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691 results for “plant traits”
Data from: Hydrology, shore morphology and species traits affect seed dispersal, germination and community assembly in shoreline plant communities
1.Seed dispersal and germination are two primary processes influencing plant community assembly. On freshwater shores, water levels regulate both processes. However, it is still unclear how water levels, shore morphology and species traits interactively affect seed dispersal and germination, and how these interactions determine plant community assembly. We hypothesize that a drawdown water regime enhances seed establishment compared to a year-round stable water level, that this increases species richness and diversity, and that this is modulated by species traits and shore morphology. 2.Germination of 20 wetland plant species with different dispersal capacities (floating capacity expressed as seed floatation half-time) and soil moisture preferences for germination (Ellenberg F) was tested on artificial shores in 24 outdoor ponds in 2 complementary experiments over 8 weeks. The "dispersal experiment" tested the effect of water regime on recruitment of hydrochorously dispersing seeds. The "seed bank experiment" tested the effect of water regime on germination from a sown seed bank, on steep and gradual shores. 3.In the dispersal experiment, the drawdown regime increased recruitment and species richness. Longer floating species colonised a larger shoreline section. Soil moisture preference for germination did not determine colonisation patterns. 4.In the seed bank experiment, the drawdown regime increased the number of seedlings on gradual sloping shores, but not on steep shores. The number of germinating seedlings corresponded to the area subjected to the drawdown regime in both shore types. Species richness was not affected by water regime or shore morphology, and species traits did not determine shoreline colonisation. Most seeds germinated in moist soil conditions for all species. 5.Synthesis. A spring drawdown instead of stable water regime stimulates establishment of hydrochorously dispersing seeds in temperate wetlands, leading to higher species richness and diversity. Germination from the seed bank is more affected by water regime and shore surface than by the tested species traits. Species traits, water levels and shore morphology together determine wetland plant community assembly, with dispersal as the main driver of seedling community diversity. Water level regulations and shore morphology can be used to influence plant communities in wetland restoration.
Data from: Bimodality of stable and plastic traits in plants
We challenged archived genetic mapping data for 36 fruit, seed, flower and yield traits in tomato and found an unexpected bimodal distribution in one measure of trait variability, the mean coefficient of variation, with some traits being consistently more variable than others. To determine the degree of conservation of this distribution among higher plants, we compared 18 homologous phenotypes, including yield and seed production, across different crop species grown in a common 'crop garden' experiment. The set included 32 varieties of tomato, eggplant, pepper, melon, watermelon, sunflower and maize. Estimates of canalization were obtained using a 'canalization replication' experimental design that generated multiple estimates of the coefficient of variation of traits, as well as their reaction norms in optimal and water-stressed field plots. A common pattern of bimodal distribution of stable and plastic traits was observed for all the varieties, and a wild weed (Solanum nigrum). We propose that canalization profiles of traits in a variety of taxa were ancestrally selected to maximize adaptation and reproductive success
Data from: Limits to future adaptation in the invasive plant Polygonum cespitosum: expression of functional and fitness traits at elevated CO2
For organisms to adapt to future environments, they must both evolve appropriate functional responses and phenotypically express those responses under future climatic and CO2 conditions. We examined these 2 components of future adaptation in an invasive annual plant (Polygonum cespitosum) by performing a "resurrection" experiment under field conditions simulating a future environment. Resurrection experiments reveal recent evolution by comparing genotypes from natural populations sampled across a multigeneration interval. We collected genotypes from the same 3 North American populations in 1994 and 2005 and raised inbred lines from these collections under free air CO2 enrichment to examine functional and fitness traits expressed in hot, dry conditions at both ambient and elevated CO2 (N = 295 plants). The species has rapidly evolved in its introduced range to increase photosynthetic rate (collection year effect P ≤ 0.011) and delay senescence (P = 0.017) under full-sun, dry field conditions, but these adaptive changes were not expressed when the field environment included elevated CO2 (within-treatment year effect P ≥ 0.20 for both traits). Populations showed different levels of reproductive output and its genetic variance in these novel, stressful conditions. These findings illustrate constraints on evolutionary adaptation to predicted future conditions at both the species and population levels.
