Rapid divergence in vegetative morphology of a wind-pollinated plant between populations at contrasting densities.

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License: CC BY 4.0
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Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Rapid divergence in vegetative morphology of a wind-pollinated plant between populations at contrasting densities.
Journal
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution
Author(s)
Tonnabel J., David P., Pannell J.R.
ISSN
1558-5646 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0014-3820
Publication state
Published
Issued date
08/2022
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
76
Number
8
Pages
1737-1748
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Plant sexual dimorphism is thought to evolve in response to sex-specific selection associated with competition for access to mates or resources, both of which may be density dependent. In wind-pollinated plants in particular, vegetative traits such as plant size and architecture may influence resource acquisition and both pollen dispersal and receipt, with potential conflict between these two components of fitness. We evaluated the role of plant density in shaping plant traits by measuring evolutionary responses in experimental populations of the sexually dimorphic wind-pollinated plant Mercurialis annua. After three generations of evolution, we observed divergence between high- and low-density populations in several vegetative traits, whereas there was no divergence for reproductive traits. A reversal in the direction of sexually dimorphic traits expressed in young plants evolved in both low- and high-density populations compared to the original population (stored as seeds). Compared to the source population, males at high density evolved to be taller when young, whereas at low density young females tended to become smaller. These results demonstrate that a simple change in plant density can induce age-dependent and sex-specific evolution in the ontogeny of vegetative organs, and illustrates the power of experimental evolution for investigating plant trait evolution.
Keywords
Biological Evolution, Euphorbiaceae/physiology, Pollen/physiology, Pollination/physiology, Reproduction/physiology, Sex Characteristics, Wind, Experimental evolution, male-male competition, polygamy, resource allocation, sexual dimorphism, sexual selection
Pubmed
Web of science
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / Projects / 31003A_163384
Swiss National Science Foundation / Projects / 310030_185196
Create date
05/07/2022 10:26
Last modification date
23/01/2024 7:20
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