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139 results for “intraspecific trait”
Data from: Above- and belowground drivers of intraspecific trait variability across subcontinental gradients for five ubiquitous forest plants in North America
<p class="MsoPlainText">Intraspecific trait variability (ITV) provides the material for species adaptation to environmental changes. To advance our understanding of how ITV can contribute to species adaptation to a wide range of environmental conditions, we studied five widespread understory forest species exposed to both continental-scale climate gradients, and local soil and disturbance gradients. We investigated the environmental drivers of between-site leaf and root trait variation, and tested whether higher between-site ITV was associated with increased trait sensitivity to environmental variation (i.e. environmental fit).</p> <p class="MsoPlainText">We measured morphological (specific leaf area: SLA, specific root length: SRL) and chemical traits (Leaf and Root N, P, K, Mg, Ca) of five forest understory vascular plant<span> </span>species at 78 sites across Canada. A total of 261 species-by-site combinations spanning ~4300 km were sampled, capturing important abiotic and biotic environmental gradients (neighbourhood composition, canopy structure, soil conditions, climate). We used multivariate and univariate linear mixed models to identify drivers of ITV and test the association of between-site ITV with environmental fit.</p> <p class="MsoPlainText">Between-site ITV of leaf traits was primarily driven by canopy structure and climate. Comparatively, environmental drivers explained only a small proportion of variability in root traits: these relationships were trait-specific and included soil conditions (Root P), canopy structure (Root N) and neighbourhood composition (SRL, Root K). Between-site ITV was associated with increased environmental fit only for a minority of traits, primarily in response to climate (SLA, Leaf N, SRL).</p> <p class="MsoPlainText">Synthesis. By studying how ITV is structured along environmental gradients among species adapted to a wide range of conditions, we can begin to understand how individual species might respond to environmental change. Our results show that generalizable trait-environment relationships occur primarily aboveground and only accounted for a small proportion of variability. For our group of species with broad ecological niches, variability in traits was only rarely associated with higher environmental fit, and primarily along climatic gradients. These results point to promising research avenues on the various ways in which trait variation can affect species performance along different environmental gradients.</p>
Data from: The intraspecific relationship between wood density, vessel diameter and other traits across environmental gradients
<p>This data is about several traits measured on branches of 3 wide-niche breadth tree species--Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae, Nothofagus antarctica (Nothofagaceae) and N. pumilio--growing across environmental gradients in southern Chile. The traits involve leaf, wood anatomy, including wood density, growth, carbon reserves and wood isotopes.</p>
Intraspecific variation in plant economic traits predicts trembling aspen resistance to a generalist insect herbivore
<p>Patterns of trait expression within some plant species have recently been shown to follow patterns described by the leaf economics spectrum paradigm. Resistance to herbivores is also expected to covary with leaf economics traits. We selected multiple mature <em>Populus tremuloides</em> genotypes from a common garden to assess whether aspen leaf economics patterns follow those observed among species globally. We also evaluated leaf economics strategies in the context of insect resistance by conducting bioassays to determine the effects of plant traits on preference and performance of <em>Lymantria dispar. </em>We found that: 1) intraspecific trait patterns of <em>P. tremuloides</em> parallel those exhibited by the interspecific leaf economics spectrum, 2) herbivores preferred leaves from genotypes with resource-acquisitive strategies, and 3) herbivores also performed best on genotypes<em> </em>with resource-acquisitive strategies. We conclude that a leaf economics spectrum that incorporates defense traits is a useful tool for explaining intraspecific patterns of variation in plant strategies, including resistance to herbivores.</p>
Intraspecific trait changes in response to drought lead to trait convergence between- but not within species