Data from: Syndromes in suites of correlated traits suggest multiple mechanisms facilitating invasion in a plant range-expander
Various mechanisms can facilitate the success of plant invasions simultaneously, but may be difficult to disentangle. We compared plants of the range-expanding species Bunias orientalis from populations of native, invasive and exotic, not yet invasive origin in a field common garden over two years. Plants were grown under two nitrate-regimes and multiple traits regarding growth, defence, antagonist loads and reproduction were measured. We used a rank-based clustering approach to assign correlated traits to distinct suites. These suites were analysed for "syndromes" that are expressed as a function of population origin and/or fertilisation treatment and might represent different invasion mechanisms. Indeed, distinct suites of traits were differentially affected by these factors. Our results suggest that different pre-adaptation properties, such as certain growth characteristics and intraspecific chemical variation, as well as post-introduction adaptations to antagonists and resource availability in novel habitats are candidate mechanisms that facilitate the success of invasive B. orientalis in parallel. We conclude that rank-based clustering is a robust and expedient approach to integrate multiple traits for elucidating invasion syndromes within individual species. Studying a multitude of traits at different life-history and establishment stages of plants grown under distinct resource treatments reveals species-specific trade-offs and resource sinks and simplifies the interpretation of single trait functions for plant invasiveness.
A meta-analysis of natural selection on plant functional traits
<p>A common assumption in plant physiological ecology is that variation in functional traits reflects the adaptation of organisms to their abiotic environment. This assumption can be tested by estimating natural selection as the relationship between a functional trait and a fitness component (i.e. survival or reproduction) within a population. To understand how natural selection operates on plant functional traits, we compiled directional selection gradients (<i>β</i><span><span></span></span>), which estimate direct selection, and differentials (<i>S</i><span><span></span></span>), which estimate both direct and indirect selection, from studies conducted in manipulated and unmanipulated environments. We found that relative to manipulating biotic factors, manipulating abiotic factors had a ~5.7´ larger effect on <i>β </i><span><span></span></span>and a ~16´ larger effect on <i>S</i><span><span></span></span>, suggesting that functional traits primarily evolve in response to the abiotic environment. We found that the strength of selection on functional traits <i>(</i><span></span><i>β</i><i>)</i><span><span></span></span> did not vary with trait type, performance/fitness component, or measurement context (i.e. common garden vs. natural population). However, the direction of selection did differ between some trait types: <i>β</i><span><span></span></span> was positive for plant size traits, but negative for phenology traits. Lastly, we found that the absolute value of selection differentials (<span></span><i>S</i><span><span></span></span>) was ~2´ larger than the absolute value of selection gradients (<span></span><i>β</i><span><span></span></span>), indicating that there was indirect selection on functional traits. Overall, our meta-analysis illustrates that natural selection on plant functional traits is common, and that estimates of selection on these traits in experimentally manipulated environments can be used effectively to test hypotheses about the causes of adaptation.</p>
Data from: Relationships between plant traits, soil properties and carbon fluxes differ between monocultures and mixed communities in temperate grassland
1. The use of plant traits to predict ecosystem functions has been gaining growing attention. Aboveground plant traits, such as leaf nitrogen (N) content and specific leaf area (SLA), have been shown to strongly relate to ecosystem productivity, respiration, and nutrient cycling. Further, increasing plant functional trait diversity has been suggested as a possible mechanism to increase ecosystem carbon (C) storage. However, it is uncertain whether belowground plant traits can be predicted by aboveground traits, and if both above- and belowground traits can be used to predict soil properties and ecosystem-level functions. 2. Here, we used two adjacent field experiments in temperate grassland to investigate if above- and belowground plant traits are related, and whether relationships between plant traits, soil properties and ecosystem C fluxes (i.e., ecosystem respiration and net ecosystem exchange) measured in potted monocultures could be detected in mixed field communities. 3. We found that certain shoot traits (e.g., shoot N and C, and leaf dry matter content) were related to root traits (e.g., root N, root C:N, and root dry matter content) in monocultures, but such relationships were either weak or not detected in mixed communities. Some relationships between plant traits (i.e., shoot N, root N and/or shoot C:N) and soil properties (i.e., inorganic N availability and microbial community structure) were similar in monocultures and mixed communities, but they were more strongly linked to shoot traits in monocultures and root traits in mixed communities. Structural equation modelling showed that above- and belowground traits and soil properties improved predictions of ecosystem C fluxes in monocultures, but not in mixed communities on the basis of community-weighted mean traits. 4. Synthesis: Our results from a single grassland habitat detected relationships in monocultures between above- and belowground plant traits, and between plant traits, soil properties and ecosystem C fluxes. However, these relationships were generally weaker or different in mixed communities. Our results demonstrate that while plant traits can be used to predict certain soil properties and ecosystem functions in monocultures, they are less effective for predicting how changes in plant species composition influence ecosystem functions in mixed communities.
