| 191. |
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| 192. |
- Vanhoenacker, Didrik, et al.
(författare)
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Morph-specific selection on floral traits in a polymorphic plant
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Evolutionary Biology. - : Wiley. - 1010-061X .- 1420-9101. ; 23:6, s. 1251-1260
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Correlations between phenotypic traits are common in many organisms, but the relative importance of nonadaptive mechanisms and selection for the evolution and maintenance of such correlations are poorly understood. In polymorphic species, morphs may evolve quantitative differences in additional characters as a result of morph-specific selection. The perennial rosette herb Primula farinosa is polymorphic for scape length. The short-scaped morph is less damaged by grazers and seed predators but is more strongly pollen limited than the long-scaped morph. We examined whether morph-specific differences in biotic interactions are associated with differences in selection on two other traits affecting floral display (number of flowers and petal size) and on one trait likely to affect pollination efficiency (corolla tube width) in three P. farinosa populations. Differences in selection between morphs were detected in one population. In this population, selection for more flowers and larger petals was stronger in the short-scaped than in the long-scaped morph, and although there was selection for narrower corolla tubes in the short-scaped morph, no statistically significant selection on corolla tube width could be detected in the long-scaped morph. In the study populations, the short-scaped morph produced more and larger flowers and wider corolla tubes. Current morph-specific selection was thus only partly consistent with trait differences between morphs. The results provide evidence of morph-specific selection on traits associated with floral display and pollination efficiency, respectively.
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| 193. |
- Vanhoenacker, Didrik, et al.
(författare)
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Non-linear relationship between intensity of plant-animal interactions and selection strength
- 2013
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 16:2, s. 198-205
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The shape of the relationship between intensity of biotic interactions and strength of selection is important for spatial variation in selection, but is little explored. We quantified interactions and selection in 69 populations of the short-lived herb Primula farinosa. As predicted because of saturation and depletion effects, the strength of selection on a discrete and on a continuously varying floral display trait were in several cases significantly non-linearly related to the mean intensity of mutualistic and antagonistic interactions. Strength of selection was strongest at low levels of fruit initiation and at high intensities of seed predation. Seed predation varied more among populations than did fruit initiation and could explain a larger proportion of the among-population variation in strength of selection. Our results support the contention that interaction intensity affects selection strength, and suggests that for mutualistic and antagonistic interactions that can be saturated or depleted, this relationship is sometimes non-linear.
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| 194. |
- Vanhoenacker, Didrik, 1971-
(författare)
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Selection on floral traits in Primula farinosa
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Flowers and inflorescences have evolved in relation to animals for at least 100 million years. Plants attract pollinators with large, conspicuous, bright-coloured or scented flowers. These display attributes, however, also attract herbivores. Optimal conspicuousness may therefore represent a trade-off between attractiveness to pollinators and vulnerability to herbivores. In a heterogenic landscape, the abundances of pollinators and herbivores vary, and this variation should cause the local net selection on floral traits to vary as well. This thesis investigates how pollinators and herbivores select for floral traits, how this selection is linked to interaction intensities, and what factors determine spatial variation in interaction intensity. I have studied the small perennial herb, Primula farinosa, and its interactions with pollinators, a seed predator moth, and grazers. The plant varies in several floral traits; most notably it displays a polymorphism in scape length. Results showed that pollinators selected for long scape, while the seed predator and grazers selected against long scape. Local net selection on scape length depended on interaction intensities of all three interactions. Scape morph also affected selection on number and size of flowers. We hypothesised that intensity of seed predation should depend on local population history of the specialised moth. However, the results from a 5-year survey suggests that patches were recolonized every year, and that the most important patch choice criteria were plant characteristics, such as mean inflorescence size and scape morph frequency. Within a geographic selection mosaic, local hot spots of plant evolution may not be random patches, but patches chosen by the agent of selection based on plant trait values. This thesis shows how spatial population ecology and herbivore dispersal behaviour are linked to mosaic interactions and trait evolution.
