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Effects of warming temperatures on germination responses and trade-offs between seed traits in an alpine plant

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, Wahlenbergia ceracea; 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. 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. 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. 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 W. ceracea, and, potentially, for alpine plant communities more widely.

Correlation between fine root traits and pathogen richness depends on plant mycorrhizal types

Root uptake strategies are associated with the strength of negative plant–soil feedback induced (PSF) induced by soil pathogens. Given the intensified effect of pathogen richness in fine roots on the strength of negative PSF through the synergistic effects of multiple pathogens, researchers have proposed a trade-off between nutrient acquisition and pathogen defence in roots. However, empirical evidence is lacking. In addition, because the interaction between pathogens and fine roots depends on the mycorrhizal types of tree species, both fine root traits and mycorrhizal types should be incorporated to reveal covariation in pathogen richness and the strength of negative PSF. In this study, we selected 50 arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) tree species and 7 ectomycorrhizal (ECM) tree species in a subtropical forest to investigate the relationships between fine root traits and pathogen richness in fine roots and determined whether their relationships depended on plant mycorrhizal types. Our results showed that pathogen richness was negatively correlated with fine root diameter but was positively correlated with specific root length for the AM-associated species, while for the ECM-associated species, the pathogen richness was only found to have a significant negative relationship with the relative abundance of ECM fungi. These findings highlight the difference between AM- and ECM-associated species in pathogen defence and bridge the gap between root traits and pathogen richness, which is significant for improving our understanding of the potential factors mediating the strength of PSF and thus maintaining tree species diversity.

Data from: ETIB-T: An aquilibrium theory of island biogeography for plant traits

This dataset holds information on community mean seed mass, plant height and leaf area of 156 species and their occurrences on 15 islands ranging in size from 164 m2 - 19 km2. The islands are located in Western Australia off Perth. Further, the dataset provides information on island coordinates, size, isolation and elevation. The islands were sampled four times within four decades. The data can be used to investigate spatial and temporal turnover dynamics on islands.

Mycorrhizae influence plant vegetative and floral traits and intraspecific trait variation

Premise. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can strongly influence host plant vegetative growth, but less is known about AMF effects on other plant traits, the relative impacts of AMF on vegetative growth versus floral traits, or AMF-induced intraspecific variation in traits. Key results. AMF species varied in their effects on host plants, from negative to positive effects. AMF often had inconsistent effects on vegetative biomass versus floral traits, and therefore quantifying one or the other may provide a misleading representation of potential AMF effects. AMF treatments generated key variation in plant traits, especially floral traits, with potential consequences for plant-pollinator interactions. Given increased intraspecific trait variation in Linum lewisii plants across AMF species compared to uninoculated individuals or single AMF treatments, local AMF diversity and their host plant associations may scale up to influence community-wide patterns of trait variation and species interactions. Conclusions. These results have implications for predicting how aboveground communities are affected by belowground communities. Including AMF effects on not just host plant biomass but also functional traits and trait variation will deepen our understanding of community structure and function, including pollination.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2017View details →

SurEau database : A database of hydraulic and stomatal traits for modelling drought resistance in plants

This file contains a database of hydraulic and stomatal traits that accompanies the paper untitled "Pant resistance to drought relies on timely stomatal closure" publish in Ecology Letters. This database was used to built the Figure of this manuscript. > The first page ("Stem_VCurves") contains the parameter of vulnerability curve to embolism for 150 species. Family, genus and species names as well as original reference are provided. > The second page ("Pgs90") contains a first proxy for the water potential causing stomatal closure, it is the value of water potential causing 90% stomatal closure computed from gs versus water potential. Family, genus and species names as well as original reference are provided. > The third page (Ptlp) contains a second proxy for the water potential causing stomatal closure, it is the turgor loss point computed from pressure volume curves. Family, genus and species names as well as original reference are provided. > The fourth page (ALL) contains all the three previous pages together, allowing to reconstruct Figure 1. > The fifth page (PitlpAdultSeedlings) contains values of turgor loss point for adults and seedilngs for 15 species. > The sixth page (P50AdultSeedlings) contains values of embolism resistance for adults and seedilngs for 14 species. > The seventh page (Emin) contains values of minimum (i.e. cuticular) conductance and minimum transpiration for 33 species as well as embolism resistance values for theese species.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Data from: Dispersal-related plant traits are associated with range size in the Atlantic Forest

Aim: The efficiency of animal-mediated seed dispersal is threatened by declines of animal populations, especially in tropical forests. We hypothesise that large-seeded plants with animal-mediated dispersal tend to have limited geographic ranges and face an increased risk of extinction due to the potential decline in seed dispersal by large-bodied fruit-eating and seed-dispersing animals (frugivores) Location: Atlantic Forest, Brazil, South America Taxon: Angiosperms Methods: First, we collected dispersal-related trait (dispersal syndrome, fruit size, seed size), growth form (tree, climber, other) and preferred vegetation type (open, closed) data for 1,052 Atlantic Forest plant species. Next, we integrated these with occurrence records, extinction risk assessments, and phylogenetic trees. Finally, we performed phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) regressions to test the direct and interactive effects of dispersal-related traits and vegetation type on geographical range size. Results: Large-seeded species had smaller range sizes than small-seeded species, but only for species with animal-mediated dispersal, not for those dispersed by abiotic mechanisms. However, plants with abiotic dispersal had overall smaller range sizes than plants with animal-mediated dispersal. Furthermore, we found that species restricted to forests had smaller ranges than those occurring in open or mixed vegetation. Finally, at least 29% of the Atlantic Forest flora is threatened by extinction, but this was not related to plant dispersal syndromes. Main Conclusions: Large-seeded plants with animal-mediated dispersal may be suffering from dispersal limitation, potentially due to past and ongoing defaunation of large-bodied frugivores, leading to small range sizes. Other factors, such as deforestation and fragmentation, will probably modulate such effects of dispersal on range size, and ultimately extinction. Our study sheds light on the relationship between plant traits, mutualistic interactions and distribution that are key to the functioning of tropical forests.

opencc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

Understanding woody plant encroachment: A plant functional trait approach

Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Data from: Oviposition strategies of Pieridae butterflies in nature and the role of an egg-killing plant trait therein

Most herbivorous insects are host-plant specialists that evolved detoxification mechanisms to overcome their host plant's toxins. In the evolutionary arms-races between Pieridae butterflies and Brassicaceae plants, some plant species have evolved another defence against the pierids: egg-killing. Underneath the eggs, leaves develop a so-called hypersensitive response HR-like cell death. Whether some butterflies have evolved oviposition strategies to counter-adapt against egg-killing remains to be studied. In this study, we assessed the oviposition site location of pierid butterflies on their natural host plants. We described the plant tissue on which we located the eggs of the most common Pieridae in the Netherlands: Gonepteryx rhamni, Anthocharis cardamines, Pieris rapae, P. napi, P. brassicae, and P. mannii. Additionally, we assessed expression of HR-like cell death in response to the deposited butterfly eggs. We found that both A. cardamines and G. rhamni mainly oviposited on the floral stem and the branch, respectively, and oviposited on host plants from lineages not expected to express HR in response to pierid eggs. Accordingly, no HR responses were seen. All Pieris eggs found were located on leaves of their host, the only tissue found to express HR-like cell death. Furthermore, each Pieris species was found to at least occasionally oviposit on Brassica nigra. This was the only plant species in this survey that expressed HR-like cell death in response to the eggs of P. rapae, P. napi and P. brassicae. Our observations demonstrate that HR-like cell death remains an effective defence strategy against these Pieris species and as such did not find evidence for the hypothesised counterstrategies. Surveying certain key species and disentangling the micro-evolution of oviposition strategies within a species would allow us to further investigate potential counter-adaptations that evolved against HR-like cell death. This study provides the basis for further investigation of potential counter-adaptations to egg-killing defences.

