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5,828 results for “Traits”
Water availability dictates how plant traits predict demographic rates
<p>A major goal in ecology is to make generalizable predictions of organism responses to environmental variation based on their traits. However, straightforward relationships between traits and fitness are rare and likely vary with environmental context. Characterizing how traits mediate demographic responses to the environment may enhance predictions of organism responses to global change. We synthesized 15 years of demographic data and species-level traits in a shortgrass steppe to determine whether the effects of leaf and root traits on growth and survival depend on seasonal water availability. We predicted that (1) species with drought-tolerant traits, such as lower leaf turgor loss point (TLP) and higher leaf and root dry matter content (LDMC and RDMC), would be more likely to survive and grow in drier years due to higher wilting resistance, (2) these traits would not predict fitness in wetter years, and (3) traits that more directly measure physiological mechanisms of water use such as TLP would best predict demographic responses. We found that graminoids with more negative TLP and higher LDMC and RDMC had higher survival rates in drier years. Forbs demonstrated similar yet more variable responses. Graminoids grew larger in wetter years, regardless of traits. However, in both wet and dry years, graminoids with more negative TLP and higher LDMC and RDMC grew larger than less negative TLP and low LDMC and RDMC species. Traits significantly mediated the impact of drought on survival, but not growth, suggesting survival could be a stronger driver of species' drought response in this system. TLP predicted survival in drier years, but easier-to-measure LDMC and RDMC were equal or better predictors. These results advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which drought drives population dynamics, and show that abiotic context determines how traits drive fitness.</p>
Mating traits and fitness components in two breeding designs in Drosophila serrata
<p>Misalignment between male and female interests over mating creates inter-locus sexual conflict that is known to drive the coevolution of reproductive traits. Males and females also share the majority of their genome, which may cause these traits to genetically covary between the sexes and experience intra-locus sexual conflict where beneficial alleles in one sex are costly when expressed in the other. Traits expressed during mating may uniquely be subject to both intra- and interlocus sexual conflict. Here, we use a biologically repeated quantitative genetic experiment to test whether intra-locus sexual conflict is operating on mating latency, and copulation duration in the polyandrous fruit-fly Drosophila serrata. Mating latency and copulation duration were both heritable in males but not in females, and within sex and across-sex genetic correlations among the traits were all small. We found no significant genetic covariance between any measured mating behaviours and fitness components, nor between male and female fitness, suggesting that these traits are not under strong selection. Our study, therefore, finds little evidence of ongoing intra-locus sexual conflict over these traits. One explanation for our result is that these mating traits have historically been under strong selection, which has exhausted their genetic variation, making it difficult to detect selection in these populations. Keywords: mating latency, copulation duration, quantitative genetics, sexual conflict, Drosophila serrata, multivariate analyses, cuticula. </p>
Data from: Acclimation in ants: Interference of communication and waterproofing through cuticular hydrocarbons in a multifunctional trait
<p>Organismal traits may experience conflicting selection pressures if they fulfil different functions simultaneously. This can require trade-offs between functions or alternatively functional separation between elements of the trait.</p> <p>An important multifunctional trait in insects is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHCs) layer. CHCs cover the body of nearly all insects, protect against desiccation and serve as a communication signal. In social insects like ants, they provide cues for nestmate recognition. To maintain their waterproofing function, insects have to adjust CHC composition to current temperatures. These changes might affect information content and interfere with communication, which would be especially detrimental in social insects.</p> <p>Here, we studied how acclimation affects nestmate recognition in two sister species of the ant genus <em>Lasius</em>. Colony fragments were exposed to three climate regimes. We analysed behaviour towards same and differently acclimated conspecifics, and determined which CHCs were related to acclimatory changes, colony differences, and inter-individual aggression.</p> <p>Differential acclimation led to higher aggression and chemical distances among former nestmates. We identified small CHC subsets, which only differed among colonies or among acclimation treatments. Moreover, few compounds sufficed to explain inter-individual aggression, suggesting that ants do not use the entire CHC profile for nestmate recognition and that colony identity is encoded in a redundant way.