Testing specialization hypothesis on a stress gradient

Fazlioglu, Fatih; Wan, Justin S. H.; Bonser, Stephen P.

doi:10.1111/aec.12399

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Therefore, specialization of ecotypes to either favorable or unfavorable habitats may not alter phenotypic plasticity expression (Table 1 and Figure 1). This result did not support the specialization hypothesis (Lortie and Aarssen, 1996) which was in agreement with previous studies (Fazlioglu and Bonser 2016;Fazlioglu et al, 2017). However, in this study, only the magnitude of plasticity was tested but not the direction of plasticity (i.e., increase or decrease in trait values) that can reveal whether it is adaptive or maladaptive.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes across habitats

FAZLIOĞLU¹

2018

Akademik Ziraat Dergisi

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Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a genotype to produce multiple phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions and it can allow persistence of populations in heterogeneous habitats or under climate change. Therefore, phenotypic plasticity can play a major role in the divergence of populations across habitats. Trade-offs in plant performance in various habitats can give rise to the evolution of specialized ecotypes which are locally adapted (specialized) populations of the same species in distinct environments. According to the specialization hypothesis, specialization of ecotypes to either relatively favorable or unfavorable habitats results in increased or decreased phenotypic plasticity, respectively. The presence of phenotypic plasticity differences among ecotypes can be easily detected by examining their performances at home (native) versus foreign (alien) environments in reciprocal field experiments. In this meta-analysis, I compared phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes specialized in favorable and unfavorable habitats to test the specialization hypothesis by extracting data from 47 empirical studies. Log response ratio (LRR) and plasticity index (PIv) were used as effect sizes to detect and quantify significant differences in phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes across habitats. The overall result indicated that it was failed to find an effect of habitat origin on phenotypic plasticity expression of ecotypes. Specialization to either favorable or unfavorable habitats may not alter phenotypic plasticity expression in ecotypes. The interplay between phenotypic plasticity and specialization is quite complex and results of this study may shed light into these two important evolutionary mechanisms in plant ecology which have implications for biodiversity conservation, environmental management, agricultural industry, and ecosystem services.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes across habitats

FAZLIOĞLU¹

2018

Akademik Ziraat Dergisi

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“…Although substantial support exists for ecotypic differentiation and species‐level endemism among flowering plants on unusual soils (O’Dell & Rajakaruna, 2011), such patterns are much less documented for ferns, gymnosperms, mycorrhizal fungi, lichens or bryophytes (Rajakaruna, Boyd, & Harris, 2014). It is important to note that the role of phenotypic plasticity in the evolution of new species is still debated (Fazlioglu, Wan, & Bonser, 2017; Ghalambor, McKay, Carroll, & Reznick, 2007), and it is unclear how phenotypic plasticity on unusual soils or in edaphically diverse areas might contribute to speciation (De Jong, 2005).…”

Section: Key Processes By Which Edaphic Variation Drives Plant Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The edaphic control of plant diversity

Hulshof

Spasojevic

2020

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

103

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Background The central thesis of plant ecology is that climate determines the global distribution of vegetation. Within a vegetation type, however, finer‐scale environmental features, such as the physical and chemical properties of soil (edaphic variation), control patterns of plant diversity and distributions. Aims Here, we review the literature to provide a mechanistic framework for the edaphic control of plant diversity. First, we review three examples where soils have known, prevalent effects on plant diversity: during soil formation, on unusual soils and in regions with high edaphic heterogeneity. Second, we synthesize how edaphic factors mediate the relative importance of the four key processes of community assembly (speciation, ecological drift, dispersal and niche selection). Third, we review the potential effects of climate change in edaphically heterogeneous regions. Finally, we outline key knowledge gaps for understanding the edaphic control of plant diversity. In our review, we emphasize floras of unusual edaphic areas (i.e., serpentine, limestone, granite), because these areas contribute disproportionately to the biodiversity hotspots of the world. Taxa Terrestrial plants. Location Global. Conclusion Edaphic variation is a key driver of biodiversity patterns and influences the relative importance of speciation, dispersal, ecological drift, niche selection and interactions among these processes. Research is still needed to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which edaphic variation influences these community assembly processes, and unusual soils provide excellent natural systems for such tests. Furthermore, the incorporation of edaphic variation into climate change research will help to increase the predictive power of species distribution models, identify potential climate refugia and identify species with adaptations that buffer them from climate change.

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“…Metal tolerance mutations may also be associated with specialization (Agra et al, 2010). However, evidence of specialization may not always be detected (Dyer et al, 1993;Marambe and Amarasinghe, 2002;Dechamps et al, 2008;Fazlioglu et al, 2017;Wan et al, 2017). Genotypes inhabiting stressful areas can express equal performances to those of adjacent genotypes, regardless of the presence of stress (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitiveness of generalist plant populations at a mine site

Wan¹,

Fazlioglu²,

Bonser³

2019

Turk J Bot

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Plants inhabiting extremely stressful mine site environments tend to be specialized and localized, where they express lower performance than nonmine site plants from adjacent areas. However, such a cost may be concealed. In a previous study at a mine site, we found mine and adjacent nonmine plants of multiple species expressed similar performances in the absence of competition. However, a lower competitive ability may be a concealed driver. We aim to test whether costs under competition could explain specialization. In a glasshouse experiment, we measured the performance (i.e. vegetative and reproductive growth) of mine and nonmine potted plants under competition. The 6 herbaceous species tested were Anagallis arvensis L., Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Conyza sumatrensis Retz., Echium vulgare L., Oxalis chnoodes Lourteig, and Senecio diaschides D.G.Drury. We exposed individuals to interspecific competition using a local grass (Polypogon monspeliensis), as well as to intraspecific competition. Plants were grown alone for the control group. For all treatments, the mine plants expressed similar performances to the nonmine plants, except for mine site O. chnoodes, which had lower performance under intraspecific competition. Mine plants of A. arvensis and C. sumatrensis had higher performance than nonmine plants. Overall, there was no evidence of specialization in the mine site plants. These results indicate that, under some circumstances, inhabiting a stressful metal habitat does not promote specialization in multiple species. Future research may focus on assessing the environmental conditions and population genetics that promote the evolution of generalists that inhabit extremely stressful environments.

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Testing specialization hypothesis on a stress gradient

Cited by 10 publications

References 63 publications

Phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes across habitats

Phenotypic plasticity of ecotypes across habitats

The edaphic control of plant diversity

Competitiveness of generalist plant populations at a mine site

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