ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2041-7762
Current Organisation
UNSW Sydney
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Evolutionary Biology | Terrestrial Ecology | Biological Adaptation | Ecological Applications | Ecology And Evolution Not Elsewhere Classified | Evolutionary Impacts of Climate Change | Life Histories | Ecological Impacts of Climate Change | Terrestrial Ecology | Biogeography and Phylogeography | Surfacewater Hydrology | Ecology | Environmental Science and Management | Plant Developmental and Reproductive Biology | Plant Physiology | Phylogeny and Comparative Analysis | Population And Ecological Genetics | Invasive Species Ecology | Life Histories (Incl. Population Ecology) | Conservation And Biodiversity | Biogeography | Animal Systematics and Taxonomy |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species at Regional or Larger Scales | Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change | Land and water management | Climate Change Adaptation Measures | Control of pests and exotic species | Control of pests and exotic species | Living resources (flora and fauna) | Control of pests and exotic species | Biological sciences | Control of pests and exotic species | Climate change | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of environments not elsewhere classified | Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species not elsewhere classified | Mountain and High Country Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity | Climate and Climate Change not elsewhere classified | Health not elsewhere classified | Mountain and High Country Land and Water Management | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Mountain and High Country Environments
Related Links
Publications
Plants are more likely to be spiny at mid‐elevations in the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, south‐western China
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.13724
Rapid reshaping: the evolution of morphological changes in an introduced beach daisy
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 20-02-2019
Abstract: Thousands of species have been introduced to new ranges worldwide. These introductions provide opportunities for researchers to study evolutionary changes in form and function in response to new environmental conditions. However, almost all previous studies of morphological change in introduced species have compared introduced populations to populations from across the species' native range, so variation within native ranges probably confounds estimates of evolutionary change. In this study, we used microsatellites to locate the source population for the beach daisy Arctotheca populifolia that had been introduced to eastern Australia. We then compared four introduced populations from Australia with their original South African source population in a common-environment experiment. Despite being separated for less than 100 years, source and introduced populations of A. populifolia display substantial heritable morphological differences. Contrary to the evolution of increased competitive ability hypothesis, introduced plants were shorter than source plants, and introduced and source plants did not differ in total biomass. Contrary to predictions based on higher rainfall in the introduced range, introduced plants had smaller, thicker leaves than source plants. Finally, while source plants develop lobed adult leaves, introduced plants retain their spathulate juvenile leaf shape into adulthood. These changes indicate that rapid evolution in introduced species happens, but not always in the direction predicted by theory.
Seed addition experiments are more likely to increase recruitment in larger-seeded species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2002
The mid‐domain effect: it's not just about space
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-08-2013
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.12196
Untangling direct species associations from indirect mediator species effects with graphical models
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-07-2019
Abstract: Ecologists often investigate co‐occurrence patterns in multi‐species data in order to gain insight into the ecological causes of observed co‐occurrences. Apart from direct associations between the two species of interest, they may co‐occur because of indirect effects, where both species respond to another variable, whether environmental or biotic (e.g. a mediator species). A wide variety of methods are now available for modelling how environmental filtering drives species distributions. In contrast, methods for studying other causes of co‐occurence are much more limited. “Graphical” methods, which can be used to study how mediator species impact co‐occurrence patterns, have recently been proposed for use in ecology. However, available methods are limited to presence/absence data or methods assuming multivariate normality, which is problematic when analysing abundances. We propose Gaussian copula graphical models (GCGMs) for studying the effect of mediator species on co‐occurence patterns. GCGMs are a flexible type of graphical model which naturally accommodates all data types , for ex le binary (presence/absence), counts, as well as ordinal data and biomass, in a unified framework. Simulations demonstrate that GCGMs can be applied to a much broader range of data types than the methods currently used in ecology, and perform as well as or better than existing methods in many settings. We apply GCGMs to counts of hunting spiders, in order to visualise associations between species. We also analyse abundance data of New Zealand native forest cover (on an ordinal scale) to show how GCGMs can be used analyse large and complex datasets. In these data, we were able to reproduce known species relationships as well as generate new ecological hypotheses about species associations.
A brief history of seed size
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 28-01-2005
Abstract: Improved phylogenies and the accumulation of broad comparative data sets have opened the way for phylogenetic analyses to trace trait evolution in major groups of organisms. We arrayed seed mass data for 12,987 species on the seed plant phylogeny and show the history of seed size from the emergence of the angiosperms through to the present day. The largest single contributor to the present-day spread of seed mass was the ergence between angiosperms and gymnosperms, whereas the widest ergence was between Celastraceae and Parnassiaceae. Wide ergences in seed size were more often associated with ergences in growth form than with ergences in dispersal syndrome or latitude. Cross-species studies and evolutionary theory are consistent with this evidence that growth form and seed size evolve in a coordinated manner.
Is the notion that species interactions are stronger and more specialized in the tropics a zombie idea?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2016
DOI: 10.1111/BTP.12281
The seedling as part of a plant's life history strategy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 18-09-2008
A Comparison of the Recruitment Success of Introduced and Native Species Under Natural Conditions
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 08-08-2013
Advancing the missed mutualist hypothesis, the under-appreciated twin of the enemy release hypothesis
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 10-2022
Abstract: Introduced species often benefit from escaping their enemies when they are transported to a new range, an idea commonly expressed as the enemy release hypothesis. However, species might shed mutualists as well as enemies when they colonize a new range. Loss of mutualists might reduce the success of introduced populations, or even cause failure to establish. We provide the first quantitative synthesis testing this natural but often overlooked parallel of the enemy release hypothesis, which is known as the missed mutualist hypothesis. Meta-analysis showed that plants interact with 1.9 times more mutualist species, and have 2.3 times more interactions with mutualists per unit time in their native range than in their introduced range. Species may mitigate the negative effects of missed mutualists. For instance, selection arising from missed mutualists could cause introduced species to evolve either to facilitate interactions with a new suite of species or to exist without mutualisms. Just as enemy release can allow introduced populations to redirect energy from defence to growth, potentially evolving increased competitive ability, species that shift to strategies without mutualists may be able to reallocate energy from mutualism toward increased competitive ability or seed production. The missed mutualist hypothesis advances understanding of the selective forces and filters that act on plant species in the early stages of introduction and establishment and thus could inform the management of introduced species.
