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Dataset: Improving the prediction of fertilizer phosphorus availability to plants with simple, but non-standardized extraction techniques

Dataset: Improving the prediction of fertilizer phosphorus availability to plants with simple, but non-standardized extraction techniques

Timing of a plant–herbivore interaction alters plant growth and reproduction

Phenological shifts in timing of species interactions have the potential to change size-structured species interactions, but relatively few studies have used experimental manipulations to examine the season-long effects of phenological mismatches in multiple development contexts. While previous experimental studies have examined how phenological mismatches in plant-herbivore interactions can affect both plants and their herbivores, less is known about their effects on subsequent plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we conducted an experiment to determine how shifts in the phenological timing of monarch (Danaus plexippus) larval herbivory affected milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) host plant performance, including effects on growth and subsequent effects on flower and seed pod phenology and production. We found that variation in the timing of herbivory affected both plant growth and reproduction, with measurable effects several weeks to months after herbivory ended. The timing of herbivory had qualitatively different effects on vegetative and reproductive biomass: early-season herbivory had the strongest effects on plant size, while late-season herbivory had the strongest effects on the production of viable seeds. These results show that phenological shifts in herbivory can have persistent and qualitatively different effects on different life stages across the season.

Do tradeoffs govern plant species responses to different global change treatments?

Plants are subject to tradeoffs among growth strategies such that adaptations for optimal growth in one condition can preclude optimal growth in another. Thus, we hypothesized that the response of plant species abundance to one global change treatment would relate inversely to the response to a second treatment, particularly for treatment combinations that accentuate distinct traits. To address this hypothesis, we examined plant species abundances in 39 global change experiments manipulating CO2, nitrogen, phosphorus, water, temperature, or disturbance. Overall, the directional response of a species to one treatment was 13% more likely than expected to oppose its response to a second. This tendency was detectable across the global dataset but held little predictive power for individual treatment combinations or within individual experiments. While tradeoffs in the ability to respond to different global change drivers exert detectable effects globally, other forces may obscure their influence in local communities.

Data on plant health stakeholder priorities for tests and general prioritisation framework

Data collected in the framework of work package 4 of the Valitest project. They correspond to a qualitative assessment of plant health stakeholder requirements, have been collected using online surveys supplemented by desk-based research, as well as impact assessments

Changes in forest structure drive temperature preferences of boreal understory plant communities

1. The local climate in forest understories can deviate substantially from ambient conditions. Moreover, forest microclimates are often characterized by cyclic changes driven by management activities such as clear-cutting and subsequent planting. To understand how and why understory plant communities change, both ambient climate change and temporal variation in forest structure has to be considered. 2. We used inventories from 11436 productive forest sites in Sweden repeated every 10th year 1993 - 2017 to examine how variation in forest structure influences changes in the average value of minimum and maximum temperature preferences of all species in a community, i.e. community temperature indices (CTI). We then evaluated to what extent these changes were driven by local extinctions and colonizations, respectively, and to what extent the difference in CTI value between two inventories were related to changes in forest density and in macroclimate. Lastly, we tested whether effects on CTI change by these two drivers were modified by topography, soil moisture and tree species composition. 3. CTI values of the understory plant communities increased after clear-cutting, and decreased during periods when the forest grew denser. During the period immediately after clear-cutting, changes were predominately driven by colonizations of species with a preference for higher temperatures. During the forest regeneration phase, both colonization by species preferring lower temperatures and local extinctions of species preferring higher temperatures increased. The change in understory CTI over 10-year periods was explained more by changes in forest density, than by changes in macroclimate. Soil moisture, topography and forest tree species composition modified to some extent the effects of changes in forest density and in macroclimate on understory CTI values. 4. Synthesis. Via stand manipulation, forest management impacts the effects of regional climate on understory plant communities. This implies that forest management by creating denser stands locally even can counterbalance the effects of regional changes in climate by creating denser stands locally. Consequently, interpretations of changes in the mean temperature preference of species in forest understory communities should take forest management regimes into account.

