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Collette JC, Sommerville KD, Lyons MB, Offord CA, Errington G, Newby ZJ, von Richter L, Emery NJ. Stepping up to the thermogradient plate: a data framework for predicting seed germination under climate change. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:787-794. [PMID: 35212713 PMCID: PMC9292609 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Seed germination is strongly influenced by environmental temperatures. With global temperatures predicted to rise, the timing of germination for thousands of plant species could change, leading to potential decreases in fitness and ecosystem-wide impacts. The thermogradient plate (TGP) is a powerful but underutilized research tool that tests germination under a broad range of constant and alternating temperatures, giving researchers the ability to predict germination characteristics using current and future climates. Previously, limitations surrounding experimental design and data analysis methods have discouraged its use in seed biology research. METHODS Here, we have developed a freely available R script that uses TGP data to analyse seed germination responses to temperature. We illustrate this analysis framework using three example species: Wollemia nobilis, Callitris baileyi and Alectryon subdentatus. The script generates >40 germination indices including germination rates and final germination across each cell of the TGP. These indices are then used to populate generalized additive models and predict germination under current and future monthly maximum and minimum temperatures anywhere on the globe. KEY RESULTS In our study species, modelled data were highly correlated with observed data, allowing confident predictions of monthly germination patterns for current and future climates. Wollemia nobilis germinated across a broad range of temperatures and was relatively unaffected by predicted future temperatures. In contrast, C. baileyi and A. subdentatus showed strong seasonal temperature responses, and the timing for peak germination was predicted to shift seasonally under future temperatures. CONCLUSIONS Our experimental workflow is a leap forward in the analysis of TGP experiments, increasing its many potential benefits, thereby improving research predictions and providing substantial information to inform management and conservation of plant species globally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karen D Sommerville
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Mitchell B Lyons
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Catherine A Offord
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Graeme Errington
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Zoe-Joy Newby
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Lotte von Richter
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Nathan J Emery
- The Australian PlantBank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
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Persistent biotic interactions of a Gondwanan conifer from Cretaceous Patagonia to modern Malesia. Commun Biol 2020; 3:708. [PMID: 33239710 PMCID: PMC7689466 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01428-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Many plant genera in the tropical West Pacific are survivors from the paleo-rainforests of Gondwana. For example, the oldest fossils of the Malesian and Australasian conifer Agathis (Araucariaceae) come from the early Paleocene and possibly latest Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina (West Gondwana). However, it is unknown whether dependent ecological guilds or lineages of associated insects and fungi persisted on Gondwanan host plants like Agathis through time and space. We report insect-feeding and fungal damage on Patagonian Agathis fossils from four latest Cretaceous to middle Eocene floras spanning ca. 18 Myr and compare it with damage on extant Agathis. Very similar damage was found on fossil and modern Agathis, including blotch mines representing the first known Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary crossing leaf-mine association, external foliage feeding, galls, possible armored scale insect (Diaspididae) covers, and a rust fungus (Pucciniales). The similar suite of damage, unique to fossil and extant Agathis, suggests persistence of ecological guilds and possibly the component communities associated with Agathis since the late Mesozoic, implying host tracking of the genus across major plate movements that led to survival at great distances. The living associations, mostly made by still-unknown culprits, point to previously unrecognized biodiversity and evolutionary history in threatened rainforest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M. Perez
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables FL USA
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Coral Gables FL USA
| | - Kenneth J. Feeley
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables FL USA
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Coral Gables FL USA