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| 195. |
- Vanhoenacker, Didrik, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Spatial variability in seed predation in Primula farinosa: local population legacy vs. patch selection
- 2009
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 160:1, s. 77-86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spatio-temporal variation in seed predation may strongly influence both plant population dynamics and selection on plant traits. The intensity of seed predation may depend on a number of factors, but the relative importance of previous predator abundance (“local legacy”), spatial distribution of the host plant, environmental factors and plant characteristics has been explored in few species. We monitored seed predation in the perennial herb Primula farinosa, which is dimorphic for scape length, during 5 consecutive years, in a 10-km × 4-km area comprising 79 P. farinosa populations. A transplant experiment showed that the seed predator, the oligophagous tortricid moth Falseuncaria ruficiliana, was not dispersal limited at the spatial scale corresponding to typical distances between P. farinosa populations. Correlations between population characteristics and incidence and intensity of seed predation varied among years. The incidence of the seed predator was positively correlated with host population size and mean number of flowers, while intensity of seed predation in occupied patches was positively related to the frequency of the long-scaped morph in 2 years and negatively related to host population size in 1 year. In both scape morphs, predation tended to increase with increasing frequency of the long morph. There was no evidence of a local legacy; incidence and intensity of seed predation were not related to the abundance of the seed predator in the population in the previous year. Taken together, the results indicate that among-population variation in seed predation intensity is determined largely by patch selection and that the seed predator’s preference for tall and many-flowered inflorescences may not only affect selection on plant traits within host plant populations, but also the overall intensity of seed predation.
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| 196. |
- Villellas, Jesus, et al.
(författare)
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Phenotypic plasticity masks range-wide genetic differentiation for vegetative but not reproductive traits in a short-lived plant
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 24:11, s. 2378-2393
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity jointly shape intraspecific trait variation, but their roles differ among traits. In short-lived plants, reproductive traits may be more genetically determined due to their impact on fitness, whereas vegetative traits may show higher plasticity to buffer short-term perturbations. Combining a multi-treatment greenhouse experiment with observational field data throughout the range of a widespread short-lived herb, Plantago lanceolata, we (1) disentangled genetic and plastic responses of functional traits to a set of environmental drivers and (2) assessed how genetic differentiation and plasticity shape observational trait–environment relationships. Reproductive traits showed distinct genetic differentiation that largely determined observational patterns, but only when correcting traits for differences in biomass. Vegetative traits showed higher plasticity and opposite genetic and plastic responses, masking the genetic component underlying field-observed trait variation. Our study suggests that genetic differentiation may be inferred from observational data only for the traits most closely related to fitness.
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| 197. |
- Villellas, Jesus, et al.
(författare)
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Plant performance in central and northern peripheral populations of the widespread Plantago coronopus
- 2013
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Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 0906-7590 .- 1600-0587. ; 36:2, s. 136-145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Peripheral populations have long been predicted to show lower vital rates, higher demographic fluctuations, and lower densities than central populations. However, recent research has questioned the existence of clear patterns across species' ranges. To test these hypotheses, we monitored five central and six northern peripheral populations of the widespread herb Plantago coronopus along the European Atlantic coast during 5 yr. We estimated population density, and calculated mean values and temporal variability of four vital rates (survival, individual growth, fecundity and recruitment) in hundreds of plants in permanent plots. Central populations showed higher fecundity, whereas peripheral populations had higher recruitment per reproductive plant, indicating a higher overall reproductive success in the periphery. Central populations showed a marginally significant tendency for higher growth, and there were no differences between range positions in survival. Fecundity and growth were affected by intraspecific competition, and recruitment was affected by precipitation, highlighting the importance of local environmental conditions for population performance. Central and peripheral populations showed no significant differences in temporal variability of vital rates. Finally, density was significantly higher in peripheral than in central populations, in discrepancy with the abundant-centre model. Density was correlated to seedling recruitment, which would counterbalance in peripheral populations the lower fecundity and the tendency for lower growth of established plants. Such compensations among vital rates might be particularly common in widespread plants, and advise against simplistic assumptions of population performance across ranges. The whole species' life cycle should be considered, since different arrangements of vital rates are expected to maximize fitness in local environments. Our results show also the importance of discerning between geographical periphery and ecological marginality. In a context of climate-induced range shifts, these considerations are crucial for the reliability of niche-models and the management of plant peripheral populations.
