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330 results for “seed plant”
Data from: Combining experimental evolution and genomics to understand how seed beetles adapt to a marginal host plant
<p>Genes that affect adaptive traits have been identified, but our knowledge of the genetic basis of adaptation in a more general sense (across multiple traits) remains limited. We combined population-genomic analyses of evolve and resequence experiments, genome-wide association mapping of performance traits, and analyses of gene expression to fill this knowledge gap, and shed light on the genomics of adaptation to a marginal host (lentil) by the seed beetle <em>Callosobruchus maculatus</em>. Using population-genomic approaches, we detected modest parallelism in allele frequency change across replicate lines during adaptation to lentil. Mapping populations derived from each lentil-adapted line revealed a polygenic basis for two host-specific performance traits (weight and development time), which had low to modest heritabilities. We found less evidence of parallelism in genotype-phenotype associations across these lines than in allele frequency changes during the experiments. Differential gene expression caused by differences in recent evolutionary history exceeded that caused by immediate rearing host. Together, the three genomic data sets suggest that genes affecting traits other than weight and development time are likely to be the main causes of parallel evolution, and that detoxification genes (especially cytochrome P450s and beta-glucosidase) could be especially important for colonization of lentil by <em>C. maculatus</em>.</p>
Data from: Water the odds? Spring rainfall and emergence-related seed traits drive plant recruitment
<p>Recruitment of new individuals from seed is a critical component of plant community assembly and reassembly, especially in the context of ecosystem disturbance and recovery. While frameworks typically aim to predict how communities will be filtered on the basis of traits influencing established plant responses to the environment, assembly from seed is more complex: the responses of seeds (affected by dormancy and germination function) and establishing plants (affected by root and leaf function) can both influence outcomes within a single growing season. This creates a potential role for a more diverse set seed and seedling traits, and for environmental variability on shorter timescales (e.g., seasonal versus annual dynamics), than are typically considered. We followed thousands of individual seeds comprising eleven herbaceous grassland species through the first growing season, seeking to uncover critical environmental (precipitation amount and timing) and trait-based filters on seedling emergence and survival in assembling communities. We saw the biggest recruitment limitation when seeds failed to emerge, driven independently by a dry spring and interspecific variation in seed mass (positive effect) and seed dormancy (negative effect). Seedling survival rates were higher than emergence, with weaker predictive roles for traits like seedling root mass allocation (positive effect) and seed mass (positive under spring drought), and lesser impacts of summer rainfall on soil moisture and survival. Interestingly, most trait relationships were not conditional on rainfall, suggesting water-independent mechanisms of their respective advantages. Although recruitment is a complex process, our findings suggest that trait-based assembly frameworks can be a useful way to anticipate outcomes, particularly if dynamic early-stage conditions (e.g., spring rainfall) and attributes (e.g., seed dormancy) receive greater attention. Given the importance of recruitment for community turnover in the context of global change and land management efforts, this is an area ripe for continued expansion in trait-based and applied ecology.</p>
Data for article Pesticide seed dressings can affect the activity of various soil organisms and reduce decomposition rate of plant material, BMC Ecology
<p>Raw data for article "Pesticide seed dressings can affect the activity of various soil organisms and reduce decomposition rate of plant material" published in BMC Ecology</p>
Data from: pollinators limit seed production in an early blooming rare plant: evidence of a mismatch between plant phenology and pollinator emergence
<p>The reproductive ecology of rare plants is seldom studied, yet the persistence of plant populations depends on successful mutualisms with pollinators. As atmospheric temperatures rise, phenology of plants and pollinators may become mismatched. We investigated the reproduction of <em>Trifolium barnebyi</em> (Barneby's Clover), a mat-forming perennial endemic to central Wyoming, USA that grows in the crevices of sandstone bedrock. Our objectives were to evaluate a method for monitoring changes in cover as well as assess the pollination and seed-set of <em>T. barnebyi</em>. We established five monitoring transects using a divided frame to estimate percent cover. We conducted seed-set experiments at three locations to measure self-pollination and the degree to which pollinating insects limited seed production. We used vane traps and bee bowls to capture pollinators, and examined pollen carried on bees. Percent cover along transects declined over the 4 year period and was associated with spring precipitation. <em>Trifolium barnebyi</em> did not self-pollinate and relied on pollinators to