The Effect of Submergence and Eutrophication on the Trait’s Performance of Wedelia Trilobata over Its Congener Native Wedelia Chinensis

Climate change and artificial disturbance may lead to increased submergence and eutrophication near a riparian zone and the shift of terrestrial plants into a riparian zone. In this study, the responses of terrestrial invasive Wedelia trilobata (WT) and congener native Wedelia chinensis (WC) plants were examined under submergence and eutrophication. A greenhouse experiment was conducted in which ramets of WT and WC were investigated under two levels of submergence (S1 and S2) and three levels of nutrients (N1, N2 and N3) along with two cultures (mono and mixed). Submergence (S) did not affect the morphological traits of both the species but nutrients (N), culture (C) and their interaction, along with submergence, had a significant effect on the morphological traits of both the species. The growth of WC under high submergence and high nutrients was decreased compared with low nutrients (N1, N2) but WT maintained its growth in monoculture. In mixed culture, low submergence (S1) and low nutrients (N1, N2) made WC more dominant but high submergence (S2) and high nutrients (N3) made WT more successful than WC due to its high phenotypic plasticity and negative effect of competition intensity. It was concluded that both species survive and grow well under submergence and eutrophication, but high submergence and eutrophication provide better conditions for WT to grow well.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Different Environmental Conditions during Vegetative Propagation on Growth, Survival, and Biochemical Characteristics in Populus Hybrids in Clonal Field Trial

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12070892 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 892

Author(s):

Valda Gudynaitė-Franckevičienė ◽

Alfas Pliūra

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Vegetative Propagation ◽

Genotypic Variation ◽

Hybrid Poplar ◽

Field Trials ◽

Biochemical Traits ◽

Suburban Areas ◽

Growing Conditions

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.

Download Full-text

Neurobiology of phenotypic plasticity in the light of climate change

Neuroforum ◽

10.1515/nf-2021-0029 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Linda C. Weiss

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Sensory Systems ◽

Chemical Information ◽

Adaptive Potential ◽

Worst Case ◽

Changing Environments ◽

Neuronal Signalling ◽

Physiological Adaptations ◽

Signalling Cascade

Abstract Phenotypic plasticity describes the ability of an organism with a given genotype to respond to changing environmental conditions through the adaptation of the phenotype. Phenotypic plasticity is a widespread means of adaptation, allowing organisms to optimize fitness levels in changing environments. A core prerequisite for adaptive predictive plasticity is the existence of reliable cues, i.e. accurate environmental information about future selection on the expressed plastic phenotype. Furthermore, organisms need the capacity to detect and interpret such cues, relying on specific sensory signalling and neuronal cascades. Subsequent neurohormonal changes lead to the transformation of phenotype A into phenotype B. Each of these activities is critical for survival. Consequently, anything that could impair an animal’s ability to perceive important chemical information could have significant ecological ramifications. Climate change and other human stressors can act on individual or all of the components of this signalling cascade. In consequence, organisms could lose their adaptive potential, or in the worst case, even become maladapted. Therefore, it is key to understand the sensory systems, the neurobiology and the physiological adaptations that mediate organisms’ interactions with their environment. It is, thus, pivotal to predict the ecosystem-wide effects of global human forcing. This review summarizes current insights on how climate change affects phenotypic plasticity, focussing on how associated stressors change the signalling agents, the sensory systems, receptor responses and neuronal signalling cascades, thereby, impairing phenotypic adaptations.

Download Full-text

Birds facing climate change: a qualitative model for the adaptive potential of migratory behaviour

Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia ◽

10.4081/rio.2015.197 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 3 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michelangelo Morganti

