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Christie K, Pierson NR, Holeski LM, Lowry DB. Resurrected seeds from herbarium specimens reveal rapid evolution of drought resistance in a selfing annual. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16265. [PMID: 38102863 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Increased aridity and drought associated with climate change are exerting unprecedented selection pressures on plant populations. Whether populations can rapidly adapt, and which life history traits might confer increased fitness under drought, remain outstanding questions. METHODS We utilized a resurrection ecology approach, leveraging dormant seeds from herbarium collections to assess whether populations of Plantago patagonica from the semi-arid Colorado Plateau have rapidly evolved in response to approximately ten years of intense drought in the region. We quantified multiple traits associated with drought escape and drought resistance and assessed the survival of ancestors and descendants under simulated drought. RESULTS Descendant populations displayed a significant shift in resource allocation, in which they invested less in reproductive tissues and relatively more in both above- and below-ground vegetative tissues. Plants with greater leaf biomass survived longer under terminal drought; moreover, even after accounting for the effect of increased leaf biomass, descendant seedlings survived drought longer than their ancestors. CONCLUSIONS Our results document rapid adaptive evolution in response to climate change in a selfing annual and suggest that shifts in tissue allocation strategies may underlie adaptive responses to drought in arid or semi-arid environments. This work also illustrates a novel approach, documenting that under specific circumstances, seeds from herbarium specimens may provide an untapped source of dormant propagules for future resurrection experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Christie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Natalie R Pierson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA
| | - Liza M Holeski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA
- Center for Adaptive Western Landscapes, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA
| | - David B Lowry
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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FitzPatrick JA, Doucet BI, Holt SD, Patterson CM, Kooyers NJ. Unique drought resistance strategies occur among monkeyflower populations spanning an aridity gradient. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16207. [PMID: 37347451 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Annual plants often exhibit drought-escape and avoidance strategies to cope with limited water availability. Determining the extent of variation and factors underlying the evolution of divergent strategies is necessary for determining population responses to more frequent and severe droughts. METHODS We leveraged five Mimulus guttatus populations collected across an aridity gradient within manipulative drought and quantitative genetics experiments to examine constitutive and terminal-drought induced responses in drought resistance traits. RESULTS Populations varied considerably in drought-escape- and drought-avoidance-associated traits. The most mesic population demonstrated a unique resource conservative strategy. Xeric populations exhibited extreme plasticity when exposed to terminal drought that included flowering earlier at shorter heights, increasing water-use efficiency, and shifting C:N ratios. However, plasticity responses also differed between populations, with two populations slowing growth rates and flowering at earlier nodes and another population increasing growth rate. While nearly all traits were heritable, phenotypic correlations differed substantially between treatments and often, populations. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest drought resistance strategies of populations may be finely adapted to local patterns of water availability. Substantial plastic responses suggest that xeric populations can already acclimate to drought through plasticity, but populations not frequently exposed to drought may be more vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Braden I Doucet
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, 70503, USA
| | - Stacy D Holt
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, 70503, USA
| | | | - Nicholas J Kooyers
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, 70503, USA
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Benning JW, Faulkner A, Moeller DA. Rapid evolution during climate change: demographic and genetic constraints on adaptation to severe drought. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230336. [PMID: 37161337 PMCID: PMC10170215 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Populations often vary in their evolutionary responses to a shared environmental perturbation. A key hurdle in building more predictive models of rapid evolution is understanding this variation-why do some populations and traits evolve while others do not? We combined long-term demographic and environmental data, estimates of quantitative genetic variance components, a resurrection experiment and individual-based evolutionary simulations to gain mechanistic insights into contrasting evolutionary responses to a severe multi-year drought. We examined five traits in two populations of a native California plant, Clarkia xantiana, at three time points over 7 years. Earlier flowering phenology evolved in only one of the two populations, though both populations experienced similar drought severity and demographic declines and were estimated to have considerable additive genetic variance for flowering phenology. Pairing demographic and experimental data with evolutionary simulations suggested that while seed banks in both populations probably constrained evolutionary responses, a stronger seed bank in the non-evolving population resulted in evolutionary stasis. Gene flow through time via germ banks may be an important, underappreciated control on rapid evolution in response to extreme environmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W. Benning
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alexai Faulkner
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55455, USA
| | - David A. Moeller
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55455, USA