produce seeds. The number and mass of viable seeds per flower, and the number of bees captured increased as the season progressed, indicating that more and larger seeds were made when more pollinators were present. Blooming of <em>T. barnebyi</em> ranged between April and June depending on the microhabitat the plant lived in and we observed much higher seed production in later-blooming plants. Pollen from <em>T. barnebyi </em>was primarily carried by Andrena bees, although we found smaller amounts of pollen on seven other bee genera. A mismatch in timing between blooming and pollinating insect emergence could limit seed production in<em> T. barnebyi </em>if plants bloom earlier over time and bee emergence does not follow the same phenology. Rare plants can be pollinated by rare pollinators showing that conserving these pollinators is crucial for rare plants and early blooming species may be higher at risk.</p>
Establishment from seed is more important for exotic than for native plant species
<p>Climate change has initiated the movement of both native and non-native (exotic) species across the landscape. Exotic species are hypothesized to establish from seed more readily than comparable native species. We tested the hypothesis that seed limitation is more important for exotic species than native grassland species. We compared seed limitation and invasion resistance over three growing seasons between 18 native and 18 exotic species, grown in both monocultures and mixtures in a field experiment. Half of the plots received a seed mix of the contrasting treatment (i.e. exotic species were seeded into native plots, and native species were seeded into exotic plots), and half served as controls. We found that 1) establishment in this perennial grassland is seed limited, 2) establishment from seed is greater in exotic than native species, and 3) community resistance to seedling establishment was positively related diversity of extant species, but only in native communities. Native-exotic species diversity and composition differences did not converge over time. Our results imply that native-to-exotic transformations occur when diversity declines in native vegetation and exotic seeds arrive from adjacent sites, suggesting that managing for high diversity will reduce transformations to exotic dominance.</p>
Changes in the structure of seed dispersal networks when including interaction outcomes from both plant and animal perspectives
<p>Interaction frequency is the most common currency in quantitative ecological networks, although interaction quality can also affect benefits provided by mutualisms. Here, we evaluate if interaction quality can modify network topology, species' role and whether such changes affect community vulnerability to species loss. We use a well-examined study system (bird-lizard and fleshy-fruited plants in the 'thermophilous' woodland of the Canary Islands) to compare network and species-level metrics from a network based on fruit consumption rates (Interaction Frequency, IF), against networks reflecting functional outcomes: a Seed Dispersal Effectiveness network (SDE) quantifying recruitment, and a Fruit Resource Provisioning network (FRP), accounting for the nutrient supply of fruits. Nestedness decreased in the FRP and the SDE networks, due to the lack of association between fruit consumption rates and (1) nutrient content, and (2) recruitment at the seed deposition sites, respectively. The FRP network showed lower niche overlap due to resource use complementarity among frugivores. Interaction evenness was lower in the SDE network, in response to a higher dominance of lizards in the recruitment of heliophilous species. Such changes, however, did not result in enhanced vulnerability against extinctions. At the plant species level, strength changed in the FRP network in frequently consumed or highly nutritious species. The number of effective partners decreased for species whose seeds were deposited in unsuitable places for recruitment. In frugivores, strength was consistent across networks (SDE vs IF), showing that consumption rates outweighed differences in dispersal quality. In the case of lizards, the increased importance of nutrient-rich species resulted in a higher number of effective partners.</p> <p>Our work shows that although frequency strongly impacts interaction effects, accounting for quality improves our inferences about interaction assembly and species role. Thus, future studies including interaction outcomes from both partners' perspectives will provide valuable insights about the net effects of mutualistic interactions.</p>
Odor of achlorophyllous plants' seeds
<div class="page"> <div class="section"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>Seed dispersal by ants is an important means of migration for plants. Many myrmecochorous plants have specialized appendages in their seeds called elaiosome, which provide nutritional rewards for ants, and enable effective seed dispersal. However, some non-myrmecochorous seeds without elaiosomes are also dispersed by ant species suggesting that additional mechanisms other than elaiosomes for seed dispersal by ants. The seeds of the achlorophyllous and myco-heterotrophic herbaceous plant <i>Monotropastrum humile</i> are very small without elaiosomes, we investigated whether odor of the seeds could mediate seed dispersal by ants. We performed a bioassay using seeds of <i>M. humile</i> and the ant <i>Nylanderia </i><i>flavipe</i><i>s</i> to demonstrate ant-mediated seed dispersal. We also analyzed the volatile odors emitted from <i>M. humile </i>seeds and conducted bioassays using dummy seeds coated with seed volatiles. Although elaiosomes were absent from the <i>M. humile</i> seeds, the ants carried the seeds to their nests. They also carried the dummy seeds coated with the seed volatile mixture to the nest, and left some dummy seeds inside the nest and discarded the rest of the dummy seeds outside the nest with a bias toward specific locations, which might be conducive to germination.<b> </b>We concluded that, in <i>M. humile</i> seeds, volatile odor mixtures were sufficient to induce seed carrying behavior by the ants even without elaiosomes.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> </p>