</p> <p>Across individual CHCs, their contribution to colony differences and to differences among acclimatory treatments was negatively correlated, indicating that there is some degree of functional separation. However, CHC classes could not be clearly assigned to one or another function, indicating that the role of each CHC is idiosyncratic and may differ among species. Acclimatory effects and colony differences were more independent from each other in <em>L. platythorax </em>than in <em>L. niger</em>, indicating that functional separation can differ even among sister species.</p> <p>Our results show that CHC functions are more intertwined than previously assumed, suggesting that insects cannot optimise all functions independently. The main constraint might be the need to maintain a certain phase behaviour of the CHC layer, which depends on CHC composition and affects functionality. The need to separate functions might depend on species-specific ecological and life-history parameters.</p>
X-ray driven peanut trait estimation-Plant Methods paper
<p>The ground-truth dataset linked to the research article "X-ray driven peanut trait estimation: Computer vision aided agri-system transformation" of Plant Methods is available in this data repository.</p> <p>Description of the headers:</p> <ol> <li>Peanut variety name [39 peanut varieties were used]</li> <li>Variety number [number linked to variety]</li> <li>Variety Type [Breeding lines, Released popular cultivar, or Farmers' produce]</li> <li>Rep [number of replicates per sample used in the study]</li> <li>Corresponding TIFF image number</li> <li>kernel_weight_(g) [unit = g]</li> <li>shell_weight_(g) [unit = g]</li> <li>percentage_shelling_(%) [unit = %]</li> </ol> <p>For additional information please contact the corresponding author Jana Kholova (j.kholova@cgiar.org)</p>
Quantifying within-species trait variation in space and time reveals limits to trait-mediated drought response
<p>Climate change is stressing many forests around the globe, yet some tree species may be able to persist through acclimation and adaptation to new environmental conditions. The ability of a tree to acclimate during its lifetime through changes in physiology and functional traits, defined here as its acclimation potential, is not well known. We investigated the acclimation potential of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees by examining within-species variation in drought response functional traits across both space and time, and how trait variation influences drought-induced tree mortality. We measured xylem tension, morphological traits, and physiological traits on mature trees in southwestern Colorado, USA across a climate gradient that spanned the distribution limits of each species and three years with large differences in climate. Trembling aspen functional traits showed high within-species variation, and osmotic adjustment and carbon isotope discrimination were key determinants for increased drought tolerance in dry sites and in dry years. However, trembling aspen trees at low elevation were pushed past their drought tolerance limit during the severe 2018 drought year, as elevated mortality occurred. Higher specific leaf area during drought was correlated with higher percentages of canopy dieback the following year. Ponderosa pine functional traits showed less within-species variation, though osmotic adjustment was also a key mechanism for increased drought tolerance. Remarkably, almost all traits varied more year-to-year than across elevation in both species. Our results shed light on the scope and limits of intraspecific trait variation for mediating drought responses in key southwestern US tree species and will help improve our ability to model and predict forest responses to climate change. </p>
Data set for: Leaf trait association in relation to herbivore defense, drought resistance, and economics in a tropical invasive plant
<p><strong><span>Premsie</span></strong><span>: </span><span>Exploring how functional traits vary and covary is important to understand plant responses to environmental change. However, we have limited understanding of the ways multiple functional traits vary and covary within invasive species.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Methods</span></strong><span>:</span> <span>We measured 12 leaf traits of an invasive plant <em>Chromolaena odorata</em>, associated with plant or leaf economics, herbivore defense, and drought resistance on 10 introduced populations from Asia and 12 native populations from America, selected across a broad range of climatic conditions, and grown in a common garden</span><span>.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Results</span></strong><span>: </span><span>Species'</span> <span>range and climatic conditions influenced leaf traits, but trait variation across climate space differed between the introduced and native ranges. Traits that confer defense against herbivores and drought resistance were associated with economic strategy, but the patterns differed by range. Plants from introduced populations that were at the fast-return end of the spectrum (high photosynthetic capacity) had high physical defense traits (high trichome density), whereas plants from native populations that were at the fast-return end of the spectrum had high drought escape traits (early leaf senescence and high percentage of withered shoots).</span></p> <p><strong> <span>Conclusions</span></strong><span>:</span> <span>Our results indicate that invasive plants can rapidly adapt to novel environmental conditions. <em>C. odorata</em> showed multiple different functional trait covariation patterns and clines in the native and introduced ranges. Our results emphasize that interaction between multiple traits or functions should be considered when investigating the adaptive evolution of invasive plants.</span></p>