Data from: Environmental factors and traits that drive plant litter decomposition do not determine home-field advantage effects
The 'home-field advantage' (HFA) hypothesis predicts that plant litter is decomposed faster than expected underneath the plant from which it originates ('home') than underneath other plants ('away'), because decomposer communities are specialized to break down litter from the plants they associate with. However, empirical evidence shows that the occurrence of HFA is highly variable, and the reasons for this are little understood. In our study we progress our understanding by investigating whether HFA is stronger for more recalcitrant litter types and under colder conditions and how soil properties and plant functional traits affect the magnitude and direction of HFA. In subarctic tundra in northern Sweden we set up a reciprocal transplant litter decomposition experiment along an elevational gradient where three highly contrasting vegetation types (heath, meadow and Salix) occur at all elevations, and where temperature decreases strongly with elevation. In this study, we used a litter bag approach where litters from each elevation × vegetation type combination were decomposed in all combinations of elevation × vegetation type. We also measured community-level plant functional traits, such as leaf and litter nutrient content. We determined soil biotic and abiotic properties, such as microbial biomass and soil nutrient content, in soil cores collected for each elevation × vegetation type combination. We found that mass loss increased with plant and litter nutrient content and with soil temperature. In contrast, the occurrence of HFA was limited in our study system, and its magnitude and direction could not be explained by vegetation type, elevation, plant traits or soil properties, despite these factors serving as powerful drivers of litter mass loss in our study. We conclude that although vegetation type and climate are major drivers of litter mass loss, they do not emerge as important determinants of HFA. Therefore, while rapid shifts in plant community composition or temperature due to global change are likely to influence litter mass loss directly by altering environmental conditions, plant trait spectra and litter quality, indirect effects of global change resulting from decoupling of specialist interactions between litter and decomposer communities appears to be of less importance.
Data from: Adaptive and non-adaptive evolution of trait means and genetic trait correlations for herbivory resistance and performance in an invasive plant
The EICA-hypothesis predicts that invading plants adapt to their novel environment by evolving increased performance and reduced resistance in response to the release from natural enemies, and assumes a resource allocation tradeoff among both trait groups as mechanistic basis of this evolutionary change. Using the plant Silene latifolia as a study system, we tested these predictions by investigating whether 1) invasive populations evolved lower resistance and higher performance, 2) this evolutionary change is indeed adaptive, and 3) there is a negative genetic correlation among performance and resistance (i.e. a tradeoff) in native and introduced individuals. We sampled eight native and eight invasive populations and determined their population co-ancestry based on neutral SSR-markers. We performed controlled crossings to produce five sib-groups per population and exposed them to increased and reduced levels of enemy attack in a full-factorial experiment to estimate performance and resistance. With these data, we performed trait-by-trait comparisons between ranges with 'animal models' that account for population co-ancestry to quantify the amount of variance in traits explained by non-adaptive vs. adaptive evolution. Moreover, we tested for genetic correlations among performance and resistance traits within sib-groups. We found significant reductions in resistance and increases in performance in invasive versus native populations, which could largely be attributed to adaptive evolution. While we detected a non-significant trend towards negative genetic performance × resistance correlations in native populations, invasive populations exhibited both significant and non-significant positive correlations. In summary, these results do not support a shift of performance and resistance trait values along a tradeoff line in response to enemy release, as predicted EICA. They rather suggest that the independent evolution of both traits is not constrained by a tradeoff, and that various selective agents (including resource availability) interact in shaping both traits and in weakening negative genetic correlations in the invaded habitat.
Data from: On the link between functional traits and growth rate: meta-analysis shows effects change with plant size, as predicted
A plant's growth rate is seen as a central element of its ecological strategy, and as determined by its traits.Yet the literature is inconsistent about the empirical correlation between functional traits and growth, casting doubt on the capacity of some prominent traits to influence growth rate. We propose that traits should influence growth in a way that depends on the size of individual plants. We outline mechanisms and hypotheses based on new theoretical work, and test these predictions in tree species using a meta-analysis of 103 studies (> 500 correlations) for five traits (specific leaf area, wood density, maximum height, seed mass and maximum assimilation rate).We also recorded data for 14 other traits commonly used in the trait literature.To capture the effects of plant size, we tested for a shift in the direction of correlation between growth rates and each trait across three ontogenetic stages: seedling,sapling and adult. Results were consistent with predictions, although there were some limitations arising from unequal numbers of observation across ontogenetic stages.Specific leaf area was correlated with relative growth rate in seedlings but not in adult plants.Correlations of growth with wood density were not affected by ontogenetic stage. Seed mass, assimilation rate and maximum height were correlated with relative growth rate only in one ontogenetic stage category: seedlings,seedlings and adults,respectively. Although we were able to confirm several of our theoretical predictions,major knowledge gaps still exist in the trait literature.For example,for one third of the traits considered,the majority (> 75%) of reported correlations with growth came from the same ontogenetic stage. Synthesis: We show for some traits, how trait-growth correlations change in a predictable way with plant size.Our understanding of plant strategies should shift away from describing species as having a fixed growth strategy throughout their life (on a continuous axis from slow to fast growth), in favour of a size-dependent growth trajectories.
