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Eco-evolutionary dynamics modulate plant responses to global change depending on plant diversity and species identity

Global change has dramatic impacts on grassland diversity. However, little is known about how fast species can adapt to diversity loss and how this affects their responses to global change. Here, we performed a common garden experiment testing whether plant responses to global change are influenced by their selection history and the conditioning history of soil at different plant diversity levels. Using seeds of four grass species and soil samples from a 14-year-old biodiversity experiment, we grew the offspring of the plants either in their own soil or in soil of a different community, and exposed them either to drought, increased nitrogen input, or a combination of both. Under nitrogen addition, offspring of plants selected at high diversity produced more biomass than those selected at low diversity, while drought neutralized differences in biomass production. Moreover, under the influence of global change drivers, soil history, and to a lesser extent plant history, had species-specific effects on trait expression. Our results show that plant diversity modulates plant-soil interactions and growth strategies of plants, which in turn affects plant eco-evolutionary pathways. How this change affects species' response to global change and whether this can cause a feedback loop should be investigated in more detail in future studies.

Data from: Above- and belowground drivers of intraspecific trait variability across subcontinental gradients for five ubiquitous forest plants in North America

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). 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 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. 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). 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.

Environmental variation in sex ratios and sexual dimorphism in three wind-pollinated dioecious plant species

Variation in plant sex ratios is often attributable to sex-specific mortality in heterogeneous environments that differentially limit male and female plant reproduction. Yet sexual dimorphism and plastic responses to environmental heterogeneity are common and may co-vary with variation in sex ratios. Here, we show that the sex ratio and the degree of sexual dimorphism for a number of plant traits varied along climatic and elevation gradients in three wind-pollinated dioecious species, Rumex lunaria, Urtica dioica and Salix helvetica. Some of the observed sex-specific responses to climatic variation are consistent with greater sensitivity of females to water scarcity, but most responses rather point to the greater sensitivity of males to ecological stress, consistent with larger male reproductive effort, as has been commonly reported for wind-pollinated plants. In contrast, we found no evidence for variation in either sex ratios or sexual dimorphism expected under sexual selection. Interestingly, sex ratios and sexual dimorphism varied both along distinct and the same ecological axes of variation, suggesting that the evolution of sexual dimorphism in the measured traits was not sufficient to prevent sex-specific mortality.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Supporting Dataset for "A synthetic C4 shuttle via the β-hydroxyaspartate cycle in C3 plants"

Plants depend on the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) for CO2 fixation. However, especially in C3 plants, photosynthetic yield is reduced by the formation of 2-phosphoglycolate, a toxic oxygenation product of Rubisco, which needs to be recycled in a high-flux–demanding metabolic process called photorespiration. Canonical photorespiration dissipates energy and causes carbon and nitrogen losses. Reducing photorespiration through carbon-concentrating mechanisms, such as C4 photosynthesis, or bypassing photorespiration through metabolic engineering is expected to improve plant growth and yield. The β-hydroxyaspartate cycle (BHAC) is a recently described microbial pathway that converts glyoxylate, a metabolite of plant photorespiration, into oxaloacetate in a highly efficient carbon-, nitrogen-, and energy-conserving manner. Here, we engineered a functional BHAC in plant peroxisomes to create a photorespiratory bypass that is independent of 3-phosphoglycerate regeneration or decarboxylation of photorespiratory precursors. While efficient oxaloacetate conversion in Arabidopsis thaliana still masks the full potential of the BHAC, nitrogen conservation and accumulation of signature C4 metabolites demonstrate the proof of principle, opening the door to engineering a photorespiration-dependent synthetic carbon–concentrating mechanism in C3 plants. Data analysis was performed in R. For analysis of gas exchange measurements, the “plantecophys” package was used (<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2022307118#core-r55">55</a>). The data are summarized in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/lookup/doi/10.1073/pnas.2022307118#supplementary-materials">Datasets S1–S10</a>. All other study data are included in the article and/or supporting information, available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022307118">https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022307118</a> Dataset S1: Enzymatic activity of BHAC enzymes in Arabidopsis rosette leaves. For ISR the rate of percentual 15N label enrichment in aspartate was quantified. Shown mean and standard deviation (SD). Dataset S2: Metabolome of BHAC plants. Shown is mean and standard deviation (SD) of the calculated relative amount per mg fresh weight of four biological replicates per genotype for each condition. Dataset S3: Ammonium quantification in BHAC plants. Shown is mean and standard deviation (SD) for four biological replicates per genotype per condition measured in technical triplicates. Dataset S4: Phenotyping of BHAC plants. Shown is mean and standard deviation (SD) of five biological replicates per genotype per condition. Dataset S5: A/Ci curve measurements of BHAC plants. Shown is mean of four biological replicates per genotype. Dataset S6: Light response measurements of BHAC plants. Shown is mean of four biological replicates per genotype.  Dataset S7: Metabolite levels of phosphorylated intermediates and glyoxylate in air-grown plants. Shown is mean and standard deviation of ≥ 3 replicates. Dataset S8: Metabolome of ggt1-1 complementation lines with AGAT. Shown is mean and standard deviation (SD) of four biological replicates. Dataset S9: Enzymatic activity of AGAT and GGT  in Arabidopsis rosette leaves of the ggt1-1 complemention lines. Shown mean and standard deviation (SD) of three biological replicates measured in technical triplicates. Dataset S10: O2-Dependency of CCP was measured at 4% O2. Shown is the mean ±SD of n ≥ 3.