Supplemental Material for Genome Editing in Crop Plant Research - Alignment of expectations and current developments

Supplemental Material for Paper "Genome Editing in Crop Plant Research - Alignment of expectations and current developments" as submitted to Plants

Supplementary files from: Improving inference and avoiding over-interpretation of hidden-state diversification models: Specialized plant breeding has no effect on diversification in frogs

The hidden-state speciation and extinction (HiSSE) model helps avoid spurious results when testing whether a character affects diversification rates. However, care must be taken to optimally analyze models and interpret results. Recently, Tonini et al. (2020; TEA hereafter) studied anuran (frog and toad) diversification with HiSSE methods. They concluded that their focal state, breeding in phytotelmata, increases net diversification rates. Yet this conclusion is counterintuitive, because the state that purportedly increases net diversification rates is 14 times rarer among species than the alternative. Herein I revisit TEA's analyses and demonstrate problems with inferring model likelihoods, conducting post-hoc tests, and interpreting results. I also re-evaluate their top models and find that diverse strategies are necessary to reach the parameter values that maximize each model's likelihood. In contrast to TEA, I find no support for an effect of phytotelm breeding on net diversification rates in Neotropical anurans. In particular, even though the most highly supported models include the focal character, averaging parameter estimates over hidden states shows that the focal character does not influence diversification rates. Finally, I suggest ways to better analyze and interpret complex diversification models – both state-dependent and beyond – for future studies in other organisms.

Supporting data for: Post-fire early successional vegetation buffers surface microclimate and increases survival of planted conifer seedlings in the southwestern United States

Climate change and fire-exclusion have increased the flammability of western US forests, leading to forest cover loss when wildfires occur under severe weather conditions. Increasingly large high-severity burn patches are a limitation to natural regeneration because of dispersal distance, increasing the chance that these areas are converted to non-forest. Post-fire planting can overcome dispersal limitations, yet warmer and drier post-fire conditions can still limit survival. Early successional vegetation can alter surface microclimate; however, it is unclear whether this is enough to increase planted seedling survival in southwestern US forests. Here we examined how two shrub species of different canopy density would affect survival rates of planted tree seedlings following a high-severity fire in northern New Mexico. We expected that shrubs with a higher density canopy (Gambel oak) would have a greater effect on buffering below-shrub climate than shrubs with a lower density canopy (New Mexico locust) and seedlings planted under Gambel oak would have higher survival rates. We found that seedlings planted under Gambel oak had survival rates approximately 10% to 35% greater than those planted under New Mexico locust. The higher light availability beneath New Mexico locust corresponded to higher temperatures, lower humidity, and higher VPD, which impacted the mortality of planted tree seedlings. These results suggest that by waiting for post-fire shrub establishment, shrubs can be leveraged to buffer microclimate and increase post-fire planting success in the southwestern US.

Polyploidy promotes divergent evolution across the leaf economics spectrum and plant edaphic niche in the Dianthus broteri complex

<ol> <li>The evolution of the leaf economics spectrum (LES) is known to be constrained by genetic relatedness but also promoted at small geographic and phylogenetic scales. In those cases, we hypothesised that polyploidy would play a prominent role as an outstanding source of functional divergence and adaptive potential.</li> <li>We registered leaf-level nutrient, water and light economy related traits from the LES as well as edaphic properties in the four cytotypes of the autopolyploid Dianthus broteri complex (2×, 4×, 6× and 12×). We analysed the effect of ploidy level on the integration of the LES network, checked if concerted evolution occurred between LES and soil niche and tested the influence of phylogeny on the variables. Alternative evolutionary models for both sets of traits were compared.</li> <li> We found higher divergence of polyploids (especially 6× and 12×) compared to diploids in the LES and soil niche, but these traits are not coevolving. 6× and 12× showed opposite ecological strategies regarding resource use and higher uncoupling of the LES network. Early divergence of traits prevailed in both LES and edaphic niche (supported by better fitted evolutionary models with one optimum per cytotype), but post-polyploidization processes played an important role for the photochemical behaviour.</li> <li> Synthesis. Our results indicated shifts in ecological strategies across D. broteri cytotypes and suggested a powerful role of polyploidy in overcoming constraints for the evolution of plant functional traits. </li> </ol>

Aplication of eco-enzyme from nutmeg, clove, and eucalyptus plant waste in inhibiting the growth of E. coli and S. aureus

That different plant wastes' eco-enzymes also had distinctive colors, where DP and DK were brown, BP was reddish-brown, while DC appeared blackish-brown and clear. These differences occur due to variations in the chemical composition of each material used. Furthermore, the acidic aroma from each eco-enzyme was derived from the decomposition of alcohol compounds into acetic acid during aerobic respiration. The aroma was distinctively different depending on the type of plant waste used. Eco-enzymes and commercial antiseptics also have different abilities to inhibit E. coli and S. aureus growth with the highest inhibition found in eco-enzymes made from eucalyptus leaf waste

Data for "Meta-analysis of induced anti-herbivore defence traits in plants from 647 manipulative experiments with natural and simulated herbivory"

Data used in analysis in "Meta-analysis of induced anti-herbivore defence traits in plants from 647 manipulative experiments with natural and simulated herbivory" in Journal of Ecology.  Code used for analysis are included as Supplementary Material of the main article.