opencc-zeroJul 2024View details →

Data from: Native plant traits and invasibility of restored communities: Importance of environmental context and trait hierarchies

During community assembly, theory predicts trait convergence among species due to environmental filtering, and trait divergence due to biotic filtering. Learning how traits of non-native species enable them to overcome these filters informs the process of invasion. We manipulated mixtures of native plants in a large restoration project in Southern California that was initially dominated by non-native annual grasses and forbs but was restored to a mixture of native shrubs, grasses, and forbs. We measured subsequent establishment and performance by three non-native species (Brassica nigra, Salsola tragus, and Sonchus oleraceus) on N- and S-facing slopes to investigate relationships between the abiotic environment, native community composition, and invasibility in the context of trait-driven ecological filters. We then evaluated which community metrics influenced invader performance and tested whether relationships between invader performance and community-weighted traits varied depending on slope aspect. Plots with slow-growing native shrubs contained less of the fast-growing invasive, Brassica nigra. Invasibility was greatest in native communities restored with native grass and on N-facing slopes. Traits of individual species indicated relatively greater biotic as compared to environmental filtering. For example, abundance of Phacelia cicutaria, a native annual with traits most like invasive Brassica nigra, was negatively correlated with abundance of that invasive. Several community-weighted trait metrics were also significantly related to invasibility, but the direction of the relationship varied depending on the specific functional trait, community-weighted trait measure (mean or dispersion), invader, and slope aspect. The native functional group that was more likely to prevent invasion by non-native annual species (native shrubs) was different from the single species that most prevented invasion (a native forb). In restoration planning, functional groups and trait values of individual species may point to different mixtures of native species that prevent invasion by specific non-natives, depending on priority effects. Understanding the priority effects and trait hierarchies that underly biotic filtering appears critical to interpreting community-weighted traits and their complexity of responses to environmental variation in space and time.

opencc-zeroJul 2024View details →

Plant trait matrix for fire-prone Mediterranean chronosequences

A database of 23 traits for 117 Mediterranean plant species. It includes three groups of traits: i) four whole-plant traits (bud height, sclerophylly, xerophily and resprouting ability), ii) ten above-ground traits (plant height, flowering time and span, leaf size, area, weight, thickness, specific leaf area, seed size and dispersal distance), and iii) nine below-ground traits (root length, depth, laterality, root depth:laterality ratio, root weight, specific root length, root C and N concentration and the root CN ratio).

opennotspecifiedAug 2024View details →

BROT Database: Plant trait data for Mediterranean Basin species: BROT: plant trait database for Mediterranean Basin species (BROT 2013.06)

The plant trait database for Mediterranean Basin species (BROT) is available as a published version (BROT version 2008.11) which corresponds to the original database finalized in November 2008 and published in Ecology 90 (2009). Reference: Paula S, Arianoutsou M, Kazanis D, Tavsanoglu Ç, Lloret F, Buhk C, Ojeda F, Luna B, Moreno JM, Rodrigo A, Espelta JM, Palacio S, Fernández-Santos B, Fernandes PM, and Pausas JG. 2009. Fire-related traits for plant species of the Mediterranean Basin. Ecology 90: 1420. The data imported to EOL are based on the online version which is an extended (more data and more traits) and updated version of the original one. Note that the use of this online version requires to quote both the original (published) and the online version. Reference: Paula S. & Pausas J.G. 2013. BROT: a plant trait database for Mediterranean Basin species. Version 2013.06. URL: http://www.uv.es/jgpausas/brot.htmBased on Paula S. & Pausas J.G. 2013. BROT: a plant trait database for Mediterranean Basin species. Version 2013.06. URL: http://www.uv.es/jgpausas/brot.htm

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2024View details →

Data from: Assessing the effect of tissue and fire-response traits on plant growth rates post-disturbance in Eastern Australia

Here is the necessary code and data to reproduce results published in 'Assessing the effect of tissue and fire-response traits on plant growth rates post-disturbance in Eastern Australia'.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Genome-wide search for quantitative trait loci controlling important plant and flower traits in petunia using an interspecific recombinant inbred population of Petunia axillaris and Petunia exserta

