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Herrera CM. Plant Phenotypes as Distributions: Johannsen's Beans Revisited. Am Nat 2024; 203:219-229. [PMID: 38306280 DOI: 10.1086/727966] [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] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
AbstractIn the early twentieth century, Wilhelm Johannsen's breeding experiments on pure lines of beans provided empirical support for his groundbreaking distinction between phenotype and genotype, the foundation stone of classical genetics. In contrast with the controversial history of the genotype concept, the notion of phenotype has remained essentially unrevised since then. The application of the Johannsenian concept of phenotype to modularly built, nonunitary plants, however, needs reexamination. In the first part of this article it is shown that Johannsen's appealing solution for dealing with the multiplicity of nonidentical organs produced by plant individuals (representing individual plant phenotypes by arithmetic means), which has persisted to this day, reflected his intellectual commitment to nineteenth-century typological thinking. Revisitation of Johannsen's results using current statistical tools upholds his major conclusion about the nature of heredity but at the same time falsifies two important ancillary conclusions of his experiments-namely, the alleged homogeneity of pure lines (genotypes) regarding seed weight variability and the lack of transgenerational effects of within-line (within-genotype) seed weight variation. The canonical notion of individual plant phenotypes as arithmetic means should therefore be superseded by a concept of phenotype as a dual property, consisting of central tendency and variability components of organ trait distribution. Phenotype duality offers a unifying framework applicable to all nonunitary organisms.
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Sobral M. Plant subindividual functional diversity and carbon cycling. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 28:1357-1359. [PMID: 37775453 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.09.003] [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: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Plant subindividual trait variation is a neglected level of functional diversity that contributes to the variation of phenotypes and ecological communities. Disregarding the role of subindividual functional diversity (SFD) in nature may lead to incorrect understanding of spatial and temporal scales of relationships between trait diversity, ecosystem function, and carbon cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Sobral
- Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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3
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Castro Sánchez-Bermejo P, Davrinche A, Matesanz S, Harpole WS, Haider S. Within-individual leaf trait variation increases with phenotypic integration in a subtropical tree diversity experiment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1390-1404. [PMID: 37710419 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19250] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Covariation of plant functional traits, that is, phenotypic integration, might constrain their variability. This was observed for inter- and intraspecific variation, but there is no evidence of a relationship between phenotypic integration and the functional variation within single plants (within-individual trait variation; WTV), which could be key to understand the extent of WTV in contexts like plant-plant interactions. We studied the relationship between WTV and phenotypic integration in c. 500 trees of 21 species in planted forest patches varying in species richness in subtropical China. Using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS), we measured nine leaf morphological and chemical traits. For each tree, we assessed metrics of single and multitrait variation to assess WTV, and we used plant trait network properties based on trait correlations to quantify phenotypic integration. Against expectations, strong phenotypic integration within a tree led to greater variation across leaves. Not only this was true for single traits, but also the dispersion in a tree's multitrait hypervolume was positively associated with tree's phenotypic integration. Surprisingly, we only detected weak influence of the surrounding tree-species diversity on these relationships. Our study suggests that integrated phenotypes allow the variability of leaf phenotypes within the organism and supports that phenotypic integration prevents maladaptive variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Castro Sánchez-Bermejo
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andréa Davrinche
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química inorgánica, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Lüneburg, 21335, Germany
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Møller C, March-Salas M, Kuppler J, De Frenne P, Scheepens JF. Intra-individual variation in Galium odoratum is affected by experimental drought and shading. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 131:411-422. [PMID: 36546703 PMCID: PMC10072115 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Climate-change induced warmer spring temperatures advance tree leaf-out and result in earlier shading of the forest floor. Climate change also leads to more frequent droughts. Forest understorey herbs may respond to these environmental changes by varying traits at different hierarchical levels of organization. While trait mean variation at the inter-individual level in response to environmental changes is well-studied, little is known about how variation at the intra-individual level responds. METHODS We sampled genets of the forest understorey herb Galium odoratum from 21 populations in three regions in Germany, varying in microclimatic conditions. The genets were transplanted into a common garden, where we applied shading and drought treatments. We measured plant height and leaf length and width, and calculated the coefficient of variation (CV) at different hierarchical levels: intra-population, intra-genet, intra-ramet and intra-shoot. KEY RESULTS Variance partitioning showed that intra-shoot CV represented most of the total variation, followed by intra-ramet CV. We found significant variation in CV of plant height and leaf width among populations of origin, indicating that CV is at least partly genetically based. The soil temperature at populations' origins correlated negatively with CV in plant height, suggesting adaptation to local conditions. Furthermore, we observed that early shade led to increased intra-ramet CV in leaf length, while drought reduced intra-shoot CV in leaf width. Finally, intra-shoot leaf width mean and CV were independent under control conditions but correlated under drought. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental results reveal correlations of intra-individual variation with soil temperature, indicating that intra-individual variation can evolve and may be adaptive. Intra-individual variation responded plastically to drought and shading, suggesting functional changes to improve light capture and reduce evapotranspiration. In conclusion, intra-individual variation makes up the majority of total trait variation in this species and can play a key role in plant adaptation to climatic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Møller