Effects of warming temperatures on germination responses and trade-offs between seed traits in an alpine plant
<p>1. Climate warming may affect multiple aspects of plant life history, including important factors such as germination responses and the key trade-off between offspring size and number. As a case study to address these concepts, we used an alpine plant (waxy bluebell, <em>Wahlenbergia</em> <em>ceracea</em>; Campanulaceae) that shows plasticity to warming in seed traits and in which seed dormancy status regulates germination. We chose an alpine species because alpine environments are ecosystems particularly under threat by climate change.</p> <p>2. We conducted germination assays under cool and warm temperatures using seeds produced by individuals that were grown under historical (cooler) and future (warmer) temperature scenarios. We assessed the presence of a seed size vs number trade-off, and then examined the effects of seed number and size on germination percentage, the fractions of dormant and viable seeds, and germination velocity. Further, we examined whether warming during parental growth and during germination affected these relationships.</p> <p>3. We found evidence for a seed size vs number trade-off only under historical parental temperatures. Indeed, under future growth temperatures, parental plants produced fewer and smaller seeds and there was no evidence of a trade-off. However, the reductions in both seed traits under warming did not affect germination, despite correlations of seed size and number with germination traits. Warming increased germination, particularly of larger seeds, but overall it resulted in more than fourfold reductions in parental fitness.</p> <p>4. Synthesis. Our study shows the importance of growth conditions when evaluating the seed size vs number trade-off. Stressful conditions, such as warmer temperatures, can restrain the ability of plants to reach optimal investment in reproduction, masking the trade-off. By analysing responses across the whole life cycle, we show here an overall detrimental effect of warming, highlighting the potential risk of climate change for <em>W</em>. <em>ceracea</em>, and, potentially, for alpine plant communities more widely. </p>
Data from: Spatiotemporal interaction of risk-spreading strategies for a seed-dimorphic plant
<p>For plants, the risk of stress-induced reproductive failure can be spread temporally and spatially by increasing the variation in stress tolerance and dispersibility, respectively. Yet, we have limited understanding on how intraspecific stress tolerance can be interactively adjusted by these two risk-spreading strategies. Seed-dimorphic plants, which are frequently found in stressful and fluctuating environments, can produce dimorphic offspring with different stress tolerances and dispersibilities. Using a seed-dimorphic Asteraceae,<em> Synedrella nodiflora</em>, we illustrated how maternal-drought-induced changes in drought tolerance and dispersibility may interactively increase intraspecific drought tolerance variation, and thus potentially improve adaptation to various water conditions. Maternal drought stress increased the mean or variation of drought tolerance of the less-dispersible (R-type) offspring, whereas it had variable effects on the drought tolerance of the more-dispersible (D-type) offspring depending on maternal seed morph (R-type vs. D-type) and habitat (dry vs. wet). Because the relative abundances of these two types of offspring remained largely unchanged by maternal drought, there was an overall increase in the intraspecific mean and variation of drought tolerance under maternal drought stress, driven by the changes in the less-dispersible offspring.</p> <p>Synthesis. Our results indicate a strong interaction between stress tolerance variation and seed dispersibility in seed-dimorphic plant species. Using drought tolerance as an indicator, we demonstrate a potential pathway for the adaptive evolution of seed-dimorphic plants that may contribute to their wide distribution. More importantly, our findings highlight the ecological significance of seed dimorphism and the variation of stress tolerance to avoid reproductive failure under various environmental conditions.</p> <pre> </pre>
Seed dormancy types and germination response of 15 plant species in temperate montane peatlands
