Biotic and abiotic drivers of intraspecific trait variation within plant populations of three herbaceous plant species along a latitudinal gradient

BMC Ecology

Research Article

Kenny Helsen¹  Bente J. Graae¹  Kamal P. Acharya¹  Jan Plue²  Sara A. O. Cousins²  Martin Hermy³  Guillaume Decocq⁴  Jonathan Lenoir⁴  Kris Verheyen⁵  Pieter De Frenne⁶  Jörg Brunet⁷  Isgard H. Lemke⁸  Annette Kolb⁸ 

[1] Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, 7034, Trondheim, Norway;Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden;Division Forest, Nature and Landscape Research, Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001, Heverlee, Belgium;Edysan (FRE 3498 CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 rue des Louvels, 80037, Amiens Cedex, France;Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium;Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium;Department of Plant Production, Ghent University, Proefhoevestraat 22, 9090, Melle, Belgium;Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden;Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology, FB 02, University of Bremen, Leobener Strasse 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany;

关键词: Anemone nemorosa;    Between-individual ITV;    Herbaceous plant species;    Impatiens glandulifera;    Individual variation hypothesis;    Intraspecific trait variation;    Latitudinal gradient;    Milium effusum;    Niche packing;    Phenotypic plasticity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12898-017-0151-y

 received in 2017-06-13, accepted in 2017-12-06,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe importance of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is increasingly acknowledged among plant ecologists. However, our understanding of what drives ITV between individual plants (ITVBI) at the population level is still limited. Contrasting theoretical hypotheses state that ITVBI can be either suppressed (stress-reduced plasticity hypothesis) or enhanced (stress-induced variability hypothesis) under high abiotic stress. Similarly, other hypotheses predict either suppressed (niche packing hypothesis) or enhanced ITVBI (individual variation hypothesis) under high niche packing in species rich communities. In this study we assess the relative effects of both abiotic and biotic niche effects on ITVBI of four functional traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, plant height and seed mass), for three herbaceous plant species across a 2300 km long gradient in Europe. The study species were the slow colonizing Anemone nemorosa, a species with intermediate colonization rates, Milium effusum, and the fast colonizing, non-native Impatiens glandulifera.ResultsClimatic stress consistently increased ITVBI across species and traits. Soil nutrient stress, on the other hand, reduced ITVBI for A. nemorosa and I. glandulifera, but had a reversed effect for M. effusum. We furthermore observed a reversed effect of high niche packing on ITVBI for the fast colonizing non-native I. glandulifera (increased ITVBI), as compared to the slow colonizing native A. nemorosa and M. effusum (reduced ITVBI). Additionally, ITVBI in the fast colonizing species tended to be highest for the vegetative traits plant height and leaf area, but lowest for the measured generative trait seed mass.ConclusionsThis study shows that stress can both reduce and increase ITVBI, seemingly supporting both the stress-reduced plasticity and stress-induced variability hypotheses. Similarly, niche packing effects on ITVBI supported both the niche packing hypothesis and the individual variation hypothesis. These results clearly illustrates the importance of simultaneously evaluating both abiotic and biotic factors on ITVBI. This study adds to the growing realization that within-population trait variation should not be ignored and can provide valuable ecological insights.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2017

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