Functional traits explain the consistent resistance of biodiversity to plant invasion under nitrogen enrichment

Elton's biotic resistance hypothesis, which posits that diverse communities should be more resistant to biological invasions, has received considerable experimental support. However, it remains unclear whether such a negative diversity–invasibility relationship would persist under anthropogenic environmental change. By using the common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) as a model invader, our four-year grassland experiment demonstrated consistently negative relationships between resident species diversity and community invasibility, irrespective of nitrogen addition, a result further supported by a meta-analysis. Importantly, our experiment showed that plant diversity consistently resisted invasion simultaneously through increased resident biomass, increased trait dissimilarity among residents, and increased community weighted means of resource-conservative traits that strongly resist invasion, pointing to the importance of both trait complementarity and sampling effects for invasion resistance even under resource enrichment. Our study provides unique evidence that considering species functional traits can help further our understanding of biotic resistance to biological invasions in a changing environment.

The effect of niche filtering on plant species abundance in temperate grassland communities

1. Niche filtering predicts that abundant species in communities have similar traits that are suitable for the environment. However, niche filtering can operate on distinct axes of trait variation in response to different ecological conditions. Here, we use a trait-based approach to infer niche filtering processes and (1) test if abundant and rare species in grassland communities are differently positioned along distinct axes of trait variation, (2) determine if these trait variation axes, as well as phylogenetic and functional similarities, drive species relative abundance (aboveground cover) within communities, and (3) explore if these relationships vary across grassland types and macro-climatic gradients. 2. We analysed species abundance in a set of ~2,000 vegetation plots from temperate grasslands in Central Europe as a function of species position along three axes of trait variation: the 'Plant Size Spectrum' (PSS), the 'Leaf Economics Spectrum' (LES), and the 'Lifespan/Clonality Spectrum' (LCS). We also used phylogenetic and functional similarities in the multi-dimensional trait space as predictors of species abundance. We compared our results among alpine, wet, mesic, and dry grasslands and tested if the effect of the predictors on species abundance was significant across macro-climatic gradients. 3. Compared to abundant species, rare species in grassland communities were more commonly annual and non-clonal, had lower stature and smaller leaves and seeds, and relied on more acquisitive leaf economics. Our predictors significantly explained species abundance in approximately one-third of the plots. LES was the most important predictor across all plots, with the most prominent effect in alpine and dry grasslands and areas with more extreme temperatures. In contrast, in mesic and wet grasslands and grasslands located in warmer and less seasonal regions, species abundance was best predicted by phylogenetic similarities between species, with Poaceae species becoming more abundant. 4. Our study explored trait-abundance relationships for different community types across a large area and broad macro-climatic gradients. We conclude that niche filtering, and particularly resource-acquisition trade-offs, drives species abundance in temperate grassland communities of Central Europe. Our findings emphasize the interaction between local environmental conditions and plant function in determining community assembly.

Above and belowground plant traits of dominant dune grasses from Duck, Outer Banks, USA

We examined above and belowground traits among four prominent dune grasses of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of North America: Ammophila breviligulata, Panicum amarum, Spartina patens, and Uniola paniculata. Whole plant samples of each species were collected from the foredune at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, USA and quantified for several above and belowground traits (e.g., stem height, rhizome number and length, root surface area by diameter class, root tensile strength, mycorrhizal percent infection).

Leaf data of four families of broad-leaved plants

The data include two comma-delimited (csv) files and one word document. The data1.csv file saves the leaf raw data (including leaf lamina length, width, area, perimeter, fresh mass, and dry mass) from five groups of Phyllostachys edulis (Poaceae) differing in culm age. The bamboo plants grew in the Purple Mountain, Nanjing, China. The data2.csv file saves the leaf raw data (including leaf lamina length, width, area, perimeter, fresh mass, and dry mass) of 21 species from three families (nine Lauraceae species, six Fagaceae species and six Ulmaceae species) growing in Nanjing, China. Among the 21 species, we measured the data of leaf petiole fresh mass for the nine Lauraceae species. The word document (i.e., the metadata.docx file) is the metadata used to show the meanings of the column variables in each table.

