| 1. |
- Abrahamczyk, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
-
Evolution of brood-site mimicry in Madagascan Impatiens (Balsaminaceae)
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 49
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The species-rich flora of Madagascar is well known for a range of unusual floral ecologies. One example is Impatiens section Trimorphopetalum with its unique combination of floral traits: small, spur-less, cup-or lip shaped, greenish or brownish flowers. So far no hypotheses on floral function or pollination of this peculiar group have been proposed. We analysed six reproductive traits in relation to pollination syndromes for 34 Madagascan Impatiens species, including 18 species of section Trimorphopetalum plus six outgroup species, in a phylogenetic framework. Further, we present pollinator observations for one additional species of Trimophopetalum. All pollination syndromes occurring in the African species are also present in Madagascan Impatiens. In addition, species of Trimorphopetalum represent two unique floral types, possibly corresponding to two different types of fly pollination. The evolution of these flower types corresponds to a strong decrease in nectar production, flower display size, pollen grain and ovule number. Autogamy is found in one derived sub-clade of the otherwise largely pollinator-dependent Trimorphopetalum. We find evidence consistent with the evolution of brood-site deception and fungus mimicry in combination with fly pollination in one clade of Trimorphopetalum and the stepwise evolution of autogamy in the second clade. The evolution of these very different reproductive strategies may have been triggered by pollinator limitation in the dense, humid forest undergrowth of Madagascar.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ajal, James, et al.
(författare)
-
Functional trait space in cereals and legumes grown in pure and mixed cultures is influenced more by cultivar identity than crop mixing
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 50
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- More efficient resource use, especially nitrogen (N) in agricultural fields could considerably reduce the losses and spillover effects on the environment. Cereal-legume mixtures can lead to more efficient uptake of growth-limiting resources, and increase and stabilize yields, due to the variation in functional traits that facilitate partitioning of niche space. Here we identify crop mixtures with functional traits that facilitate optimal N resource use in two selected cereal-legume mixtures by using the multi-dimensional trait space concept. Combinations of pea-barley and faba bean-wheat crops were grown in the field as pure cultures and mixtures in Central Sweden, during two years with contrasting weather. The ecological niche space was defined via the n-dimensional hypervolumes represented by N pool, tiller/branch number, shoot biomass, and grain yield functional traits. Regressions and correlations allowed quantifying the relations between functional traits and plant N pools. Differences in trait space were not a result of crop mixing per se, as similar hypervolumes were found in the pure culture and mixture-grown crops. Instead, the trait space differences depended on the cultivar identities admixed. Furthermore, cereals increased their efficiency for N uptake and therefore benefitted more than the legumes in the mixtures, in terms of accumulated N and grain yields. Tiller and shoot biomass production in cereals was positively correlated to N pool accumulation during the season. Resource acquisition through increased N uptake in the mixture was associated with a reduced overlap in niche-space in the mixtures, and initial seed N pools significantly contributed to within-season N accumulation, shoot and tiller production.
|
|
| 3. |
- Boberg, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
-
A novel comparative research platform designed to determine the functional significance of tree species diversity in European forests
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 15, s. 281-291
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the current advances in functional biodiversity research is the move away from short-lived test systems towards the exploration of diversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in structurally more complex ecosystems. In forests, assumptions about the functional significance of tree species diversity have only recently produced a new generation of research on ecosystem processes and services. Novel experimental designs have now replaced traditional forestry trials, but these comparatively young experimental plots suffer from specific difficulties that are mainly related to the tree size and longevity. Tree species diversity experiments therefore need to be complemented with comparative observational studies in existing forests. Here we present the design and implementation of a new network of forest plots along tree species diversity gradients in six major European forest types: the FunDivEUROPE Exploratory Platform. Based on a review of the deficiencies of existing observational approaches and of unresolved research questions and hypotheses, we discuss the fundamental criteria that shaped the design of our platform. Key features include the extent of the species diversity gradient with mixtures up to five species, strict avoidance of a dilution gradient, special attention to community evenness and minimal covariation with other environmental factors. The new European research platform permits the most comprehensive assessment of tree species diversity effects on forest ecosystem functioning to date since it offers a common set of research plots to groups of researchers from very different disciplines and uses the same methodological approach in contrasting forest types along an extensive environmental gradient. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 4. |