Exploring the interplay between natural and intersexual selection on the evolution of a cognitive trait
<p><span>There has been an increased focus on the role of natural and sexual selection in shaping cognitive abilities, but the importance of the interaction between both forces remain largely unknown. Intersexual selection through female mate choice might be an important driver of the evolution of cognitive traits, especially in monogamous species, where females may obtain direct fitness benefits by choosing mates with better cognitive abilities. However, the importance given by females to male cognitive traits might vary among species and/or populations according to their life-history traits and ecology. To disentangle the effects of natural and sexual selection, here we use an agent-based simulation model and compare the model's predictions when females mate with the first randomly encountered male (i.e. under natural selection) versus when they choose among males based on their cognitive trait values (i.e. under natural and intersexual selection). Males and females are characterized, respectively, by their problem-solving ability and assessment strategy. At each generation, agents go through (1) a choosing phase during which females assess the cognitive abilities of potential mates until eventually finding an acceptable one, and (2) a reproductive phase during which all males compete for limited resources that are exploited at a rate which depends on their cognitive abilities. Because males provide paternal care, the foraging success of mated males determines the breeding success of the pair through its effect on nestling provisioning efficiency. The model predicts that intersexual selection plays a major role in most ecological conditions, by either reinforcing or acting against the effect of natural selection. The latter case occurs under harsh environmental conditions, where intersexual selection contributes to maintaining cognitive diversity. Our findings thus demonstrate the importance of considering the interaction between both selective forces and highlight the need to build a conceptual framework to target relevant cognitive traits.</span></p>
The expression of demographic costs of reproduction varies among coexisting plants with different life history traits
<p><span>1. </span><span>Demographic costs of reproduction in flowering plants should depend on life history and reproductive effort, but how the expression of costs varies with life history traits is poorly understood.</span></p> <p><span>2. </span><span>We experimentally increased and reduced reproductive effort (fruit production) to quantify demographic costs of reproduction in four coexisting species with contrasting growth forms (clonal vs. nonclonal) and flower production (single- vs. multi-flowered). We repeated the experiment in three years, and measured demographic rates the year after treatment. In two years, we also quantified costs of flower maintenance by contrasting the performance of nonfruiting plants with intact flowers and plants with their flowers removed.</span></p> <p><span>3. </span><span>Costs varied among species, in both magnitude and demographic rate affected. Costs of natural reproduction were expressed as reductions in size and fecundity next year, whereas increased reproduction additionally reduced sprouting probability. The magnitude of demographic costs of both reproduction and flower maintenance was highest in the nonclonal, multi-flowered species, and costs were more frequently detected in the two multi-flowered species than in the single-flowered ones. This may be explained by higher biomass allocation to reproductive parts and a longer flowering period in the former. Demographic costs of reproduction did not depend on clone size.</span></p> <p><span>4. </span><span>These results document that demographic costs vary among coexisting species sharing similar niches, and are associated with divergence in life history traits. Such trait-dependent variation in costs may reduce competition among coexisting species and facilitate diversity.</span></p>
Data from: Using functional traits to identify conservation priorities for the world's crocodylians
<p>Over half of all crocodylians are threatened with extinction, with many species considered to be functionally extinct throughout their historical ranges. How such losses impact crocodylian functional diversity (FD) and its conservation is poorly understood, but can be investigated using measurable traits. Where such information is unavailable, phylogenetic diversity (PD) has been proposed as an effective strategy to capture FD, but this assumption is not well tested.</p> <p>We constructed a global trait database for 28 extant crocodylians [uploaded here], and quantified their functional diversity, distinctiveness and groupings. Functionally distinctive crocodylians include the most and least evolutionarily distinct species, likely because unusual trait values and combinations can be produced by both evolutionary isolation and evolutionarily recent adaptive radiation. We identified four functional groups of crocodylians, within which species have similar ecological roles. Highly distinctive species, such as the gharial, fit less well into functional groups.