scholarly journals Striking between-population floral divergences in a habitat specialized plant

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253038
Author(s):  
Sumayya Abdul Rahim ◽  
Ullasa Kodandaramaiah ◽  
Aboli Kulkarni ◽  
Deepak Barua
Keyword(s):  
Common Garden ◽  
Habitat Specialization ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Sky Islands ◽  
Floral Variation ◽  
Floral Visitor ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Specialist Species ◽  
Habitat Generalist ◽  
Common Garden Experiments

When the habitat occupied by a specialist species is patchily distributed, limited gene flow between the fragmented populations may allow population differentiation and eventual speciation. ‘Sky islands’—montane habitats that form terrestrial islands—have been shown to promote diversification in many taxa through this mechanism. We investigate floral variation in Impatiens lawii, a plant specialized on laterite rich rocky plateaus that form sky islands in the northern Western Ghats mountains of India. We focus on three plateaus separated from each other by ca. 7 to 17 km, and show that floral traits have diverged strongly between these populations. In contrast, floral traits have not diverged in the congeneric I. oppositifolia, which co-occurs with I. lawii in the plateaus, but is a habitat generalist that is also found in the intervening valleys. We conducted common garden experiments to test whether the differences in I. lawii are due to genetic differentiation or phenotypic plasticity. There were strong differences in floral morphology between experimental plants sourced from the three populations, and the relative divergences between population pairs mirrored that seen in the wild, indicating that the populations are genetically differentiated. Common garden experiments confirmed that there was no differentiation in I. oppositifolia. Field floral visitation surveys indicated that the observed differences in floral traits have consequences for I. lawii populations, by reducing the number of visitors and changing the relative abundance of different floral visitor groups. Our results highlight the role of habitat specialization in diversification, and corroborates the importance of sky islands as centres of diversification.

scholarly journals Resource preferences and the emergence of individual niche specialization within populations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Sol ◽  
Oriol Lapiedra ◽  
César González-Lagos ◽  
Miquel De Caceres
Keyword(s):  
Food Preferences ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Columba Livia ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Niche Variation ◽  
Resource Specialization ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Common Garden Experiments ◽  
Resource Specialists

Growing evidence that individuals of many generalist animals behave as resource specialists has attracted research interest for its ecological and evolutionary implications. Although variation in resource preferences is critical for developing a general theory of individual specialization, it remains to be shown whether diverging preferences can arise among individuals sharing a similar environment and whether these are stable enough to be ecologically relevant. We addressed these issues by means of common garden experiments in feral pigeons (Columba livia), a species known to exhibit resource specialization in the wild. Food-choice experiments on wild-caught pigeons and their captive-bred descendants showed that variation in food preferences can easily arise within a population and that this variation may represent a substantial fraction of the population niche. However, a cross-fostering experiment revealed that the genetic and early common-environment components of food preferences were low, reducing their stability and eroding niche variation in the long-term.

Sex ratio and life history traits at reaching sexual maturity in the dioecious shrub Fuchsia parviflora: field and common garden experiments

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Ambriz ◽  
Clementina González ◽  
Eduardo Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Natural Population ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Common Garden Experiment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Reproductive Biomass ◽  
Common Garden Experiments ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

Abstract Fuchsia parviflora is a dioecious shrub that depends on biotic pollination for reproduction. Previous studies suggest that the male plants produce more flowers, and male-biased sex ratios have been found in some natural populations. To assess whether the biased sex ratios found between genders in natural populations are present at the point at which plants reach sexual maturity, and to identify possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction, we performed a common garden experiment. Finally, to complement the information of the common garden experiment, we estimated the reproductive biomass allocation between genders in one natural population. Sex ratios at reaching sexual maturity in F. parviflora did not differ from 0.5, except in one population, which was the smallest seedling population. We found no differences between genders in terms of the probability of germination or flowering. When flowering began, female plants were taller than males and the tallest plants of both genders required more time to reach sexual maturity. Males produced significantly more flowers than females, and the number of flowers increased with plant height in both genders. Finally, in the natural population studied, the investment in reproductive biomass was seven-fold greater in female plants than in male plants. Our results showed no evidence of possible trade-offs between growth and reproduction. Despite the fact that female plants invest more in reproductive biomass, they were taller than the males after flowering, possibly at the expense of herbivory defence.