Phenotypic differentiation among native, expansive and introduced populations influences invasion success
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-09-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14252
Abstract: Humans influence species distributions by modifying the environment and by dispersing species beyond their natural ranges. Populations of species that have established in disjunct regions of the world may exhibit trait differentiation from native populations due to founder effects and adaptations to selection pressures in each distributional region. We compared multiple native, expansive and introduced populations of a single species across the world, considering the influence of environmental stressors and transgenerational effects. United States Gulf and Atlantic coasts, United States interior, European Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, east coast of Australia. Baccharis halimifolia L. (eastern baccharis). We monitored seed germination, seedling emergence, survival and early growth in a common garden experiment, conducted with over 18,200 seeds from 80 populations. We also evaluated the influence of environmental stress and maternal traits on progeny performance. Introduced European Atlantic populations had faster germination and early growth than native populations. However, this was not the case for the more recently naturalized European Mediterranean populations. Introduced Australian populations grew faster than native populations in non‐saline environments but had lower survival in saline conditions commonly encountered in the native range. Similarly, expansive inland US populations germinated faster than coastal native populations in non‐saline environments but grew and germinated more slowly in saline environments. Maternal inflorescence and plant size were positively related with seed germination and seedling survival, whereas flower abundance was positively correlated with seedling early growth and survival. However, maternal traits explained a much lower fraction of the total variation in early demographic stages of B. halimifolia than did distributional range. Phenotypic differentiation could allow B. halimifolia to adapt to different biotic and abiotic selection pressures found in each distributional range, potentially contributing to its success in introduced and expansive ranges.
The global spectrum of plant form and function
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-12-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE16489
Abstract: Earth is home to a remarkable ersity of plant forms and life histories, yet comparatively few essential trait combinations have proved evolutionarily viable in today's terrestrial biosphere. By analysing worldwide variation in six major traits critical to growth, survival and reproduction within the largest s le of vascular plant species ever compiled, we found that occupancy of six-dimensional trait space is strongly concentrated, indicating coordination and trade-offs. Three-quarters of trait variation is captured in a two-dimensional global spectrum of plant form and function. One major dimension within this plane reflects the size of whole plants and their parts the other represents the leaf economics spectrum, which balances leaf construction costs against growth potential. The global plant trait spectrum provides a backdrop for elucidating constraints on evolution, for functionally qualifying species and ecosystems, and for improving models that predict future vegetation based on continuous variation in plant form and function.
Differences in life-cycle stage components between native and introduced ranges of five woody Fabaceae species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-09-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12456
Terrestrial ecosystem restoration increases biodiversity and reduces its variability, but not to reference levels: A global meta-analysis.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.14025
Abstract: Ecological restoration projects often have variable and unpredictable outcomes, and these can limit the overall impact on bio ersity. Previous syntheses have investigated restoration effectiveness by comparing average restored conditions to average conditions in unrestored or reference systems. Here, we provide the first quantification of the extent to which restoration affects both the mean and variability of bio ersity outcomes, through a global meta-analysis of 83 terrestrial restoration studies. We found that, relative to unrestored (degraded) sites, restoration actions increased bio ersity by an average of 20%, while decreasing the variability of bio ersity (quantified by the coefficient of variation) by an average of 14%. As restorations aged, mean bio ersity increased and variability decreased relative to unrestored sites. However, restoration sites remained, on average, 13% below the bio ersity of reference (target) ecosystems, and were characterised by higher (20%) variability. The lower mean and higher variability in bio ersity at restored sites relative to reference sites remained consistent over time, suggesting that sources of variation (e.g. prior land use, restoration practices) have an enduring influence on restoration outcomes. Our results point to the need for new research confronting the causes of variability in restoration outcomes, and close variability and bio ersity gaps between restored and reference conditions.
Global patterns in seed size
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-12-2007
The global trend in plant twining direction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-05-2007
Can dispersal investment explain why tall plant species achieve longer dispersal distances than short plant species?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-08-2017
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.14735
Abstract: Tall plant species disperse further distances than do short species, within and across dispersal syndromes, yet the driver underpinning this relationship is unclear. The ability of taller plants to invest more in dispersal structures may explain the positive relationship between plant height and dispersal distance. Here, we quantify the cross-species relationships between presence of dispersal structures, dispersal investment plant height and dispersal distance. Plant height, dispersal syndrome and dispersal investment data were collated for 1613 species from the literature, with dispersal distance data collated for 114 species. We find that species with high dispersal investment disperse further than do species with low dispersal investment. Tall species have a greater probability of having dispersal structures on their seeds compared with short species. For species with dispersal structures on their seeds, plant height is very weakly related to dispersal investment. Our results provide the first global confirmation of the dispersal investment-distance hypothesis, and show dispersal investment can be used for predicting species dispersal distances. However, our results and those of previous studies indicate plant height is still the best proxy for estimating species dispersal distances due to it being such a readily available plant trait.
The sex with the reduced sex chromosome dies earlier: A comparison across the tree of life
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 03-2020
Abstract: Many taxa show substantial differences in lifespan between the sexes. However, these differences are not always in the same direction. In mammals, females tend to live longer than males, while in birds, males tend to live longer than females. One possible explanation for these differences in lifespan is the unguarded X hypothesis, which suggests that the reduced or absent chromosome in the heterogametic sex (e.g. the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds) exposes recessive deleterious mutations on the other sex chromosome. While the unguarded X hypothesis is intuitively appealing, it had never been subject to a broad test. We compiled male and female longevity data for 229 species spanning 99 families, 38 orders and eight classes across the tree of life. Consistent with the unguarded X hypothesis, a meta-analysis showed that the homogametic sex, on average, lives 17.6% longer than the heterogametic sex. Surprisingly, we found substantial differences in lifespan dimorphism between female heterogametic species (in which the homogametic sex lives 7.1% longer) and male heterogametic species (in which the homogametic sex lives 20.9% longer). Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering chromosome morphology in addition to sexual selection and environment as potential drivers of sexual dimorphism, and advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that shape an organism's lifespan.
Post‐dispersal seed predation on eleven large‐seeded species from the New Zealand flora: A preliminary study in secondary forest
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-1999
Correlated evolution of genome size and seed mass
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-11-2006
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2006.01919.X
Abstract: Previous investigators have identified strong positive relationships between genome size and seed mass within species, and across species from the same genus and family. Here, we make the first broad-scale quantification of this relationship, using data for 1222 species, from 139 families and 48 orders. We analyzed the relationship between genome size and seed mass using a statistical framework that included four different tests. A quadratic relationship between genome size and seed mass appeared to be driven by the large genome/seed mass gymnosperms and the many small genome size/large seed mass angiosperms. Very small seeds were never associated with very large genomes, possibly indicating a developmental constraint. Independent contrast results showed that ergences in genome size were positively correlated with ergences in seed mass. Divergences in seed mass have been more closely correlated with ergences in genome size than with ergences in other morphological and ecological variables. Plant growth form is the only variable examined thus far that explains a greater proportion of variation in seed mass than does genome size.