</p> <p>We combined functional distinctiveness and threat ranking scores to prioritise species for conservation. The metric is termed EcoDGE (Ecologically Distinct and Globally Endangered), and we tested how well it operates to preserve crocodylian FD amongst extant Crocodylia. Under current extinction scenarios, 32-38% of crocodylian FD might be lost within 100 years. Losses increase to 48% if all threatened species go extinct, with Asia identified as a hotspot of threatened FD in crocodylians. Highly-threatened distinctive species lead this extinction scenario, exacerbated by clusters of species sharing traits linked to high extinction risk. These traits include habitat specialism and lower reproductive investment; in contrast, species that tolerate climate extremes are more resilient.</p> <p>Prioritising at-risk species based on functional distinctiveness and threat status appears to be an effective way to conserve present-day crocodylian diversity. Conservation prioritisation based on the EcoDGE metric performed well to minimize projected losses in FD. Among extant crocodylians, FD losses are projected when high diversity overlaps with high extrinsic threats.</p> <p>We then examined the utility of PD-based measures as surrogates for FD conservation, to better understand the advantages and drawbacks of such substitutions. A PD-based measure such as the EDGE metric, provided an effective tool to capture functional diversity in our tests.</p>
Trait-mediated competition drives an ant invasion and alters functional diversity
The assumption that differences in species' traits reflect their different niches has long influenced how ecologists infer processes from assemblage patterns. For instance, many assess the importance of environmental filtering versus classical limiting-similarity competition in driving biological invasions by examining whether invaders' traits are similar or dissimilar to those of residents, respectively. However, mounting evidence suggests that hierarchical differences between species' trait values can distinguish their competitive abilities (e.g., for the same resource) instead of their niches. Whether such trait-mediated hierarchical competition explains invasions and structures assemblages is less explored. We integrate morphological, dietary, physiological and behavioural trait analyses to test whether environmental filtering, limiting-similarity competition, or hierarchical competition explain invasions by fire ants on ant assemblages. We detect both competition mechanisms; invasion success is not only explained by limiting similarity in body size and thermal tolerance (presumably allowing the invader to exploit different niches from residents), but also by the invader's superior position in trait hierarchies reflecting competition for common trophic resources. We find that the two mechanisms generate complex assemblage-level functional diversity patterns (overdispersion in some traits, clustering in others) suggesting their effects are likely missed by analyses restricted to a few traits and composite trait diversity measures.
Functional traits and their plasticity shift from tolerant to avoidant under extreme drought
<p>Under climate change, extreme droughts will limit water availability for plants. However, the species-specific responses make it difficult to draw general conclusions. We hypothesized that changes in species' abundance in response to extreme drought can be best explained by a set of water economic traits under ambient conditions in combination with the ability to adjust these traits towards higher drought resistance. We conducted a four-year field experiment in temperate grasslands using rainout shelters with 30% and 50% rainfall reduction. We quantified the response as the change in species abundance between ambient conditions and the rainfall reduction. Abundance response to extreme drought was best explained by a combination of traits in ambient conditions and their functional adjustment, most likely reflecting plasticity. Smaller leaved species decreased less in abundance under drought. With increasing drought intensity, we observed a shift from drought tolerance, i.e. an increase leaf dry matter content, to avoidance, i.e. a less negative turgor loss point (TLP) in ambient conditions and a constancy in TLP under drought. We stress the importance of using a multidimensional approach of variation in multiple traits and the importance of considering a range of drought intensities to improve predictions of species' response to climate change.</p>
Functional diversity and trait filtering of insectivorous bats on forest islands created by an Amazonian mega dam
<p>1. Mega dams in lowland tropical forests often create large archipelagos, leading to biodiversity decay and disruption of ecosystem functioning in remnant habitat islands.</p> <p>2. We investigated the functional diversity and functional trait filtering of aerial insectivorous bats in both insular forest patches created by a vast ~30-yr-old hydropower reservoir and the adjacent mainland continuous forest in Central Amazonia.</p> <p>3. Bats were surveyed using passive bat recorders across 34 forest sites. Based on a set of morphological traits derived for each species recorded, we estimated both the bat functional richness, functional evenness and functional dispersion at each surveyed site. We further assessed the effects of local vegetation, patch and landscape features on patterns of functional diversity. The interaction between functional traits, environmental characteristics, and species distribution was investigated using a combination of RLQ and fourth-corner analyses.