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Hurtado P, Prieto M, Martínez-Vilalta J, Giordani P, Aragón G, López-Angulo J, Košuthová A, Merinero S, Díaz-Peña EM, Rosas T, Benesperi R, Bianchi E, Grube M, Mayrhofer H, Nascimbene J, Wedin M, Westberg M, Martínez I. Disentangling functional trait variation and covariation in epiphytic lichens along a continent-wide latitudinal gradient. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192862. [PMID: 32156209 PMCID: PMC7126072 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing functional trait variation and covariation, and its drivers, is critical to understand the response of species to changing environmental conditions. Evolutionary and environmental factors determine how traits vary among and within species at multiple scales. However, disentangling their relative contribution is challenging and a comprehensive trait-environment framework addressing such questions is missing in lichens. We investigated the variation in nine traits related to photosynthetic performance, water use and nutrient acquisition applying phylogenetic comparative analyses in lichen epiphytic communities on beech across Europe. These poikilohydric organisms offer a valuable model owing to their inherent limitations to buffer contrasting environmental conditions. Photobiont type and growth form captured differences in certain physiological traits whose variation was largely determined by evolutionary processes (i.e. phylogenetic history), although the intraspecific component was non-negligible. Seasonal temperature fluctuations also had an impact on trait variation, while nitrogen content depended on photobiont type rather than nitrogen deposition. The inconsistency of trait covariation among and within species prevented establishing major resource use strategies in lichens. However, we did identify a general pattern related to the water-use strategy. Thus, to robustly unveil lichen responses under different climatic scenarios, it is necessary to incorporate both among and within-species trait variation and covariation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Hurtado
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Prieto
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - G. Aragón
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - J. López-Angulo
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A. Košuthová
- Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - S. Merinero
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - E. M. Díaz-Peña
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - T. Rosas
- CREAF, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), Catalonia, Spain
| | - R. Benesperi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - E. Bianchi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - M. Grube
- Institute of Biology, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - H. Mayrhofer
- Institute of Biology, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - J. Nascimbene
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - M. Wedin
- Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M. Westberg
- Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - I. Martínez
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departmento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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