Common garden data on dispersal adaptations and postglacial migration in pitch pine

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.

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Variation in regrowth ability in relation to land-use intensity in three common grassland herbs

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtab001 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Kirschbaum ◽

Oliver Bossdorf ◽

J F Scheepens

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Temporal Variation ◽

Temporal Stability ◽

Common Garden ◽

Grassland Management ◽

Land Use Intensity ◽

Evolutionary Changes ◽

Biomass Removal ◽

Reproductive Biomass

Abstract Aims Plant populations in managed grasslands are subject to strong selection exerted by grazing, mowing and fertilization. Many previous studies showed that this can cause evolutionary changes in mean trait values, but little is known about the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to land use. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity – specifically, regrowth ability after biomass removal – and the intensity of grassland management and levels of temporal variation therein. Methods We conducted an outdoor common garden experiment to test if plants from more intensively mown and grazed sites showed an increased ability to regrow after biomass removal. We used three common plant species from temperate European grasslands, with seed material from 58 – 68 populations along gradients of land-use intensity, ranging from extensive (only light grazing) to very intensive management (up to four cuts per year). Important findings In two out of three species, we found significant population differentiation in regrowth ability after clipping. While variation in regrowth ability was unrelated to the mean land-use intensity of populations of origin, we found a relationship with its temporal variation in P. lanceolata, where plants experiencing less variable environmental conditions over the last 11 years showed stronger regrowth in reproductive biomass after clipping. Therefore, while mean grazing and mowing intensity may not select for regrowth ability, the temporal stability of the environmental heterogeneity created by land use may have caused its evolution in some species.

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Body mass and sex, not local climate, drive differences in chill coma recovery times in common garden reared bumble bees

Journal of Comparative Physiology B ◽

10.1007/s00360-021-01385-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

K. Jeannet Oyen ◽

Laura E. Jardine ◽

Zachary M. Parsons ◽

James D. Herndon ◽

James P. Strange ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Mass ◽

Common Garden ◽

Bumble Bees ◽

Local Climate ◽

Chill Coma ◽

Recovery Times

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The role of host promiscuity in the invasion process of a seaweed holobiont

The ISME Journal ◽

10.1038/s41396-020-00878-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Guido Bonthond ◽

Till Bayer ◽

Stacy A. Krueger-Hadfield ◽

Nadja Stärck ◽

Gaoge Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Beta Diversity ◽

Common Garden ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Invasion Process ◽

Microbial Succession ◽

Invasive Seaweed ◽

Native Populations ◽

Important Trait ◽

Different Populations

AbstractInvasive species are co-introduced with microbiota from their native range and also interact with microbiota found in the novel environment to which they are introduced. Host flexibility toward microbiota, or host promiscuity, is an important trait underlying terrestrial plant invasions. To test whether host promiscuity may be important in macroalgal invasions, we experimentally simulated an invasion in a common garden setting, using the widespread invasive macroalga Agarophyton vermiculophyllum as a model invasive seaweed holobiont. After disturbing the microbiota of individuals from native and non-native populations with antibiotics, we monitored the microbial succession trajectories in the presence of a new source of microbes. Microbial communities were strongly impacted by the treatment and changed compositionally and in terms of diversity but recovered functionally by the end of the experiment in most respects. Beta-diversity in disturbed holobionts strongly decreased, indicating that different populations configure more similar –or more common– microbial communities when exposed to the same conditions. This decline in beta-diversity occurred not only more rapidly, but was also more pronounced in non-native populations, while individuals from native populations retained communities more similar to those observed in the field. This study demonstrates that microbial communities of non-native A. vermiculophyllum are more flexibly adjusted to the environment and suggests that an intraspecific increase in host promiscuity has promoted the invasion process of A. vermiculophyllum. This phenomenon may be important among invasive macroalgal holobionts in general.

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