Figure 3 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Content may be subject to copyright.
(A-I) Elevational variation in Bellidiastrum michelii traits fitted by Generalised Additive Models (GAMs). All traits are standardised (mean = 0 and standard deviation = 1); the grey band represents a 95% confidence interval for the mean shape of the effect (smoother). P -p-value of model significance test at 0.05 significance level; ns, non significant models. Summary of the GAMs are presented in Table 3. Full-size DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11286/fig-3
Source publication
Plant species that inhabit large elevation gradients in mountain regions are exposed to different environmental conditions. These different conditions may influence plant morphology via plastic responses and/or via genetic adaptation to the local environment. In this study, morphological variation was examined for Bellidiastrum michelii Cass. (Aste...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... GAMs of the relationships between plant traits and elevation revealed that 9 of the 12 studied traits changed significantly with elevation (Table 3). Plant size decreased considerably with increasing elevation. The plant height, plant mass and total leaf mass decreased by 69%, 64% and 66%, respectively (Figs. 3A-3C), across the 1,155 m elevation gradient. Hereafter, the percentage changes in trait values will refer to the 1,155 m elevation gradient, unless stated otherwise. Flower head mass and total flower mass showed slightly hump-shaped patterns (Figs. 3D and 3E). Initially, from 920 m a.s.l. to 1,225 m a.s.l., the flower head mass increased ...
Context 2
... The plant height, plant mass and total leaf mass decreased by 69%, 64% and 66%, respectively (Figs. 3A-3C), across the 1,155 m elevation gradient. Hereafter, the percentage changes in trait values will refer to the 1,155 m elevation gradient, unless stated otherwise. Flower head mass and total flower mass showed slightly hump-shaped patterns (Figs. 3D and 3E). Initially, from 920 m a.s.l. to 1,225 m a.s.l., the flower head mass increased by 3%, and then from 1,225 m a.s.l. to 2,075 m a.s.l, decreased by 22%. The total flower mass initially increased by 0.5% from 920 m a.s.l. to 1,040 m a.s.l., and then decreased by 23% from 1,040 m a.s.l. to 2,075 m a.s.l. However, it is important to note ...
Context 3
... to 2,075 m a.s.l. However, it is important to note that these initial slight increases in flower head mass and total flower mass at low elevations may not be statistically significant. This is because the 95% confidence intervals for the fitted model lines were wider than the observed hump-shaped patterns in the fitted lines at low elevations (Figs. 3D and 3E). Meanwhile, the individual flower mass decreased by 20% (Fig. 3F) and the flower head diameter decreased by 25% (Fig. 3G) from the lowest to highest elevation. The number of flowers in the flower head, both ligulate and tubular, showed no elevational tendency. These traits were very variable at all sites across the elevational species ...
Context 4
... slight increases in flower head mass and total flower mass at low elevations may not be statistically significant. This is because the 95% confidence intervals for the fitted model lines were wider than the observed hump-shaped patterns in the fitted lines at low elevations (Figs. 3D and 3E). Meanwhile, the individual flower mass decreased by 20% (Fig. 3F) and the flower head diameter decreased by 25% (Fig. 3G) from the lowest to highest elevation. The number of flowers in the flower head, both ligulate and tubular, showed no elevational tendency. These traits were very variable at all sites across the elevational species range and did not exhibit any elevational trend (Figs. 3H and ...
Context 5
... at low elevations may not be statistically significant. This is because the 95% confidence intervals for the fitted model lines were wider than the observed hump-shaped patterns in the fitted lines at low elevations (Figs. 3D and 3E). Meanwhile, the individual flower mass decreased by 20% (Fig. 3F) and the flower head diameter decreased by 25% (Fig. 3G) from the lowest to highest elevation. The number of flowers in the flower head, both ligulate and tubular, showed no elevational tendency. These traits were very variable at all sites across the elevational species range and did not exhibit any elevational trend (Figs. 3H and 3I). Ligulate flower length decreased by 23% between the ...
Context 6
... decreased by 20% (Fig. 3F) and the flower head diameter decreased by 25% (Fig. 3G) from the lowest to highest elevation. The number of flowers in the flower head, both ligulate and tubular, showed no elevational tendency. These traits were very variable at all sites across the elevational species range and did not exhibit any elevational trend (Figs. 3H and 3I). Ligulate flower length decreased by 23% between the lowest and highest elevation (Fig. ...
Context 7
... to highest elevation. The number of flowers in the flower head, both ligulate and tubular, showed no elevational tendency. These traits were very variable at all sites across the elevational species range and did not exhibit any elevational trend (Figs. 3H and 3I). Ligulate flower length decreased by 23% between the lowest and highest elevation (Fig. ...