Abandoned pastures and restored savannahs have distinct patterns of plant-soil feedback and nutrient cycling compared with native Brazilian savannahs.

Around 40% of the original Brazilian savannah territory is occupied by pastures dominated by fast-growing exotic C4 grasses, which impact ecosystem nutrient cycling. The restoration of these areas depends on the re-establishment of soil processes. We assessed how restoration of abandoned pastures through direct seeding of native species and land-management practices (burning and ploughing) affect soil nutrient cycling dynamics compared to native savannahs. We compared the activity of soil enzymes related to carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling, as well as soil microbial biomass and soil chemical properties, such as pH and the concentration of N, P, potassium (K) and soil organic matter, among abandoned pastures, native savannah and restored areas. Abandoned pastures had faster nutrient turnover than native savannah, dominated by slow-growing native species. This pattern was evident from the overall higher biomass-specific enzyme activity in abandoned pastures than in native savannah. Compared with native savannah, restored areas had similar levels of soil enzyme activity, but lower microbial biomass and soil organic matter. Synthesis and application: The low enzyme activity in restored areas was likely related to a reduced soil organic carbon concentration due to practices such as burning and ploughing, rather than plant-soil feedback. The lower immobilization of nutrients in microbial biomass and lower retention of nutrients in restored areas, compared with native savannah, is expected to favour the re-establishment of fast-growing exotic species. Furthermore, the modifications of soil chemical and microbial properties related to abandonment of pastures did not influence restoration outcomes, because land-management practices applied prior to direct seedling had a major impact on the soil microbial community and soil fertility. Therefore, restoration of abandoned pastures should consider a greater focus on restoring soil carbon and nutrient cycling.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

Data for functional diversity and habitat preferences of native grassland plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates in private gardens along an urbanisation gradient

Urbanisation influences biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, private domestic gardens provide habitats for many species. Challenging conditions in urban gardens may support species possessing certain traits, but exclude other species. Functional diversity is therefore often altered in urban gardens. We surveyed native grassland plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates (snails, slugs, spiders, millipedes, woodlice, ants, rove beetles), and compiled data on urbanisation (distance to city centre, percentage of sealed area) and garden characteristics. We furthermore derived data on traits and habitat preferences for the species recorded in the gardens from the literature and own measurements. The survey comprised 35 domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient in the city of Basel, Switzerland and its surroundings.

Intraspecific variation in plant economic traits predicts trembling aspen resistance to a generalist insect herbivore

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 Populus tremuloides 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 Lymantria dispar. We found that: 1) intraspecific trait patterns of P. tremuloides 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 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.

Evolution in response to climate in the native and introduced ranges of a globally distributed plant

The extent to which species can adapt to spatiotemporal climatic variation in their native and introduced ranges remains unresolved. To address this, we examined how clines in cyanogenesis (HCN production—an antiherbivore defense associated with decreased tolerance to freezing) have shifted in response to climatic variation in space and time over a 60-year period in both the native and introduced ranges of Trifolium repens. HCN production is a polymorphic trait controlled by variation at two Mendelian loci (Ac and Li). Using phenotypic assays, we estimated within-population frequencies of HCN production and dominant alleles at both loci (i.e., Ac and Li) from 10,575 plants sampled from 131 populations on 5 continents, and then compared these frequencies to those from historical data collected in the 1950s. There were no clear relationships between changes in the frequency of HCN production, Ac, or Li and changes in temperature between contemporary and historical samples. We did detect evidence of continued evolution to temperature gradients in the introduced range, whereby the slope of contemporary clines for HCN and Ac in relation to winter temperature became steeper than historical clines and more similar to native clines. These results suggest that cyanogenesis clines show no clear changes through time in response to global warming, but introduced populations continue to adapt to their contemporary environments.