Data from: Plant community composition but not plant traits determine the outcome of soil legacy effects on plants and insects
1.Plants leave species-specific legacies in the soil they grow in that can represent changes in abiotic or biotic soil properties. It has been shown that such legacies can affect future plants that grow in the same soil (plant-soil feedback, PSF). Such processes have been studied in detail, but mostly on individual plants. Here we study PSF effects at the community level and use a trait-based approach both in the conditioning phase and in the feedback phase to study how twelve individual soil legacies influence six plant communities that differ in root size. 2.We tested if (I) grassland perennial species with large root systems would leave a stronger legacy than those with small root systems, (II) grass species would leave a more positive soil legacy than forbs and (III) communities with large root systems would be more responsive than small-rooted communities. We also tested (IV) whether a leaf chewing herbivore and a phloem feeder were affected by soil legacy effects in a community framework. 3.Our study shows that the six different plant communities that we used respond differently to soil legacies of twelve different plant species and their functional groups. Species with large root systems did not leave stronger legacies than species with small root systems, nor were communities with large root systems more responsive than communities with root systems. 4.Moreover, we show that when communities are affected by soil legacies, these effects carry over to the chewing herbivore Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) through induced behavioral changes resulting in better performance of a chewing herbivore on forb-conditioned soils than on grass-conditioned soils, whereas performance of the phloem feeder Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) remained unaffected. 5.Synthesis: The results of this study shed light on the variability of soil effects found in previous work on feedbacks in communities. Our study suggests that the composition of plant communities determines to a large part the response to soil legacies. Furthermore, the responses to soil legacies of herbivores feeding on the plant communities that we observed, suggests that in natural ecosystems, the vegetation history may also have an influence on contemporary herbivore assemblages. This opens up exciting new areas in plant-insect research and can have important implications for insect pest management.
Data from: The genetic architecture of a complex ecological trait: host plant use in the specialist moth, Heliothis subflexa
We used genetic mapping to examine the genetic architecture of differences in host plant use between two species of noctuid moths, Heliothis subflexa, a specialist on Physalis spp., and its close relative, the broad generalist H. virescens. We introgressed H. subflexa chromosomes into the H. virescens background and analyzed 1,462 backcross insects. The effects of H. subflexa-origin chromosomes were small when measured as the percent variation explained in backcross populations (0.2 to 5%), but were larger when considered in relation to the interspecific difference explained (1.5 to 165%). Most significant chromosomes had effects on more than one trait, and their effects varied between years, sexes, and genetic backgrounds. Different chromosomes could produce similar phenotypes, suggesting that the same trait might be controlled by different chromosomes in different backcross populations. It appears that many loci of small effect contribute to the use of Physalis by H. subflexa. We hypothesize that behavioral changes may have paved the way for physiological adaptation to Physalis by the generalist ancestor of H. subflexa and H. virescens.
Data from: Quantitative trait loci from the host genetic background modulate the durability of a resistance gene: a rational basis for sustainable resistance breeding in plants
The combination of major resistance genes with quantitative resistance factors is hypothesized as a promising breeding strategy to preserve the durability of resistant cultivar, as recently observed in different pathosystems. Using the pepper (Capsicum annuum)/Potato virus Y (PVY, genus Potyvirus) pathosystem, we aimed at identifying plant genetic factors directly affecting the frequency of virus adaptation to the major resistance gene pvr23 and at comparing them with genetic factors affecting quantitative resistance. The resistance breakdown frequency was a highly heritable trait (h²=0.87). Four loci including additive quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and epistatic interactions explained together 70% of the variance of pvr23 breakdown frequency. Three of the four QTLs controlling pvr23 breakdown frequency were also involved in quantitative resistance, strongly suggesting that QTLs controlling quantitative resistance have a pleiotropic effect on the durability of the major resistance gene. With the first mapping of QTLs directly affecting resistance durability, this study provides a rationale for sustainable resistance breeding. Surprisingly, a genetic trade-off was observed between the durability of PVY resistance controlled by pvr23 and the spectrum of the resistance against different potyviruses. This trade-off seemed to have been resolved by the combination of minor-effect durability QTLs under long term farmer selection.