Southern hemisphere plants show more delays than advances in flowering phenology
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-02-2022
Abstract: Shifts in flowering phenology have been studied in detail in the northern hemisphere and are a key plant response to climate change. However, there are relatively fewer data on species' phenological shifts in the southern hemisphere. We combined historic field data, data from herbarium specimens dating back to 1842 and modern field data for 37 Australian species to determine whether species were flowering earlier in the year than they had in the past. We also combined our results with data compiled in the southern and northern hemispheres, respectively, to determine whether southern hemisphere species are showing fewer advances in flowering phenology through time. Across our study species, we found that 12 species had undergone significant shifts in flowering time, with four species advancing their flowering and eight species delaying their flowering. The remaining 25 species showed no significant shifts in their flowering phenology. These findings are important because delays or lack of shifts in flowering phenology can lead to mismatches in trophic interactions between plants and pollinators or seed dispersers, which can have substantial impacts on ecosystem functioning and primary productivity. Combining our field results with data compiled from the literature showed that only 58.5% of southern hemisphere species were advancing their flowering time, compared with 81.6% of species that were advancing their flowering time in the northern hemisphere. Our study provides further evidence that it is not adequate for ecologists to assume that southern hemisphere ecosystems will respond to future climate change in the same way as ecosystems north of the Equator. Synthesis . Field data and data from the literature indicate that southern hemisphere species are showing fewer advances in their flowering phenology through time, especially in comparison to northern hemisphere species.
Global analysis of floral longevity reveals latitudinal gradients and biotic and abiotic correlates.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-06-2022
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.18271
Abstract: The length of time a flower remains open and functional - floral longevity - governs important reproductive processes influencing pollination and mating and varies considerably among angiosperm species. However, little is known about large-scale biogeographic patterns and the correlates of floral longevity. Using published data on floral longevity from 818 angiosperm species in 134 families and 472 locations world-wide, we present the first global quantification of the latitudinal pattern of floral longevity and the relationships between floral longevity and a range of biotic and abiotic factors. Floral longevity exhibited a significant phylogenetic signal and was longer at higher latitudes in both northern and southern hemispheres, even after accounting for elevation. This latitudinal variation was associated with several biotic and abiotic variables. The mean temperature of the flowering season had the highest predictive power for floral longevity, followed by pollen number per flower. Surprisingly, compatibility status, flower size, pollination mode, and growth form had no significant effects on flower longevity. Our results suggest that physiological processes associated with floral maintenance play a key role in explaining latitudinal variation in floral longevity across global ecosystems, with potential implications for floral longevity under global climate change and species distributions.
Characteristic and derived diversity: implementing the species pool concept to quantify conservation condition of habitats
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12285
Characterizing plant attributes with particular emphasis on seeds in Tamaulipan thornscrub in semi-arid Mexico
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2001
Alpine plants are on the move: Quantifying distribution shifts of Australian alpine plants through time
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13494
Abstract: Alpine plant species’ distributions are thought to have been shifting to higher elevations in response to climate change. By moving upslope, species can occupy cooler and more suitable environments as climate change warms their current ranges. Despite evidence of upslope migration in the northern hemisphere, there is limited evidence for elevational shifts in southern hemisphere plants. Our study aimed to determine if alpine plants in Australia have migrated upslope in the last 2 to 6 decades. Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia. We collated historic occurrence data for 36 Australian alpine plant species from herbarium specimens and historic field observations and combined these historic data with modern occurrence data collected in the field. Eleven of the thirty‐six species had shifted upslope in mean elevation and four species showed downslope elevational shifts. The rate of change for upslope shifts varied between 4 and 10 m per year and the rate of change for most downslope shifts was between 4 and 8 m per year, with one species shifting downslope at a high rate of 18 m per year. Additionally, some species showed shifts upward in their upper range edge and/or upward or downward shifts in their lower range edge. Five species also showed range contractions in the difference between their lower and upper range edges over time, while two showed range expansions. We found no significant differences in elevational shifts through time among herbaceous dicotyledons, herbaceous monocotyledons and shrubs. Plant elevational shifts are occurring rapidly in the Australian alpine zone. This may allow species to persist under climate change. However, if current warming trends continue, several species within the Australian alpine zone will likely run out of suitable habitat within a century.
Statistical power from the people
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-10-2022
Response to comment on A brief history of seed size
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 04-11-2005
TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14904
Abstract: Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to bio ersity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on in idual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
Is there a latitudinal gradient in seed production?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2009
Induced defense and its cost in two bryophyte species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AJB2.1654
Abstract: Current knowledge about defense strategies in plants under herbivore pressure is predominantly based on vascular plants. Bryophytes are rarely consumed by herbivores since they have le secondary metabolites. However, it is unknown whether bryophytes have induced defenses against herbivory and whether there is a trade‐off between growth and defense in bryophytes. In an experiment with two peatland bryophytes, Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. and S . fuscum (Schimp.) H. Klinggr., two kinds of herbivory, clipping with scissors and grazing by mealworms ( Tenebrio molitor L.) were simulated. At the end of the experiment, we measured growth traits, carbon‐based defense compounds (total phenolics and cellulose) and storage compounds (total nonstructural carbohydrates) of these two Sphagnum species. Grazing but not clipping increased total phenolics and C:N ratio and reduced biomass production and height increment. A negative relationship between biomass production and total phenolics was found in S . magellanicum but not in S . fuscum , indicating a growth–defense trade‐off that is species‐specific. Grazing reduced the sugar starch content of S . magellanicum and the sugar of S . fuscum . Either clipping or grazing had no effect on chlorophyll fluorescence (including actual and maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II) except that a significant effect of clipping on actual photochemical efficiency in S . fuscum was observed. Our results suggest that Sphagnum can have induced defense against herbivory and that this defense can come at a cost of growth. These findings advance our knowledge about induced defense in bryophytes, the earliest land plants.