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Migratory Birds ◽

Future Research ◽

Qualitative Model ◽

Migratory Behaviour ◽

Adaptive Potential ◽

Long Distance ◽

Genetic Determination ◽

Recent Climate

Recent climate change is altering the migratory behaviour of many bird species. An advancement in the timing of spring events and a shift in the geographical distribution have been detected for birds around the world. In particular, intra-Palearctic migratory birds have advanced arrivals in spring and shortened migratory distances by shifting northward their wintering grounds. These changes in migratory patterns are considered adaptive responses facilitating the adjustment of the life cycle to the phenological changes found in their breeding areas. However, in some cases, populations exposed to the same selective pressures do not show any appreciable adaptive change in their behaviour. Basing on the comparison of realized and non-realized adaptive changes, I propose here the formulation of a qualitative model that predicts the potential of migratory birds populations to change adaptively their migratory behaviour. The model assumes that the adaptive potential of migratory behaviour is fuelled by both genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity. Populations of long-distance migrants are exposed to strong environmental canalization that largely eroded their phenotypic plasticity and reduced genetic variability, so that they show a very low amount of adaptive potential regarding migratory behaviour. On the contrary, partial-migrant populations have a highly varied genetic profile and are more plastic at the phenotypic level, and consequently show the highest amount of adaptive potential. Species with mainly social and mainly genetic determination of the migratory behaviour are separately treated in the model. Specific empirical models to foresee the adaptive strategies of wild bird populations that face to climate change can be derived from the general theoretical model. As example, a specific model about the shortening of migratory distances in Western European migratory bird is presented. Finally, a number of future research lines on the topic of adaptive potential of migratory behaviour are discussed, including some examples of concrete study cases. In conclusion, partial-migration emerge as the less known system and future research efforts on this topic are expected to be especially fruitful.

Download Full-text

Epigenetic mediation of the onset of reproduction in a songbird

10.1101/2020.02.01.929968 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Melanie Lindner ◽

Veronika N. Laine ◽

Irene Verhagen ◽

Heidi M. Viitaniemi ◽

Marcel E. Visser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Regulatory Region ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Parus Major ◽

Great Tit ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Avian Reproduction ◽

Directional Variation

ABSTRACTClimate change significantly impacts natural populations, particularly phenology traits, like the seasonal onset of reproduction in birds. This impact is mainly via plastic responses in phenology traits to changes in the environment, but the molecular mechanism mediating this plasticity remains elusive. Epigenetic modifications can mediate plasticity and consequently constitute promising candidates for mediating phenology traits. Here, we used genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of individual great tit (Parus major) females that we blood sampled repeatedly throughout the breeding season. We demonstrate rapid and directional variation in DNA methylation within the regulatory region of genes known to play key roles in avian reproduction that are in line with observed changes in gene expression in chickens. Our findings provide an important step towards unraveling the molecular mechanism mediating a key life history trait, an essential knowledge-gap for understanding how natural populations may cope with future climate change.IMPACT SUMMARYNatural populations are increasingly challenged by changing environmental conditions like global increases in temperature. A key way for species to adapt to global warming is via phenotypic plasticity, i.e. the ability to adjust the expression of traits to the environment. We, however, know little about how the environment can interact with an organism’s genetic make-up to shape its trait value. Epigenetic marks are known to vary with the environment and can modulate the expression of traits without any change in the genetic make-up and therefore have the potential to mediate phenotypic plasticity.To study the role of epigenetics for phenotypic plasticity, we here focus on the great tit (Parus major), a species that is strongly affected by global warming and plastic for temperature in an essential phenology trait, the seasonal onset of egg laying. As a first step, we investigated whether great tit females show within-individual and short-term variation in DNA methylation that corresponds to changes in the reproductive state of females. We therefore housed breeding pairs in climate-controlled aviaries to blood sample each female repeatedly throughout the breeding season and used these repeated samples for methylation profiling.We found rapid and directional variation in DNA methylation at the time females prepared to initiate egg laying that is located within the regulatory region of genes that have previously described functions for avian reproduction. Although future work is needed to establish a causal link between the observed temporal variation in DNA methylation and the onset of reproduction in female great tits, our work highlights the potential role for epigenetic modifications in mediating an essential phenology trait that is sensitive to temperatures.

Download Full-text

Biological Parts for Plant Biodesign to Enhance Land-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal

BioDesign Research ◽

10.34133/2021/9798714 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Xiaohan Yang ◽

Degao Liu ◽

Haiwei Lu ◽

David J. Weston ◽

Jin-Gui Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Value Added ◽

Carbon Dioxide Removal ◽

Grand Challenge ◽

Terrestrial Plants ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Term Storage

A grand challenge facing society is climate change caused mainly by rising CO2 concentration in Earth’s atmosphere. Terrestrial plants are linchpins in global carbon cycling, with a unique capability of capturing CO2 via photosynthesis and translocating captured carbon to stems, roots, and soils for long-term storage. However, many researchers postulate that existing land plants cannot meet the ambitious requirement for CO2 removal to mitigate climate change in the future due to low photosynthetic efficiency, limited carbon allocation for long-term storage, and low suitability for the bioeconomy. To address these limitations, there is an urgent need for genetic improvement of existing plants or construction of novel plant systems through biosystems design (or biodesign). Here, we summarize validated biological parts (e.g., protein-encoding genes and noncoding RNAs) for biological engineering of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) traits in terrestrial plants to accelerate land-based decarbonization in bioenergy plantations and agricultural settings and promote a vibrant bioeconomy. Specifically, we first summarize the framework of plant-based CDR (e.g., CO2 capture, translocation, storage, and conversion to value-added products). Then, we highlight some representative biological parts, with experimental evidence, in this framework. Finally, we discuss challenges and strategies for the identification and curation of biological parts for CDR engineering in plants.