Context 8
... flower width showed high variation at all sites across the elevation gradient and did not exhibit any significant relationship with elevation (Fig. 3K). Tubular flower length decreased by 7% from the lowest to the highest elevation (Fig. ...
Similar publications
Waterlogging stress caused by concentrated and heavy rainfall has become an increasingly popular abiotic stress, especially for tomato production. The aim is to clarify the leaf physiological and biochemical responses as well as flower and fruit set of tomato plants at reproductive stage under waterlogging stress. Six tomato genotypes including 'MI...
Background
Chrysanthemum arcticum , arctic daisy and its two subspecies ( Chrysanthemum arcticum subsp. arcticum , Chrysanthemum arcticum subsp. polaré ) are the only chrysanthemum species native to North America. A study on species’ variation in morphological and diagnostic traits is important to link morphological traits with previously described...
Grasses such as sorghum, (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), are rarely considered as an important food resource for pollinators. Here, we report insects collecting or consuming pollen of sorghum over the 8-wk flowering period of a mapping population in Tifton, GA. We also examine the response of insects to plant morphological traits and disease damage...
Acmella radicans (Jacquin) R.K. Jansen is a new invasive species record for Yunnan Province, China, as of 2017 and little is known about its invasion mechanisms. To better understand its invasive strategies, we investigated the growth, physiological and soil nutrient use parameters of the invader under combined conditions of light (25%, 50%, 75%, a...
Inflorescence architecture is diverse in flowering plants, and two determinants of inflorescence architecture are the inflorescence meristem and pedicel length. Although the ERECTA (ER) signaling pathway, in coordination with the SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex, regulates inflorescence architecture with subsequent effects on pedicel elongation, t...
Citations
... The difference in elevation (usually due to different air humidity and temperature conditions, as well as water availability) can alter coffee fruit development, quality, and yield (Avelino et al., 2005;Worku et al., 2018;Ginbo, 2022;Cassamo et al., 2022). Additionally, development of flowers is also impacted by elevation in other species, modifying the frequency of sexual dimorphism in biomass production in Ilex paraguariensis (Rakocevic et al., 2023), a reduction in the weight and size of Bellidiastrum michelii flowers (Kiełtyk, 2021), and an increase in corolla diameter, flower length and tube diameter in Campanula rotundifolia with increasing elevation (Maad et al., 2013). Higher elevations may also influence the higher frequency of abnormal flowers in Stylidium armeria (Hoffmann et al., 2009). ...
... Plant height is an important morphological parameter that shows the quality of the growth of the plants. Kieltyk (2021) reported that plant height is directly linked to fitness through vegetative competitiveness and resource use aptitude. Similar to this, the present results showed that A. adenophora grow better at mid-altitude. ...
Biological invasion not only depends on the environmental characteristics of any region but also on the fundamental characteristics of the invader species. Assessment of plant performance across diverse habitats and altitudinal gradients provide insights into the traits contributing to invasion success in addition to its habitat suitability, susceptibility and mechanisms adopted by the plant. As the environmental conditions of similar habitat types vary within short distance in mountainous landscapes, the present study was conducted with aim to understand the morphological and functional trait variations in a notorious invasive weed Ageratina adenophora along the altitudinal gradient in Kumaun Himalaya, India. The results revealed that due to higher plasticity in the plant traits, this weed can take advantage of available invasion windows. Morphological traits i.e. plant height (SL), root length (RL), above and belowground biomass (AGB and BGB), number of leaves (LN), branches (BN) and capitula (CN); functional traits i.e. root:shoot ratio (R:S ratio), root weight ratio (RWR), stem weight ratio (SWR), leaf weight ratio (LWR), inflorescence weight ratio (IWR) etc.; and seed output along an altitudinal gradient explained the invasion success of A. adenophora in diverse habitats. Plasticity of plant traits in diverse habitats signifies the strategies that assisted A. adenophora to become a successful invasive species. Higher biomass allocation to shoots favors speedy increase in plant height, an approach adopted by most of the plants for sunlight harvesting. Across the altitudes, healthier plant performance was recorded at mid altitudinal ranges (1000–2000 m a.s.l.), and among the habitats, good performance of A. adenophora in streamline, wasteland, wall and road-side populations in comparison to forest and cultivated land indicated vulnerability and further spread of A. adenophora in these habitats.
... In this context, Teixido and Valladares (2015) (Fabbro & Körner, 2004;Kiełtyk, 2021;Zhao et al., 2016). Regardless of the main driver of SFA variability at the community level, this trait seems to play an important role in community assembly processes in the study system and potentially in other upland systems. ...