Seed mass and seedling establishment after fire in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Sydney, Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2004
Generalised Extreme Value Distributions Provide a Natural Hypothesis for the Shape of Seed Mass Distributions
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-2015
High genetic diversity is not essential for successful introduction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-10-2013
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.824
Do small leaves expand faster than large leaves, and do shorter expansion times reduce herbivore damage?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2000
Citizen science in schools: Engaging students in research on urban habitat for pollinators
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-04-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12608
Assessing the evidence for latitudinal gradients in plant defence and herbivory
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-12-2011
Rapid evolution of leaf physiology in an introduced beach daisy
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 28-08-2019
Abstract: Photosynthesis is a key biological process. However, we know little about whether plants change their photosynthetic strategy when introduced to a new range. We located the most likely source population for the South African beach daisy Arctotheca populifolia introduced to Australia in the 1930s, and ran a common-garden experiment measuring 10 physiological and morphological leaf traits associated with photosynthesis. Based on predictions from theory, and higher rainfall in the introduced range, we hypothesized that introduced plants would have a (i) higher photosynthetic rate, (ii) lower water-use efficiency (WUE) and (iii) higher nitrogen-use efficiency. However, we found that introduced A. populifolia had a lower photosynthetic rate, higher WUE and lower nitrogen-use efficiency than did plants from Arniston, South Africa. Subsequent site visits suggested that plants in Arniston may be able to access moisture on a rocky shelf, while introduced plants grow on sandy beaches where water can quickly dissipate. Our unexpected findings highlight that: (1) it is important to compare introduced species to their source population for an accurate assessment of evolutionary change (2) rainfall is not always a suitable proxy for water availability and (3) introduced species often undergo evolutionary changes, but without detailed ecological information we may not be able to accurately predict the direction of these changes.
The ZAX Herbivory Trainer—Free software for training researchers to visually estimate leaf damage
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-12-2022
Abstract: Plants lose a remarkable amount of energy to herbivorous animals, and this damage has substantial impacts on plant fitness and species' distributions. There are many ways ecologists can measure leaf damage, with some methods being more time‐consuming than others. Due to a high variance in herbivory, accurate quantification of damage at the population level requires s ling of many leaves. A simple yet effective solution to this problem is to estimate leaf damage visually. Visually estimating leaf damage may be less accurate than scanning methods, but visual estimates of leaf damage are much faster than digital measurements. Using simulations, we show that gathering larger quantities of data at a slightly higher level of inaccuracy gives a more accurate estimate of a population's overall leaf damage than fewer, exact measurements. We then introduce the ZAX Herbivory Trainer, a free online application that teaches researchers to accurately visually estimate leaf damage. On average, users took ~9 min and 48 images to complete our trainer which significantly decreased their estimate inaccuracy from 13.2% to 6%. This low level of inaccuracy can be retained up to 3 months post‐training so researchers can use the ZAX Herbivory Trainer once prior to short fieldwork or every 3 months for extensive fieldwork. We also recommend a cut‐off point, whereby if a person has not completed the app in 17.5 min or 85 images (90th percentile), they may not be suitable to estimate herbivory for research purposes. The ZAX Herbivory Trainer will allow researchers of any experience level to assess herbivory quickly and accurately in a globally standardised way. International collaborators, students and citizen scientists can all find use in this app, no matter the scale of their projects. From this we can gather better data to address big picture questions in ecology such as patterns in herbivory relating to latitude or climate change.
Dominant network interactions are not correlated with resource availability: a case study using mistletoe host interactions
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-10-2012
Abiotic and biotic predictors of macroecological patterns in bird and butterfly coloration
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-01-2018
DOI: 10.1002/ECM.1287
A new framework for predicting invasive plant species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-11-2007
Macroecological patterns in flower colour are shaped by both biotic and abiotic factors
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-07-2020
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.16737
Abstract: There is a wealth of research on the way interactions with pollinators shape flower traits. However, we have much more to learn about influences of the abiotic environment on flower colour. We combine quantitative flower colour data for 339 species from a broad spatial range covering tropical, temperate, arid, montane and coastal environments from 9.25ºS to 43.75ºS with 11 environmental variables to test hypotheses about how macroecological patterns in flower colouration relate to biotic and abiotic conditions. Both biotic community and abiotic conditions are important in explaining variation of flower colour traits on a broad scale. The ersity of pollinating insects and the plant community have the highest predictive power for flower colouration, followed by mean annual precipitation and solar radiation. On average, flower colours are more chromatic where there are fewer pollinators, solar radiation is high, precipitation and net primary production are low, and growing seasons are short, providing support for the hypothesis that higher chromatic contrast of flower colours may be related to stressful conditions. To fully understand the ecology and evolution of flower colour, we should incorporate the broad selective context that plants experience into research, rather than focusing primarily on effects of plant–pollinator interactions.
Does a latitudinal gradient in seedling survival favour larger seeds in the tropics?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-08-2004
Is rapid evolution common in introduced plant species?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-11-2010
Multi-scale phylogenetic structure in coastal dune plant communities across the globe
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-01-2014
DOI: 10.1093/JPE/RTT069
The biogeography and filtering of woody plant functional diversity in North and South America
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-11-2011
Latitude, seed predation and seed mass
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2003
Prickly pairs: the proportion of spinescent species does not differ between islands and mainlands
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-05-2019
DOI: 10.1093/JPE/RTZ031
Abstract: Organisms on islands are thought to escape biotic pressure and lose defensive capabilities. However, broadscale, evidence-based tests of this idea are rare. In this study, we asked: (i) whether the proportion of spinescent plant species differed between islands and mainlands and (ii) whether the proportion of spinescent species increased with increasing island area and with decreasing island distance to mainland. We compiled species lists for 18 island–mainland pairs around Australia. We classified 1129 plant species as spinescent or non-spinescent using published species descriptions. There was no significant difference between the proportion of spinescent species found on islands and on mainlands. Proportions of spinescent species were not significantly related to island area or distance to mainland. Our results suggest that spinescence is just as important to island plants as it is to mainland plants, even for plants inhabiting small or distal islands. This is unexpected, given prevailing thought and previous work on island–mainland comparisons. Our study demonstrates the importance of testing well-accepted yet untested ideas.
Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 18-03-2022
Abstract: Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by s ling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale.
