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Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology.

ABSTRACT: Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing an excellent system to investigate the combined influences of evolutionary heritage and selection in determining trait variation. We used trait data related to the major axes of life-history variation among tropical trees (e.g. growth and mortality rates) from 577 inventory plots in closed-canopy forest, mapped onto a phylogenetic hypothesis spanning more than 300 genera including all major angiosperm clades to test for evolutionary constraints on traits. We found significant phylogenetic signal (PS) for all traits, consistent with evolutionarily related genera having more similar characteristics than expected by chance. Although there is also evidence for repeated evolution of pioneer and shade tolerant life-history strategies within independent lineages, the existence of significant PS allows clearer predictions of the links between evolutionary diversity, ecosystem function and the response of tropical forests to global change.

SUBMITTER: Coelho de Souza F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5204144 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology.

Coelho de Souza Fernanda F Dexter Kyle G KG Phillips Oliver L OL Brienen Roel J W RJ Chave Jerome J Galbraith David R DR Lopez Gonzalez Gabriela G Monteagudo Mendoza Abel A Pennington R Toby RT Poorter Lourens L Alexiades Miguel M Álvarez-Dávila Esteban E Andrade Ana A Aragão Luis E O C LE Araujo-Murakami Alejandro A Arets Eric J M M EJ Aymard C Gerardo A GA Baraloto Christopher C Barroso Jorcely G JG Bonal Damien D Boot Rene G A RG Camargo José L C JL Comiskey James A JA Valverde Fernando Cornejo FC de Camargo Plínio B PB Di Fiore Anthony A Elias Fernando F Erwin Terry L TL Feldpausch Ted R TR Ferreira Leandro L Fyllas Nikolaos M NM Gloor Emanuel E Herault Bruno B Herrera Rafael R Higuchi Niro N Honorio Coronado Eurídice N EN Killeen Timothy J TJ Laurance William F WF Laurance Susan S Lloyd Jon J Lovejoy Thomas E TE Malhi Yadvinder Y Maracahipes Leandro L Marimon Beatriz S BS Marimon-Junior Ben H BH Mendoza Casimiro C Morandi Paulo P Neill David A DA Vargas Percy Núñez PN Oliveira Edmar A EA Lenza Eddie E Palacios Walter A WA Peñuela-Mora Maria C MC Pipoly John J JJ Pitman Nigel C A NC Prieto Adriana A Quesada Carlos A CA Ramirez-Angulo Hirma H Rudas Agustin A Ruokolainen Kalle K Salomão Rafael P RP Silveira Marcos M Stropp Juliana J Ter Steege Hans H Thomas-Caesar Raquel R van der Hout Peter P van der Heijden Geertje M F GM van der Meer Peter J PJ Vasquez Rodolfo V RV Vieira Simone A SA Vilanova Emilio E Vos Vincent A VA Wang Ophelia O Young Kenneth R KR Zagt Roderick J RJ Baker Timothy R TR

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20161201 1844

Lineages tend to retain ecological characteristics of their ancestors through time. However, for some traits, selection during evolutionary history may have also played a role in determining trait values. To address the relative importance of these processes requires large-scale quantification of traits and evolutionary relationships among species. The Amazonian tree flora comprises a high diversity of angiosperm lineages and species with widely differing life-history characteristics, providing ...[more]

PMID: 27974517

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Project description:BackgroundFloral nectar is an important determinant of plant-pollinator interactions and an integral component of pollination syndromes, suggesting it is under pollinator-mediated selection. However, compared to floral display traits, we know little about the evolutionary ecology of nectar. Combining a literature review with a meta-analysis approach, we summarize the evidence for heritable variation in nectar traits and link this variation to pollinator response and plant fitness. We further review associations between nectar traits and floral signals and discuss them in the context of honest signalling and targets of selection.ScopeAlthough nectar is strongly influenced by environmental factors, heritable variation in nectar production rate has been documented in several populations (mean h2 = 0.31). Almost nothing is known about heritability of other nectar traits, such as sugar and amino acid concentrations. Only a handful of studies have quantified selection on nectar traits, and few find statistically significant selection. Pollinator responses to nectar traits indicate they may drive selection, but studies tying pollinator preferences to plant fitness are lacking. So far, only one study conclusively identified pollinators as selective agents on a nectar trait, and the role of microbes, herbivores, nectar robbers and abiotic factors in nectar evolution is largely hypothetical. Finally, there is a trend for positive correlations among floral cues and nectar traits, indicating honest signalling of rewards.ConclusionsImportant progress can be made by studies that quantify current selection on nectar in natural populations, as well as experimental approaches that identify the target traits and selective agents involved. Signal-reward associations suggest that correlational selection may shape evolution of nectar traits, and studies exploring these more complex forms of natural selection are needed. Many questions about nectar evolution remain unanswered, making this a field ripe for future research.

Project description:Previous work has shown that tree turnover, tree biomass and large liana densities have increased in mature tropical forest plots in the late twentieth century. These results point to a concerted shift in forest ecological processes that may already be having significant impacts on terrestrial carbon stocks, fluxes and biodiversity. However, the findings have proved controversial, partly because a rather limited number of permanent plots have been monitored for rather short periods. The aim of this paper is to characterize regional-scale patterns of 'tree turnover' (the rate with which trees die and recruit into a population) by using improved datasets now available for Amazonia that span the past 25 years. Specifically, we assess whether concerted changes in turnover are occurring, and if so whether they are general throughout the Amazon or restricted to one region or environmental zone. In addition, we ask whether they are driven by changes in recruitment, mortality or both. We find that: (i) trees 10 cm or more in diameter recruit and die twice as fast on the richer soils of southern and western Amazonia than on the poorer soils of eastern and central Amazonia; (ii) turnover rates have increased throughout Amazonia over the past two decades; (iii) mortality and recruitment rates have both increased significantly in every region and environmental zone, with the exception of mortality in eastern Amazonia; (iv) recruitment rates have consistently exceeded mortality rates; (v) absolute increases in recruitment and mortality rates are greatest in western Amazonian sites; and (vi) mortality appears to be lagging recruitment at regional scales. These spatial patterns and temporal trends are not caused by obvious artefacts in the data or the analyses. The trends cannot be directly driven by a mortality driver (such as increased drought or fragmentation-related death) because the biomass in these forests has simultaneously increased. Our findings therefore indicate that long-acting and widespread environmental changes are stimulating the growth and productivity of Amazon forests.

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Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology.

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Evolutionary heritage influences Amazon tree ecology.

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