Adaptation of Mediterranean forest species to climate: lessons from common garden experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Ramírez‐Valiente ◽  
L Santos del Blanco ◽  
R Alía ◽  
JJ Robledo‐Arnuncio ◽  
J Climent
Keyword(s):  
Common Garden ◽  
Mediterranean Forest ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Common Garden Experiments

The role of waterlogging and sand accretion in modulating the morphology of the dune slack plant Scirpus americanus

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 1780-1787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise M. Seliskar
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dune ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Stem Growth ◽  
Reciprocal Transplant ◽  
Dune Slack ◽  
Coastal Sand Dune ◽  
Scirpus Americanus ◽  
Common Garden Experiments

Scirpus americanus Pers., a major dune slack plant in coastal sand dune ecosystems, differs in height along transects ranging between the lowest and highest elevational areas of slacks located along the coast of Delaware, U.S.A. Using reciprocal transplant and common garden experiments, results suggest that environmental factors rather than hereditary traits are more important in accounting for the differences in plant morphology expressed in the field. Dune slack plants are exposed to stresses of waterlogging and sand accretion in their natural environment. In controlled greenhouse experiments waterlogging was shown to inhibit stem growth and cause an increase in aerenchymatous tissue, whereas periodic sand deposition caused an increase in the plant height of Scirpus.

scholarly journals Common garden experiments disentangle plant genetic and environmental contributions to ectomycorrhizal fungal community structure

2018 ◽  
Vol 221 (1) ◽  
pp. 493-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adair Patterson ◽  
Lluvia Flores-Rentería ◽  
Amy Whipple ◽  
Thomas Whitham ◽  
Catherine Gehring
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Fungal Community ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Fungal Community Structure ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community ◽  
Common Garden Experiments

scholarly journals Urbanization extends flight phenology and leads to local adaptation of seasonal plasticity in Lepidoptera

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (40) ◽  
pp. e2106006118
Author(s):  
Thomas Merckx ◽  
Matthew E. Nielsen ◽  
Janne Heliölä ◽  
Mikko Kuussaari ◽  
Lars B. Pettersson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Island Effect ◽  
Seasonal Plasticity ◽  
Common Garden Experiments ◽  
Flight Phenology ◽  
Cycle Regulation ◽  
Genetic Shift

Urbanization is gaining force globally, which challenges biodiversity, and it has recently also emerged as an agent of evolutionary change. Seasonal phenology and life cycle regulation are essential processes that urbanization is likely to alter through both the urban heat island effect (UHI) and artificial light at night (ALAN). However, how UHI and ALAN affect the evolution of seasonal adaptations has received little attention. Here, we test for the urban evolution of seasonal life-history plasticity, specifically changes in the photoperiodic induction of diapause in two lepidopterans, Pieris napi (Pieridae) and Chiasmia clathrata (Geometridae). We used long-term data from standardized monitoring and citizen science observation schemes to compare yearly phenological flight curves in six cities in Finland and Sweden to those of adjacent rural populations. This analysis showed for both species that flight seasons are longer and end later in most cities, suggesting a difference in the timing of diapause induction. Then, we used common garden experiments to test whether the evolution of the photoperiodic reaction norm for diapause could explain these phenological changes for a subset of these cities. These experiments demonstrated a genetic shift for both species in urban areas toward a lower daylength threshold for direct development, consistent with predictions based on the UHI but not ALAN. The correspondence of this genetic change to the results of our larger-scale observational analysis of in situ flight phenology indicates that it may be widespread. These findings suggest that seasonal life cycle regulation evolves in urban ectotherms and may contribute to ecoevolutionary dynamics in cities.