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Martí March-Salas
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jonas Kuppler
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode, Belgium
| | - J F Scheepens
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Shimizu-Inatsugi R, Morishima A, Mourato B, Shimizu KK, Sato Y. Phenotypic variation of a new synthetic allotetraploid Arabidopsis kamchatica enhanced in natural environment. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1058522. [PMID: 36684772 PMCID: PMC9846130 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1058522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The phenotypic variation of vegetative organs and reproductive organs of newly synthesized and natural Arabidopsis kamchatica genotypes was investigated in both a controlled environment and a natural environment in an experimental garden. When we compared the variation of their leaf shape as a vegetative organ, the synthetic A. kamchatica individuals grown in the garden showed larger variation compared with the individuals incubated in a growth chamber, suggesting enhanced phenotypic variation in a natural fluctuating environment. In contrast, the natural A. kamchatica genotypes did not show significant change in variation by growth condition. The phenotypic variation of floral organs by growth condition was much smaller in both synthetic and natural A. kamchatica genotypes, and the difference in variation width between the growth chamber and the garden was not significant in each genotype as well as among genotypes. The higher phenotypic variation in synthetic leaf may imply flexible transcriptomic regulation of a newly synthesized polyploid compared with a natural polyploid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aki Morishima
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beatriz Mourato
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kentaro K. Shimizu
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Sato
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Mafakheri M, Bakhshipour M, Omrani M, Gholizadeh H, Rahimi N, Mobaraki A, Rahimi M. The impact of environmental and climatic variables on genetic diversity and plant functional traits of the endangered tuberous orchid (Orchis mascula L.). Sci Rep 2022; 12:19765. [PMID: 36396718 PMCID: PMC9672365 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19864-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how environmental factors shape patterns of genetic and phenotypic variations in a species is necessary for conservation and plant breeding. However, these factors have not yet been completely understood in tuberous orchid species used to make 'Salep', an important ingredient in traditional medicine and beverages in middle eastern countries and India. In many areas, increasing demand has pushed species to the brink of extinction. In this study, 198 genotypes from 18 populations of the endangered species Orchis mascula L. spanning a large-scale climatic gradient in northern Iran were used to investigate patterns of genetic diversity and plant functional traits. Populations were sampled from three land cover types (woodland, shrubland, and pastureland/grassland). Plant height, stem length, number of flowers, bulb fresh and dry weight, glucomannan, and starch concentrations showed high variation among populations and were significantly related to land cover type. In general, genetic diversity was high, particularly in those from eastern Hyrcanian; additionally, populations showed a high level of genetic differentiation (G'st = 0.35) with low gene flow (Nm = 0.46). The majority of genetic differentiation occurred within populations (49%) and land cover types (20%). The population structural analysis using the AFLP marker data in K = 4 showed a high geographical affinity for 198 O. mascula genotypes, with some genotypes having mixed ancestry. Temperature and precipitation were found to shape genetic and phenotypic variation profoundly. Significant isolation by the environment was observed, confirming the strong effect of environmental variables on phenotypic and genetic variation. Marker-trait association studies based on MLM1 and MLM2 models revealed significant associations of P-TGG + M-CTT-33 and E-AGG + M-CGT-22 markers with plant height and glucomannan content. Overall, a combination of large-scale climatic variables and land cover types significantly shaped genetic diversity and functional trait variation in O. mascula populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mafakheri
- grid.27860.3b0000 0004 1936 9684Department of Plant Sciences, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Mehdi Bakhshipour
- grid.411872.90000 0001 2087 2250Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, P.O. Box, Rasht, 41635-1314 Iran
| | - Mina Omrani
- grid.1020.30000 0004 1936 7371School of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351 Australia
| | - Hamid Gholizadeh
- grid.411622.20000 0000 9618 7703Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Mazandaran Iran
| | - Najmeh Rahimi
- grid.24805.3b0000 0001 0687 2182Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM USA
| | - Ali Mobaraki
- grid.411872.90000 0001 2087 2250Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, P.O. Box, Rasht, 41635-1314 Iran
| | - Mehdi Rahimi
- grid.448905.40000 0004 4910 146XDepartment of Biotechnology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran
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March-Salas M, Scheepens JF, van Kleunen M, Fitze PS. Precipitation predictability affects intra- and trans-generational plasticity and causes differential selection on root traits of Papaver rhoeas. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:998169. [PMID: 36452110 PMCID: PMC9703072 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.998169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Climate forecasts show that in many regions the temporal distribution of precipitation events will become less predictable. Root traits may play key roles in dealing with changes in precipitation predictability, but their functional plastic responses, including transgenerational processes, are scarcely known. We investigated root trait plasticity of Papaver rhoeas with respect to higher versus lower intra-seasonal and inter-seasonal precipitation predictability (i.e., the degree of temporal autocorrelation among precipitation events) during a four-year outdoor multi-generation experiment. We first tested how the simulated predictability regimes affected intra-generational plasticity of root traits and allocation strategies of the ancestors, and investigated the selective forces acting on them. Second, we exposed three descendant generations to the same predictability regime experienced by their mothers or to a different one. We then investigated whether high inter-generational predictability causes root trait differentiation, whether transgenerational root plasticity existed and whether it was affected by the different predictability treatments. We found that the number of secondary roots, root biomass and root allocation strategies of ancestors were affected by changes in precipitation predictability, in line with intra-generational plasticity. Lower predictability induced a root response, possibly reflecting a fast-acquisitive strategy that increases water absorbance from shallow soil layers. Ancestors' root traits were generally under selection, and the predictability treatments did neither affect the strength nor the direction of selection. Transgenerational effects were detected in root biomass and root weight ratio (RWR). In presence of lower predictability, descendants significantly reduced RWR compared to ancestors, leading to an increase in performance. This points to a change in root allocation in order to maintain or increase the descendants' fitness. Moreover, transgenerational plasticity existed in maximum rooting depth and root biomass, and the less predictable treatment promoted the lowest coefficient of variation among descendants' treatments in five out of six root traits. This shows that the level of maternal predictability determines the variation in the descendants' responses, and suggests that lower phenotypic plasticity evolves in less predictable environments. Overall, our findings show that roots are functional plastic traits that rapidly respond to differences in precipitation predictability, and that the plasticity and adaptation of root traits may crucially determine how climate change will affect plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martí March-Salas
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biodiversity and Ecologic Restoration, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca, Spain
| | - J. F. Scheepens
- Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Patrick S. Fitze
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biodiversity and Ecologic Restoration, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Jaca, Spain
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Sobral M, Sampedro L. Phenotypic, epigenetic, and fitness diversity within plant genotypes. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 27:843-846. [PMID: 35840483 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.06.008] [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: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant plastic responses to environmental variation, at scales smaller than the individual plant size, promote phenotypic and epigenetic diversity among repeated structures within genotypes. Different epigenetic marks in the somatic line can translate to the germline and seeds, generating a fitness patchwork in the progeny with unexplored effects on plant evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Sobral
- Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Área de Ecoloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa, s/n., 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.
| | - Luis Sampedro
- Misión Biolóxica de Galicia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Carballeira, 8., 36143 Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
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Wang S, Zhou D. Associations between leaf developmental stability, variability, canalization, and phenotypic plasticity in
Abutilon theophrasti. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8845. [PMID: 35449585 PMCID: PMC9013853 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Wang
- College of Forestry Forest Ecology Research Center Guizhou University Guiyang China
| | - Dao‐Wei Zhou
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun China
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10
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March‐Salas M, van Kleunen M, Fitze PS. Effects of intrinsic precipitation‐predictability on root traits, allocation strategies and the selective regimes acting on them. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martí March‐Salas
- Goethe Univ. Frankfurt, Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Inst. of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Frankfurt am Main Germany
- Dept of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
- Dept of Biodiversity and Ecologic Restoration, Inst. Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE‐CSIC) Jaca Spain
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Ecology, Dept of Biology, Univ. of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou Univ. Taizhou China
| | - Patrick S. Fitze
- Dept of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN‐CSIC) Madrid Spain
- Dept of Biodiversity and Ecologic Restoration, Inst. Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE‐CSIC) Jaca Spain
