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Overgrowth competition or facilitation from cushion plants: Implication for the role of plant-plant interactions

Our data reports the annual growth and age of the shrub Caragana versicolor overgrown or free of the cushion plant Thylacospermum ceaspitosum. The observations and sampling were performed at ~5000 m.a.s.l., on the East facing slope of the Korzok range, on the North-Eastern side of Lake Tso Moriri above Korzok village (4522 m a.s.l.). Our study demonstrates that the growth of Caragana versicolor is repressed by the competitive effect of the cushion plant Thylacospermum ceaspitosum, and shows no evidence of facilitation between the two co-occurring species.

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2023View details →

Coadaptation of coexisting plants enhances productivity in an agricultural system

Data set for the study Coadaptation of coexisting plants enhances productivity in an agricultural system

Data from: Plant–moth community relationships at the degraded urban peat-bog in Central Europe

Peatlands have their own, specific insect fauna. They are a habitat not only for ubiquistic but also stenotopic moths that feed on plants limited to wet, acid and oligotrophic habitats. In the past, raised bogs and fens were widely distributed in Europe. This has changed since 20th c. Due to irrigation, modern forestry and increasing human settlement, peatlands have become isolated islands in agricultural and urban landscape. Here we analyse the flora in a degraded bog situated in a large Lodz city agglomeration in Poland in relation to the diversity and composition of moth fauna. Over the last 40 years since the bog has been protected as a nature reserve, birch, willow and alder shrubs replaced the typical raised bog plant communities due to the decreased water level. The analysis of moth communities sampled in 2012 and 2013 indicates dominance of ubiquistic taxa associated with deciduous wetland forests and rushes. Tyrphobiotic and tyrphophile moth taxa were not recorded. We conclude that the absence of moths typical of bog habitats and the dominance of common, woodland species are associated with hydrological changes, the expansion of trees and brushes over typical bog plant communities and light pollution.

Altered trait covariances between invasive and native ranges of a global plant invader

Increasing evidence suggests that invasive populations adapt to novel environments rapidly, and the ability to rapidly adapt depends on genetically-based trait variation and covariation. However, few studies have investigated the trait covariance in the native and invasive ranges. Such investigation will give a more comprehensive picture of how historical contingency and adaptation shape invasiveness, contributing to the prediction of future invasion dynamics. Here, we collected seven and nine populations alongside latitudes from invasive and native ranges of a global invasive plant, Spartina alterniflora, and planted them in two common gardens at the southernmost and northernmost sites of the invasive range. We measured plant traits, including the first flowering time, plant height, and seed set, and analyzed how these traits varied with garden sites and populations' origin latitudes and how their covariance changed between ranges. We found that plants flowered later, grew taller, and set more seeds in the high-latitude garden than in the low-latitude one. The growth and expression of genetic variation of traits appeared to be limited by high ambient temperature in the low-latitude garden. In the high-latitude garden, the flowering time of populations showed clinal variation for both invasive and native populations, whereas the plant height and seed set showed clinal variation only for native or invasive populations. From the native to the invasive range, the flowering time and seed set developed negative genetic covariance, and flowering time and plant height changed from negative genetically correlated to uncorrelated. Our results suggested that S. alterniflora has experienced rapid adaptation to clinal and local conditions over the 40-year invasion. Such geographic-scale rapid adaptation appeared to have benefited from previously identified genetic admixture that has released the trait covariance. Our study highlights the importance of integrating full-range geographical surveys with introduction history to understand the potential and mechanisms of trait evolution during invasion.

Does ant-plant mutualism have spillover effects on the non-partner ant community?

Mutualism benefits partner species and theory predicts these partnerships can affect the abundance, diversity, and composition of partner and non-partner species. We used 16 years of monitoring data to determine the ant partner species of tree cholla cacti (Cylindriopuntia imbricata), which reward ants with extrafloral nectar in exchange for anti-herbivore defense. This long-term data revealed one dominant ant partner (Liometopum apiculatum) and two less common partners (Crematogaster opuntiae and Forelius pruinosus. We then used short-term characterization of the terrestrial ant community via pitfall trapping to sample partner and non-partner ant species across ten plots of varying cactus density. We found that the dominant ant partner tended a higher proportion cacti in plots of higher cactus density, and was also found at higher occurrence within the pitfall traps in higher density plots, suggesting strong positive feedbacks that promote ant partner occurrence where plant partners are available. Despite the strong association and increased partner occurrence, ant community-wide effects from this mutualism appear limited. Of the common ant species, the occurrence of a single non-partner ant species was negatively associated with cactus density and with the increased presence of L. apiculatum. Additionally, the composition and diversity of the ant community in our plots were insensitive to cactus density variation, indicating that positive effects of the mutualism on the dominant ant partner did not have cascading impacts on the ant community. This study provides novel evidence that exclusive mutualisms, even those with strong positive feedbacks, may be limited in the scope of their community-level effects.

