Microbial mediation of salinity stress response varies by plant genotype and provenance over time

Lumibao, Candice Y.; Martínez, Lorena Torres; Megonigal, J. Patrick; Bael, Sunshine A. Van; Blum, Michael J.

doi:10.1111/mec.16603

“…We characterized trait variation and evolution (Fig. 1, B and C) by applying a resurrection ecology approach ( 14 , 30 – 32 ) in which we “resurrected” genotypes from time-stratified seed banks from four nearby marshes in the Chesapeake Bay (figs. S1 to S3 and table S1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid plant trait evolution can alter coastal wetland resilience to sea level rise

Vahsen

¹

,

Blum

²

,

Megonigal

³

et al. 2023

Science

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Rapid evolution remains a largely unrecognized factor in models that forecast the fate of ecosystems under scenarios of global change. In this work, we quantified the roles of heritable variation in plant traits and of trait evolution in explaining variability in forecasts of the state of coastal wetland ecosystems. A common garden study of genotypes of the dominant sedge Schoenoplectus americanus , “resurrected” from time-stratified seed banks, revealed that heritable variation and evolution explained key ecosystem attributes such as the allocation and distribution of belowground biomass. Incorporating heritable trait variation and evolution into an ecosystem model altered predictions of carbon accumulation and soil surface accretion (a determinant of marsh resilience to sea level rise), demonstrating the importance of accounting for evolutionary processes when forecasting ecosystem dynamics.

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“…The results of this study build on previous work suggesting that evolutionary factors likely play a larger role in shaping plant traits than is currently recognized in studies of ecosystem responses to environmental change, including within wetlands (Blum et al ., 2021; Lumibao et al ., 2022; Mozdzer et al ., 2022; Vahsen et al ., 2023). Long‐standing recognition that coastal marsh plants strongly regulate vital ecosystem processes (Kirwan & Megonigal, 2013) combined with mounting evidence of rapid evolution (Summers et al ., 2018; Blum et al ., 2021; Lumibao et al ., 2022; Mozdzer et al ., 2022; Vahsen et al ., 2023) highlights the potential for coastal marshes to serve as a hallmark system for studying eco‐evolutionary dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results of this study build on previous work suggesting that evolutionary factors likely play a larger role in shaping plant traits than is currently recognized in studies of ecosystem responses to environmental change, including within wetlands (Blum et al ., 2021; Lumibao et al ., 2022; Mozdzer et al ., 2022; Vahsen et al ., 2023). Long‐standing recognition that coastal marsh plants strongly regulate vital ecosystem processes (Kirwan & Megonigal, 2013) combined with mounting evidence of rapid evolution (Summers et al ., 2018; Blum et al ., 2021; Lumibao et al ., 2022; Mozdzer et al ., 2022; Vahsen et al ., 2023) highlights the potential for coastal marshes to serve as a hallmark system for studying eco‐evolutionary dynamics. However, our findings also highlight that traits do not necessarily evolve predictably, with evolution of plasticity being a far more common mechanism of trait change in our study than mean trait evolution, and with complex interactions between global change factors mediating the effect of evolution over space and time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…evolution and sources of heritable variation) can play important roles in regulating trait-mediated ecosystem outcomes of global environmental change. For example, it has been shown that heritable trait variation in coastal marsh plants can influence the accumulation of soil organic matter (Seliskar et al, 2002), soil microbial community composition (Lumibao et al, 2020(Lumibao et al, , 2022, and shoreline erosion (Bernik et al, 2018). Similarly, Avolio et al (2015) showed that genomic dissimilarity of native tallgrass prairie grass populations influence ecosystem resilience to plant invasion, and Schweitzer et al (2008Schweitzer et al ( , 2011 have demonstrated that the influence of genetic variation in Populus trees on soil microbial decomposition can give rise to eco-evolutionary feedbacks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…evolution and sources of heritable variation) can play important roles in regulating trait‐mediated ecosystem outcomes of global environmental change. For example, it has been shown that heritable trait variation in coastal marsh plants can influence the accumulation of soil organic matter (Seliskar et al ., 2002), soil microbial community composition (Lumibao et al ., 2020, 2022), and shoreline erosion (Bernik et al ., 2018). Similarly, Avolio et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complex eco‐evolutionary responses of a foundational coastal marsh plant to global change

Vahsen,

Kleiner,

Kodak

et al. 2023

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Summary Predicting the fate of coastal marshes requires understanding how plants respond to rapid environmental change. Environmental change can elicit shifts in trait variation attributable to phenotypic plasticity and act as selective agents to shift trait means, resulting in rapid evolution. Comparably, less is known about the potential for responses to reflect the evolution of trait plasticity. Here, we assessed the relative magnitude of eco‐evolutionary responses to interacting global change factors using a multifactorial experiment. We exposed replicates of 32 Schoenoplectus americanus genotypes ‘resurrected’ from century‐long, soil‐stored seed banks to ambient or elevated CO2, varying levels of inundation, and the presence of a competing marsh grass, across two sites with different salinities. Comparisons of responses to global change factors among age cohorts and across provenances indicated that plasticity has evolved in five of the seven traits measured. Accounting for evolutionary factors (i.e. evolution and sources of heritable variation) in statistical models explained an additional 9–31% of trait variation. Our findings indicate that evolutionary factors mediate ecological responses to environmental change. The magnitude of evolutionary change in plant traits over the last century suggests that evolution could play a role in pacing future ecosystem response to environmental change.

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The soil microbiome affects patterns of local adaptation in an alpine plant under moisture stress

Brady,

Farrer

2024

American J of Botany

2

0

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PremiseThe soil microbiome plays a role in plant trait expression and fitness, and plants may be locally adapted or maladapted to their soil microbiota. However, few studies of local adaptation in plants have incorporated a microbial treatment separate from manipulations of the abiotic environment, so our understanding of microbes in plant adaptation is limited.MethodsHere we tested microbial effects on local adaptation in four paired populations of an abundant alpine plant from two community types, dry and moist meadow. In a 5‐month greenhouse experiment, we manipulated source population, soil moisture, and soil microbiome and measured plant survival and biomass to assess treatment effects.ResultsDry meadow populations had higher biomass than moist meadow populations at low moisture, demonstrating evidence of local adaptation to soil moisture in the absence of microbes. In the presence of microbes, dry meadow populations had greater survival than moist meadow populations when grown with dry meadow microbes regardless of moisture. Moist meadow populations showed no signs of adaptation or maladaptation.ConclusionsOur research highlights the importance of microbial mutualists in local adaptation, particularly in dry environments with higher abiotic stress. Plant populations from environments with greater abiotic stress exhibit different patterns of adaptation when grown with soil microbes versus without, while plant populations from less abiotically stressful environments do not. Improving our understanding of the role microbes play in plant adaptation will require further studies incorporating microbial manipulations.

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Microbial mediation of salinity stress response varies by plant genotype and provenance over time

Cited by 8 publications

References 94 publications

Rapid plant trait evolution can alter coastal wetland resilience to sea level rise

Rapid plant trait evolution can alter coastal wetland resilience to sea level rise

Complex eco‐evolutionary responses of a foundational coastal marsh plant to global change

The soil microbiome affects patterns of local adaptation in an alpine plant under moisture stress

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