<p>Drought is expected to increase in future climate scenarios. Although responses to drought of individual functional traits are relatively well-known, simultaneous changes across multiple traits in response to water scarcity remain poorly understood despite its importance to understand alternative strategies to resist drought. We grew 52 herbaceous species in monocultures under drought and control treatments and characterized the functional space using seven measured above- and belowground traits: plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, specific root length, average root diameter, and root dry matter content. Then, we estimated how each species occupied this space and the amount of functional space occupied in both treatments using trait probability density functions. We also estimated intraspecific trait variability (ITV) for each species as the dissimilarity in trait values between the individuals of each treatment. We then mapped drought resistance and ITV in the functional space using generalized additive models. The response of species to drought strongly depended on their traits, with species that invested more in root tissues and conserved small size being both more resistant to drought and having higher ITV. We also observed a significant trend of trait displacement towards less conservative strategies. However, these changes depended strongly on the trait values of species in the control treatment, with species with different traits having opposing responses to drought. These contrasting responses resulted in lower trait variability in the species pool in drought compared to control conditions. Our results suggest strong trait filtering acting on conservative species as well as the existence of an optimal part in the functional space to which species converge under drought. Our results show that changes in species trait-space occupancy are key to understand plant strategies to withstand drought, highlighting the importance of individual variation in response to environmental changes, and suggest that community-wide functional diversity and biomass productivity could decrease in a drier future. Knowing these shifts will help to anticipate changes in ecosystem functioning facing climate change.</p>
Data for: Substantial intraspecific trait variation across a hydrological gradient in northern Australian fishes
<p>Trait-based models of ecological communities and ecosystem functioning often fail to account for intraspecific variation in functional traits, <span>assuming that intraspecific variability is negligible compared to interspecific variability</span>. However, this assumption remains poorly tested across vertebrate animals where past studies routinely describe species according to mean trait values without explicit consideration of individual trait variability. We assessed nine functional traits for 4,254 individuals belonging to 15 freshwater fish species from 11 families in Northern Australia, including: body elongation, body shape, caudal peduncle throttle, eye size, eye position, gape shape, gape size, mouth position and pectoral fin length. We quantified the extent and geography of intraspecific trait variability and its relationship with riverine hydrologic regimes using a structured sampling design. Using a combination of single- and multi-trait analyses, we demonstrate that intraspecific trait variability can contribute up to 70% of the total trait variability depending on the attribute considered and averaged 31% across all traits. The magnitude of intraspecific trait variability also varied across the hydrological permanency gradient. Fish assemblages in intermittent streams subjected to frequent environmental disturbance had high intraspecific trait variability, most likely due to strong abiotic filters limiting interspecific divergence. Conversely, assemblages in perennial rivers with less harsh environmental filters but with a larger pool of species expressed lower intraspecific trait variability: this is most likely due to stronger resource competition (biotic filter), which promotes specialization of resource use and, consequently, interspecific divergence. Our study provides the first evidence of intraspecific trait variability driven by a disturbance gradient for an animal group and points to the need for additional research into the functional importance of intraspecific variability in animal ecology. A better understanding of the patterns, drivers, and implications of intraspecific trait variability will help guide mechanistic-based predictions of the effects of environmental changes on community assemblage and ecosystem processes.</p>
Intraspecific trait variation alters the outcome of competition in freshwater ciliates
<p>Trait variation among heterospecific and conspecific organisms may substantially affect community and food web dynamics. While the relevance of competition and feeding traits have been widely studied for different consumer species, studies on intraspecific differences are more scarce, partly owing to difficulties in distinguishing different clones of the same species. Here, we investigate how intraspecific trait variation affects the competition between the freshwater ciliates <i>Euplotes octocarinatus</i> and <i>Coleps hirtus</i> in a nitrogen-limited chemostat system. The ciliates competed for the microalgae <i>Cryptomonas</i> sp. (<i>Cry</i>) and <i>Navicula pelliculosa</i> (<i>Nav</i>), and the bacteria present in the cultures over a period of 33 days. We used monoclonal <i>Euplotes</i> and three different <i>Coleps</i> clones (<i>Col</i> 1, <i>Col</i> 2, <i>Col</i> 3) in the experiment that could be distinguished by a newly developed rDNA-based molecular assay based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. While <i>Euplotes</i> feeds on <i>Cry</i> and on bacteria, the <i>Coleps</i> clones cannot survive on bacteria alone but feed on both <i>Cry</i> and <i>Nav</i> with clone-specific rates. Experimental treatments comprised two-species mixtures of <i>Euplotes</i> and one or all of the three different <i>Coleps</i> clones, respectively. We found intraspecific variation in the traits "selectivity" and "maximum ingestion rate" for the different algae to significantly affect the competitive outcome between the two ciliate species. As <i>Nav</i> quickly escaped top-down control and likely reached a state of low food quality, ciliate competition was strongly determined by the preference of different <i>Coleps</i> clones for <i>Cry</i> as opposed to feeding on <i>Nav</i>. In addition, the ability of <i>Euplotes</i> to use bacteria as an alternative food source strengthened its persistence once <i>Cry</i> was depleted. Hence, trait variation at both trophic levels co-determined the population dynamics and the outcome of species competition. --</p>