</p> <p>4. We found that mainland sites retained higher functional richness and lower functional evenness compared to forest islands, indicating a more complete functional assemblage in the mainland. Additionally, species composition was affected by local vegetation structure and forest area, with small isolated islands exhibiting pervasive loss of functional traits. RLQ and fourth-corner analyses showed that larger understorey foraging species with greater dispersal capacity, constant frequency-frequency modulated calls, and higher frequency of maximum energy were associated with more isolated small islands. Conversely, forest subcanopy species, exhibiting quasi-constant frequency calls and presenting low dispersal capacity were associated with continuous forests and islands with greater forest area, and were therefore more sensitive to habitat insularization.</p> <p>5. Our study calls attention to the pervasive impacts induced by large dams on the functional diversity of tropical insectivorous bats. We recommend that future assessments of the effects of habitat fragmentation on mammals should include traits linked to ecosystem services. In designing and licensing new dams, we suggest the creation of extensive protected areas surrounding mainland forests to minimize the detrimental impacts of small isolated islands and safeguard the full complement of key ecological functions provided by insectivorous bats.</p>
Intraspecific trait variation alters the outcome of competition in freshwater ciliates
<p>Trait variation among heterospecific and conspecific organisms may substantially affect community and food web dynamics. While the relevance of competition and feeding traits have been widely studied for different consumer species, studies on intraspecific differences are more scarce, partly owing to difficulties in distinguishing different clones of the same species. Here, we investigate how intraspecific trait variation affects the competition between the freshwater ciliates <i>Euplotes octocarinatus</i> and <i>Coleps hirtus</i> in a nitrogen-limited chemostat system. The ciliates competed for the microalgae <i>Cryptomonas</i> sp. (<i>Cry</i>) and <i>Navicula pelliculosa</i> (<i>Nav</i>), and the bacteria present in the cultures over a period of 33 days. We used monoclonal <i>Euplotes</i> and three different <i>Coleps</i> clones (<i>Col</i> 1, <i>Col</i> 2, <i>Col</i> 3) in the experiment that could be distinguished by a newly developed rDNA-based molecular assay based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. While <i>Euplotes</i> feeds on <i>Cry</i> and on bacteria, the <i>Coleps</i> clones cannot survive on bacteria alone but feed on both <i>Cry</i> and <i>Nav</i> with clone-specific rates. Experimental treatments comprised two-species mixtures of <i>Euplotes</i> and one or all of the three different <i>Coleps</i> clones, respectively. We found intraspecific variation in the traits "selectivity" and "maximum ingestion rate" for the different algae to significantly affect the competitive outcome between the two ciliate species. As <i>Nav</i> quickly escaped top-down control and likely reached a state of low food quality, ciliate competition was strongly determined by the preference of different <i>Coleps</i> clones for <i>Cry</i> as opposed to feeding on <i>Nav</i>. In addition, the ability of <i>Euplotes</i> to use bacteria as an alternative food source strengthened its persistence once <i>Cry</i> was depleted. Hence, trait variation at both trophic levels co-determined the population dynamics and the outcome of species competition. --</p>
Multivariate trait analysis reveals diatom plasticity constrained to a reduced set of biological axes
<p>Trait-based approaches to phytoplankton ecology have gained traction in recent decades as phenotypic traits are incorporated into ecological and biogeochemical models. Here, we use high-throughput phenotyping to explore both intra- and interspecific constraints on trait combinations that are expressed in the cosmopolitan marine diatom genus Thalassiosira. We demonstrate that within Thalassiosira, phenotypic diversity cannot be predicted from genotypic diversity, and moreover, plasticity can create highly divergent phenotypes that are incongruent with taxonomic grouping. Significantly, multivariate phenotypes can be represented in reduced dimensional space using principal component analysis with 77.7% of the variance captured by two orthogonal axes, here termed a 'trait-scape'. Furthermore, this trait-scape can be recovered with a reduced set of traits. Plastic responses to the new environments expanded phenotypic trait values and the trait-scape, however, the overall pattern of response to the new environments was similar between strains and many trait correlations remained constant. These findings demonstrate that trait-scapes can be used to reveal common constraints on multi-trait plasticity in phytoplankton with divergent underlying phenotypes. Understanding how to integrate trait correlational constraints and trade-offs into theoretical frameworks like biogeochemical models will be critical to predict how microbial responses to environmental change will impact elemental cycling now and into the future.</p>
Size-dependent intraspecific variation in wood traits has little impact on aboveground carbon estimates in a tropical forest landscape
