Plant reproduction

Körner, Christian

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-59538-8_16

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 171 publications

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“…The measured plant sizes in the high‐elevation area of the island were almost consistent with the reported sizes (20–50 mm) of herbaceous plants adapted to high grazing pressure of C. nippon in other regions (Ishikawa et al., 2006; Suzuki, 2008). It is notable, however, that in dwarf plants, the reduction in leaf numbers and leaf areas contributes to a decrease in total photosynthetic production, consequently leading to reduced reproductivity (Körner, 2021). Moreover, smaller plant heights can reduce the competitive ability for light (Gaudet & Keddy, 1988) and decrease the ability to disperse propagules (Sakaguchi et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer grazing drove an assemblage‐level evolution of plant dwarfism in an insular system

Takahashi,

Suyama,

Fukushima

et al. 2024

Journal of Ecology

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Plant dwarfism, a syndrome characterised by a significant reduction in plant height and organ size, is a widely observed pattern of stress‐tolerant life‐form evolution that results from local adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. The drivers of assemblage‐level dwarfism have primarily been attributed to abiotic factors, such as low temperature, aridity, poor soil fertility or frequent fires. While biotic factors such as grazing pressure from herbivores can contribute to the establishment of plant dwarfism, these factors have rarely been tested at assemblage levels. Focusing on a dwarf plant assemblage comprising over 80 taxa on a small continental island in Japan with a high deer density, we hypothesised that historical deer grazing could also be a factor contributing to the large‐scale convergent evolution of dwarfism. To test this hypothesis, we measured the size of 1908 individual plants of 40 taxa pairs, comprising both palatable and unpalatable pairs from the island and their counterpart taxa from neighbouring regions, and sought to assess which factors (i.e. low solar radiation, estimated divergence time, low nutrient conditions and grazing pressure from deer) may have contributed to the formation of the dwarf plant assemblage on the island. We also performed genetic analysis to infer the time frames for the establishment of dwarf taxa. Statistical analyses revealed that plant size was significantly reduced mainly among the palatable taxa growing on the island, with preferential grazing by deer being identified as the most significant factor influencing plant size. Furthermore, genetic analyses revealed that dwarf ecotypes may have evolved over tens of thousands of years. Synthesis: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that interactions with herbivores can shape the assemblage‐level convergence of plant dwarfism. These findings enhance our current understanding of the formation of plant functional diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deer grazing drove an assemblage‐level evolution of plant dwarfism in an insular system

Takahashi,

Suyama,

Fukushima

et al. 2024

Journal of Ecology

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“…Increased coordination among organs in coniferous species showed increased plasticity with topographical heterogeneity (Huo et al, 2021). For broad-leaved species, a strong correlation with soil water availability (MC) suggested increased nutrient allocation in belowground parts, especially fine roots as a mechanism to fight against drought and resource scarcity (Körner, 2021;Sergeeva et al, 2021). Though this allocation might come at the cost of reduced biomass allotment to reproductive parts and photosynthetic organs (Ma et al, 2017).…”

Section: Coniferous Species Showed Relatively Stronger Trait Coordina...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Species identity and resource availability explain variation among above and below-ground functional traits in Himalayan temperate forests

Singh

Verma

Garkoti

2023

Flora

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The role of floral traits in community assembly processes at high elevations in the Himalayas

et al. 2023

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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.

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Plant reproduction

Cited by 3 publications

References 171 publications

Deer grazing drove an assemblage‐level evolution of plant dwarfism in an insular system

Deer grazing drove an assemblage‐level evolution of plant dwarfism in an insular system

Species identity and resource availability explain variation among above and below-ground functional traits in Himalayan temperate forests

The role of floral traits in community assembly processes at high elevations in the Himalayas

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