Measuring plant biomass remotely using drones in arid landscapes

Measurement of variation in plant biomass is essential for answering many ecological and evolutionary questions. Quantitative estimates require plant destruction for laboratory analyses, while field studies use allometric approaches based on simple measurement of plant dimensions. We estimated the biomass of individual shrub-sized plants, using a low cost Unmanned Aerial System (drone), enabling rapid data collection and non-destructive sampling. We compared volume measurement (a surrogate for biomass) and sampling time, from the simple dimension measurements and drone, to accurate laboratory-derived biomass weights. We focused on three Australian plant species which are ecologically important to their floodplain and terrestrial ecosystems: porcupine grass Triodia scariosa, Queensland bluebush Chenopodium auricomum and lignum Duma florulenta. Estimated volume from the drone was more accurate than simple dimension measurements for porcupine grass and Queensland bluebush, compared to estimates from laboratory analyses but, not for lignum. The latter had a sparse canopy, with thin branches, few vestigial leaves and a similar colour to the ground. Data collection and analysis consistently required more time for the drone method than the simple dimension measurements, but this would improve with automation.

openother-openMay 2022View details →

A quantitative synthesis of soil microbial effects on plant species coexistence: code and data

This release contains data and code to conduct all analyses in Yan et al. "A quantitative synthesis of soil microbial effects on plant species coexistence".

Plant-root pathogenic fungal and plant-mycorrhizal fungal association networks in a subtropical forest

Although rhizosphere fungi are essential for plant survival and ecosystem functioning, little is known about the processes that structure plant–fungal association networks. In this study, we constructed association networks between 43 plant species and two groups of root-associated fungi (mycorrhizal and pathogenic fungi; MF and PF, respectively) in a diverse subtropical forest. We then evaluated the modularity of plant–MF and plant–PF networks and linked them to the functional traits and phylogenies of both plants and fungi. We observed strong modularity in both plant–MF and plant–PF networks. Phylogenetically related fungi tended to emerge in the same modules. MF from distinct modules associated with plants with different specific root length and specific root area in plant–MF networks. PF from distinct modules associated with plants with different dark respiration rate and light compensation point in plant–PF networks. Plant affiliation to modules was explained by both plant traits and phylogeny (22% for plant–MF and 37% for plant–PF networks). In contrast, fungal affiliation to modules was explained by fungal phylogeny (16% for plant–MF and 29% for plant–PF networks). Our results elucidate the link between modularity in plant–root fungal networks and the functional traits and phylogeny of the plants and fungi. Our study highlights the importance of traits and phylogeny in governing root fungal community assembly from network perspective.

Light counteracts microgravity alterations in plant proliferating cells

Premise: Light and gravity are fundamental cues for plant development. In space, without gravity, understanding the role of a light stimulus is key for enabling plant acclimation to extraterrestrial environment. Here we tested the hypothesis that the alterations caused by the absence of gravity in root meristematic cells can be counteracted by light. Methods: Seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana wild type and two mutants of the essential nucleolar protein nucleolin (nuc1, nuc2) were grown in simulated microgravity, either under a white light photoperiod, or under continuous darkness. Key parameters of cell proliferation (cell cycle regulation) and cell growth (ribosome biogenesis), as well as of auxin transport, were measured in the root meristem using in situ cellular markers and transcriptomic methods, compared with a 1g control. Results: The incorporation of a photoperiod regime has been sufficient to attenuate or suppress the effects caused by gravitational stress at the cellular level in the root meristem. In all cases, parameters recorded from samples receiving light stimuli in simulated microgravity were closer to 1g values than those obtained from samples grown in darkness. Differential results were obtained in the two nucleolin mutants. Conclusions: Light signals may totally or partially replace gravity signals, significantly improving plant growth and development in microgravity. Despite that, molecular alterations are still compatible with the expected acclimation mechanisms that should be better understood. The differential sensitivity of nuc1 and nuc2 mutants to gravitational stress points to new strategies to produce more resilient plants to travel with humans in new extraterrestrial endeavors.