<p>There is increasing evidence that intraspecific trait variation plays a role in governing rates of ecosystem functioning. While wood traits such as wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) are key drivers of forest aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks, the sources of intraspecific variation in these wood traits and the consequences of this variation on AGC are poorly known, especially in the tropics.</p> <p>Here, we investigated intraspecific variation in wood specific gravity (WSG) and wood carbon concentration (WCC) from 556 individual trees belonging to 15 species that well characterize different successional stages of seasonal evergreen forests in Southeast Asia. Specifically, we tested the contribution of individual or species characteristics (tree size, growth rate and regeneration guilds) and local environmental conditions (topographic wetness index and successional stages) to intraspecific variation in WSG and WCC, and assessed the consequences of intraspecific variation in these wood traits on AGC estimates in 14 permanent forest plots established along a successional gradient in Khao Yai National park, Thailand.</p> <p>We found that tree size was the main driver of intraspecific variation in WSG and WCC as tree sizes increased from 10−100 cm in diameter, WSG increased by 7.3%, while WCC increased by 2.4% in heartwood, 1.6% and 2.7% in sapwood without and with volatile carbon included. There was no effect of the topographic wetness and other local environment condition in wood traits led to a slight overestimation of AGC in young secondary forests (+0.09 to +1.29%) and a small underestimation in older forests (-0.86 to -2.87%), but overall AGC estimates (13 of 14 forest plots) remained within error margins (the 95% interval).</p> <p>Our study provides evidence that tree size variation translates into intraspecific variability in wood traits, whereas local environmental conditions related to topography successional stages had no effect on wood trait variability. While size-dependent variation in WSG and WCC have largely been undocumented and thus ignored in forest carbon assessment approaches, we highlight that it has a limited impact on AGC estimates, indicating that it does not invalidate current forest carbon stock estimation approaches. </p>
Leaf trait covariation and controls on leaf mass per area (LMA) following cotton domestication
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The process of domestication has driven dramatic shifts in plant functional traits including leaf mass per area (LMA). It remains unclear whether domestication has produced concerted shifts in the lower-level anatomical traits that underpin LMA and how these traits in turn affect photosynthesis. </span><span>In this study, we investigated controls of LMA and leaf gas exchange by leaf anatomical properties at the cellular, tissue and whole leaf levels, comparing 26 wild and 31 domesticated genotypes of cotton </span><span>(<em>Gossypium</em>). </span><span>As expected, domesticated plants expressed lower LMA, higher photosynthesis and stomatal conductance</span><span>, suggesting a shift towards the 'faster' end of the leaf economics spectrum. At whole-leaf level, variation in LMA was predominantly determined by leaf density (LD) both in wild and domesticated genotypes. At tissue level, higher leaf volume per area (<em>V</em><sub>leaf</sub>) in domesticated genotypes was driven by a simultaneous increase in the volume of epidermal, mesophyll and vascular bundle tissue and airspace, while lower LD resulted from a dilution effect of lower increased volume of palisade tissue and vascular bundle of high mass density by higher increased volume of epidermis and airspace of low mass density. The volume of spongy mesophyll exerted direct control on photosynthesis in domesticated genotypes but only indirect control in wild genotypes. At cellular level, a shift to larger but less numerous cells with thinner cell walls underpinned a lower proportion of cell wall mass, and thus a reduction in LD. </span><span>Taken together, cotton domestication has triggered synergistic shifts in the underlying determinants of LMA but also photosynthesis, at cell, tissue and whole-leaf level, resulting in a marked shift in plant ecological strategy.</span></p>
Review of QTLs found in studies aimed at finding QTLs for bread wheat root traits (from 2005 to mid-2020)
<p>This list contains a number of articles that have been reviewed for QTLS for bread wheat root traits from 2005 to mid-2020 publication dates.</p>
Herbivory and traits of Lupinus polyphyllus
<p><span>Glyphosate </span><span>is the most widely used non-selective herbicide in the world.</span> <span>Glyphosate residues in soil can affect plant quality by modifying plant physiology, hormonal pathways, and traits, with potential consequences for plants' interactions with herbivores. </span></p> <p><span>We explored these indirect effects in the context of plant-herbivore interactions in a perennial, nitrogen-fixing herb. We quantified leaf herbivory for glyphosate-exposed and control plants grown in phosphorus-fertilised and non-fertilised soils, and assessed the impacts of glyphosate treatment on traits related to plant resistance against herbivores (leaf trichome density, leaf mass per area) and performance (aboveground biomass, root:shoot ratio, nodule number, nodule activity). Moreover, we conducted a laboratory feeding experiment to compare the palatability of leaves from glyphosate-exposed and control plants to a generalist mollusc herbivore. </span></p> <p><span>Herbivore damage and intensity <em>in