Data from: Multiple introductions, polyploidy and mixed reproductive strategies are linked to genetic diversity and structure in the most widespread invasive plant across Southern Ocean archipelagos

Biological invasions in remote areas that experience low human activity provide unique opportunities to elucidate processes responsible for invasion success. Here we study the most widespread invasive plant species across the isolated islands of the Southern Ocean, the annual bluegrass, Poa annua. To analyze geographic variation in genome size, genetic diversity, and reproductive strategies, we sampled all major sub-Antarctic archipelagos in this region and generated microsatellite data for 470 individual plants representing 31 populations. We also estimated genome sizes for a subset of individuals using flow cytometry. Occasional events of island colonization are expected to result in high genetic structure among islands, overall low genetic diversity, and increased self-fertilization, but we show that this is not the case for Poa annua. Microsatellite data indicated low population genetic structure and lack of isolation-by-distance among the sub-Antarctic archipelagos we sampled, but high population structure within each archipelago. We identified high levels of genetic diversity, low clonality, and low selfing rates in sub-Antarctic P. annua populations (contrary to rates typical of continental populations). In turn, estimates of autogamy declined in populations as genetic diversity increased. Additionally, we found that most P. annua individuals are likely tetraploid and that only slight variation exists in genome size across the Southern Ocean. Our findings suggest multiple independent introductions of P. annua into the sub-Antarctic, which promoted the establishment of genetically diverse populations. Despite multiple introductions, the adoption of convergent reproductive strategies (outcrossing) happened independently in each major archipelago. The combination of polyploidy and a mixed reproductive strategy likely benefited P. annua in the Southern Ocean by increasing genetic diversity and its ability to cope with the novel environmental conditions.

Insights into species delimitation of selected species in the flowering plant genus Medicago section Buceras (Leguminosae)

The genus Medicago (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) contains about 90 species including the important forage crop alfalfa Medicago sativa and the genomic model Medicago truncatula. Despite intensive research on the genus because of its agricultural importance, there is a relative lack of information about chromosome number and genome size in some Medicago species, especially those from section Buceras that were formerly placed in the sister genus Trigonella, and are paraphyletic to the remainder of the genus Medicago. Past studies revealed that previous species delimitations did not conform well with complex patterns of morphological or genetic variation. Some published chromosome numbers, e.g., 2n = 28 and 2n = 44, differ from those of the rest of the genus, which are mostly 2n = 16 or polyploids thereof, although some cases of aneuploid reduction or dysploidy (e.g., 2n = 14) do exist. Here we estimated phylogenetic relationships of 42 accessions corresponding to 14 currently recognized Medicago species that are paraphyletic to the remainder of Medicago with a focus on Medicago monantha; for a number of those accessions, we obtained estimates of genome size (39) and chromosome number (14). We can confirm the delimitation of two species within section Buceras, and our data suggest that there are at least two entities with distinct geographic distributions within the currently recognized species M. monantha, which differ in chromosome number and genome size. Our data also suggest that polyploidy and post-polyploid descending dysploidy played a significant role in genome evolution within section Buceras. Our data provide a strong foundation for whole-genome sequencing projects and further in-depth research of these paraphyletic lineages.

Data from: Multiple origins of mountain biodiversity in New Zealand's largest plant radiation

Aim: How mountains accumulate species diversity remains poorly understood, particularly the relative role of in situ cladogenesis compared with colonization from lower elevations. Here, we estimated the contributions of in situ cladogenesis and colonization in generating biodiversity of a large mountain plant radiation and determined the importance of niche adaptation and divergence in these processes. We expected cladogenesis would accompany novel habitats formed by mountain uplift but colonization would become more important with time as dispersal opportunities accrue. Location: New Zealand, Southern Alps Taxon: Veronica sect. Hebe (Plantaginaceae) Methods: We estimated the most complete time-calibrated phylogeny to date for Veronica sect. Hebe to quantify rates of in situ cladogenesis and colonization of mountain habitat based on historical biogeographical models. We used environmental niche modeling to quantify species' climate niches and estimate niche disparity and divergence over time. Results: In situ cladogenesis generated more species in the mountains than colonization from lowlands. Whereas cladogenesis slowed over time, colonization increased, especially in the alpine zone. Both adaptive ecological speciation along climate niche axes and non-adaptive, vicariant speciation contributed to cladogenesis. However, climate niche disparity through time became saturated, suggesting competition for niche space was important. Colonization brought more divergent species into mountain niches. Main Conclusions: We suggest mountain diversity accumulates through three main stages: high cladogenesis after initial colonization, decreasing cladogenesis with increasing competition, and increasing colonization after niches saturate, likely promoted by niche divergence. Combining lineage and mountain uplift trajectories, these stages provide a conceptual model to understand how diversity accumulates elsewhere. Assuming these deep-time findings apply to anthropogenic conditions, alpine specialists could struggle to outcompete colonizers facilitated by climate change, especially from generalist clades. Considering novel competitive interactions alongside niche traits and biogeographical processes will be crucial for predicting the fate of alpine biodiversity in a changing world.

Data from: Effective population size in a partially clonal plant is not predicted by the number of genetic individuals

Estimating effective population size (Ne) is important for theoretical and practical applications in evolutionary biology and conservation. Nevertheless, estimates of Ne in organisms with complex life-history traits remain scarce because of the challenges associated with estimation methods. Partially clonal plants capable of both vegetative (clonal) growth and sexual reproduction are a common group of organisms for which the discrepancy between the apparent number of individuals (ramets) and the number of genetic individuals (genets) can be striking, and it is unclear how this discrepancy relates to Ne. In this study, we analysed two populations of the orchid Cypripedium calceolus to understand how the rate of clonal vs. sexual reproduction affected Ne. We genotyped >1,000 ramets at microsatellite and SNP loci, and estimated contemporary Ne with the linkage disequilibrium method, starting from the theoretical expectation that variance in reproductive success among individuals caused by clonal reproduction and by constraints on sexual reproduction would lower Ne. We considered factors potentially affecting our estimates, including different marker types and sampling strategies, and the influence of pseudoreplication in genomic datasets on Ne confidence intervals. The magnitude of Ne/Nramets and Ne/Ngenets ratios we provide may be used as reference points for other species with similar life-history traits. Our findings demonstrate that Ne in partially clonal plants cannot be predicted based on the number of genets generated by sexual reproduction, because demographic changes over time can strongly influence Ne. This is especially relevant in species of conservation concern, in which population declines may not be detected by only ascertaining the number of genets.

A critical analysis of plant science literature reveals ongoing inequities

These data are associated with the study entitled "A critical analysis of plant science literature reveals ongoing inequities" by Rose A. Marks, Erik J. Amézquita, Sarah Percival, Alejandra Rougon-Cardoso, Claudia Chibici-Revneanu, Shandry M. Tebele, Jill M. Farrant, Daniel H. Chitwood, and Robert VanBuren published in PNAS, 2023. The data deposited here include 296,447 plant science papers published between 2000 to 2021 that were sourced from a representative set of 127 plant science journals based in 26 different nations across 5 continents, covering 21 different subspecialties. Both society and for-profit journals are included, with open access, hybrid, and subscription publishing models.

Patterns of frequency and density dependence are highly variable in diverse annual flowering plant communities

Applications of ecological theory to natural communities often assume that competitive, negative density-dependent processes are the only type of interaction important for diversity maintenance. Recent advances suggest that positive interactions within trophic levels (e.g. plant-plant) may also affect plant coexistence. Though positive plant-plant interactions theoretically might result in positive or nonmonotonic frequency or density dependence (FD/DD), less is known about how commonly these patterns occur, or which ecological processes might result in such patterns in natural plant communities. In this study, we test for signals of variable frequency and density dependence in annual flowering plant communities in Western Australia and search for evidence that interactions among plants during flowering might induce positive or nonmonotonic FD/DD in flowering plants. Using four common annual wildflower species, we ask if plant fecundity exhibits positive or nonmonotonic FD/DD and if pollinator-mediated plant-plant interactions during flowering change patterns of FD/DD relative to pollinator-independent plant interactions. Three species exhibited nonmonotonic (hump-shaped) density dependence, and only one species experienced strictly negative density dependence. Each species exhibited a different pattern of frequency dependence (positive, negative, weakly nonmonotonic, and no detectable frequency dependence). Pollinator-mediated plant-plant interactions during flowering induced both nonmonotonic density dependence and negative frequency dependence in one species. Importantly, the extent of variation in FD/DD observed in our study brings into question the dominance of negative density and frequency dependence in theory, suggesting instead that demographic responses of plants to their communities fall along a continuum of possible density- and frequency-dependent patterns.