A major bottleneck in plant breeding has been the much limited genetic base and much reduced genetic diversity in domesticated, cultivated germplasm. Identification and utilization of favorable gene loci or alleles from wild or progenitor species can serve as an effective approach to increasing genetic diversity and breaking this bottleneck in plant breeding. This study was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) in wild or progenitor petunia species that can be used to improve important horticultural traits in garden petunia. An F7 recombinant inbred population derived between Petunia axillaris and P. exserta was phenotyped for plant height, plant spread, plant size, flower counts, flower diameter, flower length, and days to anthesis, in Florida in two consecutive years. Transgressive segregation was observed for all seven traits in both years. The broad-sense heritability estimates for the traits ranged from 0.20 (days to anthesis) to 0.62 (flower length). A genome-wide genetic linkage map consisting 368 single nucleotide polymorphism bins and extending over 277 cM was searched to identify QTL for these traits. Nineteen QTL were identified and localized to five linkage groups. Eleven of the loci were identified consistently in both years; several loci explained up to 34.0% and 24.1% of the phenotypic variance for flower length and flower diameter, respectively. Multiple loci controlling different traits are co-localized in four intervals in four linkage groups. These intervals contain desirable alleles that can be introgressed into commercial petunia germplasm to expand the genetic base and improve plant performance and flower characteristics in petunia.

opencc-zeroMar 2020View details →

Optical traits perform equally well as directly-measured functional traits in explaining the impact of an invasive plant on litter decomposition

1. Functional traits can help elucidate and predict the impact of invasive plant species on ecosystem functioning. Yet, this approach requires comprehensive and labor-intensive trait collection campaigns, covering intraspecific trait variation of both the invader and native species in the invaded community. One potential way to overcome these logistic constraints is using hyperspectral remote sensing technology to efficiently quantify functional trait values. Although such spectrally derived or 'optical' traits are known to closely link to directly-measured functional traits, little research has explored how well these optical traits perform in assessing invader-induced ecosystem impact. 2. Here, we explored the trait-mediated impact of the invasive Rosa rugosa on litter decomposition and evaluated whether optical traits perform equally well as directly-measured traits in predicting litter decomposition variation. We collected data on species-specific functional traits, leaf hyperspectral reflectance and standardized 'tea bag index' litter decomposition across 25 invaded and 25 uninvaded coastal grassland plots. The selected traits were all potentially related to litter decomposition and covered the leaf economics spectrum, additional leaf structural components and competitive ability. Optical traits were quantified through a combination of a physical radiative transfer model inversion and vegetation indices calculations. 3. Invasion significantly increased the stabilization factor, i.e. the amount of resulting recalcitrant litter. Invader impact on litter decomposition could be entirely explained by changes it induced in the functional traits of the native community, rather than by the invader's traits itself. More specifically, the invader pushed the invaded community towards traits associated with high litter quality. Optical traits performed equally well as directly-measured traits in explaining the invasion impact on the stabilization factor (R2= 41.9% vs. 38.5%). Furthermore, the interpretation of the results based on optical traits resulted in a similar functional understanding of the invader impact. 4. Synthesis: Our results indicate the potential of hyperspectral data to explain changes in ecosystem functioning. The combination of radiative transfer models and vegetation indices allowed to extract all relevant trait information from the hyperspectral data. This framework thus presents a practical short-cut to assess relevant leaf traits, requiring only a limited amount of field trait measurements.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Plant traits of grass and legume species for flood resilience and N2O mitigation

