Living on the edge: Fig tree phenology at the northern range limit of monoecious Ficus in China

Zhang, Lushui; Compton, Stephen G.; Hui, Xin; Lu, Qian Yue; Chen, Yan

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2013.09.002

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Phenological events regulate the ability to capture resources and define the extent of growth and reproduction, thus playing a crucial role in reproductive success and survival of the individuals (Chuine 2010). There is evidence that phenology is a significant determinant of fitness and a key adaptive trait in shaping species abundance and distributional ranges (e.g., Vitasse et al 2014, Zhang et al 2014. Importantly, phenology is largely affected by environmental fluctuations and several studies have reported recent climate-induced phenological shifts (Menzel et al 2006).…”

Section: Demographic Life-history and Morphological Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closer to the rear edge: ecology and genetic diversity down the core‐edge gradient of a marine macroalga

Zardi

Nicastro²,

Serrão³

et al. 2015

Ecosphere

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Abstract. A fundamental goal in ecology is to understand distribution and abundance of species.Peripheral populations inhabiting the trailing-edge of a species' distribution may carry considerable ecological and evolutionary value yet being most threatened under predicted climate change scenarios. However, the nature of species distributional limits and the ecological and genetic implications of living at low latitude rear edges remain unclear. The assumption that population abundance declines towards range edges, where environmental selective pressure increases, is the basis of a wide range of ecological and evolutionary predictions. Empirical data have provided contrasting evidence about the consequences of living at low latitude distributional limits, raising concerns regarding their generality and highlighting the need for combined multidisciplinary tests. Here, we provide a long-term, comprehensive evaluation of latitudinal patterns in genetic diversity, demographic, morphological and life history traits in the marine macroalga Fucus guiryi.The center to edge transition was mirrored by increasing water and air temperature gradients, with sea surface temperature of coldest months being the most relevant influence on F. guiryi traits. Overall, we identified a strong correlation between ecological data, collected over one year at bimonthly intervals, and distance to the range center. We found decreasing population and individual size towards distributional margins. Similarly, reproductive capacity, threshold size for reproduction, density of reproductive population and recruitment rates showed a core to edge reduction. Temporal variability of individual reproductive effort and recruitment rates did not conform to the general pattern. In contrast, population genetic data did not show a core-edge gradient, as gene diversity and allelic richness were not significantly lower at edge populations, contradicting predictions of higher drift and bottlenecks for smaller edge populations.The contrasting support provided by genetic and ecological data highlights the need to combine multiple and cross-disciplinary evidence for a comprehensive understanding of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms linked to species ranges.

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Section: Demographic Life-history and Morphological Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closer to the rear edge: ecology and genetic diversity down the core‐edge gradient of a marine macroalga

Zardi

Nicastro²,

Serrão³

et al. 2015

Ecosphere

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“…The monoecious fig tree with a natural distribution that extends furthest north in China, F. virens, also struggles to support populations of its pollinator fig wasp through the winter at its northern range limit, but seed production is supported by the seasonal migration of pollinators from further south (Zhang et al. ). F. virens is pollinated by a species of Platyscapa , a genus where long‐distance pollinator dispersal may be the norm (Burnham and Overton ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Which stages of the insects' life cycles are particularly climate sensitive are unclear, but low temperatures will influence larval development times, the ability of the adult offspring wasps to emerge from the figs, and their ability to migrate between trees to look for oviposition sites (Yang et al 2013). Between-species variation in flexibility of development rates may be critical, because low winter temperatures at the more northern ( (Peng et al 2010;Yang et al 2013;Liu et al 2014;Zhang et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insect responses to host plant provision beyond natural boundaries: latitudinal and altitudinal variation in a Chinese fig wasp community

Wang

Compton

Quinnell

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Many plants are grown outside their natural ranges. Plantings adjacent to native ranges provide an opportunity to monitor community assembly among associated insects and their parasitoids in novel environments, to determine whether gradients in species richness emerge and to examine their consequences for host plant reproductive success. We recorded the fig wasps (Chalcidoidea) associated with a single plant resource (ovules of Ficus microcarpa) along a 1200 km transect in southwest China that extended for 1000 km beyond the tree's natural northern range margin. The fig wasps included the tree's agaonid pollinator and other species that feed on the ovules or are their parasitoids. Phytophagous fig wasps (12 species) were more numerous than parasitoids (nine species). The proportion of figs occupied by fig wasps declined with increasing latitude, as did the proportion of utilized ovules in occupied figs. Species richness, diversity, and abundance of fig wasps also significantly changed along both latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. Parasitoids declined more steeply with latitude than phytophages. Seed production declined beyond the natural northern range margin, and at high elevation, because pollinator fig wasps became rare or absent. This suggests that pollinator climatic tolerances helped limit the tree's natural distribution, although competition with another species may have excluded pollinators at the highest altitude site. Isolation by distance may prevent colonization of northern sites by some fig wasps and act in combination with direct and host-mediated climatic effects to generate gradients in community composition, with parasitoids inherently more sensitive because of declines in the abundance of potential hosts.

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“…Its natural distribution is in South and Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and northern Australia (McPherson, 2005). It is also planted widely in southwestern China outside its original distribution regions, extending to the most northern regions for Ficus species in China (Zhang et al, 2014). Therefore, the fine-scale population genetic structure and gene flow among the northern populations of F. virens can offer valuable information for interpreting the mechanism of range limits of Ficus species.…”

Section: Applications In Plant Sciencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Ficus virens (Moraceae)

Liu

et al. 2017

Appl Plant Sci

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Premise of the study:Ficus virens (Moraceae) is distributed widely in South and Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and northern Australia, and it is also cultivated outside its original northern range limit in southwestern China. Therefore, the species is well suited to explore the mechanism of range limits of Ficus species. However, little is known about its genetic background.Methods and Results:Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed using the biotin-streptavidin capture method. Polymorphism was tested in 85 F. virens individuals sampled from three populations. The number of alleles ranged from three to 17. The observed and expected heterozygosity of each population varied from 0.0667 to 0.9286 and 0.0650 to 0.8890, respectively. Cross-species amplification was also carried out in eight other Ficus species.Conclusions:These 15 markers will be valuable for studying the genetic variation and population structure of F. virens and related Ficus species.

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Living on the edge: Fig tree phenology at the northern range limit of monoecious Ficus in China

Cited by 13 publications

References 43 publications

Closer to the rear edge: ecology and genetic diversity down the core‐edge gradient of a marine macroalga

Closer to the rear edge: ecology and genetic diversity down the core‐edge gradient of a marine macroalga

Insect responses to host plant provision beyond natural boundaries: latitudinal and altitudinal variation in a Chinese fig wasp community

Development of 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Ficus virens (Moraceae)

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