Strong patterns of intraspecific variation and local adaptation in Great Basin plants revealed through a review of 75 years of experiments
Variation in natural selection across heterogeneous landscapes often produces (a) among‐population differences in phenotypic traits, (b) trait‐by‐environment associations, and (c) higher fitness of local populations. Using a broad literature review of common garden studies published between 1941 and...
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| Published in: | Ecology and evolution Vol. 9; no. 11; pp. 6259 - 6275 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
England
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
01-06-2019
John Wiley and Sons Inc Wiley |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Variation in natural selection across heterogeneous landscapes often produces (a) among‐population differences in phenotypic traits, (b) trait‐by‐environment associations, and (c) higher fitness of local populations. Using a broad literature review of common garden studies published between 1941 and 2017, we documented the commonness of these three signatures in plants native to North America's Great Basin, an area of extensive restoration and revegetation efforts, and asked which traits and environmental variables were involved. We also asked, independent of geographic distance, whether populations from more similar environments had more similar traits. From 327 experiments testing 121 taxa in 170 studies, we found 95.1% of 305 experiments reported among‐population differences, and 81.4% of 161 experiments reported trait‐by‐environment associations. Locals showed greater survival in 67% of 24 reciprocal experiments that reported survival, and higher fitness in 90% of 10 reciprocal experiments that reported reproductive output. A meta‐analysis on a subset of studies found that variation in eight commonly measured traits was associated with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature at the source location, with notably strong relationships for flowering phenology, leaf size, and survival, among others. Although the Great Basin is sometimes perceived as a region of homogeneous ecosystems, our results demonstrate widespread habitat‐related population differentiation and local adaptation. Locally sourced plants likely harbor adaptations at rates and magnitudes that are immediately relevant to restoration success, and our results suggest that certain key traits and environmental variables should be prioritized in future assessments of plants in this region.
Using a broad literature search, we documented the commonness of local adaptation in plants native to North America's Great Basin. We found among‐population differences in phenotypic traits for 95.1% of 305 experiments, and trait–environment correlations in 81.4% of 161 experiments. Locals showed greater survival in 67% of 24 reciprocal experiments that reported survival, and higher fitness in 90% of 10 reciprocal experiments that reported reproductive output. There were strong relationships between flowering phenology, leaf size, and survival with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, among other relationships. Overall, we found widespread habitat‐related population differentiation and local adaptation in plants of the Great Basin. |
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| Bibliography: | Funding information https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3pf2cb4 This project was funded by a grant from the United States Department of the Interior Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative (2016‐Kilkenny/Leger), which provided support for EAL and OWB. Additionally, ACA was supported by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture; EE was supported by United States congressional appropriation 3032‐21220‐002‐00‐D; FFK and JEO were supported by the Great Basin Native Plant Project, the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service; JBS and MEH were supported by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service; MLF was supported by a Trevor James McMinn fellowship; RCJ was supported by the Great Basin Native Plant Project; RF was supported by the Institute for Applied Ecology; and TMK was supported by the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management and the Institute for Applied Ecology. Raw datasets and statistical code supporting this study have been deposited at Dryad . DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: Raw datasets and statistical code supporting this study have been deposited at Dryad, (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3pf2cb4). |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 2045-7758 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ece3.5200 |