The data table of eleven invasive species in Hungary and Romania: Invasive species' cover, invasive species' traits, basic characteristics, trait composition, functional diversity indices and soil parameters of recipient plant communities

We studied 11 widespread herbaceous invasive alien species of East-Central Europe and their 16 impact metrics (resident plant communities' ecological characteristics, trait composition, functional diversity, and soil parameters) by sampling invaded and similar, uninvaded sites (space-for-time substitution method). Our aim was to (1) investigate the detailed ecological impacts of invasive plants on native plant communities; (2) explore the type of cover-impact relationships across impact metrics and their consistency across species; (3) study whether the cover-impact relationship depends on functional traits of invasive species. We present the data table with the 11 invasive species: the status of the sites (invaded, uninvaded), the cover of invasive species at plot level, the invasive species traits (lifespan, height, SLA, seed mass, clonal spread, flowering duration), community characteristics (species richness and diversity, native vegetation cover and bare ground cover at plot level), trait composition of native plant communities (native vegetation height, CWM height, CWM SLA, CWM seed mass, CWM clonal spread), functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, functional distance, RaoQ) and soil properties (N, P, organic C, pH).

Data from: Meta-analysis of the effects of insect pathogens: Implications for plant reproduction

Despite extensive work on both insect disease and plant reproduction, there is little research on the intersection of the two. Insect-infecting pathogens could disrupt the pollination process by affecting pollinator population density or traits. Pathogens may also infect insect herbivores and change herbivory, potentially altering resource allocation to plant reproduction. We conducted a meta-analysis to 1) summarize the literature on the effects of pathogens on insect pollinators and herbivores and 2) quantify the extent to which pathogens affect insect traits, with potential repercussions for plant reproduction. We found 39 articles that fit our criteria for inclusion, extracting 218 measures of insect traits for 21 different insect species exposed to 25 different pathogens. We detected a negative effect of pathogen exposure on insect traits, which varied by host function: pathogens had a significant negative effect on insects that were herbivores or carried multiple functions but not on insects that solely functioned as pollinators. Particular pathogen types were heavily studied in certain insect orders, with 7 of 11 viral pathogen studies conducted in Lepidoptera and 5 of 9 fungal pathogen studies conducted in Hymenoptera. Our results suggest that most studies have focused on a small set of host–pathogen pairs. To understand the implications for plant reproduction, future work is needed to directly measure the effects of pathogens on pollinator effectiveness.

opencc-by-4.0Feb 2023View details →

Reduction of Hydrocarbon Pollutants by Hyacinth Plants (Eichhornia crassipes)

The application of phytoremediation by utilizing plants has been used to control oil pollution in waters. One of the plants that can act as a phytoremediator is the hyacinth. Because this plant can reduce various pollutants including petroleum hydrocarbons. This study aims to study the reduction ability of petroleum hydrocarbons at different concentrations including improving water quality. This study consisted of one treatment (petroleum hydrocarbon) consisting of five factors with three replicates. The treatments consisted of 10 ppm (E1), 30 ppm (E2), 50 ppm (E3), 70 ppm (E4), 90 ppm (E5), and (E0) without aquatic plants as controls.  The treatments were observed daily and measured from the first day (D-1), the seventh day (D7), and the fourteenth day (D-14). The water quality in each treatment was also measured; such as water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen. The results showed that the Hyacinth plant was able to reduce hydrocarbon in terms of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon by 79% while it was only between 17-27% naturally without hyacinth.  The reduction of TPH in the water was in line with the decrease of chlorophyll in the leaves of hyacinth, and it was followed by the increase of dissolved oxygen in the water media. In conclusion, hyacinths can reduce petroleum hydrocarbons and they can improve the water quality as well

Data for: Prescribed fire increases plant-pollinator network robustness to losses of rare native forbs