- Dynesius, Mats, 1958-
(författare)
-
Responses of bryophytes to wood-ash recycling are related to their phylogeny and pH ecology
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 14:1, s. 21-31
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ash generated by the combustion of solid biofuels is increasingly being returned to the fuel’s place of origin (mostly forests). In this way, nutrient depletion and acidification caused by biofuel harvest is counteracted and a waste problem is solved. Concerns about the potential negative effects of ash spreading on forest biodiversity (in particular mosses) have been raised, but little is known. I studied the effects of the application of two types of ash (the most used self-hardened crushed ash including fine particles and a less reactive type, pellets without fine particles) on 28 moss species and 17 liverwort species. In two field experiments, one on transplants of ground-living species and one on wood-inhabiting species in situ, I measured the response during the first two months after ash application. Visible damage (discoloration from green to brown) was assessed for all species and the growth response was measured for 24 ground-living species. The responses to crushed ash were clearly related to the species’ pH ecology and phylogenetic position. The growth of bryophytes associated with acidic conditions (pooled data from 10 species) or considered as being indifferent to pH (4 species) was negatively affected, whereas there was no effect on the growth of bryophytes of non-acidic habitats (10 species). The connection to phylogeny was even clearer. Most taxa responded negatively, but transplants from the moss order Bryales (4 species) and the family Brachytheciaceae (2 species; order Hypnales) grew better when treated with ash. The genera with the clearest negative responses were Sphagnum mosses (5 species), Tetraphis mosses (1 species), Dicranum mosses (6 species), and Barbilophozia liverworts (2 species). The four red-listed wood-inhabiting liverworts studied were not significantly damaged. Concerning ash type, pellets caused smaller effects than crushed ash, both on the positive and negative side. The results show that responses to ash recycling of the bryophyte species included in this study are predictable from their phylogenetic position and/or pH ecology. Further studies are needed to determine the generality of these results and to sort out if phylogeny or current relationship to pH is the primary determinant of the response.
|
|
| 5. |
- Eckstein, Rolf Lutz, et al.
(författare)
-
Biological flora of central Europe : Viola elatior, V. pumila and V. stagnina
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 8:1, s. 45-66
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Viola elatior, V pumila and V stagnina (syn. V persicifolia) are very rare in central and western Europe and red-listed in many central European countries. To improve their conservation and to base management efforts on sound scientific knowledge, we here review the available information on their biology. A comparative approach is adopted to identify similarities and differences between the species. Special emphasis will be on taxonomy, community ecology and population biology. All three species belong to the section Viola, subsection Rostratae. Since they are morphologically rather similar and have often been misidentified, we supply the most important characters for separating the three taxa. The species share a continental distribution with a centre of occurrence in the temperate zone of eastern Europe and western Siberia, and reach their western range margin in central and western Europe. They have become rare and endangered through melioration and fragmentation of their habitats. All three species are iteroparous hemicryptophytes with a complex life cycle, a mixed mating system with chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers, and a persistent seed bank. Viola pumila and V. stagnina occur in floodplain meadows and wet grasslands, whereas V. elatior is a typical species of alluvial woodland fringes and other ecotonal habitats bordering floodplain meadows. Viola elatior and V pumila are confined to calcareous or at least base-rich substrates, whereas V stagnina may also occur on strongly acidic soils. The violets are able to occupy a broad range of site conditions in terms of soil nutrient status and productivity. However, on fertile sites the species depend on regular disturbances that weaken competitors and enhance the germination of dormant seeds. Current information about mycorrhizal colonisation, biochemical and physiological data, and herbivores and pathogens is scarce or lacking, probably due to the rarity of the three species in central Europe. (c) 2006 Rubel Foundation, ETH Zurich. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 6. |
- Eckstein, Rolf Lutz, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