situ</em> increased during the growing season regardless of glyphosate or phosphorus treatment. Glyphosate treatment reduced leaf trichome density, but had no effect on the other plant traits considered. Herbivore damage was negatively associated with leaf trichome density. The feeding experiment revealed no difference in the feeding probability of mollusc herbivores between glyphosate-exposed and control plants. However, there was an interaction between glyphosate treatment and initial leaf area for leaf consumption by herbivores: leaf consumption increased with increasing leaf area in both groups, but at a lower rate for glyphosate-exposed plants than for control plants. </span></p> <p><span>Our results show that glyphosate residues in soil have the potential to indirectly affect aboveground herbivores through changes in leaf quality, which may have mixed consequences for folivore damage. </span></p>
Data from: Trading water for carbon in the future: effects of elevated CO2 and warming on leaf hydraulic traits in a semiarid grassland
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk96844723"></a><span>The effects of climate change on plants and ecosystems are mediated by plant hydraulic traits, including interspecific and intraspecific variability of trait phenotypes. Yet, integrative and realistic studies of hydraulic traits and climate change are rare. In a semiarid grassland, we assessed the response of several plant hydraulic traits to elevated CO<sub>2</sub> (+200 ppm) and warming (+1.5</span><span><span> to </span></span><span><span>3</span></span><span><span>℃;</span></span><span><span> day to night). For leaves of five dominant species (three graminoids, two forbs), and in replicated plots exposed to seven years of elevated CO<sub>2</sub>, warming, or ambient climate, we measured: stomatal density and size, xylem vessel size, turgor loss point, and water potential (pre-dawn). Interspecific differences in hydraulic traits were larger than intraspecific shifts induced by elevated CO<sub>2</sub> and/or warming. Effects of elevated CO<sub>2</sub> were greater than effects of warming, and interactions between treatments were weak or not detected. The forbs showed little phenotypic plasticity. The graminoids had leaf water potentials and turgor loss points that were 10 to 50% less negative under elevated CO<sub>2</sub>; thus, climate change might cause these species to adjust their drought resistance strategy away from tolerance and toward avoidance. The C4 grass also reduced allocation of leaf area to stomata under elevated CO<sub>2</sub>, which helps explain observations of higher soil moisture. The shifts in hydraulic traits under elevated CO<sub>2</sub> were not, however, simply due to higher soil moisture. Integration of our results with others' indicates that common species in this grassland are more likely to adjust stomatal aperture in response to near-term climate change, rather than anatomical traits; this contrasts with apparent effects of changing CO<sub>2</sub> on plant anatomy over evolutionary time. Future studies should assess how plant responses to drought may be constrained by the apparent shift from tolerance (via low turgor loss point) to avoidance (via stomatal regulation and/or access to deeper soil moisture).</span></span></p>
North American silene trait medians
<p class="MsoNormal">Combinations of correlated floral traits have arisen repeatedly across angiosperms through convergent evolution in response to pollinator selection to optimize reproduction. While some plant groups exhibit very distinct combinations of traits adapted to specific pollinators (so-called pollination syndromes), others do not. Determining how floral traits diverge across clades and whether floral traits show predictable correlations in diverse groups of flowering plants is key to determining the extent to which pollinator-mediated selection drives diversification. The North American <em>Silene </em>section <em>Physolychnis </em>is an ideal group to investigate patterns of floral evolution because it is characterized by the evolution of novel red floral color, extensive floral morphological variation, polyploidy, and exposure to a novel group of pollinators (hummingbirds). We test for correlated patterns of trait evolution that would be consistent with convergent responses to selection in the key floral traits of color and morphology. We also consider both the role of phylogenic distance and geographic overlap in explaining patterns of floral trait variation. Inconsistent with phenotypically divergent pollination syndromes, we find very little clustering of North American <em>Silene </em>into distinct floral morphospace. We also find little evidence that phylogenetic history or geographic overlap explain patterns of floral diversity in this group. White and pink flowering species show extensive phenotypic diversity but are entirely overlapping in morphological variation. However, red flowering species have much less phenotypic disparity and cluster tightly in floral morphospace. We find that red flowering species have evolved floral traits that align with a traditional hummingbird syndrome, but that these trait values overlap with several white and pink species as well. Our findings support the hypothesis that convergent evolution does not always proceed through comparative phenotypic divergence, but possibly through sorting of standing ancestral variation.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
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