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Venditti A, Frezza C, Rossi G, Serafini I, Ciccòla A, Sciubba F, Foddai S, Tomassini L, Bianco A, Serafini M. A new byciclic monoterpene glucoside and a new biflavone from the male reproduction organs of Wollemia nobilis. Fitoterapia 2018; 133:62-69. [PMID: 30572087 DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In this work, the fifth part of an ongoing phytochemical study on Wollemia nobilis was reported. The attention was now focused on the male reproduction organs of which the content in both primary and secondary metabolites was analyzed. Twenty compounds, belonging to seven different classes of natural compounds, were identified from the ethanolic extract by means of Column Chromatography and NMR and MS Spectroscopy. They all represent new compounds for the studied organ whereas some of them are also new constituents of the genus or even previously undescribed phytochemicals. Their presence was able to display a general overview of these organs from the phytochemical standpoint and to provide more elements in confirmation with the current botanical classification of the species. Moreover, they add a further experimental evidence of the tendency of this species to accumulate different metabolites in different organs. This characteristic as well as the occurrence of several compounds with added value, make this plant a possible candidate for large scale cultivation with extractive purposes to obtain useful phytochemicals for botanicals and pharmaceutical fields. Moreover, they offer the opportunity to develop an additional method of conservation and protection for this endangered and very rare species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Venditti
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Claudio Frezza
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rossi
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Serafini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ciccòla
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Sciubba
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Foddai
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Lamberto Tomassini
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Armandodoriano Bianco
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Serafini
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Putnam RC, Reich PB. Climate and competition affect growth and survival of transplanted sugar maple seedlings along a 1700-km gradient. ECOL MONOGR 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C. Putnam
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; University of Minnesota; 1987 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources; University of Minnesota; 1530 Cleveland Avenue North St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment; Western Sydney University; Penrith New South Wales 2753 Australia
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Zimmer HC, Brodribb TJ, Delzon S, Baker PJ. Drought avoidance and vulnerability in the Australian Araucariaceae. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 36:218-228. [PMID: 26612850 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpv111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Araucariaceae is an iconic tree family. Once globally important, the Araucariaceae declined dramatically over the Cenozoic period. Increasing aridity is thought to be responsible for extinction and range contraction of Araucariaceae in Australia, yet little is known about how these trees respond to water stress. We examined the response to water stress of the recently discovered tree Wollemia nobilis Jones, W.G., Hill, K.D. & Allen, J.M. (Araucariaceae) and two closely related and widespread tree species, Araucaria bidwillii Hook. and Araucaria cunninghamii Mudie, and the island-endemic species, Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco. Leaf water potential in all Araucaria spp. remained remarkably unchanged during both dehydration and rehydration, indicating strong isohydry. The xylem tensions at which shoot and stem hydraulic conductances were reduced to 50% (P50shoot and P50stem) were closely correlated in all species. Among the four species, W. nobilis exhibited greater resistance to xylem hydraulic dysfunction during water stress (as indicated by P50shoot and P50stem). Unexpectedly, W. nobilis also experienced the highest levels of crown mortality in response to dehydration, suggesting that this was the most drought-sensitive species in this study. Our results highlight that single traits (e.g., P50) should not be used in isolation to predict drought survival. Further, we found no clear correlation between species' P50 and rainfall across their distributional range. Diversity in drought response among these closely related Araucariaceae species was surprisingly high, considering their reputation as a functionally conservative family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Zimmer
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia
| | - Tim J Brodribb
- School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- Department of Biology, University of Bordeaux, UMR BIOGECO, Avenue des Facultes, 33405 Talence, France
| | - Patrick J Baker
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia
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Lewis JD, Phillips NG, Logan BA, Smith RA, Aranjuelo I, Clarke S, Offord CA, Frith A, Barbour M, Huxman T, Tissue DT. Rising temperature may negate the stimulatory effect of rising CO 2 on growth and physiology of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis). FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2015; 42:836-850. [PMID: 32480726 DOI: 10.1071/fp14256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Rising atmospheric [CO2] is associated with increased air temperature, and this warming may drive many rare plant species to extinction. However, to date, studies on the interactive effects of rising [CO2] and warming have focussed on just a few widely distributed plant species. Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill, & J.M.Allen), formerly widespread in Australia, was reduced to a remnant population of fewer than 100 genetically indistinguishable individuals. Here, we examined the interactive effects of three [CO2] (290, 400 and 650ppm) and two temperature (ambient, ambient+4°C) treatments on clonally-propagated Wollemi pine grown for 17 months in glasshouses under well-watered and fertilised conditions. In general, the effects of rising [CO2] and temperature on growth and physiology were not interactive. Rising [CO2] increased shoot growth, light-saturated net photosynthetic rates (Asat) and net carbon gain. Higher net carbon gain was due to increased maximum apparent quantum yield and reduced non-photorespiratory respiration in the light, which also reduced the light compensation point. In contrast, increasing temperature reduced stem growth and Asat. Compensatory changes in mesophyll conductance and stomatal regulation suggest a narrow functional range of optimal water and CO2 flux co-regulation. These results suggest Asat and growth of the surviving genotype of Wollemi pine may continue to increase with rising [CO2], but increasing temperatures may offset these effects, and challenges to physiological and morphological controls over water and carbon trade-offs may push the remnant wild population of Wollemi pine towards extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Lewis