Size-dependent intraspecific variation in wood traits has little impact on aboveground carbon estimates in a tropical forest landscape
<p>There is increasing evidence that intraspecific trait variation plays a role in governing rates of ecosystem functioning. While wood traits such as wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) are key drivers of forest aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks, the sources of intraspecific variation in these wood traits and the consequences of this variation on AGC are poorly known, especially in the tropics.</p> <p>Here, we investigated intraspecific variation in wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) from 556 individual trees belonging to 15 species that well characterize different successional stages of seasonal evergreen forests in Southeast Asia. Specifically, we tested the contribution of individual or species characteristics (tree size, growth rate and regeneration guilds) and local environmental conditions (topographic wetness index and successional stages) to intraspecific variation in WSG and WCC, and assessed the consequences of intraspecific variation in these wood traits on AGC estimates in 14 permanent forest plots established along a successional gradient in Khao Yai National park, Thailand.</p> <p>We found that tree size was the main driver of intraspecific variation in WSG and WCC as tree sizes increased from 10−100 cm in diameter, WSG increased by 7.3%, while WCC increased by 2.4% in heartwood, 1.6% and 2.7% in sapwood without and with volatile carbon included. There was no effect of the topographic wetness and other local environment condition in wood traits led to a slight overestimation of AGC in young secondary forests (+0.09 to +1.29%) and a small underestimation in older forests (-0.86 to -2.87%), but overall AGC estimates (13 of 14 forest plots) remained within error margins (the 95% interval).</p> <p>Our study provides evidence that tree size variation translates into intraspecific variability in wood traits, whereas local environmental conditions related to topography successional stages had no effect on wood trait variability. While size-dependent variation in WSG and WCC have largely been undocumented and thus ignored in forest carbon assessment approaches, we highlight that it has a limited impact on AGC estimates, indicating that it does not invalidate current forest carbon stock estimation approaches. </p>
Heterozygote advantage and pleiotropy contribute to intraspecific color trait variability
<p><span>The persistence of intrapopulation phenotypic variation typically requires some form of balancing selection since drift and directional selection eventually erode genetic variation.</span> <span>Heterozygote advantage remains a classic explanation for the maintenance of genetic variation in the face of selection. However, examples of heterozygote advantage, other than those associated with disease resistance are rather uncommon. </span><span>Across most of its distribution, males of the aposematic moth Arctia plantaginis have two hindwing phenotypes determined by a heritable one locus-two allele polymorphism (genotypes: WW/Wy = white morph, yy = yellow morph). Using genotyped moths we show that the presence of one or two copies of the <em>yellow </em>allele affects several life-history traits. Reproductive output of both males and females, and female mating success are negatively affected by two copies of the <em>yellow </em>allele. Females carrying one <em>yellow </em>allele (i.e. Wy) have higher fertility, hatching success, and offspring survival than either homozygote, thus leading to strong heterozygote advantage. Our results indicate strong female contribution especially at the postcopulatory stage in maintaining the color polymorphism. The interplay between heterozygote advantage, <em>yellow </em>allele pleiotropic effect and morph-specific predation pressure may exert balancing selection on the color locus, suggesting that color polymorphism may be maintained through complex interactions between natural and sexual selection.</span></p>
Intraspecific trait variation in a dryland tree species corresponds to regional climate gradients