Asexual plants change just as often and just as fast as do sexual plants when introduced to a new range
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.1111/OIK.01582
Seedling survival and seed size
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-05-2004
Tropical plants do not have narrower temperature tolerances, but are more at risk from warming because they are close to their upper thermal limits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-06-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13117
Abstract: Tropical species are thought to be more susceptible to climate warming than are higher latitude species. This prediction is largely based on the assumption that tropical species can tolerate a narrower range of temperatures. While this prediction holds for some animal taxa, we do not yet know the latitudinal trends in temperature tolerance for plants. We aim to address this knowledge gap and establish if there is a global trend in plant warming risk. Global. Present–2070. Plants. We used 9,737 records for 1,312 species from the Kew Gardens’ global germination database to quantify global patterns in germination temperature. We found no evidence for a latitudinal gradient in the breadth of temperatures at which plant species can germinate. However, tropical plants are predicted to face the greatest risk from climate warming, because they experience temperatures closer to their upper germination limits. By 2070, over half (79/142) of tropical plant species are predicted to experience temperatures exceeding their optimum germination temperatures, with some even exceeding their maximum germination temperature (41/190). Conversely, 95% of species at latitudes above 45° are predicted to benefit from warming, with environmental temperatures shifting closer to the species’ optimal germination temperatures. The prediction that tropical plant species would be most at risk under future climate warming was supported by our data, but through a different mechanism to that generally assumed.
Small-seeded species produce more seeds per square metre of canopy per year, but not per individual per lifetime
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-05-2004
Fossil leaf economics quantified: calibration, Eocene case study, and implications
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 12-2007
DOI: 10.1666/07001.1
The global spectrum of plant form and function: enhanced species-level trait dataset
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-12-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41597-022-01774-9
Abstract: Here we provide the ‘Global Spectrum of Plant Form and Function Dataset’, containing species mean values for six vascular plant traits. Together, these traits –plant height, stem specific density, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen content per dry mass, and diaspore (seed or spore) mass – define the primary axes of variation in plant form and function. The dataset is based on ca. 1 million trait records received via the TRY database (representing ca. 2,500 original publications) and additional unpublished data. It provides 92,159 species mean values for the six traits, covering 46,047 species. The data are complemented by higher-level taxonomic classification and six categorical traits (woodiness, growth form, succulence, adaptation to terrestrial or aquatic habitats, nutrition type and leaf type). Data quality management is based on a probabilistic approach combined with comprehensive validation against expert knowledge and external information. Intense data acquisition and thorough quality control produced the largest and, to our knowledge, most accurate compilation of empirically observed vascular plant species mean traits to date.
Exposure time is an important variable in quantifying post‐dispersal seed removal
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.13744
Abstract: A literature synthesis concluded that small mammals have the greatest impact on post‐dispersal removal of intermediate‐sized seeds (Dylewski et al . 2020). However, this study failed to consider the duration of seed exposure to predators. Re‐analyses of the corrected dataset revealed only a weak effect of seed mass on seed removal.
Factors shaping large‐scale gradients in seed physical defence: Seeds are not better defended towards the tropics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-01-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12704
The contribution of pathogenic soil microbes to ring formation in an iconic Australian arid grass,
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 29-03-2021
DOI: 10.1071/BT20122
Abstract: Ring-forming species of spinifex grasses (Triodia spp.) are a dominant feature across much of Australia’s arid and semi-arid zone. Researchers have long been curious about the mechanisms underpinning their striking growth form. However, none of the factors investigated to date provide a convincing explanation for ring formation. Here, we asked whether an accumulation of pathogenic soil microbes might impede seedling emergence and subsequent growth in the centre of Triodia basedowii rings. We collected soil from inside and outside naturally occurring spinifex rings and compared plants grown in soil with live microbes to plants grown in sterilised soil. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that emergence of T. basedowii seedlings was lower in live soil from inside the rings than in live soil from outside the rings. Further, seedling emergence in soil from inside the rings increased significantly in response to soil sterilisation. We found no significant difference in growth between sterile and live soils. However, this might be due to a lack of power caused by high rates of seedling mortality in all treatments. Overall, our study provides evidence for the role of soil pathogens in shaping this iconic Australian grass.
Functional distinctiveness of major plant lineages
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-02-2014
Chasing the unknown: predicting seed dispersal mechanisms from plant traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-08-2010
Incorporating marine macrophytes in plant–soil feedbacks: Emerging evidence and opportunities to advance the field
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-11-2020
Re-contemplate an entangled bank: The Power of Movement in Plants revisited
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2010
Traits and ecological strategies of Australian tropical and temperate climbing plants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2011
Native and commercial microbial inoculants show equal effects on plant growth in dryland ecosystems
Publisher: Authorea, Inc.
Date: 03-03-2023
DOI: 10.22541/AU.167785097.78920686/V1
Abstract: There are a wide variety of microbial inoculant types available to restoration practitioners, but little information as to which performs best under field conditions in dryland ecosystems. We used a meta-analysis of 62 dryland studies to provide the first quantitative comparison of native vs commercial, erse vs single species, and fungal vs bacterial microbial inoculants. We found that while microbial inoculation increases plant growth compared to uninoculated counterparts, contrary to our expectations, the magnitude of effect was statistically similar for all the inoculant pairs. Our results suggest that land managers should use inoculant types that are readily available and easy to handle rather than complicated and expensive inoculants that combine multiple taxa of local origin microbes.
Factors that shape large‐scale gradients in clonality
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14577
Abstract: Many plant species reproduce clonally. However, ecologists still have much to learn about the factors that shape large‐scale patterns in plant clonal growth and reproduction, especially in the southern hemisphere. We addressed this knowledge gap by quantifying relationships between reproductive mode and a suite of plant characteristics and environmental variables. Australia. Spermatophytes. We used data for 914,456 species‐site combinations (including 4116 unique species) in Australia to quantify the bivariate relationships between the probability of species having clonal reproduction and four plant characteristics and 16 environmental variables, using phylogenetic logistic regressions. We also compared the relative effects across plant characteristics and environmental variables groups through principal component analysis and phylogenetic logistic regressions. The probability of species having clonal reproduction was much more strongly related to plant characteristics than to environmental variables. Short, herbaceous plants and monocots were more likely to have clonal reproduction and were more common in environments with low temperatures, low solar radiation, high moisture availability, high net primary productivity (NPP) and high soil organic carbon and nitrogen contents. Tall, woody plants and eudicots tended to have only sexual reproduction, and were more common in dry and soil impoverished environments. Our results advance the understanding of the factors that shape large‐scale patterns in plant reproduction strategy. For ex le, the fact that clonality is more common in shorter, herbaceous species suggests that clonality can be added to the suite of traits that align species on the fast‐slow continuum. The fact that clonal reproduction is more tightly correlated with moisture availability, NPP and soil nutrients than climatic extremes and variations suggests that clonal reproduction may be better understood as a strategy for population expansion in resource abundant sites than as a strategy for reproductive assurance under environmental stress.