There is a common agreement that, to maximise our understanding of trait‐based community assembly, traits related to different organs should be considered as they relate to different ecological niche axes. Floral traits, in particular, have been suggested to play an important role in the plant community assembly along with environmental gradients as they determine reproductive success, one of the key functions in plants. However, the role of floral traits in community assembly research remains largely unverified empirically.
Using a large and novel dataset on plant traits and plant communities, we analysed the variability of six floral traits of 139 herbaceous species in 21 sites located along an elevation gradient (2000–4000 m) in the western Himalayas. The variability of floral traits along the gradient was analysed using community‐weighted mean (CWM) trait values and functional diversities (FDs) calculated for each study community.
The CWMs showed that with increasing elevation, flowering began later, and flowers tended to be larger with decreasing specific flower area (SFA). Along with the convergence in the onset of flowering and SFA (i.e. lower FD at high‐elevation sites), these patterns suggest that abiotic filtering and plant–pollinator interactions could affect the floral trait composition of the communities. Most likely, increasing low‐temperature stress towards high‐elevation sites selected for late‐flowering species that produce flowers with larger display areas. The low abundance and activity of pollinators at high elevation could also explain why these traits were selected in the communities studied. Delayed flowering with increasing elevation might facilitate the phenological overlap of plants and their pollinators, as pollinator activity at higher elevation peaks in the second half of the vegetation period. The dominance of a species with low SFA and larger display area in high‐altitude communities could be attributable to increased flower longevity and attraction of pollinators, respectively, to maximise pollination success under pollinator scarcity.
Synthesis. Our study provides empirical support for the recent argument that floral traits contribute considerably to the assembly of plant communities along environmental gradients. Thus, such traits should be included in community assembly research as they represent key ecological functions for reproduction.
Bumblebees are ecologically and economically important pollinating insects, so their declines resulting from environmental changes have received intensive attention. Understanding how environmental factors shape the genetic differentiation of natural populations and identifying the genetic basis of local adaptation will provide insights into how species may cope with environmental changes. The buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) has a wide natural distribution range and has been successfully domesticated to produce commercial colonies for greenhouse pollination. Previous population genetics studies on B. terrestris have mainly focused on populations in Europe; however, populations in Asia, representing the eastern side of its natural distribution, have been less thoroughly sampled. To fill this gap, we collected wild B. terrestris samples from Asia, as well as wild B. terrestris from Europe and samples from domesticated colonies. We conducted whole-genome resequencing for 77 collected B. terrestris workers and performed population genomics analysis. Our results revealed significant genetic differentiation (FST= 0.076) between buff-tailed bumblebees in Europe and Asia, along with notable morphological and physiological differences, indicating that B. terrestris in Asia represents a distinct new genetic resource. Demographic analysis suggested that the population size of buff-tailed bumblebees had increased during historic cold periods, confirming their cold-adapted characteristics. Selective sweep analysis identified 331 genes under selection in the genomes of Asian B. terrestris, likely involved in their adaptation to high ultraviolet radiation, low temperature, and low precipitation in their habitats. Our research provides insights into the population genetic structure and genetic basis of local adaptation in the buff-tailed bumblebee, which will be useful for its conservation and management.
Plants growing along wide elevation gradients in mountains experience considerable variations in environmental factors that vary across elevations. The most pronounced elevational changes are in climate conditions with characteristic decrease in air temperature with an increase in elevation. Studying intraspecific elevational variations in plant morphological traits and biomass allocation gives opportunity to understand how plants adapted to steep environmental gradients that change with elevation and how they may respond to climate changes related to global warming. In this study, phenotypic variation of an alpine plant Soldanella carpatica Vierh. (Primulaceae) was investigated on 40 sites distributed continuously across a 1,480-m elevation gradient in the Tatra Mountains, Central Europe. Mixed-effects models, by which plant traits were fitted to elevation, revealed that on most part of the gradient total leaf mass, leaf size and scape height decreased gradually with an increase in elevation, whereas dry mass investment in roots and flowers as well as individual flower mass did not vary with elevation. Unexpectedly, in the uppermost part of the elevation gradient overall plant size, including both below-and aboveground plant parts, decreased rapidly causing abrupt plant miniaturization. Despite the plant miniaturization at the highest elevations, biomass partitioning traits changed gradually across the entire species elevation range, namely, the leaf mass fraction decreased continuously, whereas the flower mass fraction and the root:shoot ratio increased steadily from the lowest to the highest elevations. Observed variations in S. carpatica phenotypes are seen as structural adjustments to environmental changes across elevations that increase chances of plant survival and reproduction at different elevations. Moreover, results of the present study agreed with the observations that populations of species from the ‘Soldanella’ intrageneric group adapted to alpine and subnival zones still maintain typical ‘Soldanella’-like appearance, despite considerable reduction in overall plant size.
