scholarly journals Response to nitrogen and salinity in Rhizophora mangle propagules varies by maternal family and population of origin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Richards ◽  
Kristen L Langanke ◽  
Jeannie Mounger ◽  
Gordon A Fox ◽  
David B Lewis

Many coastal foundation plant species thrive across a range of environmental conditions, often displaying dramatic phenotypic variation in response to environmental variation. We characterized the response of propagules from six populations of the foundation species Rhizophora mangle L. to full factorial combinations of two levels of salt (15 ppt and 45 ppt) reflecting the range of salinity measured in the field populations, and two levels of nitrogen (N; no addition and amended at approximately 3 mg N per pot each week) equivalent to comparing ambient N to a rate of addition of 75 kg per hectare per year. The response to increasing salt included significant plasticity in succulence. Propagules also showed plasticity in maximum photosynthetic rate in response to N amendment, but the responses depended on the level of salt and varied by population of origin. Generally, survival was lower in high salt and high N, but the impact varied among populations. Overall, this study revealed significant phenotypic plasticity in response to salt and N level. Propagules from different populations differed in all traits measured. Variation in phenotypic plasticity and propagule survival in R. mangle may contribute to adaptation to a complex mosaic of environmental conditions and response to climate change.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Richards ◽  
Kristen L. Langanke ◽  
Jeannie Mounger ◽  
Gordon A. Fox ◽  
David B. Lewis

Many coastal foundation plant species thrive across a range of environmental conditions, often displaying dramatic phenotypic variation in response to environmental variation. We characterized the response of propagules from six populations of the foundation species Rhizophora mangle L. to full factorial combinations of two levels of salinity (15 ppt and 45 ppt) reflecting the range of salinity measured in the field populations, and two levels of nitrogen (N; no addition and amended at approximately 3 mg N per pot each week) equivalent to comparing ambient N to a rate of addition of 75 kg per hectare per year. The response to increasing salinity included significant changes, i.e., phenotypic plasticity, in succulence and root to shoot biomass allocation. Propagules also showed plasticity in maximum photosynthetic rate and root to shoot allocation in response to N amendment, but the responses depended on the level of salinity and varied by population of origin. In addition, propagules from different populations and maternal families within populations differed in survival and all traits measured except photosynthesis. Variation in phenotypes, phenotypic plasticity and propagule survival within and among R. mangle populations may contribute to adaptation to a complex mosaic of environmental conditions and response to climate change.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 892
Author(s):  
Valda Gudynaitė-Franckevičienė ◽  
Alfas Pliūra

To have a cleaner environment, good well-being, and improve the health of citizens it is necessary to expand green urban and suburban areas using productive and adapted material of tree species. The quality of urban greenery, resistance to negative climate change factors and pollution, as well as efficiency of short-rotation forestry in suburban areas, depends primarily on the selection of hybrids and clones, suitable for the local environmental conditions. We postulate that ecogenetic response, phenotypic plasticity, and genotypic variation of hybrid poplars (Populus L.) grown in plantations are affected not only by the peculiarities of hybrids and clones, but also by environmental conditions of their vegetative propagation. The aim of the present study was to estimate growth and biochemical responses, the phenotypic plasticity, genotypic variation of adaptive traits, and genetically regulated adaptability of Populus hybrids in field trials which may be predisposed by the simulated contrasting temperature conditions at their vegetative propagation phase. The research was performed with the 20 cultivars and experimental clones of one intraspecific cross and four different interspecific hybrids of poplars propagated under six contrasting temperature regimes in phytotron. The results suggest that certain environmental conditions during vegetative propagation not only have a short-term effect on tree viability and growth, but also can help to adapt to climate change conditions and grow successfully in the long-term. It was found that tree growth and biochemical traits (the chlorophyll A and B, pigments content and the chlorophyll A/B ratio) of hybrid poplar clones grown in field trials, as well as their traits’ genetic parameters, were affected by the rooting-growing conditions during vegetative propagation phase. Hybrids P. balsamifera × P. trichocarpa, and P. trichocarpa × P. trichocarpa have shown the most substantial changes of biochemical traits across vegetative propagation treatments in field trial. Rooting-growing conditions during vegetative propagation had also an impact on coefficients of genotypic variation and heritability in hybrid poplar clones when grown in field trials.