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Nathan G Phillips
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Barry A Logan
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Renee A Smith
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Iker Aranjuelo
- Plant Biology and Ecology Department, Science and Technology Faculty, University of the Basque Country, Barrio Sarriena, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Steve Clarke
- University of Western Sydney, Capital Works and Facilities, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
| | - Catherine A Offord
- The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, The Australian PlantBank, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Allison Frith
- The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, The Australian PlantBank, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Margaret Barbour
- Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Travis Huxman
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - David T Tissue
- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia
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Offord CA, Meagher PF, Zimmer HC. Growing up or growing out? How soil pH and light affect seedling growth of a relictual rainforest tree. AOB PLANTS 2014; 6:plu011. [PMID: 24790132 PMCID: PMC4004931 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plu011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Seedling growth rates can have important long-term effects on forest dynamics. Environmental variables such as light availability and edaphic factors can exert a strong influence on seedling growth. In the wild, seedlings of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) grow on very acid soils (pH ∼4.3) in deeply shaded sites (∼3 % full sunlight). To examine the relative influences of these two factors on the growth of young W. nobilis seedlings, we conducted a glasshouse experiment growing seedlings at two soil pH levels (4.5 and 6.5) under three light levels: low (5 % full sun), medium (15 %) and high (50 %). Stem length and stem diameter were measured, stem number and branch number were counted, and chlorophyll and carotenoid content were analysed. In general, increased plant growth was associated with increased light, and with low pH irrespective of light treatment, and pigment content was higher at low pH. Maximum stem growth occurred in plants grown in the low pH/high light treatment combination. However, stem number was highest in low pH/medium light. We hypothesize that these differences in stem development of W. nobilis among light treatments were due to this species' different recruitment strategies in response to light: greater stem growth at high light and greater investment in multiple stem production at low light. The low light levels in the W. nobilis habitat may be a key limitation on stem growth and hence W. nobilis recruitment from seedling to adult. Light and soil pH are two key factors in the growth of this threatened relictual rainforest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A. Offord
- The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
- Corresponding author's e-mail address:
| | - Patricia F. Meagher
- The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW 2567, Australia
| | - Heidi C. Zimmer
- Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia
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Krause GH, Cheesman AW, Winter K, Krause B, Virgo A. Thermal tolerance, net CO2 exchange and growth of a tropical tree species, Ficus insipida, cultivated at elevated daytime and nighttime temperatures. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 170:822-7. [PMID: 23399405 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2013.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2013] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Global warming and associated increases in the frequency and amplitude of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, may adversely affect tropical rainforest plants via significantly increased tissue temperatures. In this study, the response to two temperature regimes was assessed in seedlings of the neotropical pioneer tree species, Ficus insipida. Plants were cultivated in growth chambers at strongly elevated daytime temperature (39°C), combined with either close to natural (22°C) or elevated (32°C) nighttime temperatures. Under both growth regimes, the critical temperature for irreversible leaf damage, determined by changes in chlorophyll a fluorescence, was approximately 51°C. This is comparable to values found in F. insipida growing under natural ambient conditions and indicates a limited potential for heat tolerance acclimation of this tropical forest tree species. Yet, under high nighttime temperature, growth was strongly enhanced, accompanied by increased rates of net photosynthetic CO2 uptake and diminished temperature dependence of leaf-level dark respiration, consistent with thermal acclimation of these key physiological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Heinrich Krause
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama.