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Brown KE, Koenig D. On the hidden temporal dynamics of plant adaptation. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 70:102298. [PMID: 36126489 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Adaptation to a wide range of environments is a major driver of plant diversity. It is now possible to catalog millions of potential adaptive genomic differences segregating between environments within a plant species in a single experiment. Understanding which of these changes contributes to adaptive phenotypic divergence between plant populations is a major goal of evolutionary biologists and crop breeders. In this review, we briefly highlight the approaches frequently used to understand the genetic basis of adaptive phenotypes in plants, and we discuss some of the limitations of these methods. We propose that direct observation of the process of adaptation using multigenerational studies and whole genome sequencing is a crucial missing component of recent studies of plant adaptation because it complements several shortcomings of sampling-based techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keely E Brown
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Daniel Koenig
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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Ćalić I, Groen SC, Choi JY, Joly‐Lopez Z, Hamann E, Natividad MA, Dorph K, Cabral CLU, Torres RO, Vergara GV, Henry A, Purugganan MD, Franks SJ. The influence of genetic architecture on responses to selection under drought in rice. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1670-1690. [PMID: 36330294 PMCID: PMC9624088 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurately predicting responses to selection is a major goal in biology and important for successful crop breeding in changing environments. However, evolutionary responses to selection can be constrained by such factors as genetic and cross‐environment correlations, linkage, and pleiotropy, and our understanding of the extent and impact of such constraints is still developing. Here, we conducted a field experiment to investigate potential constraints to selection for drought resistance in rice (Oryza sativa) using phenotypic selection analysis and quantitative genetics. We found that traits related to drought response were heritable, and some were under selection, including selection for earlier flowering, which could allow drought escape. However, patterns of selection generally were not opposite under wet and dry conditions, and we did not find individual or closely linked genes that influenced multiple traits, indicating a lack of evidence that antagonistic pleiotropy, linkage, or cross‐environment correlations would constrain selection for drought resistance. In most cases, genetic correlations had little influence on responses to selection, with direct and indirect selection largely congruent. The exception to this was seed mass under drought, which was predicted to evolve in the opposite direction of direct selection due to correlations. Because of this indirect effect on selection on seed mass, selection for drought resistance was not accompanied by a decrease in seed mass, and yield increased with fecundity. Furthermore, breeding lines with high fitness and yield under drought also had high fitness and yield under wet conditions, indicating that there was no evidence for a yield penalty on drought resistance. We found multiple genes in which expression influenced both water use efficiency (WUE) and days to first flowering, supporting a genetic basis for the trade‐off between drought escape and avoidance strategies. Together, these results can provide helpful guidance for understanding and managing evolutionary constraints and breeding stress‐resistant crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Ćalić
- Department of Biological Sciences Fordham University Bronx NY USA
- Institute of Botany University of Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Simon C. Groen
- Department of Nematology University of California at Riverside Riverside CA USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology New York University New York NY USA
| | - Jae Young Choi
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology New York University New York NY USA
| | - Zoé Joly‐Lopez
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology New York University New York NY USA
- Département de Chimie Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal Québec Canada
| | - Elena Hamann
- Department of Biological Sciences Fordham University Bronx NY USA
- Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens GA USA
| | | | - Katherine Dorph
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology New York University New York NY USA
| | | | | | - Georgina V. Vergara
- International Rice Research Institute Los Baños Laguna Philippines
- Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 College Laguna Philippines
| | - Amelia Henry
- International Rice Research Institute Los Baños Laguna Philippines
| | - Michael D. Purugganan
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology New York University New York NY USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology NYU Abu Dhabi Research Institute New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
| | - Steven J. Franks
- Department of Biological Sciences Fordham University Bronx NY USA
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Shay JE, Pennington LK, Mandussi Montiel-Molina JA, Toews DJ, Hendrickson BT, Sexton JP. Rules of Plant Species Ranges: Applications for Conservation Strategies. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.700962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Earth is changing rapidly and so are many plant species’ ranges. Here, we synthesize eco-evolutionary patterns found in plant range studies and how knowledge of species ranges can inform our understanding of species conservation in the face of global change. We discuss whether general biogeographic “rules” are reliable and how they can be used to develop adaptive conservation strategies of native plant species across their ranges. Rules considered include (1) factors that set species range limits and promote range shifts; (2) the impact of biotic interactions on species range limits; (3) patterns of abundance and adaptive properties across species ranges; (4) patterns of gene flow and their implications for genetic rescue, and (5) the relationship between range size and conservation risk. We conclude by summarizing and evaluating potential species range rules to inform future conservation and management decisions. We also outline areas of research to better understand the adaptive capacity of plants under environmental change and the properties that govern species ranges. We advise conservationists to extend their work to specifically consider peripheral and novel populations, with a particular emphasis on small ranges. Finally, we call for a global effort to identify, synthesize, and analyze prevailing patterns or rules in ecology to help speed conservation efforts.
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Heyduk K, Grace OM, McKain MR. Life Without Water. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:181-183. [PMID: 33620730 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
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