AoB Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Hao Wang ◽  
Jing Ru Wang ◽  
Xiao Wei Zhang ◽  
Ai Ping Zhang ◽  
Shan Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Global climate change is expected to affect mountain ecosystems significantly. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of any genotype to produce a variety of phenotypes under different environmental conditions, is critical in determining the ability of species to acclimate to current climatic changes. Here, to simulate the impact of climate change, we compared the physiology of species of the genus Picea from different provenances and climatic conditions and quantified their phenotypic plasticity index (PPI) in two contrasting common gardens (dry vs. wet), and then considered phenotypic plastic effects on their future adaptation. The mean PPI of the photosynthetic features studied was higher than that of the stomatal features. Species grown in the arid and humid common gardens were differentiated: the stomatal length (SL) and width (SW) on the adaxial surface, the transpiration rate (Tr) and leaf mass per area (LMA) were more highly correlated with rainfall than other traits. There were no significant relationships between the observed plasticity and the species’ original habitat, except in P. crassifolia (from an arid habitat) and P. asperata (from a humid habitat). Picea crassifolia exhibited enhanced instantaneous efficiency of water use (PPI = 0.52) and the ratio of photosynthesis to respiration (PPI = 0.10) remained constant; this species was, therefore, considered to the one best able to acclimate when faced with the effects of climate change. The other three species exhibited reduced physiological activity when exposed to water limitation. These findings indicate how climate change affects the potential roles of plasticity in determining plant physiology, and provide a basis for future reforestation efforts in China.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ester González de Andrés

Forest ecosystems are undergoing unprecedented changes in environmental conditions due to global change impacts. Modification of global biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen, and the subsequent climate change are affecting forest functions at different scales, from physiology and growth of individual trees to cycling of nutrients. This review summarizes the present knowledge regarding the impact of global change on forest functioning not only with respect to climate change, which is the focus of most studies, but also the influence of altered nitrogen cycle and the interactions among them. The carbon dioxide (CO2) fertilization effect on tree growth is expected to be constrained by nutrient imbalances resulting from high N deposition rates and the counteractive effect of increasing water deficit, which interact in a complex way. At the community level, responses to global change are modified by species interactions that may lead to competition for resources and/or relaxation due to facilitation and resource partitioning processes. Thus, some species mixtures can be more resistant to drought than their respective pure forests, albeit it depends on environmental conditions and species’ functional traits. Climate change and nitrogen deposition have additional impacts on litterfall dynamics, and subsequent decomposition and nutrient mineralization processes. Elemental ratios (i.e., stoichiometry) are associated with important ecosystem traits, including trees’ adaptability to stress or decomposition rates. As stoichiometry of different ecosystem components are also influenced by global change, nutrient cycling in forests will be altered too. Therefore, a re-assessment of traditional forest management is needed in order to cope with global change. Proposed silvicultural systems emphasize the key role of diversity to assure multiple ecosystem services, and special attention has been paid to mixed-species forests. Finally, a summary of the patterns and underlying mechanisms governing the relationships between diversity and different ecosystems functions, such as productivity and stability, is provided.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1937-1960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarína Merganičová ◽  
Ján Merganič ◽  
Aleksi Lehtonen ◽  
Giorgio Vacchiano ◽  
Maša Zorana Ostrogović Sever ◽  
...  

