Understanding local plant extinctions before it is too late: bridging evolutionary genomics with global ecology

Expósito-Alonso, Moisés

doi:10.1111/nph.18718

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The UHIE might therefore act as a selective pressure towards pre-adaptation to climate change 53 . It would be interesting to investigate whether so-called warm equatorial range edge plant populations have a larger fitness in urban heat islands as compared with all other populations 54 . Facilitating UHIE adaptation of naturally occurring flora, for instance via increased connectivity between natural urban and rural areas, could therefore have a positive effect not only on UHIE mitigation in cities but potentially also on plant adaptation to climate change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion

Woudstra,

Kraaiveld,

Jorritsma

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) is a globally consistent pressure on species living in cities. Rapid adaptation to the UHIE may be necessary for urban wild flora to persist in cities, but experimental evidence is lacking. Here, we report the first evidence of genetic differentiation in a plant species in response to the UHIE. We collected seeds from common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) individuals along an urban-rural gradient in the city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In common-environment greenhouse experiments, we assessed the effect of elevated temperatures on plant growth and the effect of vernalisation treatments on flowering phenology. We found that urban plants accumulate more biomass at higher temperatures and require shorter vernalisation to induce flowering compared to rural plants. Differentiation was also observed between different intra-urban subhabitats, with park plants displaying a higher vernalisation requirement than street plants. Our results show strong differentiation between urban and rural dandelions in temperature-dependent growth and phenology, consistent with adaptive divergence in response to the UHIE. Rapid adaptation to the UHIE may be a potential explanation for the widespread success of dandelions in urban environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion

Woudstra,

Kraaiveld,

Jorritsma

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Locally adapted populations may harbour genetic variation that could help buffer susceptible ones against the detrimental effects of climate change (Aitken & Whitlock, 2013), which are already wreaking havoc on important species around the world (Hartmann et al, 2022). A deep understanding of local adaptation, the agents that have given rise to it and the genetics that underpin this phenomenon is thus important for our understanding of biodiversity and for species management and conservation in the Anthropocene (Aitken & Whitlock, 2013;Exposito-Alonso, 2023;Wadgymar et al, 2022). The ultimate cause of local adaptation is variation in the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial autocorrelation of the environment influences the patterns and genetics of local adaptation

Booker

2023

Preprint

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Environmental heterogeneity can lead to spatially varying selection, which can, in turn, lead to local adaptation. Long-held views in evolutionary biology predict that environmental heterogeneity that is spatially autocorrelated will lead to stronger local adaptation than if it is not. Here I test this explicitly, combining analysis of a dataset from a large-scale provenance trial conducted on lodgepole pine with simulations modelling local adaptation. I find evidence that environmental heterogeneity that is spatially autocorrelated leads to stronger local adaptation in natural populations. Using simulations, I examine how the genetics of local adaptation are influenced by the spatial pattern of environmental heterogeneity. The simulations confirm that local adaptation increases with the degree of spatial autocorrelation in the selective environment, but also show that highly heterogeneous environments are more likely to exhibit high variation in local adaptation, a result not previously described. Spatial autocorrelation in the environment influences the genetic architecture of local adaptation, with different patterns of allele frequency and effect size arising under different patterns of environmental variation. These differences will likely impact the ability to study the genetic basis of local adaptation. Overall, this work emphasizes the profound importance that the spatial pattern of selection can have on the evolution and how spatial autocorrelation should be considered in ecological and genetic studies of local adaptation.

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“…In outcrossing taxa, genetic diversity is maintained, whereas in predominantly selfing taxa, the fixation of certain alleles can reduce or even halt the response to environmental change; in extreme cases, the loss of genetic diversity can contribute significantly to the extinction of the entire population (e.g. [ 29 , 50 – 52 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population size as a major determinant of mating system and population genetic differentiation in a narrow endemic chasmophyte

et al. 2023

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Background Mating system is one of the major determinants of intra- and interspecific genetic structure, but may vary within and between plant populations. Our study model included all known populations of Moehringia tommasinii (Caryophyllaceae), a narrow endemic plant inhabiting rock crevices in the northwestern Adriatic, and some populations of co-occurring and widespread M. muscosa, an ecologically divergent relative with an overlapping flowering period. We performed reciprocal crosses within and between taxa and used molecular markers to assess the extent of gene flow within and between populations and taxa. Using coefficient of inbreeding, population size, seed weight, pollen-to-ovule ratio, and flower display size, we also looked for evidence of a selfing syndrome. Results A surprisingly high variation in mating systems was observed among populations of M. tommasinii. These populations exhibited genetic structuring, with their size positively correlated with both seed weight and pollen production. Although a selfing syndrome could not be confirmed as the majority of selfing resulted from allogamous treatments, the occurrence of selfing was notable. In the presence of M. muscosa, at a site where both species coexist closely, a distinct pattern of fruit production was observed in M. tommasinii following various pollination treatments. Molecular and morphometric data provided evidence of hybridization followed by local extinction at this site. Conclusions Population size proved to be the most important factor affecting the mating system in genetically structured populations of M. tommasinii. Lighter seeds and lower pollen production observed in populations with pronounced selfing do not provide enough evidence for the selfing syndrome. Detected gene flow between M. tommasinii and the sympatric M. muscosa suggested weak reproductive barriers between the taxa, which could pose a conservation problems for the former species. Hybridization leading to local extinction may also resulted in floral polymorphism and disruption of mating patterns of M. tommasinii.

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Understanding local plant extinctions before it is too late: bridging evolutionary genomics with global ecology

Cited by 15 publications

References 45 publications

Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion

Some like it hot: adaptation to the urban heat island in common dandelion

Spatial autocorrelation of the environment influences the patterns and genetics of local adaptation

Population size as a major determinant of mating system and population genetic differentiation in a narrow endemic chasmophyte

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