10.5061/DRYAD.P8350Q3
Chaney, Lindsay
0000-0002-1132-5156
Snow College
Department of Biology Snow College Ephraim UT84627USA
Baucom, Regina S.
0000-0001-7960-498X
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
The soil microbial community alters patterns of selection on flowering
time and fitness‐related traits in Ipomoea purpurea
Dryad
dataset
2019
plant growth
agent of selection
common morning glory
Convolvulaceae
phenotypic change
Selection Differentials
selection gradients
correlated selection
2021-01-27T00:00:00Z
2020-02-19T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1426
9359 bytes
7
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Premise of the study Plant flowering time plays an important role in plant
fitness and thus evolutionary processes. Soil microbial communities are
diverse and have a large impact, both positive and negative, on the host
plant. However, owing to few available studies, how the soil microbial
community may influence the evolutionary response of plant populations is
not well understood. Here we sought to uncover if below-ground microbial
communities act as an agent of selection on flowering and growth traits in
the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea. Methods We performed a
controlled greenhouse experiment in which genetic lines of I.
purpurea were planted into either sterilized soils, or soils that were
sterilized and re-inoculated with the microbial community from original
field soil. This allowed us to directly test the influence of alterations
to the microbial community on plant growth, flowering, and fitness, as
well as assess patterns of selection in both soil microbial environments.
Results We found that a more complex soil microbial community resulted in
larger plants that produced more flowers. Selection strongly favored
earlier flowering when plants were grown in the complex microbial
environment than compared to sterilized soil. Additionally, we uncovered a
pattern of negative correlational selection on growth rate and flowering
time, indicating that selection favored different combinations of growth
and flowering traits in the simplified versus complex soil community.
Conclusions Together these results suggest the soil microbial community is
a selective agent on flowering time and ultimately that soil microbial
community influences important plant evolutionary processes.
CSV file formated ready to import into R for analysis. See readme for data
details.
Plant growth, flowering, and fitness traits measured from Ipomoea
purpurea, the common morning glory, grown in the greenhouse with
experimental treatments altering the soil microbial community. Data has
been cleaned and processed to reflect the published study.