Download Full-text

Strong phenotypic plasticity limits potential for evolutionary responses to climate change

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-018-03384-9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Vicencio Oostra ◽

Marjo Saastamoinen ◽

Bas J. Zwaan ◽

Christopher W. Wheat

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity

Download Full-text

Climate Change and Livestock Fertility

10.4018/978-1-6684-3686-8.ch061 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1256-1277

Author(s):

Vishakha Shrimali ◽

Nibedita Naha ◽

Sukanta Mondal

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Heat Stress ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Follicular Development ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Oocyte Competence ◽

Livestock Sector ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Global Threat

Climate change is a global threat to livestock sector to so many species and ecosystem in different parts of the world. Climate change, heat stress, and nutritional stress are the major intriguing factors responsible for reduced fertility in farm animals in tropical countries. Heat and nutritional stresses affect the reproductive performance by decreasing the expression of estrous behavior, altering ovarian follicular development and hormonal profiles, compromising oocyte competence, and inhibiting embryonic development in livestock. Climate is changed by greenhouse gases that released into atmosphere through man-made activities. Livestock contribute 18% of the production of greenhouse gases itself and causes climate change including heat stress, which has direct and indirect impact on fertility of the animals as well as reduce milk production. Adaptation to climate change and lowering its negative effect by alteration of animal micro-environment using different essential technologies are the main mitigation strategies to recover heat stress damage in this respect.

Download Full-text

Pre‐adaptation to climate change through topography‐driven phenotypic plasticity

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2745.13365 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 108 (4) ◽

pp. 1465-1474 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Hanne De Kort ◽

Bart Panis ◽

Kenny Helsen ◽

Rolland Douzet ◽

Steven B. Janssens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change

Download Full-text

Resilience to temperature and pH changes in a future climate change scenario in six strains of the polar diatom <i>Fragilariopsis cylindrus</i>

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-12-4235-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (14) ◽

pp. 4235-4244 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

M. Pančić ◽

P. J. Hansen ◽

A. Tammilehto ◽

N. Lundholm

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Significant Interaction ◽

Elevated Temperatures ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Change Scenario ◽

Ph Tolerance ◽

Increased Temperature ◽

Fragilariopsis Cylindrus ◽

Negative Effect

Abstract. The effects of ocean acidification and increased temperature on physiology of six strains of the polar diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus from Greenland were investigated. Experiments were performed under manipulated pH levels (8.0, 7.7, 7.4, and 7.1) and different temperatures (1, 5, and 8 °C) to simulate changes from present to plausible future levels. Each of the 12 scenarios was run for 7 days, and a significant interaction between temperature and pH on growth was detected. By combining increased temperature and acidification, the two factors counterbalanced each other, and therefore no effect on the growth rates was found. However, the growth rates increased with elevated temperatures by ~ 20–50 % depending on the strain. In addition, a general negative effect of increasing acidification on growth was observed. At pH 7.7 and 7.4, the growth response varied considerably among strains. However, a more uniform response was detected at pH 7.1 with most of the strains exhibiting reduced growth rates by 20–37 % compared to pH 8.0. It should be emphasized that a significant interaction between temperature and pH was found, meaning that the combination of the two parameters affected growth differently than when considering one at a time. Based on these results, we anticipate that the polar diatom F. cylindrus will be unaffected by changes in temperature and pH within the range expected by the end of the century. In each simulated scenario, the variation in growth rates among the strains was larger than the variation observed due to the whole range of changes in either pH or temperature. Climate change may therefore not affect the species as such, but may lead to changes in the population structure of the species, with the strains exhibiting high phenotypic plasticity, in terms of temperature and pH tolerance towards future conditions, dominating the population.

Download Full-text

Phenotypic plasticity of stomatal and photosynthetic features of four Picea species in two contrasting common gardens

AoB Plants ◽

10.1093/aobpla/plz034 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ming Hao Wang ◽

Jing Ru Wang ◽

Xiao Wei Zhang ◽

Ai Ping Zhang ◽

Shan Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Phenotypic Plasticity ◽

Global Climate ◽

Physiological Activity ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Leaf Mass Per Area ◽

Picea Crassifolia ◽

Common Gardens ◽

Picea Species ◽

The Impact

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.

Download Full-text