Unraveling the roles of genotype and environment in the expression of plant defense phenotypes

1. Phenotypic variability results from interactions between genotype and environment and is a major driver of ecological and evolutionary interactions. Measuring the relative contributions of genetic variation, the environment, and their interaction to phenotypic variation remains a fundamental goal of evolutionary ecology. 2. In this study, we assess the question: How do genetic variation and local environmental conditions interact to influence phenotype within a single population? We explored this question using seed from a single population of common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, in northern Michigan. We first measured resistance and resistance traits of 14 maternal lines in two common garden experiments (field and greenhouse) to detect genetic variation within the population. We carried out a reciprocal transplant experiment with three of these maternal lines to assess effects of local environment on phenotype. Finally, we compared the phenotypic traits measured in our experiments with the phenotypic traits of the naturally-growing maternal genets to be able to compare relative effect of genetic and environmental variation on naturally-occurring phenotypic variation. We measured defoliation levels, arthropod abundances, foliar cardenolide concentrations, foliar latex exudation, foliar carbon and nitrogen concentrations, and plant growth. 3. We found a striking lack of correlation in trait expression of the maternal lines between the common gardens, or between the common gardens and the naturally-growing maternal genets, suggesting that environment plays a larger role in phenotypic trait variation of this population. We found evidence of significant genotype-by-environment interactions for all traits except foliar concentrations of nitrogen and cardenolide. Milkweed resistance to chewing herbivores was associated more strongly with the growing environment. We observed no variation in foliar cardenolide concentrations among maternal lines but did observe variation among maternal lines in foliar latex exudation. 4. Overall, our data reveal powerful genotype-by-environment interactions on the expression of most resistance traits in milkweed.

opencc-by-4.0May 2022View details →

Mobile Synthesis Unit (MOBSU) plant

This video describes the ICO2CHEM concept for delivering synthetic fuels and chemicals from waste CO2 and H2, and shows the MOBSU plant running in the Industrial Park Infraserv Hoechst in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Data from: Extensive sympatry and frequent hybridization of ecologically divergent aquatic plants on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Hybridization has fascinated biologists in recent centuries for its evolutionary importance, especially in plants. Hybrid zones are commonly located in regions across environmental gradients due to more opportunities to contact and ecological heterogeneity. For aquatic taxa, intrazonal character makes broad overlapping regions in intermediate environments between related species. However, we have limited information on the hybridization pattern of aquatic taxa in alpines, especially submerged macrophytes. In this study, we aimed to test the hypotheses that niche overlap and hybridization might be extensive in related aquatic plants across an altitudinal gradient. We evaluated the niche overlap in three related species pairs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and assessed the spatial pattern of hybrid populations. Obvious niche overlap and common hybridization were revealed in all three pairs of related aquatic plants. The plateau edge and river basins were broad areas for the sympatry of divergent taxa, where a large proportion of hybrid populations occurred. Hybrids are also discretely distributed in diverse habitats on the plateau. Differences in the extent of niche overlap, genetic incompatibility and phylogeographic history might lead to variations in hybridization patterns among the three species pairs. Our results suggested that plateau areas are a hotspot for ecologically divergent aquatic species to contact and mate and implied that hybridization may be important for the freshwater biodiversity of highlands.

Data for: Spatial structure within root systems moderates stability of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal mutualism and plant-soil feedbacks

The persistence of mutualisms is paradoxical, as there are fitness incentives for exploitation. This is particularly true for plant-microbe mutualisms like arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), which are promiscuously horizontally-transmitted. Preferential allocation by hosts to the best mutualist can stabilize horizontal mutualisms, however, preferential allocation is imperfect, with its fidelity likely depending upon the spatial structure of symbionts in plant roots. In this study, we tested AM mutualisms' dependence on two dimensions of spatial structure: the initial spatial association of fungi and the ease of fungal dispersal, through three complementary experiments. We found that fitness of the beneficial AM fungus increased when fungi were initially separate, while initial spatial mixing benefited the fitness of the non-beneficial fungus. These effects were strongest when dispersal was limited, and hosts could discriminate. Additionally, we found that changes in AM fungal proportional abundance induced by spatial structure in roots of a preferentially allocating host produced positive feedbacks on plant growth, showing that interactions between spatial structure and host choice can determine the direction of plant-soil feedbacks. Our results suggest that symbiont spatial structure within plant roots may act as an important modifier of plant preferential allocation and the dynamics of mycorrhizal mutualisms, with potentially cascading effects on plant-plant interactions.