-
Biological flora of Central Europe– Lupinus polyphyllus Lindley
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 58
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The invasive herb Lupinus polyphyllus has been focus of a number of fact sheets worldwide but a comprehensive summary of the species’ taxonomy and morphology, distribution, habitat requirements, and biology has been lacking. This paper gives a thorough account of the species’ systematic position and taxonomy, highlighting the difficulties to delimit taxa, which is related to interbreeding among members of this genus. However, L. polyphyllus var. polyphyllus is apparently the taxon that has naturalized and is regionally invasive in temperate-humid climates worldwide. We also present an updated distribution map of L. polyphyllus in the native and invaded ranges, which highlights seven regions in the world where the species has been established. We show that the climatic niche of L. polyphyllus in the invaded range shifts towards higher summer precipitation and lower isothermality, probably because the invaded range includes subcontinental regions of eastern Europe and western Siberia. The habitats of L. polyphyllus range from rather dry to wet, have moderately acidic to strongly acidic soils, and the species’ indicator values across Europe suggest that it occurs along a gradient from very nutrient poor sites to intermediate to rich sites from northern to southern Europe. The species shows high resistance to both drought and frost. In Central Europe, the species has a stronghold in alpic mountain hay meadows, abandoned meadows and pastures, low and medium altitude hay meadows, anthropogenic herb stands and temperate thickets and scrubs. In northern Europe, the species occurs in anthropogenic herb stands along roads and railroads as well as in abandoned pastures and fields. We also found some doubtful information about L. polyphyllus in the literature. This refers to its description as “rhizomatous perennial” although it lacks rhizomes; an apparently very high longevity of its seeds, which may only be true under artificial conditions in an ex situ seed repository; and a very deep rooting depth, which may not represent the average rooting depth but rather an extreme value. Knowledge about the interrelationships between the species’ future population dynamics and spread and ongoing climate warming is lacking. Finally, our review points out that there is currently no evidence-based strategy for a cost-efficient management of L. polyphyllus although it is among the most problematic non-native plant species in Europe due to its environmental and socio-economic impacts.
|
|
| 7. |
- Eriksson, Ove, et al.
(författare)
-
The evolutionary ecology of dust seeds
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 13:2, s. 73-87
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dust seeds are the smallest existing seeds in angiosperms. This paper summarizes taxonomic distribution, phylogeny, ontogeny, morphology, and recruitment behavior of dust seeds, concluding with a general hypothesis on the evolution of dust seeds. Plants with dust seeds depend on external sources of organic carbon for seedling development and are thus parasitic during recruitment. Species with dust seeds are either mycoheterotrophic (fully or partially) or parasitic on plants. Dust seeds are a derived feature which has evolved independently in at least 12 families (Burmanniaceae, Corsiaceae, Orchidaceae, Triuridaceae, Petrosaviaceae, Ericaceae, Gentianaceae, Polygalaceae, Orobanchaceae, Rubiaceae, Buddlejaceae and Gesneriaceae). For the three latter families parasitic behavior during recruitment has not yet been described, and should be considered as a hypothesis. Many, but not all, dust seeds possess features that are likely to have been selected for increasing buoyancy in air or water. Selection for maximal fecundity at the expense of reducing maternal resources per seed is the probable driver of dust seed evolution. As endosperm was reduced, undifferentiated embryo evolved as a by-product due to endosperm mediated control of embryo development. Ultimately, seed size reduction passed a threshold where resource acquisition became dependent on external hosts. In order to embark on an evolutionary trajectory towards host dependence, facultative parasitism must have been established in ancestral lineages. Mycoheterotrophic and mixotrophic plants probably evolved along with the rise of angiosperm dominated tropical forests beginning in the Late Cretaceous. It is suggested that selection for increasing seed size associated with the expansion of modern type tropical forests spurred a competition/colonization trade-off initiating a reversed evolutionary trajectory towards smaller seeds. A different process is suggested for true parasites with dust seeds (Orobanchaceae), where the driver may have been the Mid-Tertiary expansion of grasslands, creating opportunities to exploit grasses and herbs. It is suggested that inequality and asymmetry in resource monopolization in ecosystems promote evolution of subordinate life strategies, and possession of dust seeds is considered as a subordinate strategy in plant communities dominated by other plant strategies. This escape route for ecological losers eventually promoted evolution of one of the most diverse groups of plants, the orchids.
|
|
| 8. |
- Fiz-Palacios, Omar, et al.