Flooding threatens the functioning of managed grasslands by decreasing primary productivity and increasing nitrogen losses, notably as the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Sowing species with traits that promote flood resilience and mitigate flood-induced N2O emissions within these grasslands could safeguard their productivity while mitigating nitrogen losses. We tested how plant traits and resource acquisition strategies could predict flood resilience and N2O emissions of 12 common grassland species (eight grasses and four legumes) grown in field soil in monocultures in a 14-week greenhouse experiment. We found that grasses were more resistant to flooding, while legumes recovered better. Resource-conservative grass species had higher resistance, while resource-acquisitive grasses species recovered better. Resilient grass and legume species lowered cumulative N2O emissions. Grasses with lower inherent leaf and root δ13C (and legumes with lower root δ13C) lowered cumulative N2O emissions during and after the flood. Our results highlight the differing responses of grasses with contrasting resource acquisition strategies, and of legumes to flooding. Combining grasses and legumes based on their traits and resource acquisition strategies could increase the flood-resilience of managed grasslands, and their capability to mitigate flood-induced N2O emissions.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2021View details →

Dataset for: Using plant traits to understand the contribution of biodiversity effects to annual crop community productivity

Dataset for: Using plant traits to understand the contribution of biodiversity effects to annual crop community productivity

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Complex trait‒environment relationships underlie the structure of forest plant communities

Traits differentially adapt plant species to particular conditions generating compositional shifts along environmental gradients. As a result, community-scale trait values show concomitant shifts, termed trait‒environment relationships. Trait‒environment relationships are often assessed by evaluating community-weighted mean (CWM) traits observed along environmental gradients. Regression-based approaches (CWMr) assume that local communities exhibit traits centered at a single optimum value and that traits do not covary meaningfully. Evidence suggests that the shape of trait‒abundance relationships can vary widely along environmental gradients—reflecting complex interactions—and traits are usually interrelated. We used a model that accounts for these factors to explore trait‒environment relationships in herbaceous forest plant communities in Wisconsin (USA). We built a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) to analyze how abundances of 185 species distributed among 189 forested sites vary in response to four functional traits (vegetative height-VH, leaf size-LS, leaf mass per area-LMA, and leaf carbon content), six environmental variables describing overstory, soil, and climate conditions, and their interactions. The GLMM allowed us to assess the nature and relative strength of the resulting 24 trait‒environment relationships. We also compared results between GLMM and CWMr to explore how conclusions differ between approaches. The GLMM identified five significant trait‒environment relationships that together explain ~40% of variation in species abundances across sites. Temperature appeared as a key environmental driver, with warmer and more seasonal sites favoring taller plants. Soil texture and temperature seasonality affected LS and LMA; seasonality effects on LS and LMA were nonlinear, declining at more seasonal sites. Though often assumed for CWMr, only some traits under certain conditions had centered optimum trait‒abundance relationships. CWMr more liberally identified (13) trait‒environment relationships as significant but failed to detect the temperature-seasonality‒LMA relationship identified by the GLMM. Synthesis. Although GLMM represents a more methodologically complex approach than CWMr, it identified a reduced set of trait‒environment relationships still capable of accounting for the responses of forest understory herbs to environmental gradients. It also identified separate effects of mean and seasonal temperature on LMA that appear important in these forests, generating useful insights and supporting broader application of GLMM approach to understand trait‒environment relationships.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Data from: Within-species trait variation can lead to size limitations in seed dispersal of small-fruited plants

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. 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. 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. 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.

opencc-zeroFeb 2020View details →

Rapid adaptive evolution to drought in a subset of plant traits in a large-scale climate change experiment

Rapid evolution of traits and of plasticity may enable adaptation to climate change, yet solid experimental evidence under natural conditions is scarce. Here, we imposed rainfall manipulations (+30%, control, -30%) for ten years on entire natural plant communities in two Eastern Mediterranean sites. Additional sites along a natural rainfall gradient and selection analyses in a greenhouse assessed whether potential responses were adaptive. In both sites, our annual target species Biscutella didyma consistently evolved earlier phenology and higher reproductive allocation under drought. Multiple arguments suggest that this response was adaptive: it aligned with theory, corresponding trait shifts along the natural rainfall gradient, and selection analyses under differential watering in the greenhouse. However, another seven candidate traits did not evolve, and there was little support for evolution of plasticity. Our results provide compelling evidence for rapid adaptive evolution under climate change. Yet, several non-evolving traits may indicate potential constraints to full adaptation.