Roses are red, violets are blue - so how much replication should you do? An assessment of variation in the colour of flowers and birds
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 17-10-2014
DOI: 10.1111/BIJ.12402
Dogmatic is problematic: Interpreting evidence for latitudinal gradients in herbivory and defense
Publisher: Queen's University Library
Date: 2013
Alternative stable states in Australia’s Wet Tropics: a theoretical framework for the field data and a field-case for the theory
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-10-2009
Native bacteria and cyanobacteria can influence seedling emergence and growth of native plants used in dryland restoration
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-10-2022
Abstract: Seed‐based ecosystem restoration has huge potential to restore degraded drylands. However, fewer than 10% of directly sown seeds transition to established seedlings. One of the potential factors restricting plant establishment in degraded soils is the low abundance and ersity of native soil micro‐organisms. In this study, we investigated whether returning indigenous bacteria and cyanobacteria consortia to degraded dryland soils improved seedling emergence, survival and growth of native plants. We inoculated ‘culturable whole soil’ native heterotrophic bacteria and biocrust cyanobacteria in idually and as a mixed inoculant into extruded pellets containing Acacia inaequilatera (Fabaceae) and Triodia epactia (Poaceae) seeds. The pellets were planted in an active minefield for 28 weeks and seedling emergence and total biomass of plants were determined. Cyanobacteria and bacteria inoculants increased the emergence of A. inaequilatera by 55% and 48%, respectively. Seedling emergence in T. epactia was increased by 20% by cyanobacteria but was not increased by bacteria. The only effect of inoculation on seedling survival or mass per surviving seedling in either species was an 11% reduction of the growth of T. epactia seedlings that were inoculated with cyanobacteria. Synthesis and applications : Our results suggest that the benefit of micro‐organisms on plant establishment is both species specific and life stage specific, with particularly strong benefits in the early stages of recruitment . Our experiment was conducted under shade and with additional water, so a worthwhile future direction would be to quantify the effect of inoculation under unmodified field conditions. It would also be worthwhile monitoring the outcomes for longer than 28 weeks. Since seedling emergence is one of the critical challenges in dryland restoration, our study provides direct evidence in the use of native micro‐organisms to potentially improve seedling emergence in seed‐based dryland restoration.
Is there a latitudinal gradient in the proportion of species with spinescence?
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 07-04-2017
DOI: 10.1093/JPE/RTW031
Rapid loss of phenotypic plasticity in the introduced range of the beach daisy, Arctotheca populifolia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-10-2023
Seeds tend to disperse further in the tropics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.13255
Is the proportion of clonal species higher at higher latitudes in Australia?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-10-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12536
Seed size and shape and persistence in the soil in the New Zealand flora
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2000
Few changes in native Australian alpine plant morphology, despite substantial local climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-04-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7392
Taller plants have lower rates of molecular evolution
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2013
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS2836
Abstract: Rates of molecular evolution have a central role in our understanding of many aspects of species' biology. However, the causes of variation in rates of molecular evolution remain poorly understood, particularly in plants. Here we show that height accounts for about one-fifth of the among-lineage rate variation in the chloroplast and nuclear genomes of plants. This relationship holds across 138 families of flowering plants, and when accounting for variation in species richness, temperature, ultraviolet radiation, latitude and growth form. Our observations can be explained by a link between height and rates of genome copying in plants, and we propose a mechanistic hypothesis to account for this-the 'rate of mitosis' hypothesis. This hypothesis has the potential to explain many disparate observations about rates of molecular evolution across the tree of life. Our results have implications for understanding the evolutionary history and future of plant lineages in a changing world.
Not so simple after all: searching for ecological advantages of compound leaves
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-12-2011
Reproductive output of invasive versus native plants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-08-2008
What do seedlings die from and what are the implications for evolution of seed size?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-05-2004
Birds, butterflies and flowers in the tropics are not more colourful than those at higher latitudes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-09-2015
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12368
Seed size and plant strategy across the whole life cycle
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-02-2006
Which is a better predictor of plant traits: temperature or precipitation?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-05-2014
DOI: 10.1111/JVS.12190
Plants show more flesh in the tropics: variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.02010
Potential contributions of the seed rain and seed bank to regeneration of native forest under plantation pine in New Zealand
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-1999
DO SMALL-SEEDED SPECIES HAVE HIGHER SURVIVAL THROUGH SEED PREDATION THAN LARGE-SEEDED SPECIES?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2003
DOI: 10.1890/02-0662
Plant ecological strategies
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 11-2002
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV.ECOLSYS.33.010802.150452
Abstract: ▪ Abstract An important aim of plant ecology is to identify leading dimensions of ecological variation among species and to understand the basis for them. Dimensions that can readily be measured would be especially useful, because they might offer a path towards improved worldwide synthesis across the thousands of field experiments and ecophysiological studies that use just a few species each. Four dimensions are reviewed here. The leaf mass per area–leaf lifespan (LMA-LL) dimension expresses slow turnover of plant parts (at high LMA and long LL), long nutrient residence times, and slow response to favorable growth conditions. The seed mass–seed output (SM-SO) dimension is an important predictor of dispersal to establishment opportunities (seed output) and of establishment success in the face of hazards (seed mass). The LMA-LL and SM-SO dimensions are each underpinned by a single, comprehensible tradeoff, and their consequences are fairly well understood. The leaf size–twig size (LS-TS) spectrum has obvious consequences for the texture of canopies, but the costs and benefits of large versus small leaf and twig size are poorly understood. The height dimension has universally been seen as ecologically important and included in ecological strategy schemes. Nevertheless, height includes several tradeoffs and adaptive elements, which ideally should be treated separately. Each of these four dimensions varies at the scales of climate zones and of site types within landscapes. This variation can be interpreted as adaptation to the physical environment. Each dimension also varies widely among coexisting species. Most likely this within-site variation arises because the ecological opportunities for each species depend strongly on which other species are present, in other words, because the set of species at a site is a stable mixture of strategies.