Abstract Carbon allocation plays a key role in ecosystem dynamics and plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Hence, proper description of this process in vegetation models is crucial for the simulations of the impact of climate change on carbon cycling in forests. Here we review how carbon allocation modelling is currently implemented in 31 contrasting models to identify the main gaps compared with our theoretical and empirical understanding of carbon allocation. A hybrid approach based on combining several principles and/or types of carbon allocation modelling prevailed in the examined models, while physiologically more sophisticated approaches were used less often than empirical ones. The analysis revealed that, although the number of carbon allocation studies over the past 10 years has substantially increased, some background processes are still insufficiently understood and some issues in models are frequently poorly represented, oversimplified or even omitted. Hence, current challenges for carbon allocation modelling in forest ecosystems are (i) to overcome remaining limits in process understanding, particularly regarding the impact of disturbances on carbon allocation, accumulation and utilization of nonstructural carbohydrates, and carbon use by symbionts, and (ii) to implement existing knowledge of carbon allocation into defence, regeneration and improved resource uptake in order to better account for changing environmental conditions.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleena Joy ◽  
Frank R. Dunshea ◽  
Brian J. Leury ◽  
Iain J. Clarke ◽  
Kristy DiGiacomo ◽  
...  

Climate change is a major global threat to the sustainability of livestock systems. Climatic factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, direct and indirect solar radiation and wind speed influence feed and water availability, fodder quality and disease occurrence, with production being most efficient in optimal environmental conditions. Among these climatic variables, ambient temperature fluctuations have the most impact on livestock production and animal welfare. Continuous exposure of the animals to heat stress compromises growth, milk and meat production and reproduction. The capacity of an animal to mitigate effects of increased environmental temperature, without progressing into stress response, differs within and between species. Comparatively, small ruminants are better adapted to hot environments than large ruminants and have better ability to survive, produce and reproduce in harsh climatic regions. Nevertheless, the physiological and behavioral changes in response to hot environments affect small ruminant production. It has been found that tropical breeds are more adaptive to hot climates than high-producing temperate breeds. The growing body of knowledge on the negative impact of heat stress on small ruminant production and welfare will assist in the development of suitable strategies to mitigate heat stress. Selection of thermotolerant breeds, through identification of genetic traits for adaption to extreme environmental conditions (high temperature, feed scarcity, water scarcity), is a viable strategy to combat climate change and minimize the impact on small ruminant production and welfare. This review highlights such adaption within and among different breeds of small ruminants challenged by heat stress.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svjetlana Radmanović ◽  
Nataša Nikolić ◽  
Aleksandar Đorđević

This study examined the impact of climate, altitude and landforms on humic acids (HA) opticalproperties (E4/E6, ΔlogK, RF indexes) in Serbian Rendzina soils. HA humification degree of calcareousand decarbonated Rendzinas under natural vegetation (forest and grassland, separately) decreased withaltitude increasing. This particular rule was not manifested in arable Rendzinas. HA humificationdegree in Rendzinas on flat positions (hilltop and footslope) is significantly higher than in Rendzinas onslope sides. Humification degree of HA is the highest in Rendzinas in eastern Serbia (in the vicinity ofNegotin), followed by central Serbia (Sumadija) and Srem, southeast and finally, southeast andsouthwest Serbia. With respect to the climate change foreseen for the end of this century, i.e. increase ofprecipitation and temperature variance among the regions in Serbia, also an increase in variance ofquality of humic acids in Rendzinas on different altitudes and regions can be expected.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
André Lindner ◽  
Francois Jost ◽  
Mariana Vidal Merino ◽  
Natalia Reategui ◽  
Jürgen Pretzsch

