Dataset Information

Trait divergence, not plasticity, determines the success of a newly invasive plant.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation both play important roles in the establishment and spread of species after extra-range dispersal; however, the adaptive potential of plasticity and genetic divergence in successful invasions remains unclear. METHODS:We measured six anatomical traits associated with drought tolerance in contrasting water environments for individuals from the invasive and native range of the bunchgrass Brachypodium sylvaticum. To represent sources contributing to admixed genotypes in the invasive range accurately, we used unique alleles to determine probabilities of genetic contribution, and utilized these as weights in our analyses. The adaptive values of plasticity and genetic differentiation were assessed using regression. KEY RESULTS:No plasticity was found in response to water availability for any of the measured traits. Bulliform cell area and three traits related to xylem morphology displayed genetic differentiation between invasive and native ranges, indicating a shift in the invasive range towards drought-tolerant phenotypes. Genetic divergence was not consistently in the direction indicated by selection, suggesting that responses are limited by trade-offs with other traits or physical constraints. CONCLUSIONS:Our results indicate that invasive adaptation is the consequence of post-introduction selection leading to genetic differentiation. Selection, rather than plasticity, is driving B. sylvaticum success in its invaded range.

SUBMITTER: Marchini GL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6417477 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Trait divergence, not plasticity, determines the success of a newly invasive plant.

Marchini Gina L GL Maraist Caitlin A CA Cruzan Mitchell B MB

Annals of botany 20190301 4

<h4>Background and aims</h4>Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation both play important roles in the establishment and spread of species after extra-range dispersal; however, the adaptive potential of plasticity and genetic divergence in successful invasions remains unclear.<h4>Methods</h4>We measured six anatomical traits associated with drought tolerance in contrasting water environments for individuals from the invasive and native range of the bunchgrass Brachypodium sylvaticum. To ...[more]

PMID: 30561506

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background and aimsAlthough it is well known that fire acts as a selective pressure shaping plant phenotypes, there are no quantitative estimates of the heritability of any trait related to plant persistence under recurrent fires, such as serotiny. In this study, the heritability of serotiny in Pinus halepensis is calculated, and an evaluation is made as to whether fire has left a selection signature on the level of serotiny among populations by comparing the genetic divergence of serotiny with the expected divergence of neutral molecular markers (QST-FST comparison).MethodsA common garden of P. halepensis was used, located in inland Spain and composed of 145 open-pollinated families from 29 provenances covering the entire natural range of P. halepensis in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. Narrow-sense heritability (h(2)) and quantitative genetic differentiation among populations for serotiny (QST) were estimated by means of an 'animal model' fitted by Bayesian inference. In order to determine whether genetic differentiation for serotiny is the result of differential natural selection, QST estimates for serotiny were compared with FST estimates obtained from allozyme data. Finally, a test was made of whether levels of serotiny in the different provenances were related to different fire regimes, using summer rainfall as a proxy for fire regime in each provenance.Key resultsSerotiny showed a significant narrow-sense heritability (h(2)) of 0·20 (credible interval 0·09-0·40). Quantitative genetic differentiation among provenances for serotiny (QST = 0·44) was significantly higher than expected under a neutral process (FST = 0·12), suggesting adaptive differentiation. A significant negative relationship was found between the serotiny level of trees in the common garden and summer rainfall of their provenance sites.ConclusionsSerotiny is a heritable trait in P. halepensis, and selection acts on it, giving rise to contrasting serotiny levels among populations depending on the fire regime, and supporting the role of fire in generating genetic divergence for adaptive traits.

Dataset Information

Trait divergence, not plasticity, determines the success of a newly invasive plant.

Publications

Trait divergence, not plasticity, determines the success of a newly invasive plant.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets