10.5061/DRYAD.7M0CFXPTT
Blum, Michael
0000-0002-4518-9201
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Schoenoplectus salinity tolerance and regional environmental records
Dryad
dataset
2021
FOS: Biological sciences
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB-1655781
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB-1655702
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB-9910514
Environmental Protection Agency
https://ror.org/05qbqeh37
4D-5709-NAEX)
2021-06-14T00:00:00Z
2021-06-14T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.242
38058 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Evidence is mounting that climate-driven shifts in environmental
conditions can elicit organismal evolution, yet there are sparingly few
long-term records that document the tempo and progression of responses,
particularly for plants capable of transforming ecosystems. In this study,
we ‘resurrected’ cohorts of a foundational coastal marsh sedge
(Schoenoplectus americanus) from a time-stratified seed bank to
reconstruct a century-long record of heritable variation in response to
salinity exposure. Common-garden experiments revealed that S. americanus
exhibits heritable variation in phenotypic traits and biomass-based
measures of salinity tolerance. We found that responses to salinity
exposure differed among the revived cohorts, with plants from the early
20th century exhibiting greater salinity tolerance than those from the mid
to late 20th century. Fluctuations in salinity tolerance could reflect
stochastic variation but a congruent record of genotypic variation points
to the alternative possibility that the loss and gain in functionality is
driven by selection, with comparisons to historical rainfall and
paleosalinity records suggesting that selective pressures vary according
to shifting estuarine conditions. Because salinity tolerance in S.
americanus is tightly coupled to primary productivity and other vital
ecosystem attributes, these findings indicate that organismal evolution
merits further consideration as a factor shaping coastal marsh responses
to climate change.
Please refer to Blum et al. Evolution Letters for details.
Please refer to ReadMe file.