<p>Despite their crucial role in determining the fate of seeds, the type and breaking mode of seed dormancy in peatland plants in temperate Asia with a continental monsoon climate are rarely known. Fifteen common peatland plant species were used to test their seed germination response to various dormancy-breaking treatments, including dry storage (D), gibberellin acid soaking (GA), cold stratification (CS), warm followed cold stratification (WCS), GA soaking + cold stratification (GA+CS) and GA soaking + warm followed cold stratification (GA+WCS). Germination experiment, viability and imbibition test, and morphological observation of embryos were conducted. Of the 15 species, nine showed physiological dormancy (PD), with non-deep PD being the dominant type. Four species, <em>Angelica pubescens</em>, <em>Cicuta virosa</em>, <em>Iris laevigata </em>and<em> Iris setosa</em> exhibited morphological physiological dormancy. Two species, <em>Lycopus uniflorus</em> and<em> Spiraea salicifolia</em>, demonstrated non-dormancy of seeds. Overall, the effect hierarchy of dormancy-breaking is: CS > GA > WCS > GA+CS > D > GA+WCS. Principal component analysis demonstrated that seed traits, including embryo length: seed length ratio, seed size, and monocot/eudicot divergence, are more likely to influence seed dormancy than environmental factors. Our study suggests that nearly 90% of the tested peatland plant species in the Changbai Mountains demonstrated seed dormancy, and seed traits (e.g. embryo to seed ratio and seed size) and abiotic environmental factors (e.g. pH and temperature seasonality) are related to germination behavior, suggesting seed dormancy being a common adaptation strategy for the peatland plants in the temperate montane environment.</p>
Figure 1 in A new interaction in an invasive plant in Brazil: Horismenus abnormicaulis (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) parasitizing Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) in seeds pods of Leucaena leucocephala (Fabaceae)
Figure 1. Horismenus abnormicaulis, female: A) head and mesosoma lateral; B) habitus.
Legacy effects of seed dispersal mechanisms shape the spatial interaction network of plant species in Mediterranean forests
<p>1. Seed dispersal by frugivores plays a key role in structuring and maintaining tree diversity in forests. However, little is known about how the spatial legacy of seed dispersal and early recruitment shapes spatial patterns and the spatial interaction network of plant species in mature forest communities.</p> <p>2. We analysed two fully mapped mixed Pine-Oak forest communities using spatial point pattern analysis to determine (i) the detailed structure of the intraspecific spatial patterns of saplings and adults, (ii) the intra- and interspecific spatial interaction of saplings, adults, and saplings relative to adults, (iii) the spatial patterns of species richness at the community level, and (iv) whether seed dispersal mechanisms affect the plant-plant interaction networks and the ratio of adult to sapling neighbourhood densities used as surrogate for spatial self-thinning.</p> <p>3. The intraspecific spatial patterns of saplings and adults showed in general complex nested cluster structures that were similar for sapling and adult stages, despite of substantial self-thinning in some dry-fruited species. The spatial network of saplings was characterized by positive spatial interactions. Adults of several tree species facilitated saplings in their proximity; however, adults of dry-fruited species, but not those of fleshy-fruited ones, lost almost all positive interactions that occurred at the sapling stage. Besides, interaction strength between adults was positive and often significantly stronger if both species were fleshy-fruited. At the community level, the forests were structured into multispecies clumps across all life stages.</p> <p>4. Synthesis. Our analyses highlight the importance of the spatial legacy of seed dispersal and early recruitment in the assembly of plant communities. Particularly, animal seed dispersal can lead to multispecies clusters and positive spatial associations across life stages in Mediterranean forests, with surprisingly little signatures of negative interactions. Our analysis suggests that changes of the spatial structure across plant life stages are driven by seed dispersal mechanisms and subsequent spatial self-thinning, generating a spatial footprint at the sapling stage that conditions the long-term interactions between adult plants. Combining spatial point pattern analysis with network analysis and species traits is a promising way to disentangle the processes underlying observed patterns of local diversity. </p>
Data from: Within-species trait variation can lead to size limitations in seed dispersal of small-fruited plants
<p>The inability of small-gaped animals to consume very large fruits may limit seed dispersal of the respective plants. This has often been shown for large-fruited plant species that remain poorly dispersed when large-gaped animal species are lost due to anthropogenic pressure. Little is known about whether gape-size limitations similarly influence seed dispersal of small-fruited plant species that can show a large variation in fruit size within species.</p> <p>In this study, fruit sizes of 15 plant species were compared with the gape sizes of their 41 animal dispersers in the temperate, old-growth Białowieża Forest, Poland. The effect of gape-size limitations on fruit consumption was assessed at the plant species level, and for a subset of nine plant species, also at the individual level, and subindividual level (i.e., fruits of the same plant individual). In addition, for the species subset, fruit-seed trait relationships were investigated to determine whether a restricted access of small-gaped animals to large fruits results in the dispersal of fewer or smaller seeds per fruit.