Floral trait variation and links to climate in the mixed-mating annual Clarkia pulchella

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (7) ◽  
pp. 425-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin E. Gamble ◽  
Megan Bontrager ◽  
Amy L. Angert
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Mixed Mating ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Self Fertilization ◽  
Clarkia Pulchella ◽  
Watering Treatment

The benefits of self-fertilization can vary across environments, leading to selection for different reproductive strategies and influencing the evolution of floral traits. Although stressful conditions have been suggested to favour self-pollination, the role of climate as a driver of mating-system variation is generally not well understood. Here, we investigate the contributions of local climate to intraspecific differences in mating-system traits in Clarkia pulchella Pursh in a common-garden growth chamber experiment. We also tested for plastic responses to soil moisture with watering treatments. Herkogamy (anther–stigma spacing) correlated positively with dichogamy (timing of anther–stigma receptivity) and date of first flower, and northern populations had smaller petals and flowered earlier in response to experimental drought. Watering treatment alone had little effect on traits, and dichogamy unexpectedly decreased with annual precipitation. Populations also differed in phenological response to watering treatment, based on precipitation and winter temperature of their origin, indicating that populations from cool and dry sites have greater plasticity under different levels of moisture stress. While some variation in floral traits is attributable to climate, further investigation into variation in pollinator communities and the indirect effects of climate on mating system can improve our understanding of the evolution of plant mating.

From branch to bench: establishing wild spruce budworm populations into laboratory colonies for the exploration of local adaptation and plasticity

2021 ◽  
Vol 153 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Perrault ◽  
A.A. Wardlaw ◽  
J.N. Candau ◽  
C.L. Irwin ◽  
M. Demidovich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Variation ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Population Differences ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Laboratory Colonies ◽  
Common Garden Experiments ◽  
Disease Free

AbstractSpruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a destructive defoliator found throughout the Nearctic boreal forest. This pest has a broad geographic range and shows regional variation in key life history traits. These population differences may represent important adaptations to local environmental conditions and reflect underlying genetic diversity. Existing laboratory colonies of spruce budworm do not capture this regional variation, so we established five new spruce budworm colonies from across its range to explore regional adaptations among spruce budworm populations within common garden experiments. We present methods for establishing new spruce budworm laboratory colonies from wild populations. We describe the process of flushing, rearing, and disease screening used on these new populations to produce healthy disease-free laboratory stocks.

scholarly journals Adaptive divergence in shell morphology in an ongoing gastropod radiation from Lake Malawi

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert Van Bocxlaer ◽  
Claudia M. Ortiz-Sepulveda ◽  
Pieter R. Gurdebeke ◽  
Xavier Vekemans
Keyword(s):  
Common Garden ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Shell Shape ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Nominal Species ◽  
Shape Variation ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Evolutionary Radiations ◽  
Contrasting Habitats

Abstract Background Ecological speciation is a prominent mechanism of diversification but in many evolutionary radiations, particularly in invertebrates, it remains unclear whether supposedly critical ecological traits drove or facilitated diversification. As a result, we lack accurate knowledge on the drivers of diversification for most evolutionary radiations along the tree of life. Freshwater mollusks present an enigmatic example: Putatively adaptive radiations are being described in various families, typically from long-lived lakes, whereas other taxa represent celebrated model systems in the study of ecophenotypic plasticity. Here we examine determinants of shell-shape variation in three nominal species of an ongoing ampullariid radiation in the Malawi Basin (Lanistes nyassanus, L. solidus and Lanistes sp. (ovum-like)) with a common garden experiment and semi-landmark morphometrics. Results We found significant differences in survival and fecundity among these species in contrasting habitats. Morphological differences observed in the wild persisted in our experiments for L. nyassanus versus L. solidus and L. sp. (ovum-like), but differences between L. solidus and L. sp. (ovum-like) disappeared and re-emerged in the F1 and F2 generations, respectively. These results indicate that plasticity occurred, but that it is not solely responsible for the observed differences. Our experiments provide the first unambiguous evidence for genetic divergence in shell morphology in an ongoing freshwater gastropod radiation in association with marked fitness differences among species under controlled habitat conditions. Conclusions Our results indicate that differences in shell morphology among Lanistes species occupying different habitats have an adaptive value. These results also facilitate an accurate reinterpretation of morphological variation in fossil Lanistes radiations, and thus macroevolutionary dynamics. Finally, our work testifies that the shells of freshwater gastropods may retain signatures of adaptation at low taxonomic levels, beyond representing an evolutionary novelty responsible for much of the diversity and disparity in mollusks altogether.

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