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Westerband AC, Funk JL, Barton KE. Intraspecific trait variation in plants: a renewed focus on its role in ecological processes. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:397-410. [PMID: 33507251 PMCID: PMC7988520 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating the causes and consequences of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in plants is not novel, as it has long been recognized that such variation shapes biotic and abiotic interactions. While evolutionary and population biology have extensively investigated ITV, only in the last 10 years has interest in ITV surged within community and comparative ecology. SCOPE Despite this recent interest, still lacking are thorough descriptions of ITV's extent, the spatial and temporal structure of ITV, and stronger connections between ITV and community and ecosystem properties. Our primary aim in this review is to synthesize the recent literature and ask: (1) How extensive is intraspecific variation in traits across scales, and what underlying mechanisms drive this variation? (2) How does this variation impact higher-order ecological processes (e.g. population dynamics, community assembly, invasion, ecosystem productivity)? (3) What are the consequences of ignoring ITV and how can these be mitigated? and (4) What are the most pressing research questions, and how can current practices be modified to suit our research needs? Our secondary aim is to target diverse and underrepresented traits and plant organs, including anatomy, wood, roots, hydraulics, reproduction and secondary chemistry. In addressing these aims, we showcase papers from the Special Issue. CONCLUSIONS Plant ITV plays a key role in determining individual and population performance, species interactions, community structure and assembly, and ecosystem properties. Its extent varies widely across species, traits and environments, and it remains difficult to develop a predictive model for ITV that is broadly applicable. Systematically characterizing the sources (e.g. ontogeny, population differences) of ITV will be a vital step forward towards identifying generalities and the underlying mechanisms that shape ITV. While the use of species means to link traits to higher-order processes may be appropriate in many cases, such approaches can obscure potentially meaningful variation. We urge the reporting of individual replicates and population means in online data repositories, a greater consideration of the mechanisms that enhance and constrain ITV's extent, and studies that span sub-disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Westerband
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - J L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - K E Barton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
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12
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Martin AR, Isaac ME. The leaf economics spectrum's morning coffee: plant size-dependent changes in leaf traits and reproductive onset in a perennial tree crop. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:483-493. [PMID: 33502446 PMCID: PMC7988517 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Size-dependent changes in plant traits are an important source of intraspecific trait variation. However, there are few studies that have tested if leaf trait co-variation and/or trade-offs follow a within-genotype leaf economics spectrum (LES) related to plant size and reproductive onset. To our knowledge, there are no studies on any plant species that have tested whether or not the shape of a within-genotype LES that describes how traits covary across whole plant sizes, is the same as the shape of a within-genotype LES that represents environmentally driven trait plasticity. METHODS We quantified size-dependent variation in eight leaf traits in a single coffee genotype (Coffea arabica var. Caturra) in managed agroecosystems with different environmental conditions (light and fertilization treatments), and evaluated these patterns with respect to reproductive onset. We also evaluated if trait covariation along a within-genotype plant-size LES differed from a within-genotype environmental LES defined with trait data from coffee growing in different environmental conditions. KEY RESULTS Leaf economics traits related to resource acquisition - maximum photosynthetic rates (A) and mass-based leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations - declined linearly with plant size. Structural traits - leaf mass, leaf thickness, and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) - and leaf area increased with plant size beyond reproductive onset, then declined in larger plants. Three primary LES traits (mass-based A, leaf N and LMA) covaried across a within-genotype plant-size LES, with plants moving towards the 'resource-conserving' end of the LES as they grow larger; in coffee these patterns were nearly identical to a within-genotype environmental LES. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that a plant-size LES exists within a single genotype. Our findings indicate that in managed agroecosystems where resource availability is high the role of reproductive onset in driving within-genotype trait variability, and the strength of covariation and trade-offs among LES traits, are less pronounced compared with plants in natural systems. The consistency in trait covariation in coffee along both plant-size and environmental LES axes indicates strong constraints on leaf form and function that exist within plant genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marney E Isaac
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Critical Development Studies, University of Toronto Scarborough, Military Trail, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- For correspondence. E-mail
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13
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Mertens D, Boege K, Kessler A, Koricheva J, Thaler JS, Whiteman NK, Poelman EH. Predictability of Biotic Stress Structures Plant Defence Evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:444-456. [PMID: 33468354 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
To achieve ecological and reproductive success, plants need to mitigate a multitude of stressors. The stressors encountered by plants are highly dynamic but typically vary predictably due to seasonality or correlations among stressors. As plants face physiological and ecological constraints in responses to stress, it can be beneficial for plants to evolve the ability to incorporate predictable patterns of stress in their life histories. Here, we discuss how plants predict adverse conditions, which plant strategies integrate predictability of biotic stress, and how such strategies can evolve. We propose that plants commonly optimise responses to correlated sequences or combinations of herbivores and pathogens, and that the predictability of these patterns is a key factor governing plant strategies in dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daan Mertens
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Karina Boege
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Apartado Postal 70-275, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - André Kessler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | | | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Erik H Poelman
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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