</p> <p>Fruit sizes widely varied among plant species (74.2%), considerably at the subindividual level (17.1%), and to the smallest extent among plant individuals (8.7%). Key disperser species should be able to consume fruits of all plant species and all individuals (except those of the largest-fruited plant species), even if they are able to consume only 28-55% of available fruits. Fruit and seed traits were positively correlated in eight out of nine plant species, indicating that gape size limitations will result in 49% fewer (in one plant species) or 16-21% smaller seeds (in three plant species) dispersed per fruit by small-gaped than by large-gaped main dispersers, respectively.</p> <p>Our results show that a large subindividual variation in fruit size is characteristic for small-fruited plant species, and increases their connectedness with frugivores at the level of plants species and individuals. Simultaneously, however, the large variation in fruit size leads to gape-size limitations that may induce selective pressures on fruit size if large-gaped dispersers become extinct. This study emphasizes the mechanisms by which gape-size limitation at the species, individual and subindividual level shape plant-frugivore interactions and the co-evolution of small-fruited plants.</p>
Rapid divergent evolution of an annual plant across a latitudinal gradient revealed by seed resurrection
<p>Global change is expected to drive short-term evolution of natural populations. However, it remains unclear whether different populations are changing in unison. Here, we study contemporary evolution of growth-related and reproductive traits of three populations of <i>Cyanus segetum</i> face to warming and pollinator decline across a latitudinal gradient in France. We resurrected stored seeds sampled up to 24 years apart from northern, central-western, and southern populations and conducted an <i>in situ</i> common-garden experiment. To disentangle neutral from selection-driven differentiation, we calculated neutral genetic differentiation (<i>F<sub>ST</sub></i>) and quantitative trait differentiation (<i>Q<sub>ST</sub></i>) between temporal samples. We found that phenotypic evolution was divergent across populations exhibiting different trends for rosette size, date of flowering, and capitula size. By measuring seed set as a proxy of fitness, we showed that samples with larger mean capitula size outperformed samples with smaller mean capitula size in the western and southern populations. Regression of traits on seed set showed that flowering date and capitula size are the primary determinants of fitness, and <i>Q<sub>ST</sub>-F<sub>S</sub></i><i><sub>T</sub></i> comparisons indicated that natural selection has likely contributed to the shifts in flowering phenology and rosette size. These findings outline the potential for rescue of natural populations through contemporary evolution and emphasize the complex interplay between spatial and temporal variation in species' responses to global change.</p>
Dispersal syndromes are poorly associated with climatic niche differences in the Azorean seed plants
<p><b>Aim: </b>Environmental niche tracking is linked to the species ability to disperse. While well investigated on large spatial scales, dispersal constraints also influence small-scale processes and may explain the difference between the potential and the realized niche of species at small-scales. Here we test whether niche size and niche fill differ systematically according to dispersal syndrome within isolated oceanic islands. We expect species with higher dispersal abilities (anemochorous or endozoochorous) will have a higher niche fill, despite of their environmental niche size.</p> <p><b>Location:</b> Azores archipelago</p> <p><b>Taxon:</b> Native seed plants</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> We combined a georeferenced database of the species distribution within the archipelago (Azorean Biodiversity Portal/GBIF) with an expert-based dispersal syndrome categorization and a high-resolution climatic grid (CIELO model). Using four climatic variables (Annual Mean Temperature, Mean Diurnal Range, Annual Precipitation, Precipitation Seasonality), we calculated a 4-dimensional hypervolume to estimate the niche size of each species. Niche fill was quantified as the suitable climatic space of the island that was occupied by the focal species.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Endozoochorous species display higher niche fill compared to epizoochorous and hydrochorous species, and larger niches than anemochorous and epizoochorous. Differences among the remaining groups are not significant neither for niche fill nor for niche size.</p> <p><b>Main Conclusions:</b> Although endozoochorous species track their niche more efficiently at small-scales than other dispersal syndromes, the differences between dispersal syndromes are not consistent. The ability of a species to track its niche at small-scales is not tightly related to its dispersal syndrome. Although intuitively appealing, dispersal syndrome classifications might not be the most appropriate tools for understanding dispersal processes at small-scales.</p>
Data from: Does the reduction of seed dormancy during ex situ cultivation affect the germination and establishment of plants reintroduced into the wild?
