rule. Climate was the main driver of the increasing trends of vascular plant range sizes in the Gyirong Valley. The climate variability hypothesis and mean climate condition hypothesis could both explain the elevation-range size relationships. Our results reinforce the previous notion that Rapoport's rule applies to regions where the influence of climate is the most pronounced, and call for close attention to the impact of climate change to prevent species range contraction and even extinction due to global warming.

Supplementary material 4 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

: Explanation note: Supplementary table 4.

Supplementary material 3 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

: Explanation note: Supplementary table 3.

Supplementary material 1 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

: Explanation note: Supplementary figures.

Supplementary material 2 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

: Explanation note: Supplementary tables 1, 2 and 5.

Fig 6 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 6 Cluster analysis dendrograms showing site and grazing treatment similarities of grasshopper species compositions; A. Spring; B. Fall.

Fig 2 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 2 Annual average (12 months/year) temperatures at each of the study sites over the five-year study period.

Fig 1 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 1 Total annual precipitation (January-December) at each of the study sites over the five-year study period.

Fig 5 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 5 Cluster analysis dendrograms of grasshopper species similarities based on substrate use among all grasshopper species over all sites, years and seasons; A. Based on specific substrate use to the plant species level and bare soil; B. Based on substrates categorized to forbs, grasses, shrubs and bare soil.

Fig 4 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 4 Examples of each grasshopper life-form type; A. Arbusticole; Bootettix argentatus on Larrea tridentata; B. Graminicole; Paropomala pallida on Bouteloua eriopoda; C. Terri-graminicole; Phlibostroma quadrimaculatum; D. Herbicole; Tropidolophus formosus on Spharalcea hastulata; E. Terricole; Trimerotropis pallidipennis.

Fig 3 from: Lightfoot DC (2018) The effects of livestock grazing and climate variation on vegetation and grasshopper communities in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 35-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.27.19945

Fig 3 Cluster analysis dendrogram showing the similarities of plant species compositions at sites and grazed and not grazed transects within sites, from annual canopy cover/m2 averaged over all years and seasons; A. Spring; B. Fall.

opencc-zeroSep 2021View details →

Data from: Phylogenetic niche conservatism and variations in species diversity-climate relationships

Although contemporary climate has been identified as one of the major determinants of large-scale species diversity patterns, its effect on species diversity greatly varies among clades. Understanding the drivers of the variation in species diversity-climate relationships (DCRs) across clades, which is critical for developing general mechanisms underlying the effects of climate on species diversity patterns, remains a current challenge. Using newly compiled distribution data of 914 Rosaceae species in China and a dated genus-level phylogeny, we first assessed the DCRs for the entire family, the two major growth forms (woody vs. herbaceous), and each genus separately, and then explored the drivers underlying the variation in DCRs across different clades. We found that the DCRs significantly differed between woody and herbaceous plants and among different genera in this family. Closely-related genera had more similar species diversity patterns and DCRs than expected. Both the ancestral climate niches of different genera and the discrepancy between contemporary and ancestral climate niches explained the variations in DCR slopes across genera with high explanatory power, indicating the effect of niche conservatism on DCRs. Our study suggests that niche conservatism is a major driver of DCR variations between clades, which enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying large-scale species diversity patterns.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Data from: Heritable variation and lack of tradeoffs suggest adaptive capacity in Acropora cervicornis despite negative synergism under climate change scenarios

Knowledge of multi-stressor interactions and the potential for trade-offs among tolerance traits is essential for developing intervention strategies for the conservation and restoration of reef ecosystems in a changing climate. Thermal extremes and acidification are two major co-occurring stresses predicted to limit the recovery of vital Caribbean reef-building corals. Here we conducted an aquaria-based experiment to quantify the effects of increased water temperatures and pCO2 individually and in concert on 12 genotypes of the endangered branching coral, Acropora cervicornis, currently being reared and outplanted for large-scale coral restoration. Quantification of 11 host, symbiont, and holobiont traits throughout the 2-month long experiment showed several synergistic negative effects, where the combined stress treatment often caused greater reduction in physiological function than the individual stressors alone. However, we found significant genetic variation for most traits and positive trait correlations among treatments indicating an apparent lack of tradeoffs, suggesting that adaptive evolution will not be constrained. Our results suggest that it may be possible to incorporate climate-resistant coral genotypes into restoration and selective breeding programs, potentially accelerating adaptation.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2018View details →

Figure 3 from: Hassall M, Moss A, Dixie B, Gilroy JJ (2018) Interspecific variation in responses to microclimate by terrestrial isopods: implications in relation to climate change. In: Hornung E, Taiti S, Szlavecz K (Eds) Isopods in a Changing World. ZooKeys 801: 5-24. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.24934

Figure 3 Aggregation of isopod species differing in desiccation resistance at different temperatures. Mean ± 1 SE aggregation indices (variance:mean ratio) at 90% relative humidity. aP.scaber (F 4,249 = 3.76, p < 0.01) bA.vulgare (F 4,249 = 1.97, P < 0.01) cO.asellus (F 4, 249 = 12.22, P < 0.001) d thermal reaction norms for aggregation expressed as quadratic response curves for: P.scaber (dashed line): y = -11.519 + 1.526× - 0.04×2; A.vulgare (solid line): y = -3.534 + 0.574× 0.016×2; O.asellus (dotted line): y = -5.890 + 0.814× – 0.018×2.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2018View details →

Figure 4 from: Hassall M, Moss A, Dixie B, Gilroy JJ (2018) Interspecific variation in responses to microclimate by terrestrial isopods: implications in relation to climate change. In: Hornung E, Taiti S, Szlavecz K (Eds) Isopods in a Changing World. ZooKeys 801: 5-24. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.801.24934

Figure 4 Moisture reaction norms for a) sheltering and b) feeding behaviours with changing sand moisture content (time spent in behaviour as percentages of total observed behaviours). Lines represent linear regression models: A.vulgare (solid line) (sheltering: y = 95.24 – 1.05×; feeding: y = 0.32 + 0.03), P.scaber (dashed line) (sheltering: y = 96.72 – 0.19×; feeding: y= 0.22 + 0.05×), Ph.muscorum (dotted line) (sheltering: y = 93.14 – 2.16×; feeding: y = 0.36 + 0.55x). Further regression statistics and number of observations (N), are given in Table 1.