Temporal consistency in interactions among birds, ants, and plants in a neotropical savanna

Interactions among animals and plants are key to understanding seed dispersal, plant regeneration and plant community patterns. These interactions can be dynamic, with changes of species and functional roles across space and time. Despite fluctuations in species abundances and resources over time being the rule in natural communities, most studies approach plant-frugivore interactions as temporally static. We documented changes in bird and ant species in interactions with plants producing carbohydrate- (Miconia rubiginosa) or lipid-rich diaspores (Xylopia aromatica) comparing two fruiting seasons 15 years apart in a savanna in southeastern Brazil. We tested if abundance and body size of dispersal vectors (birds and ants) affected the frequency of interactions and the quantitative effectiveness of seed dispersal (QTC). Rich bird (26 species) and ant (18 genera) assemblages interacted with the diaspores. A core of bird and ant taxa was temporally consistent, and responsible for most seed removal across the two years for both plants. Temporal transience was more common for sporadic partners of interactions, and for species with similar functional roles. Abundance and body size of birds affected the interspecific contributions to QTC. Large-bodied birds dispersed large quantities of seeds of our relatively small-seeded plants, even if their visits were sporadic. For ants, variations in temperature and rainfall across time seems more important in driving variations in the contributions to QTC. The combined effect of birds and ants in the same system help to stabilize the temporal fluctuations in the amount of seeds dispersed. However, ants alone are unlikely to replace the functional roles of vertebrate dispersers. Even though species in the assemblage change either their quantitative contribution to seed dispersal or their presence or absence in the interaction network, species persisting in interaction over time are the most important quantitative partners for plants.

Wildfire severity alters drivers of interaction beta-diversity in plant-bee networks

Spatial variation in species interactions (interaction β-diversity) and its ecological drivers are poorly understood, despite their relevance to community assembly, conservation, and ecosystem functioning. We investigated effects of wildfire severity on patterns and four proximate ecological drivers of interaction β-diversity in plant-bee communities across three localities in the Northern Rocky Mountains (Montana, USA). Wildfires decreased interaction β-diversity but increased interaction frequency (number of visits) and richness (number of links). After controlling for interaction frequency and richness, standardized effect sizes of interaction β-diversity were highest following mixed-severity wildfires, intermediate following high-severity wildfires, and lowest in unburned landscapes, suggesting that wildfire increases spatial aggregation of plant-bee interactions. Moreover, higher effect sizes in burned landscapes were largely determined by turnover in the species composition of both trophic levels rather than by interaction rewiring (spatial turnover in local species interactions not due to species turnover). The underrepresented level of rewiring indicated spatial consistency in post-disturbance patterns of interactions among co-occurring species. Together, our findings suggest that wildfire alters the β-diversity of mutualistic species interactions via linked assembly of plant-bee communities and provide insights into how environmental change alters complex networks of species interactions.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2022View details →

Disturbance and indirect effects of climate warming support a plant invader in mountains

ABSTRACT from the connected paper [Haider, S., Palm, S., Bruelheide, H., de Villemereuil, Menzel, A. & Lachmuth, S. (2022): Disturbance and indirect effects of climate warming support a plant invader in mountains. Oikos, https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08783]: Climate warming and increased disturbance (resulting from intensified land use) are expected to enhance the invasibility of plant communities and the performance of exotic species also at high elevations, and thus pose additional threats to mountain ecosystems. The invasion success of introduced genotypes will also depend on their degree of pre-adaption to high elevation climatic conditions, which may vary intra-specifically across source populations. For populations currently spreading in the lowlands, climate warming might reduce the climatic distance to high-elevation sites and thus remove a barrier to upwards spread. Here, we investigated the various facets of mountain invasions in a single, integrative experimental study. We applied a community transplant approach between high- and low-elevation sites in the European Alps to address effects of climate warming and disturbance through land use on community invasibility and the performance of the exotic species Senecio inaequidens, a potential future plant invader in the Alps. Additionally, the transplant sites served as common gardens to test the influence of climatic pre-adaptation to current (high site) and future (low site) climatic conditions on the performance of S. inaequidens in the transplanted communities. The 16 invasive Central and Western European S. inaequidens source population locations covered a wide geographic range, and thus a wide amplitude of climatic distances and presumed pre-adaptation to our gardens. Our results attest to a strong effect of disturbance, which increased community invasibility, and promoted the performance of the exotic species. Contrary to our expectation, experimentally induced climate warming did not increase community invasibility. However, the performance of the S. inaequidens populations was positively related to their pre-adaptation to the climatic conditions of our common gardens. Climate warming might thus promote the invasion of exotic species by reducing the climatic distance between mountain ranges and locations of potential source populations. DESCRIPTION of the data can be found in the Material and methods section of the paper, and in the meta-data sheet included in each data file.

Figures 8–9. Stenelytrana splendens. 8 in New larval host plants and ecological observations on North American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera)

Figures 8–9. Stenelytrana splendens. 8) Female. 9) Male.