<p><strong>Aim:</strong> Intraspecific trait variation is fundamental to understanding a species' adaptive capacity. Assessing phenotypic variation at different ecological scales is useful for evaluating species' vulnerability to changing environmental conditions. Here we quantify the ecological scale of variation of phenotypic functional traits for a widespread dryland tree species in the western United States, <em>Pinus monophylla</em>, and evaluate the strength of trait-environment relationships across spatial gradients and in response to interannual variability in weather conditions.</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> Western United States</p> <p><strong>Taxon:</strong> Conifer tree (Pinaceae): <em>Pinus monophylla</em></p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> Nine reproductive and foliar morphological traits were measured from 23 sampling locations in nine mountain ranges, stratified across broad-scale gradients of precipitation timing and quantity and local gradients of elevation. We partitioned trait variation within and among nested ecological scales (mountain range, site, tree, and tree growth year). We then used multivariate methods to quantify the association between environmental variables and ecological trade-offs associated with both reproductive and foliar traits.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Most variation was explained at the scale of individual trees (18–46%) and between growth years (20–30%), with smaller but variable contributions at the scale of sites (8–25%) and mountain ranges (0–15%). Trait values had low correlation with environmental variables (13%); however, 94% of the trait-environment covariance was explained by two major axes of variation: (1) the drought-stress gradient covarying with reproductive traits, and (2) precipitation patterns covarying with foliar morphology.</p> <p><strong>Main conclusions:</strong> High levels of individual trait variation indicate within-population adaptive capacity. Consistent relationships among range-wide patterns of foliar and reproductive traits and broad-scale climate gradients provide indirect evidence of local adaptation and may inform seed sourcing for restoration or the potential for assisted migration efforts. Quantification of intraspecific trait variation across multiple ecological scales is important for understanding the potential climate change response of dryland tree species.</p>
Mycorrhizae influence plant vegetative and floral traits and intraspecific trait variation
<p>Premise. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can strongly influence host plant vegetative growth, but less is known about AMF effects on other plant traits, the relative impacts of AMF on vegetative growth versus floral traits, or AMF-induced intraspecific variation in traits.</p> <p>Key results. AMF species varied in their effects on host plants, from negative to positive effects. AMF often had inconsistent effects on vegetative biomass versus floral traits, and therefore quantifying one or the other may provide a misleading representation of potential AMF effects. AMF treatments generated key variation in plant traits, especially floral traits, with potential consequences for plant-pollinator interactions. Given increased intraspecific trait variation in Linum lewisii plants across AMF species compared to uninoculated individuals or single AMF treatments, local AMF diversity and their host plant associations may scale up to influence community-wide patterns of trait variation and species interactions.</p> <p>Conclusions. These results have implications for predicting how aboveground communities are affected by belowground communities. Including AMF effects on not just host plant biomass but also functional traits and trait variation will deepen our understanding of community structure and function, including pollination.</p>
Data from: Functional response of subordinate species to intraspecific trait variability within dominant species
1. Dominant species can act as a biotic filter in structuring plant communities by constraining the establishment and survival of subordinate species. The effect of intraspecific trait variability of dominant species on the functional response of subordinate species, however, is not well understood. 2. We quantified intraspecific variation in four functional traits of 26 subordinate species established in an experimental grassland established with two population sources (i.e., cultivars and local ecotypes) of three dominant grasses (Sorghastrum nutans, Andropogon gerardii, and Schizachyrium scoparium) and three pools of subordinate species (each from one origin) within each of the dominant grass source treatments. 3. Twenty of the 26 subordinate species exhibited intraspecific trait variability for one trait or more in response to dominant species population source, and variation among population sources of the dominant species was non-random. Dominant grass population source affected intraspecific variability in functional traits of multiple subordinate species. Cultivar sources of the dominant grasses and some of the subordinate species that established with them had higher and generally more variable functional leaf area and leaf nitrogen content compared to local ecotypes of the dominant grasses and the subordinate species that established with them. 4. Synthesis. This study provides evidence that intraspecific trait variability in dominant species acts as an inner, biotic filter to constrain niche availability and dimensionality affecting trait variation of subordinate species during community assembly.