<p><span>1. Plants or seeds produced in botanic gardens or nurseries have become an important source of plant material for reintroductions or population reinforcements. However, recent research has shown that these living collections bear the risk of being genetically impoverished and adapted to the artificial habitat. In particular, many studies have reported a decline of seed dormancy during ex situ cultivation, which may compromise their suitability for reintroduction programs. However, the impact of those ex situ-derived changes on the germination and establishment of reintroduced plant populations is still unclear. </span></p> <p><span>2. We studied the germination behaviour, population establishment and plant fitness over three years of reintroduced plants of the short-lived perennial <em>Digitalis</em> <em>lutea</em>, comparing plants grown from (1) a 30-year botanic garden population, (2) seeds from a seed bank representing the initial starting point of the botanic garden culture, and (3) a re-sampled corresponding wild population. </span></p> <p><span>3. Under laboratory conditions, wild-collected seeds required cold stratification to germinate, whereas seeds from the garden population germinated without stratification. This pattern was strongly reduced in an outdoor pot experiment, where only a few garden seeds germinated before winter, and all seeds remained dormant when seeded in the natural area of origin. In a transplant experiment, reintroduced plants from the wild population outperformed both, the garden and the seed bank plants, in their fitness in the first 3 years after reintroduction suggesting adaptation to current climatic conditions. </span></p> <p><span>4. Synthesis and Applications: Our study demonstrates that trait changes that occurred during ex situ cultivation can negatively impact the establishment of reintroduced plants. We conclude that wild plant material collected from contemporary populations is best suited for reintroduction and should be preferred over ex situ-cultivated and seed bank stored material, especially when the cultivation spanned multiple generations. However, our study also shows that germination requirements change in complex ways, and the loss of dormancy observed under laboratory conditions may not always be directly transferable to natural conditions. When established standards are respected, ex situ propagated material may thus still be a valuable resource, especially when wild material is not available in sufficient quantities. </span></p>
Seed size, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion patterns for native and introduced grassland plants
<p>Most terrestrial plants disperse by seeds, yet the relationship between seed mass, seed dispersal traits, and plant dispersion is poorly understood. We quantified seed traits for 48 species of native and introduced plants from grasslands of western Montana, USA, to investigate the relationships between seed traits and plant dispersion patterns. Additionally, because the linkage between dispersal traits and dispersion patterns might be stronger for actively dispersing species, we compared these patterns between native and introduced plants. Finally, we evaluated the efficacy of a global trait database, the TRY plant traits database, versus locally collected data for examining these questions.</p> <p>This archive contains species-level data used in analyses, including species metadata (origin, growth form), mean values of measured seed traits (size metrics and type of dispersal structures), two metrics of dispersion (local and broad scales, respectively) derived from grassland surveys in the study region, and information on the seed mass accessed from the TRY traits database. Note that the latter seed mass data could not be included in the archive, but can be acquired directly from the TRY plant traits database (<a href="https://www.try-db.org/TryWeb/Home.php">https://www.try-db.org/TryWeb/Home.php</a>).</p>
Density dependence of seed dispersal and fecundity profoundly alters the spread dynamics of plant populations
<ol> <li>Plant population spread has fundamental ecological and evolutionary importance. Both determinants of plant population spread, fecundity and dispersal, can be density-dependent, which should cause feedback between population densities and spread dynamics. Yet it is poorly understood how density-dependence affects key characteristics of spread: spread rate at which the location of the furthest forward individual moves, edge depth (the geographical area over which individuals contribute to spread) and population continuity (occupancy of the spreading population).</li> <li>We present a general modelling framework for analysing the effects of density-dependent fecundity and dispersal on population spread and parameterize this framework with experimental data from a common-garden experiment using five wind-dispersed plant species grown at different densities. </li> <li>Our model shows that density-dependent fecundity and dispersal strongly affect all three population spread characteristics for both exponential and lognormal dispersal kernels. Spread rate and edge depth are strongly correlated but show weaker correlations with population continuity. Positive density-dependence of fecundity increases all three spread characteristics. Increasingly positive density-dependence of dispersal increases spread rate and edge depth but generally decreases population continuity. Density-dependent fecundity and dispersal are largely additive in their effect on spread characteristics. For population continuity, the joint effects of density-dependent fecundity and dispersal are somewhat contingent on the dispersal kernel.