Restoration efforts often focus on changing the composition and structure of invaded plant communities, with two implicit assumptions: 1) functional interactions with species of other trophic levels, such as pollinators, will reassemble automatically when native plant diversity is restored; and 2) restored communities will be more resilient to future stressors. However, the impact of restoration activities on pollinator richness, plant-pollinator interaction network structure, and network robustness is incompletely understood. Leveraging a restoration chronosequence in Pacific Northwest prairies, we examined the effects of restoration-focused prescribed fire and native forb replanting on floral resources, pollinator visitation, and plant-pollinator network structure. We then simulated the effects of plant species loss/removal scenarios on secondary extinction cascades in the networks. Specifically, we explored three management-relevant plant loss scenarios (removal of an abundant exotic forb, removal of an abundant forb designated a noxious weed, and loss of the rarest native forb) and compared them to control scenarios. Pyrodiversity, proportion of area recently burned, and cumulative replanting effort (plugging and seeding) over the prior 10 years increased the abundance and diversity of floral resources, with concomitant increases in pollinator visitation and diversity. Pyrodiversity also decreased network connectance and nestedness, increased modularity, and buffered networks against secondary extinction cascades. Rare forbs contributed disproportionately to network robustness in less restored prairies, while removal of typical "problem" plants like exotic and noxious species had relatively small impacts on network robustness, particularly in prairies with a long history of restoration activities. Restoration actions aimed mainly at improving the diversity and abundance of pollinator-provisioning plants may also produce plant-pollinator networks with increased resilience to plant species losses.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2022View details →

Saul Flores data for manuscript in ECOLOGY: Extreme drought disrupts plant phenology: insights from 35 years of cloud forest data in Venezuela

Venezuela cloud forest phenology data for tree flowers and fruits.

opencc-by-3.0-usFeb 2023View details →

Juneau Alaska Invasive Plant Control Sites (2020-2022)

This dataset provides the location of invasive plant sites where herbicide was used to control reed canarygrass, Bohemian knotweed, European mountain ash, and European bird cherry that threaten salmon and steelhead habitat in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska (2020-2022).

Plant functional traits predict heterogeneous distributional shifts in response to climate change

Climate change is causing the rapid redistribution of vegetation as plant species move to track their climatic optima. Despite a global trend of upward movement in latitude and elevation, there is extensive heterogeneity among species and locations, with few emerging generalizations. Greater generalization may be achieved by considering multidimensional changes in species' distributions as well as incorporating ecologically relevant functional traits into studies of range shifts. To better understand how recent changes in climate are influencing the elevational distribution of plant species and how species' functional traits mediate distributional changes, we resampled a 2,438-meter elevation transect spanning a distance of 16 kilometers which encompasses desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, chaparral, and coniferous forest plant communities. Over the last 42 years, total perennial cover and species' average cover increased at lower elevations and decreased at higher elevations while the average elevational leading-edge increased 116 m and the elevational rear edge decreased 84 m. Notably, these changes were mediated by species' functional traits, where species exhibiting more conservative traits (lower SLA, greater δ13C, larger seed mass) and taller height shifted upward in their leading-edge range limit, average elevation, and trailing edge range limit, while declining in abundance at the median and trailing edge of their range. Species possessing more acquisitive traits (higher SLA, lower δ13C, smaller seed mass) and shorter height shifted downward and increased in abundance at their trailing edge, with increases in their total range size. Our results provide clear evidence that heterogeneous range dynamics under recent climate change can be generalized by considering ecologically relevant plant functional traits, and how they respond to localized climate exposure. Further, by documenting changes across a steep ecological gradient comprising a large aridity gradient, we show divergent patterns for plants occupying contrasting positions along the global spectrum of plant form and function, which provides critical insight into how trait-mediated changes under increasing aridity will impact ecosystem functioning.

Data for: Mycorrhizas drive the evolution of plant adaptation to drought

Plant adaptation to drought facilitates major ecological transitions, and will likely play a vital role under looming climate change. Mycorrhizas, i.e. strategic associations between plant roots and soil-borne symbiotic fungi, can exert strong influence on the tolerance to drought of extant plants. Here, I show how mycorrhizal strategy and drought adaptation have been shaping one another throughout the course of plant evolution. To characterize the evolutions of both plant characters, I applied a phylogenetic comparative method using data of 1,638 extant species globally distributed. The detected correlated evolution unveiled gains and losses of drought tolerance occurring at faster rates in lineages with ecto- or ericoid mycorrhizas, which were on average about 15 and 300 times faster than in lineages with the arbuscular mycorrhizal and naked root (non-mycorrhizal alone or with facultatively arbuscular mycorrhizal) strategy, respectively. My study suggests that mycorrhizas can play a key facilitator role in the evolutionary processes of plant adaptation to critical changes in water availability across global climates.