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| 198. |
- von Euler, Tove, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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A demographic assessment of local adaptation in a grassland perennial herb
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The importance of local adaptation to the distribution and performance of plants is well recognized. Several studies have documented local adaptation among populations of perennial plant species based on assessments of one or a few fitness components. However, natural selection does not act on fitness components but on life-time fitness. Assessments of local adaptation should therefore ideally be based on integrated measures of the performance during the entire life cycle. We transplanted seedlings and adult plants reciprocally among four populations of the perennial herb Primula farinosa separated by up to 6.2 km in alvar grasslands in SE Sweden, and recorded survival, growth, flowering and fruit production during two-three consecutive years (2009-2011). We used integral projection models to quantify variation in total fitness, estimated as population growth rate. Transplant site had large effects on most aspects of plant performance, and there were also significant effects of population of origin on survival, growth, flowering propensity and fruit production. However, no evidence of local adaptation expressed through single fitness components or total fitness was detected. The results suggest that at the spatial scale examined genetic differentiation among alvar populations of P. farinosa is not related to current selection regimes. Furthermore, this study illustrates how total fitness can be estimated to assess local adaptation in long-lived species.
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| 199. |
- von Euler, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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A demographic assessment of local adaptation in a grassland perennial herb
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Habitat heterogeneity in abiotic and biotic factors drives the evolution of adaptive population differentiation. Assessments of local adaptation among populations of perennial plants are commonly based on estimates of one or a few fitness components in reciprocal transplant experiments. However, natural selection does not act on fitness components but on life-time fitness, and local adaptation should therefore ideally be assessed based on integrated measures of the performance during the entire life cycle. We transplanted seedlings and adult plants reciprocally among four populations of the perennial herb Primula farinosa differing in abiotic and biotic conditions on the island of Öland, SE Sweden. We recorded survival, growth, flowering and fruit production during three consecutive years (2010-2012) and used integral projection models to quantify variation in total fitness, estimated as population growth rate. Transplant site had large effects on most aspects of plant performance, and the effects of population of origin on survival, growth, flowering propensity and fruit production varied among sites for several year × cohort combinations. However, no evidence of local adaptation, expressed through single fitness components or total fitness, was found. The results suggest that populations of P. farinosa differ genetically in traits influencing fitness, but these differences do not match current selection regimes. This study provides a template for how reciprocal transplant experiments can be combined with long-term demographic studies and population models to assess local adaptation in long-lived species based on estimates of total fitness.
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| 200. |
- von Euler, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental context influences both the intensity of seed predation and plant demographic sensitivity to attack
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 95:2, s. 495-504
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Variation in mutualistic and antagonistic interactions are important sources of variation in population dynamics and natural selection. Environmental heterogeneity can influence the outcome of interactions by affecting the intensity of interactions, but also by affecting the demography of the populations involved. However, little is known about the relative importance of environmental effects on interaction intensities and demographic sensitivity for variation in population growth rates. We investigated how soil depth, soil moisture, soil nutrient composition, and vegetation height influenced the intensity of seed predation as well as host plant demography and sensitivity to seed predation in the perennial herb Primula farinosa. Intensity of seed predation ranged from 0% to 80% of seeds damaged among the 24 study populations and was related to soil moisture in two of four years. The effect of seed predation on plant population growth rate () ranged from negligible to a reduction in by 0.70. Sensitivity of population growth rate to predation explained as much of the variation in the reductions in population growth rate due to seed predation as did predation intensity. Plant population growth rate in the absence of seed predation and sensitivity to predation were negatively related to soil depth and soil moisture. Both intensity of predation and sensitivity to predation were positively correlated with potential population growth rate and, as a result, there was no significant relationship between predation intensity and realized population growth rate. We conclude that in our study system environmental context influences the effects of seed predation on plant fitness and population dynamics in two important ways: through variation in interaction intensity and through sensitivity to the effects of this interaction. Moreover, our results show that a given abiotic factor can influence population growth rate in different directions through effects on potential growth rate, intensity of biotic interactions, and the sensitivity of population growth rate to interactions.
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