Invasions: the trail behind, the path ahead, and a test of a disturbing idea
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2011
In the beginning: phenotypic change in three invasive species through their first two centuries since introduction
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-09-2014
Zanne et al. reply
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE14394
The Christmas tree project: comparing the effects of five treatments on the health of cut Christmas trees (Pinus radiata, Pinaceae)
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/BT14343
Abstract: Our experiment tested which of five treatments kept Christmas trees (Pinus radiata) healthy for longest. The five different treatments were submerging the cut ends of pine branches in water (control), freshly boiled water (to potentially dissolve sap in cut stems), energy drink (to provide sugars), beer (to provide sugars and kill germs) or spraying the needles with hairspray (to reduce water loss). We measured how much light energy was converted to chemical energy by the needles, thus recording their health. The treatment that maintained the highest level of photosynthetic health was the hairspray, with an average of 90% of original needle health after 27 days. Branches in freshly boiled water and control treatments both retained ~68% of their original photosynthetic health. Branches in both beer and energy-drink treatments declined to about a third of their original needle health. In conclusion, we recommend spraying cut Pinus radiata Christmas trees with hairspray.
Evolutionary coordination between offspring size at independence and adult size
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-12-2009
A Broad Approach to Abrupt Boundaries: Looking Beyond the Boundary at Soil Attributes within and Across Tropical Vegetation Types
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 10-04-2013
Plants do not suffer greater losses to seed predation towards the tropics
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-09-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12636
From dangerous branches to urban banyan: Facilitating aerial root growth of Ficus rubiginosa
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 30-12-2019
Global patterns in post-dispersal seed removal by invertebrates and vertebrates
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 28-06-2021
Seed dispersal distance is more strongly correlated with plant height than with seed mass
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-07-2011
Predicting network topology of mistletoe–host interactions: do mistletoes really mimic their hosts?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-11-2011
Plant size and neighbourhood characteristics influence survival and growth in a restored ex‐agricultural ecosystem
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2022
Abstract: Restoring woody vegetation on degraded agricultural land is a widespread and common ecological restoration practice. However, highly variable plant survival and growth limit outcomes for many projects. Inconsistent reporting and monitoring of projects mean that an assessment of the relative importance of community‐assembly processes is limited, particularly over longer timescales. We use 7 years of monitoring data of nearly 2000 native trees and shrubs in a restoration project on ex‐agricultural land in south‐western Australia to test the potential effects of facilitation or competition from neighbouring plants, as well as look for patterns in their interaction with the attributes of in iduals and species traits. Overall, plant size was the strongest single predictor of survival and incremental growth. In idual plants in neighbourhoods with higher inter‐generic basal area were more likely to survive, with this effect strongest in smaller in iduals. When plants were larger, they were less likely to grow when in neighbourhoods with high intra‐generic basal area. Taller‐growing plants (higher species maximum height) were more likely to survive when in iduals were small (basal area of 1–10 cm 2 ), compared with shorter growing plants. Growth was also more likely in taller‐growing plants, and this relationship increased with the size of the in idual. Recruitment was very low, with just 148 new recruits recorded across the 42 plots over 7 years. Maximizing the growth of plants in restorations in the early stages may promote survival and growth in the longer term. We also demonstrate that increased levels of inter‐generic neighbouring plants may improve in idual plant survival in the restoration of ex‐agricultural land. As a result, we suggest tailoring direct‐seeding methods to minimize clustering of congeneric in iduals. We also highlight the need to find means of promoting recruitment for the long‐term sustainability of restoration efforts.
Global patterns in plant height
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2009
Regeneration dynamics of Euptelea pleiospermum along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients: Trade-offs between seedling and sprout
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2015
Seed size and survival in the soil in arid Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2003
Factors that shape seed mass evolution
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 19-07-2005
Abstract: We used correlated ergence analysis to determine which factors have been most closely associated with changes in seed mass during seed plant evolution. We found that ergences in seed mass have been more consistently associated with ergences in growth form than with ergences in any other variable. This finding is consistent with the strong relationship between seed mass and growth form across present-day species and with the available data from the paleobotanical literature. Divergences in seed mass have also been associated with ergences in latitude, net primary productivity, temperature, precipitation, and leaf area index. However, these environmental variables had much less explanatory power than did plant traits such as seed dispersal syndrome and plant growth form.
Inverted invasions: Native plants can frequently colonise urban and highly disturbed habitats
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12719
Evolution of defense and herbivory in introduced plants—Testing enemy release using a known source population, herbivore trials, and time since introduction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-05-2020
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.6288
Three Frontiers for the Future of Biodiversity Research Using Citizen Science Data
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-11-2020
Abstract: Citizen science is fundamentally shifting the future of bio ersity research. But although citizen science observations are contributing an increasingly large proportion of bio ersity data, they only feature in a relatively small percentage of research papers on bio ersity. We provide our perspective on three frontiers of citizen science research, areas that we feel to date have had minimal scientific exploration but that we believe deserve greater attention as they present substantial opportunities for the future of bio ersity research: s ling the unders led, capitalizing on citizen science's unique ability to s le poorly s led taxa and regions of the world, reducing taxonomic and spatial biases in global bio ersity data sets estimating abundance and density in space and time, develop techniques to derive taxon-specific densities from presence or absence and presence-only data and capitalizing on secondary data collection, moving beyond data on the occurrence of single species and gain further understanding of ecological interactions among species or habitats. The contribution of citizen science to understanding the important bio ersity questions of our time should be more fully realized.
Time‐traveling seeds reveal that plant regeneration and growth traits are responding to climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-02-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECY.3272
Does urbanization lead to parallel demographic shifts across the world in a cosmopolitan plant?
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 14-08-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.552623
Abstract: Urbanization is occurring globally, leading to dramatic environmental changes that are altering the ecology and evolution of species. In particular, the expansion of human infrastructure and the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats in cities is predicted to increase genetic drift and reduce gene flow by reducing the size and connectivity of populations. Alternatively, the “urban facilitation model” suggests that some species will have greater gene flow into and within cities leading to higher ersity and lower differentiation in urban populations. These alternative hypotheses have not been contrasted across multiple cities. Here, we used the genomic data from the Global Urban Evolution project (GLUE), to study the effects of urbanization on non-adaptive evolutionary processes of white clover ( Trifolium repens ) at a global scale. We found that white clover populations presented high genetic ersity and no evidence of a reduction in N e linked to urbanization. On the contrary, we found that urban populations were less likely to experience a recent decrease in effective population size than rural ones. In addition, we found little genetic structure among populations both globally and between urban and rural populations, which showed extensive gene flow between habitats. Interestingly, white clover displayed overall higher gene flow within urban areas than within rural habitats. Our study provides one of the largest comprehensive tests of demographic effects of urbanization and our results contrast the common perception that heavily altered and fragmented urban environments will reduce the effective population size and genetic ersity of populations and contribute to their isolation.