</li> <li>The common-garden experiment and the experimentally parameterized mechanistic dispersal model revealed density-dependent fecundity and dispersal across study species. All study species exhibited negative density-dependent fecundity, but they differed qualitatively in the density-dependence of dispersal distance and probability of long-distance dispersal. The negative density-dependence of fecundity and dispersal found for three species reinforced each other in reducing spread rate and edge depth. The positively density-dependent dispersal found for two species markedly increased spread rate and edge depth. Population continuity was hardly affected by population density in all study species except Crepis sancta in which it was strongly reduced by negatively density-dependent fecundity.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis</em>. Density-dependent fecundity and seed dispersal profoundly alter population spread. In particular, positively density-dependent dispersal should promote the spread and genetic diversity of plant populations migrating under climate change but also complicate the control of invasive species.</li> </ol>
Vascular variants in seed plants – a developmental perspective
<p>Over centuries of plant morphological research, biologists have enthusiastically explored how distinct vascular arrangements have diversified. These investigations have focused on the evolution of steles and secondary growth and examined the diversity of vascular tissues (xylem and phloem), including atypical developmental pathways generated through modifications to the typical development of ancestral ontogenies. A shared vernacular has evolved for communicating on the diversity of alternative ontogenies in seed plants. Botanists have traditionally used the term “anomalous secondary growth” which was later renamed to “cambial variants” by late Dr. Sherwin Carlquist (1988). However, the term “cambial variants” can be vague in meaning since it is applied for developmental pathways that do not necessarily originate from cambial activity. Here, we review the “cambial variants” concept and propose the term “vascular variants” as a more inclusive overarching framework to interpret alternative vascular ontogenies in plants. In this framework, vascular variants are defined by their developmental origin (instead of anatomical patterns), allowing the classification of alternative vascular ontogenies into three categories: (1) <strong>procambial variants</strong>, (2) <strong>cambial variants</strong> and (3) <strong>ectopic cambia</strong>. Each category includes several anatomical patterns. Vascular variants, which represent broader developmental-based groups, can be applied to both extant and fossil plants, and thereby offer a more adequate term from an evolutionary perspective. An overview of the developmental diversity and phylogenetic distribution of vascular variants across selected seed plants is provided. Finally, the evolutionary implications of vascular variants are discussed.</p>
Tempo-spatial evolution of seed plant endemism in Taiwan island
<p><strong>Aim</strong>: In Taiwan island, dispersal through <em>recent</em> <em>land-bridge</em> and <em>oversea</em> after the appearance of proto-Taiwan (<6.5 Ma) is responsible for its biodiversity assembly. While radiations have also been widely reported in mountain systems. So, the tempo-spatial route to the floral hotspot was determined through a meta-analysis of evolution of endemic plants.</p> <p><strong>Location</strong>: Taiwan island and adjacent Asian regions.</p> <p><strong>Taxon</strong>: Seed plants.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>: Published dated phylogenies were compiled, and the stem ages were considered as origin times. Ancestral range shift pattern and/or distribution of sister lineage/species were used to determine the speciation mode, in situ origin or dispersal. The distributions of sister taxa were assigned to ten different biogeographical regions. Histograms quantifying the number of different origin mode events within 0.5 Ma bins were constructed. Possibility of long-distance dispersal (LDD) was evaluated.</p> <p><strong>Results</strong>: The 125 sampled endemic plants originated between the late Eocene and late Pleistocene, with 111 species (88.8%) originating after the emergence of proto-Taiwan and 14 species (11.2%) before. Spatially, in situ speciation contributed more to the formation of endemism than dispersal (56.8% vs 43.2%). The mean ages of in situ origin species (1.83 Ma) are significantly younger than that of dispersal (6.34 Ma). The main regions from which dispersal occurred were south-central (n=29) and southeast China (n=28) (referred to as south China), followed by Japan (n=14). High ratio (60.8%) of LDD ability is found.</p> <p><strong>Main</strong> <strong>conclusions</strong>: Spatially, <em>recent land-bridge</em> and <em>oversea</em> dispersal from the adjacent flora of Asia is supported and southwest and southeast China are the most important sources. In situ speciation that may be correlated with mountain uplift, monsoon intensification and Pleistocene climatic fluctuations exert greater contributions. Temporally, floral endemism is predominantly origin after the emergence of proto-Taiwan. Additional investigations with more sophisticated sampling and genetic data are needed in the future.</p>
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The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.