Plasticity to canopy shade in a monocarpic herb: within- and between-generation effects
Laura F Galloway1, Julie R Etterson2
1Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4328, USA.
The New Phytologist
|March 27, 2009
Summary
Plant plasticity is influenced by both current and maternal environments, impacting fitness. Understanding these within- and between-generation effects is crucial for adaptation in natural settings.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Plant Sciences
Background:
- Plants display phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental cues.
- Maternal effects, or influences from the previous generation, can also shape offspring traits.
- Interactions between within- and between-generation plasticity are understudied, especially in natural environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the within- and between-generation plasticity of adult traits in Campanulastrum americanum.
- To determine how natural variations in light environments across two generations affect plant fitness and traits.
- To explore the interaction between current and maternal light environments on plant development.
Main Methods:
- Studied Campanulastrum americanum, a forest-edge herb with annual/biennial life cycles.
- Assessed plasticity in response to two generations of natural light differences.
- Analyzed effects on adult traits, including size, flowering time, and light acquisition.
Main Results:
- Significant plasticity was observed in response to both individual (within-generation) and maternal (between-generation) light environments.
- Adaptive plasticity was evident in light acquisition traits, while size and flowering time responses appeared passive.
- Maternal light environment strongly influenced adult traits, particularly when plants were germinated in natural conditions.
- Transgenerational light effects suggested adaptive plasticity for several traits.
Conclusions:
- Both within- and between-generation plasticity are important in shaping plant traits and fitness.
- Maternal effects play a significant role, especially in natural settings.
- Plasticity in flowering time can have adaptive transgenerational consequences by altering offspring life history.
- Studies in natural populations are vital for understanding the evolution of plasticity.
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