Erratum: Corrigendum: Three keys to the radiation of angiosperms into freezing environments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE13842
A hairy situation: Plant species in warm, sunny places are more likely to have pubescent leaves
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-05-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.13870
A response to Poisot et al.: Publishing your dataset is not always virtuous
Publisher: Queen's University Library
Date: 2013
A mammoth mouthful? A test of the idea that larger animals ingest larger seeds
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-07-2015
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12346
The great escape: patterns of enemy release are not explained by time, space or climate
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 16-08-2023
Abstract: When a plant is introduced to a new ecosystem it may escape from some of its coevolved herbivores. Reduced herbivore damage, and the ability of introduced plants to allocate resources from defence to growth and reproduction can increase the success of introduced species. This mechanism is known as enemy release and is known to occur in some species and situations, but not in others. Understanding the conditions under which enemy release is most likely to occur is important, as this will help us to identify which species and habitats may be most at risk of invasion. We compared in situ measurements of herbivory on 16 plant species at 12 locations within their native European and introduced Australian ranges to quantify their level of enemy release and understand the relationship between enemy release and time, space and climate. Overall, plants experienced approximately seven times more herbivore damage in their native range than in their introduced range. We found no evidence that enemy release was related to time since introduction, introduced range size, temperature, precipitation, humidity or elevation. From here, we can explore whether traits, such as leaf defences or phylogenetic relatedness to neighbouring plants, are stronger indicators of enemy release across species.
No evidence for rapid evolution of seed dispersal ability in range edge populations of the invasive species S enecio madagascariensis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12032
Correction: Corrigendum: Three keys to the radiation of angiosperms into freezing environments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-2015
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE14371
British species that are present in Australia have different traits from British species that are not present in Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-08-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13758
Abstract: Introduced species spreading to natural ecosystems is a leading cause of environmental change and a key feature of the Anthropocene. While there have been many studies of the traits of introduced and invasive species, less is known about the traits that affect a species' chances of reaching and establishing in new areas. We asked whether British species that are present in Australia have different traits to British species that are not present in Australia. Great Britain and Australia. We compiled a list of all vascular plant species from Great Britain and ided them into those that are present in Australia (395 species) and those that are not present in Australia (1171 species). We compiled data for each species' seed mass, seedbank longevity, maximum plant height, flower size, flower colour and geographical extent in the British Isles. We conducted independent s le t ‐tests for continuous variables and Chi‐squared tests for categorical variables to determine differences between groups. We found British species present in Australia have, on average, larger geographic extents in the British Isles, longer periods of seed bank longevity (mean ~3 months as opposed to ~3 weeks), and maximum heights that are on average 36% taller than British species that are not present in Australia. However, British species present in Australia did not have significantly different flower size, flower colour or seed mass from British species that are not present in Australia. British species that are present in Australia and British species that are not present in Australia differ in several traits. These differences likely result from a combination of factors including introduction biases, environmental filters during establishment and stochasticity. Our results suggest that humans may be consciously and unconsciously selecting species for introduction. Some of the traits that are associated with an increased chance of a species being transported to/establishing in a new range also contribute to invasiveness. Thus, anthropogenic introduction biases could contribute to an increased risk of ecosystem invasion.
Three keys to the radiation of angiosperms into freezing environments
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-12-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE12872
Abstract: Early flowering plants are thought to have been woody species restricted to warm habitats. This lineage has since radiated into almost every climate, with manifold growth forms. As angiosperms spread and climate changed, they evolved mechanisms to cope with episodic freezing. To explore the evolution of traits underpinning the ability to persist in freezing conditions, we assembled a large species-level database of growth habit (woody or herbaceous 49,064 species), as well as leaf phenology (evergreen or deciduous), diameter of hydraulic conduits (that is, xylem vessels and tracheids) and climate occupancies (exposure to freezing). To model the evolution of species' traits and climate occupancies, we combined these data with an unparalleled dated molecular phylogeny (32,223 species) for land plants. Here we show that woody clades successfully moved into freezing-prone environments by either possessing transport networks of small safe conduits and/or shutting down hydraulic function by dropping leaves during freezing. Herbaceous species largely avoided freezing periods by senescing cheaply constructed aboveground tissue. Growth habit has long been considered labile, but we find that growth habit was less labile than climate occupancy. Additionally, freezing environments were largely filled by lineages that had already become herbs or, when remaining woody, already had small conduits (that is, the trait evolved before the climate occupancy). By contrast, most deciduous woody lineages had an evolutionary shift to seasonally shedding their leaves only after exposure to freezing (that is, the climate occupancy evolved before the trait). For angiosperms to inhabit novel cold environments they had to gain new structural and functional trait solutions our results suggest that many of these solutions were probably acquired before their foray into the cold.
Germination deferment strategies.
Publisher: CABI Publishing
Date: 2003
Being John Harper: Using evolutionary ideas to improve understanding of global patterns in plant traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-12-2017
Are Introduced Species Better Dispersers Than Native Species? A Global Comparative Study of Seed Dispersal Distance
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 20-06-2013
A general model for the scaling of offspring size and adult size
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 09-2008
DOI: 10.1086/589889
Abstract: Understanding evolutionary coordination among different life-history traits is a key challenge for ecology and evolution. Here we develop a general quantitative model predicting how offspring size should scale with adult size by combining a simple model for life-history evolution with a frequency-dependent survivorship model. The key innovation is that larger offspring are afforded three different advantages during ontogeny: higher survivorship per time, a shortened juvenile phase, and advantage during size-competitive growth. In this model, it turns out that size-asymmetric advantage during competition is the factor driving evolution toward larger offspring sizes. For simplified and limiting cases, the model is shown to produce the same predictions as the previously existing theory on which it is founded. The explicit treatment of different survival advantages has biologically important new effects, mainly through an interaction between total maternal investment in reproduction and the duration of competitive growth. This goes on to explain alternative allometries between log offspring size and log adult size, as observed in mammals (slope = 0.95) and plants (slope = 0.54). Further, it suggests how these differences relate quantitatively to specific biological processes during recruitment. In these ways, the model generalizes across previous theory and provides explanations for some differences between major taxa.
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