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Beard RA, Anderson DJ, Bufford JL, Tallman G. Heat reduces nitric oxide production required for auxin-mediated gene expression and fate determination in tree tobacco guard cell protoplasts. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 159:1608-23. [PMID: 22730424 PMCID: PMC3425200 DOI: 10.1104/pp.112.200089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca) is an equatorial perennial with a high basal thermotolerance. Cultured tree tobacco guard cell protoplasts (GCPs) are useful for studying the effects of heat stress on fate-determining hormonal signaling. At lower temperatures (32°C or less), exogenous auxin (1-naphthalene acetic acid) and cytokinin (6-benzylaminopurine) cause GCPs to expand 20- to 30-fold, regenerate cell walls, dedifferentiate, reenter the cell cycle, and divide. At higher temperatures (34°C or greater), GCPs expand only 5- to 6-fold; they do not regenerate walls, dedifferentiate, reenter the cell cycle, or divide. Heat (38°C) suppresses activation of the BA auxin-responsive transgene promoter in tree tobacco GCPs, suggesting that inhibition of cell expansion and cell cycle reentry at high temperatures is due to suppressed auxin signaling. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in auxin signaling in other plant systems. Here, we show that heat inhibits NO accumulation by GCPs and that L-N(G)-monomethyl arginine, an inhibitor of NO production in animals and plants, mimics the effects of heat by limiting cell expansion and preventing cell wall regeneration; inhibiting cell cycle reentry, dedifferentiation, and cell division; and suppressing activation of the BA auxin-responsive promoter. We also show that heat and L-N(G)-monomethyl arginine reduce the mitotic indices of primary root meristems and inhibit lateral root elongation similarly. These data link reduced NO levels to suppressed auxin signaling in heat-stressed cells and seedlings of thermotolerant plants and suggest that even plants that have evolved to withstand sustained high temperatures may still be negatively impacted by heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Beard
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon 97301
| | | | | | - Gary Tallman
- Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon 97301
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De Frenne P, Graae BJ, Brunet J, Shevtsova A, De Schrijver A, Chabrerie O, Cousins SAO, Decocq G, Diekmann M, Hermy M, Heinken T, Kolb A, Nilsson C, Stanton S, Verheyen K. The response of forest plant regeneration to temperature variation along a latitudinal gradient. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2012; 109:1037-46. [PMID: 22345113 PMCID: PMC3310497 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 01/12/2012] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The response of forest herb regeneration from seed to temperature variations across latitudes was experimentally assessed in order to forecast the likely response of understorey community dynamics to climate warming. METHODS Seeds of two characteristic forest plants (Anemone nemorosa and Milium effusum) were collected in natural populations along a latitudinal gradient from northern France to northern Sweden and exposed to three temperature regimes in growth chambers (first experiment). To test the importance of local adaptation, reciprocal transplants were also made of adult individuals that originated from the same populations in three common gardens located in southern, central and northern sites along the same gradient, and the resulting seeds were germinated (second experiment). Seedling establishment was quantified by measuring the timing and percentage of seedling emergence, and seedling biomass in both experiments. KEY RESULTS Spring warming increased emergence rates and seedling growth in the early-flowering forb A. nemorosa. Seedlings of the summer-flowering grass M. effusum originating from northern populations responded more strongly in terms of biomass growth to temperature than southern populations. The above-ground biomass of the seedlings of both species decreased with increasing latitude of origin, irrespective of whether seeds were collected from natural populations or from the common gardens. The emergence percentage decreased with increasing home-away distance in seeds from the transplant experiment, suggesting that the maternal plants were locally adapted. CONCLUSIONS Decreasing seedling emergence and growth were found from the centre to the northern edge of the distribution range for both species. Stronger responses to temperature variation in seedling growth of the grass M. effusum in the north may offer a way to cope with environmental change. The results further suggest that climate warming might differentially affect seedling establishment of understorey plants across their distribution range and thus alter future understorey plant dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter De Frenne
- Laboratory of Forestry, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium.
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