Soil chemical variables improve models of understory plant species distributions

<div class="page"> <div class="section"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column">Aim</div> <div class="column">To determine the importance of soil variables relative to more commonly used topo-climatic or remotely sensed variables in species distribution models (SDMs) for understory plants.</div> <div class="column"> </div> <div class="column">Location</div> <div class="column">White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, U.S.A.</div> <div class="column"> </div> <div class="column">Methods</div> <div class="column">We fit models for presence of 41 forest understory plant species across 158 plots using soil, topographic, and spectral predictors to determine the relative contribution of different predictor types. We determined (a) if the potential importance of soil variables is greater than generally described in SDM literature, (b) which predictors are most important, and (c) if a standard subset of predictors can be used to effectively model all species.</div> <div class="column"> </div> <div class="column">Results</div> <div class="column">Models containing all three predictor types performed best. Soil and topographic variables had comparable importance; spectral variables were of lesser importance. The best predictor variable was B horizon carbon to nitrogen ratio (B C:N), followed by topographic position index, elevation, and B horizon exchangeable calcium (B Ca). No standard subset effectively modeled all species.</div> <div class="column"> </div> <div class="column">Main conclusions</div> <div class="column"> Our results and those of other SDMs that include in-situ soil geochemical data suggest that soil variables are increasingly important with more detailed descriptions of soils. Soil fertility data, such as B C:N and B Ca, are particularly important in acidic, forest soils where pH is a poor indicator of fertility. Commonly used topo-climatic variables provide meaningful predictions but are limited by their use of indirect predictor variables, inhibiting transferability and interpretability. The poor performance of models created using standard subsets of variables highlights the uniqueness of each species' niche and the need to combine flexible model building techniques with a variety of predictor variables.</div> </div> </div> </div>

Agroecological farming, flowering phenology and the pollinator-herbivore-parasitoid nexus regulate non-crop plant reproduction

Agroecological farming uses crop and non-crop plant biodiversity to promote beneficial insects supplying pollination and biocontrol services to crops. Non-crop plants (sown or weeds) are integral to supporting these beneficial insect species interactions. How the uplift of biotic complexity by agroecological management (crop diversification, ecological infrastructure) influences mutualistic and antagonistic insect interactions regulating the reproduction of non-crop plants remains less understood. Using a pesticide-free farm-scale (125 ha) agroecological experiment, we tested how the individual reproduction of pollinator-dependent, non-crop plant species with different flowering phenology (Cyanus segetum, Centaurea jacea) and their mutualistic (pollinator) and antagonistic (seed herbivore–parasitoid) insect interactions were affected by agroecological practices. Seed set and species interactions of replicate C. segetum and C. jacea randomly introduced to field margins was correlated with floral resource heterogeneity at focal plant (e.g., flower display size), local community (floral richness/abundance driven by sown wildflower or grass margins), and local landscape (crop diversification, area of semi-natural habitat or mass flowering crops) scales. At the seasonal peak of non-crop floral diversity and abundance, antagonistic interactions weakly regulated C. segetum seed set with gains from pollinator activity predominating. Conversely, C. jacea, which flowered past the peak of non-crop floral diversity/abundance benefited from the promotion of seed herbivore parasitism and pollinator activity by the local landscape cover of semi-natural habitat and mass flowering crops. Synthesis and applications. Agroecological management produced spatial and-temporal gradients in crop and non-crop floral resources that interacted to modify pollinator or seed herbivore-parasitoid interactions and seed set of Cyanus segetum and Centaurea jacea plants. The degree of phenological overlap between C. segetum and C. jacea flowering and floral resources in the local community or landscape dictated the type and level of exposure to insect interactions influencing reproduction. Design of agroecological practices to deliver pollination and biocontrol services must consider how effects will vary with species traits and the ensemble of mutualistic (pollination) and antagonistic (herbivory, parasitism) interactions governing non-crop plant reproduction. Agroecological management supporting beneficial insect interactions may feedback to help restore functional non-crop plant populations and associated biodiversity, potentially reducing the frequency of management interventions (e.g., re-sowing wildflower strips).

opencc-by-4.0May 2022View details →

Data from: Phylogenetic distribution and expression pattern analyses identified a divergent basal body assembly protein involved in land plant spermatogenesis