(författare)
-
From Messinian crisis to Mediterranean climate : A temporal gap of diversification recovered from multiple plant phylogenies
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 15:2, s. 130-137
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Paleobotanical and molecular studies link diversification of plants in the Mediterranean Basin with the onset of the Mediterranean climate. Screening diversification before this period is needed in order to analyze whether the observed increase in diversification is a legitimate footprint denoting radiation or instead the biological signal of a previous mass extinction or rate stasis period. A shared post-Messinian temporal gap of cladogenesis has been previously observed in two Mediterranean sister genera. Based on this evidence we explored recently published molecular studies to recover lineages with similar diversification profiles exhibiting a cladogenesis gap. Using this criterion, we conducted a meta-analysis of 36 Mediterranean plant lineages with a post-Messinian temporal gap of cladogenesis, including a new molecular dating of Genista (Fabaceae). Whereas 39% of these lineages have not diversified since the Miocene, another 39% began to rediversify during the onset of the Mediterranean climate and the remaining 22% began diversifying again afterwards during the Quaternary. The pattern of Mediterranean diversification recovery after a temporal gap of cladogenesis was also obtained with phylogenetic tree simulations under birth and death processes when forcing one or two temporal shifts in diversification rates. The relative importance of the Mediterranean onset as a driving force promoting speciation or triggering extinction remains as an open question, since neither the mass extinction nor the rate stasis evolutionary scenarios can be rule out. The independent analysis of individual clades within phylogenies is also essential to detect clade-dependent patterns hidden by phylogeny-level ones. We disclose the importance of analyzing diversification patterns of Mediterranean lineages since the Miocene to understand the recent history of the Mediterranean biota.
|
|
| 9. |
- Graae, Bente J., et al.
(författare)
-
Stay or go - how topographic complexity influences alpine plant population and community responses to climate change
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 30, s. 41-50
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the face of climate change, populations have two survival options - they can remain in situ and tolerate the new climatic conditions (stay), or they can move to track their climatic niches (go). For sessile and small-stature organisms like alpine plants, staying requires broad climatic tolerances, realized niche shifts due to changing biotic interactions, acclimation through plasticity, or rapid genetic adaptation. Going, in contrast, requires good dispersal and colonization capacities. Neither the magnitude of climate change experienced locally nor the capacities required for staying/going in response to climate change are constant across landscapes, and both aspects may be strongly affected by local microclimatic variation associated with topographic complexity. We combine ideas from population and community ecology to discuss the effects of topographic complexity in the landscape on the immediate stay or go opportunities of local populations and communities, and on the selective pressures that may have shaped the stay or go capacities of the species occupying contrasting landscapes. We demonstrate, using example landscapes of different topographical complexity, how species' thermal niches could be distributed across these landscapes, and how these, in turn, may affect many population and community ecological processes that are related to adaptation or dispersal. Focusing on treeless alpine or Arctic landscapes, where temperature is expected to be a strong determinant, our theorethical framework leads to the hypothesis that populations and communities of topographically complex (rough and patchy) landscapes should be both more resistant and more resilient to climate change than those of topographically simple (flat and homogeneous) landscapes. Our theorethical framework further points to how meta-community dynamics such as mass effects in topographically complex landscapes and extinction lags in simple landscapes, may mask and delay the long-term outcomes of these landscape differences under rapidly changing climates.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hagenbucher, Steffen, et al.
(författare)
-
Domestication influences choice behavior and performance of a generalist herbivore
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1433-8319 .- 1618-0437. ; 23, s. 63-72
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Domestication processes have changed wild ancestral plants to modern crop plants that are well adapted to agronomical practices and produce high yields. However, a major concern with domestication is an increased susceptibility to herbivores and pathogens. Such changes in plant resistance can, directly and indirectly, affect the host choice decisions of herbivorous insects. In this study we investigated how changes in resistance traits during the domestication of cotton, influenced the preference and performance of the generalist moth Spodoptera littoralis. We studied the development of larvae, as well as the choice behavior of larvae and ovipositing females, on a selected group of cotton accessions from three different species: Gossypium hirsutum; Gossypium herbaceum and Gossypium raimondii. Combining preference and performance data would allow us to explain host-plant choice using the preference performance hypotheses. Additionally, we analyzed the volatile profile of the different plants to detect differences that could have played a role in the host-choice of S. littoralis.We could show that domesticated G. hirsutum cotton plants are better host plants for the moth S. littoralis as they supported a better performance than wild plants. Furthermore, we found qualitative and quantitative differences in the volatile bouquet of the different Gossypium types. However, these differences were not clearly represented in the behavior of S. littoralis. As neither larvae nor ovipositing females consistently preferred better over inferior host plants with the exception of G. raimondii that was rejected over more domesticated ones. Gossypium raimondii also provided associational resistance to neighboring susceptible plants. Our findings indicate that domestication in cotton has effects on host plant choice in the generalist herbivore S. littoralis, but that there is no clear pattern of how preference and performance is affected. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
|
|