Data from: Hedging at the rear edge: Intraspecific trait variability drives the trajectory of marginal populations in a widespread boreal tree species
<p>Rear-edge populations at the warm margin of species distribution are small, isolated and face environmental conditions at the limit of species bioclimatic envelope. Intraspecific phenotypic variation contributing to the persistence of peripheral populations is expected to become increasingly important under future climate conditions in order to avoid local extirpation where range shifts lag behind climate change velocity.</p> <p>We investigated the putative role of intraspecific phenotypic variation for the maintenance of rear-edge populations of fire-prone jack pine (<em>Pinus banksiana</em>), an obligate pyriscent boreal species. We assessed whether variation in cone serotiny is associated with the population trajectory of marginal stands located south of the boreal biome, in the temperate forest where natural wildfires are infrequent and unpredictable. To this end, we estimated stand-scale serotiny, minimal age and tree size structure in 26 jack pine stands from the rear edge (n = 17 sites) and the core (n = 9 sites) of the species' range in eastern Canada.</p> <p>On average, rear-edge jack pine populations are less serotinous albeit more variably compared to range-core populations where serotiny is more uniformly high. Rear-edge stands are generally older and display reverse J-shape tree size structure indicative of a multi-aged demographic equilibrium, whereas range-core stands are younger and show a unimodal stand structure depicting a single aging cohort generally lacking interfire recruitment. Eco-evolutionary dynamics shifts from a dependency on wildfires in range-core populations to stands that can regenerate and persist without recurrent fires at the rear edge, where stand-scale serotiny reaches values below 85%.</p> <p>Synthesis: Unlike range-core populations, rear-edge jack pine populations can locally rely on a dual life-history strategy to ensure both steady recruitment during fire-free intervals and successful postfire regeneration. This capacity to cope with infrequent and unpredictable fire regime should increase the resilience and resistance of jack pine populations as global changes alter fire dynamics of the boreal forest. More generally, unique intraspecific phenotypic variation in rear-edge populations contributes to long-term species persistence in marginal environmental conditions that might scale up with global changes. The conservation of rear-edge populations and their genetic legacy appears crucial for the resilience of species.</p>
Decoupling of functional traits from intraspecific patterns of growth and drought stress resistance
<p>Intraspecific variation in functional traits may mediate tree species' drought resistance, yet it remains unknown if trait variation is due to genotype (G), environment (E), or GxE interactions. Understanding the drivers of intraspecific trait variation and whether variation mediates drought response can improve predictions of species' response to future drought.</p> <p>Using populations of quaking aspen spanning a climate gradient, we investigated intraspecific variation in functional traits in the field as well as the influence of G and E among propagules in a common garden. We also tested for trait-mediated trade-offs in growth and drought stress tolerance.</p> <p>We observed intraspecific trait variation among the populations, yet this variation did not necessarily translate to higher drought stress tolerance in hotter/drier populations. Additionally, plasticity in the common garden was low, especially in propagules derived from the hottest/driest population. We found no growth-drought stress tolerance trade-offs and few traits exhibited significant relationships with mortality in the natural populations, suggesting that intraspecific trait variation among the traits measured did not strongly mediate responses to drought stress.</p> <p>Our results highlight the limits of trait-mediated responses to drought stress and the complex GxE interactions that may underly drought stress tolerance variation in forests in dry environments.</p>
Tackling local ecological homogeneity: Finding intraspecific trait variability in local populations of Mediterranean plants
<p>Local homogeneity, in ecology, is the often undisclosed assumption that variability within populations is negligible or mostly distributed evenly. In large areas, this can lead to the aggregation of different populations without regard for their unique needs and characteristics, such as drought sensitivity and functional traits distributions. Here we discuss whether this assumption can be justified, and we hypothesize that discerning the source of variation between plasticity and adaptation could be a feasible approach to formulate an informed decision. We test this hypothesis on plants, resorting to a common garden experiment to determine the source of variation of several plant functional traits at a local scale (~60 Km) of three wild species: <em>Quercus ilex</em>, <em>Pistacia lentiscus</em> and <em>Cistus salviifolius</em>. Individuals of each species were sourced from three key sites chosen along a local aridity gradient. Our approach led to the rejection of the local homogeneity assumption for <em>Q. ilex</em> and <em>C. salviifolius</em> at this scale due to the adaptive divergence observed among neighbouring populations. This case study provides evidence that addressing local homogeneity can highlight diverging populations in a relatively simple way. We conclude that gathering empirical evidence on intraspecific variability is a feasible approach that can provide researchers with solid bases to decide whether to adopt the local homogeneity assumption or not.</p>
Predicting amphibian intraspecific diversity with machine learning: Challenges and prospects for integrating traits, geography, and genetic data
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Data from: Species interactions and environmental context affect intraspecific behavioural trait variation and ecosystem function
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Data from: Soil nutrient availability rather than spatial nutrient heterogeneity shapes the intraspecific response of root architectural, morphological, and mycorrhizal traits in <em>Vaccinium myrtillus</em>
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Inter- and intraspecific trait variation shape multidimensional trait overlap between two plant invaders and the invaded communities
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Mycorrhizae influence plant vegetative and floral traits and intraspecific trait variation
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Including intraspecific trait variability to avoid distortion of functional diversity and ecological inference: lessons from natural assemblages
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