Supplementary material 1 from: Gruntman M, Segev U (2024) Effect of residence time on trait evolution in invasive plants: review and meta-analysis. NeoBiota 91: 99-124. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.91.109251
Supplementary information
Limitations of plant stress tolerance upon heat and CO2 exposure in black ploplar: Assessment of photosynthetic traits and stress volatile emissions
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Plant functional traits
<p>The whole-plant economics spectrum (PES) refers to the trade-offs among the many plant functional traits that are commonly used as indicators of major adaptive strategies, thereby providing insights into plant distributions, ecosystem processes, and evolution. However, there are few studies of what may be called the whole-plant economic spectrum (PES) that integrates bark, wood, and leaf functional traits for different leaf-types and growth habits (evergreen versus deciduous species).</p> <p>To address this gap in our knowledge, 6 bark traits, 7 wood traits (including mechanical support and nutrient transport characteristics), and 12 leaf traits (including chemical, structural, and physiological characteristics) of 59 representative subtropical woody species were examined using principal component analysis (PCA) to determine PES strategies.</p> <p>The economics spectra of bark (BES), wood (WES), and leaves (LES), and the entire PES indicated that major traits represent resource acquisition strategies and conservation strategies clustering on the opposite ends of the PCA axis. A significant correlation was observed among the 25 functional traits. The data indicated that N and P nutrient levels were at the hub of BES, WES, LES, and PES interrelationships. Evergreen and deciduous species had different WES and LES, and thus PES resource acquisition strategies. With the exception of the BES, evergreen species clustered on the conservative side, whereas deciduous species clustered on the acquisitive side.</p> <p>The PES presented here informs our understanding of whole-plant responses to environmental differences, particularly regarding the role of N and P traits at the whole-plant level. It also reveals and further supports the notion that evergreen and deciduous species respectively manifest conservative and acquisitive strategies, further informing our understanding of species biodiversity maintenance.</p>
Supplementary material 1 from: Liu M-C, Dong T-F, Feng W-W, Qu B, Kong D-L, van Kleunen M, Feng Y-L (2022) Leaf trait differences between 97 pairs of invasive and native plants across China: effects of identities of both the invasive and native species. NeoBiota 71: 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.71.71385
Figure S1–S7
Supplementary material 2 from: Liu M-C, Dong T-F, Feng W-W, Qu B, Kong D-L, van Kleunen M, Feng Y-L (2022) Leaf trait differences between 97 pairs of invasive and native plants across China: effects of identities of both the invasive and native species. NeoBiota 71: 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.71.71385
Table S1, S2, S4
Supplementary material 3 from: Liu M-C, Dong T-F, Feng W-W, Qu B, Kong D-L, van Kleunen M, Feng Y-L (2022) Leaf trait differences between 97 pairs of invasive and native plants across China: effects of identities of both the invasive and native species. NeoBiota 71: 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.71.71385
Table S3
Plant community impact on productivity: trait diversity or key(stone) species effects?
<p>Outside controlled experimental plots, the impact of community attributes on primary productivity has rarely been compared to that of individual species. Here, we identified plant species of high importance for productivity (key species) in >29,000 diverse grassland communities in the European Alps, and compared their effects with those of community-level measures of functional composition (weighted means, variances, skewness, and kurtosis). After accounting for the environment, the five most important key species jointly explained more deviance of productivity than any measure of functional composition alone. Key species were generally tall with high specific leaf areas. By dividing the observations according to distinct habitats, the explanatory power of key species and functional composition increased and key-species plant types and functional composition-productivity relationships varied systematically, presumably because of changing interactions and trade-offs between traits. Our results advocate for a careful consideration of species' individual effects on ecosystem functioning in complement to community-level measures.</p>
Fig. 3. – Species prediction for a grid cell. A in Geographical patterns of woody plants' functional traits in Burkina Faso
Fig. 3. – Species prediction for a grid cell. A. Percentage of species flowering in rainy season; B. Percentage of species having dry fruits; C. Percentage of species having dehiscent fruits; D. Average of minimal fruit length.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
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