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Multivariate phenotypic divergence along an urbanization gradient.

James S Santangelo1,2,3, L Ruth Rivkin1,2,3, Carole Advenard4

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2.

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Urbanization drives adaptive evolution in white clover populations, affecting multiple traits like flower size and germination. This indicates that adaptation to city environments involves simultaneous changes across various characteristics.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Urban Ecology
  • Plant Science

Background:

  • Natural populations can adapt to urban environments.
  • Previous studies often focused on limited traits or extreme urban/non-urban sites.
  • The extent to which urbanization drives simultaneous multi-trait divergence is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if urbanization drives simultaneous divergence in multiple phenotypic traits in white clover (Trifolium repens).
  • To assess how the degree of urbanization influences adaptive divergence.
  • To explore potential drivers, such as pollinator changes, for observed trait shifts.

Main Methods:

  • Collected seed families from 27 white clover populations along an urbanization gradient in Toronto, Canada.
  • Grew plants in a common garden setting.
  • Measured 14 phenotypic traits and observed pollinator communities.

Main Results:

  • Populations from urban sites showed evolved later phenology and germination, larger flowers, thinner stolons, reduced cyanogenesis, greater biomass, and increased seed set compared to rural sites.
  • Significant turnover in pollinator groups was observed along the urbanization gradient.
  • The degree of urbanization correlated with the observed phenotypic trait divergences.

Conclusions:

  • Urbanization promotes multi-trait adaptive divergence in white clover.
  • Changes in pollinator communities may contribute to the evolution of floral traits and phenology in urban environments.
  • Adaptation to urban conditions is a complex process involving simultaneous adjustments in numerous traits.