10.5061/DRYAD.NK98SF7PH
Armani, Mohammed
0000-0002-1297-0296
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
Charles-Dominique, Tristan
Sorbonne University
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Paris
E. Barton, Kasey
University of Hawaii at Manoa
W. Tomlinson, Kyle
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
Data from: Developmental constraints and resource environment shape early
emergence and investment in spines in saplings
Dryad
dataset
2019
Developmental constraints
early emergence
large herbivore
prickle
resource environment
sapling
Spine
thorn
spinescence
National Natural Science Foundation of China
https://ror.org/01h0zpd94
31470449
National Natural Science Foundation of China
https://ror.org/01h0zpd94
017PB0093
2019-10-13T00:00:00Z
2019-10-13T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcz152
39065 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Abstract Background and Aims Herbivory by large mammals imposes a critical
recruitment bottleneck on plants in many systems. Spines defend plants
against large herbivores and how early they emerge in saplings may be one
of the strongest predictors of sapling survival in herbivore-rich
environments. Yet little effort has been directed at understanding the
variability in spine emergence across saplings. Methods We present a
multi-species study examining whether and how sapling size,spine type and
species’ environmental niche (light and precipitation environment)
influence early emergence and biomass investment in spines. A
phylogenetically diverse pool of 45 species possessing different spine
types (spines, prickles and thorns; that are derived from distinct plant
organs: leaf, epidermis or cortex, and branch, respectively), were grown
under common garden conditions, and patterns of spine emergence and
biomass allocation to spines at 5 and 15 weeks after transplanting were
characterized. Key Results Spine type and species’ resource niche were the
main factors driving early emergence and investment patterns. Spines
emerged earliest in leaf spine-bearing species, and latest in
thorn-bearing species. The probability of early spine emergence increased
with decreasing precipitation, and was greater in species from open than
closed habitats. Sapling investment in spines changed with plant mass but
was contingent on spine type and habitat type. Conclusions Different spine
types have strikingly different timing of expression, suggesting that
developmental origins of spines play a critical role in sapling defences.
Furthermore, species from different precipitation and light environments
(open vs. closed habitats) showed contrasting patterns of early spine
expression suggesting that resource limitation in their native range may
have driven divergent evolution of early defence expression.
45 diverse spiny plants were grown under common-garden conditions and
patterns of spine emergence and biomass allocation to spines after 5 and
15 weeks after transplanting were characterized.