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Genetic differentiation can be predicted from observational data for reproductive but not vegetative traits in a widespread short-lived plant
  • +49
  • Jesus Villellas,
  • Johan Ehrlén,
  • Elizabeth Crone,
  • Anna Csergő,
  • Maria Garcia,
  • Anna-Liisa Laine,
  • Deborah Roach,
  • Roberto Salguero-Gomez,
  • Glenda Wardle,
  • Dylan Childs,
  • Bret Elderd,
  • Alain Finn,
  • Sergi Munne-Bosch,
  • Benedicte Bachelot,
  • Judit Bódis,
  • Anna Bucharova,
  • Christina Caruso,
  • Jane Catford,
  • Matthew Coghill,
  • Aldo Compagnoni,
  • Richard Duncan,
  • John Dwyer,
  • Aryana Ferguson,
  • Lauchlan Fraser,
  • Emily Griffoul,
  • Ronny Groenteman,
  • Liv Norunn Hamre,
  • Aveliina Helm,
  • Ruth Kelly,
  • Lauri Laanisto,
  • Michele Lonati,
  • Zuzana Munzbergova,
  • Paloma Nuche,
  • Siri Olsen,
  • Adrian Oprea,
  • Meelis Partel,
  • William Petry,
  • Satu Ramula,
  • Pil Rasmussen,
  • Simone Enri,
  • Anna Roeder,
  • Christiane Roscher,
  • Cheryl Schultz,
  • Olav Skarpaas,
  • Annabel Smith,
  • Ayco Tack,
  • Joachim Töpper,
  • Peter Vesk,
  • Gregory Vose,
  • Elizabeth Wandrag,
  • Astrid Wingler,
  • Yvonne Buckley
Jesus Villellas
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Corresponding Author:jesus.villellas@gmail.com

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Johan Ehrlén
Stockholm University
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Elizabeth Crone
Tufts University
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Anna Csergő
Szent István University
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Maria Garcia
IPE-CSIC
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Anna-Liisa Laine
University of Zurich
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Deborah Roach
University of Virginia
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Roberto Salguero-Gomez
University of Oxford
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Glenda Wardle
University of Sydney
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Dylan Childs
Sheffield University
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Bret Elderd
Louisiana State University
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Alain Finn
Trinity College Dublin
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Sergi Munne-Bosch
University of Barcelona
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Benedicte Bachelot
Oklahoma State University
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Judit Bódis
University of Pannonia
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Anna Bucharova
University of Münster
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Christina Caruso
University of Guelph
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Jane Catford
King's College London
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Matthew Coghill
Thompson Rivers University
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Aldo Compagnoni
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
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Richard Duncan
University of Canberra
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John Dwyer
The University of Queensland
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Aryana Ferguson
Madrona Stewardship
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Lauchlan Fraser
Thompson Rivers University
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Emily Griffoul
Morton Arboretum
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Ronny Groenteman
Landcare Research
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Liv Norunn Hamre
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
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Aveliina Helm
University of Tartu
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Ruth Kelly
Trinity College Dublin
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Lauri Laanisto
Estonian University of Life Sciences
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Michele Lonati
University of Torino
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Zuzana Munzbergova
Charles University
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Paloma Nuche
Trinity College Dublin
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Siri Olsen
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Oslo
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Adrian Oprea
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
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Meelis Partel
University of Tartu
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William Petry
Princeton University
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Satu Ramula
University of Turku
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Pil Rasmussen
Stockholm University
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Simone Enri
University of Torino
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Anna Roeder
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
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Christiane Roscher
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
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Cheryl Schultz
Washington State University
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Olav Skarpaas
University of Oslo
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Annabel Smith
Trinity College Dublin
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Ayco Tack
Stockholm University
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Joachim Töpper
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Oslo
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Peter Vesk
University of Melbourne
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Gregory Vose
University of California Irvine
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Elizabeth Wandrag
University of Canberra
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Astrid Wingler
University College Cork
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Yvonne Buckley
Trinity College Dublin
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Abstract

Phenotypic plasticity can mask population genetic differentiation, reducing the predictability of trait-environment relationships. In short-lived plants, reproductive traits may be more genetically determined due to their direct impact on fitness, whereas vegetative traits may show higher plasticity to buffer short-term perturbations. Combining a multi-treatment greenhouse experiment with global field observations for the short-lived Plantago lanceolata, we 1) disentangled the genetic and plastic responses of functional traits to a set of environmental drivers and 2) assessed the utility of trait-environment relationshisps inferred from observational data for predicting genetic differentiation. Reproductive traits showed distinct genetic differentiation that was highly predictable from observational data, but only when correcting traits for differences in their (labile) biomass component. Vegetative traits showed higher plasticity and contrasting genetic and plastic responses, leading to unpredictable trait patterns. Our study suggests that genetic differentiation may be inferred from observational data only for the traits most closely related with fitness.
31 Dec 2020Submitted to Ecology Letters
04 Jan 2021Submission Checks Completed
04 Jan 2021Assigned to Editor
04 Jan 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Feb 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 Feb 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Major
13 May 20211st Revision Received
14 May 2021Submission Checks Completed
14 May 2021Assigned to Editor
14 May 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 May 2021Editorial Decision: Accept