The increase in extreme weather events is a major consequence of climate change in tropical mountain rangeslike the Andes of Peru. The impact on farming households is of growing interest since adaptation and mitigation strategies are required to keep race with environmental conditions and to prevent people from increasing poverty. In this regard it becomes more and more obvious that a bottom-up approach incorporating the local socioeconomic processes and their interplay is needed. Socio-economic field laboratories are used to understand such processes on site. This integrates multi-disciplinary and participatory analyses of production and its relationship with biophysical and socio-economic determinants. Farmers react individually based on their experiences, financial situation, labor conditions, or attitude among others. In this regard socio-economic field laboratories also serve to develop and test scenarios about development paths, which involve the combination of both, local and scientific knowledge. For a comprehensive understanding of the multitude of interactions the agent-based modeling framework MPMAS (Mathematical Programming-based Multi-Agent System) is applied. In combination with continued ground-truthing, the model is used to gain insights into the functioning of the complex social system and to forecast its development in the near future. The assessment of the effect of humans’ behavior in changing environmental conditions including the comparison of different sites, transforms the model to a communication tool bridging the gap between adaptation policies and local realities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 277-287
Author(s):  
M Khairul Alam

The history of biosystematics research and its impacts on climate goes before political ramifications. Climate change is altering the environments and likely to result in changes in the distribution of species, flowering times; migrate and adapt to the new environmental conditions; or extinction. Adaptive capacity is the ability of the plants to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Adaptation process is going in nature through phenotypic plasticity, natural selection or migration or polyploidization. The options are not mutually exclusive. Phenotypic plasticity may be the most efficient way of adaptation to a new environment. Polyploidization may increase tolerance to diverse ecological conditions and the high incidence of polyploidy in plants indicates its adaptive significance. Population having polyploid pillar complex is a good backup support towards microevolution and speciation, a mode of adaptation. The paper discusses about these biosystematics approaches towards adaptation to new environmental conditions resulting from climate change. It also discusses about the role of taxonomists under the changed circumstances. It is evident from the review that a set of biosystematics data along with other ecological and conservation information needs to be included in Flora and Monographs. It reveals that it was as far as worked out at the Paris Botanical Congress 1954 and put up by Stebbins in a series of proposals, termed as “Stebbins’ Ten Points” that needs further enrichment. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 28(1): 277-287, 2021 (June)


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. De Lisle ◽  
Maarit I. Mäenpää ◽  
Erik I. Svensson

AbstractPhenology is a key determinant of fitness, particularly in organisms with complex life cycles with dramatic transitions from an aquatic to a terrestrial life stage. Because optimum phenology is influenced by local environmental conditions, particularly temperature, phenotypic plasticity could play an important role in adaptation to seasonally variable environments. Here, we used a 18-generation longitudinal field dataset from a wild insect (the damselfly Ischnura elegans) and show that phenology has strongly advanced, coinciding with increasing temperatures in northern Europe. Using individual fitness data, we show this advancement is most likely an adaptive response towards a thermally-dependent moving fitness optimum. These field data were complemented with a laboratory experiment, revealing that developmental plasticity to temperature quantitatively matches the environmental dependence of selection and can explain the observed phenological advance. We expand the analysis to the macroevolutionary level, using a public database of over 1 million occurrence records on the phenology of Swedish damselfly and dragonfly species. Combining spatiotemporally matched temperature data and phylogenetic information, we estimated the phenological reaction norms towards temperature for 49 Swedish species. We show that thermal plasticity in phenology is more closely aligned with local adaptation for odonate species that have recently colonized northern latitudes, whereas there is more mismatch at lower latitudes. Our results show that phenological plasticity plays a key role in microevolutionary adaptation within in a single species, and also suggest that such plasticity may have facilitated post-Pleistocene range expansion at the macroevolutionary scale in this insect clade.Impact StatementOrganisms with complex life cycles must time their life-history transitions to match environmental conditions favorable to survival and reproduction. The timing of these transitions – phenology – is therefore of critical importance, and phenology a key trait in adaptive responses to climate change. Here, we use field data from a single species and phylogenetic comparative from over 1 million individual damselfly and dragonfly records to show that plasticity in phenology underlies adaptation at both the microevolutionary scale (across generations in a single species) and the macroevolutionary scale (across deep time in a clade). Our results indicates that phenotypic plasticity has the potential to explain variation in phenology and adaptive response to climate change across disparate evolutionary time scales.


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