<pre>Data from: Phylogenetic distribution and expression pattern analyses identified a divergent basal body assembly protein involved in land plant spermatogenesis Author information Shizuka Koshimizu1, Naoki Minamino2, Tomoaki Nishiyama3, Emiko Yoro4, Mayuko Sato5, Mayumi Wakazaki5, Kiminori Toyooka5, Kazuo Ebine2,6, Keiko Sakakibara4, Takashi Ueda2,6, and Kentaro Yano1 1 School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571, Japan 2 Division of Cellular Dynamics, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan 3 Research Center for Experimental Modeling of Human Disease, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-0934, Japan 4 Department of Life Science, Rikkyo University, Tokyo 171‐8501, Japan 5 RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan 6 Department of Basic Biology, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki 444-8585, Japan This directory contains 0_README (this file) 1_Marchantia_FL_data 2_Physcomitrella_FL_data 3_Physcomitrella_TEM_images 4_PAML 1_Marchantia_FL_data Raw image data using quantification of spermatid phenotypes in Marchantia. quantification.xlsx: Summary of quantification data. 211111 and 211210: Observation date. ∟Mpbld10-1, Mpbld10-2, and Tak-1: Observed lines. ∟raw data: *.lsm files are raw image data. ∟binary image: *.tif files are binarization images of the Hoechst33342 data. ∟DIC: *.tif files are maximum intensity projection images of the C2 channels (detection of DIC images) of the raw data. ∟Hoechst33342: *.tif files are maximum intensity projection images of the C1 channels (detection of Hoechst33342 signals) of the raw data. 2_Physcomitrella_FL_data Merged data of DIC and Hoechst33342 signal images using quantification of spermatid phenotypes in Physcomitrella. line22-*.png: The images of Ppbld10-22 mutant. line30-*.png: The images of Ppbld10-30 mutant. wt.png: The images of wild type. Number in the images 1: With flagella 2: Without flagella 3_Physcomitrella_TEM_images TEM images of spermatids in the Ppbld10-30 mutant, except for images shown in Supporting Information Fig. S11. 4_PAML Files using analysis by PALM. input.fasta: Input multi fasta file. species_tree.nwk: The gene tree file for the global clock model (rooted using chlorophytes as an outgroup). species_tree_marked.nwk: A gene tree file with marks specifying land plant stem and crown branches as category #1 (for a local clock model). clock1: A directory containing output files of a PAML run with the global clock model (clock = 1) clock2: A directory containing output files of a PAML run with a local clock model (clock = 2). The branches assumed to have a different rate (r1) than the default rate r0 are specified with #1 in species_tree_marked.nwk.</pre>

Resilient consumers accelerate the plant decomposition in a naturally acidified seagrass ecosystem

Anthropogenic stressors are predicted to alter biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. However, scaling up from species to ecosystem responses poses a challenge, as species and functional groups can exhibit different capacities to adapt, acclimate, and compensate under changing environments. We used a naturally acidified seagrass ecosystem (the endemic Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica) as a model system to examine how ocean acidification (OA) modifies the community structure and functioning of plant detritivores, which play vital roles in the coastal nutrient cycling and food web dynamics. In seagrass beds associated with volcanic CO2 vents (Ischia, Italy), we quantified the effects of OA on seagrass decomposition by deploying litterbags in three distinct pH zones (i.e., ambient, low, extreme low pH), which differed in the mean and variability of seawater pH. We replicated the study in two discrete vents for 117 days (litterbags sampled on day 5, 10, 28, 55, and 117). Acidification reduced seagrass detritivore richness and diversity through the loss of less abundant, pH-sensitive species but increased the abundance of the dominant detritivore (amphipod Gammarella fucicola). Such compensatory shifts in species abundance caused more than a three-fold increase in the total detritivore abundance in lower pH zones. These community changes were associated with increased consumption (52-112%) and decay of seagrass detritus (up to 67% faster decomposition rate for the slow-decaying, refractory detrital pool) under acidification. Seagrass detritus deployed in acidified zones showed increased N content and decreased C:N ratio, indicating that altered microbial activities under OA may have affected the decay process. The findings suggest that OA could restructure consumer assemblages and modify plant decomposition in blue carbon ecosystems, which may have important implications for carbon sequestration, nutrient recycling, and trophic transfer. Our study highlights the importance of within-community response variability and compensatory processes in modulating ecosystem functions under extreme global change scenarios.