Data from: Interactions between soil habitat and geographic range location affect plant fitness

Stanton-Geddes, John, University of Minnesota

Shaw, Ruth G., University of Minnesota

Tiffin, Peter, University of Minnesota

Published Jul 26, 2012 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.41131ns8

Cite this dataset

Stanton-Geddes, John; Shaw, Ruth G.; Tiffin, Peter (2012). Data from: Interactions between soil habitat and geographic range location affect plant fitness [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.41131ns8

Abstract

Populations are often found on different habitats at different geographic locations. This habitat shift may be due to biased dispersal, physiological tolerances or biotic interactions. To explore how fitness of the native plant Chamaecrista fasciculata depends on habitat within, at and beyond its range edge, we planted seeds from five populations in two soil substrates at these geographic locations. We found that with reduced competition, lifetime fitness was always greater or equivalent in one habitat type, loam soils, though early-season survival was greater on sand soils. At the range edge, natural populations are typically found on sand soil habitats, which are also less competitive environments. Early-season survival and fitness differed among source populations, and when transplanted beyond the range edge, range edge populations had greater fitness than interior populations. Our results indicate that even when the optimal soil substrate for a species does not change with geographic range location, the realized niche of a species may be restricted to sub-optimal habitats at the range edge because of the combined effects of differences in abiotic and biotic effects (e.g. competitors) between substrates.

Usage notes

Field data

Life history data for seed from five source populations (AFT - Afton State Park, Afton, MN; GCD - Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area, Cottage Grove, MN; CRA - Conard Environmental Research Area, Grinnell College, Kellogg, IA; KZA - Konza Prairie Biological Station, Manhattan, KS; CUI - Cuivre River State Park, Troy, MO) planted at one sand and one loam site in each of three regions: the range interior in Iowa, range edge in Minnesota, and beyond the range edge in Minnesota. The sites are: CRA: Conard Environmental Research Area, Grinnell College, Kellogg, IA (interior-loam); MAR: Iowa River Conservation Area, Marshalltown, IA (interior-sand); SCW: St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Marine-on-St. Croix, MN (edge-loam) NOTE: this site was planted later than the others due to replanting after planting at a first site (UM ag fields) failed; CC: Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, Univ. of Minnesota, East Bethel, MN (edge-sand); KEN: Kensington Runestone Park, Kensington, MN (beyond-loam); IDA: Lake Ida, 3223 Sahara LN NW (property of Sheila Stanton), Alexandria, MN (beyond-sand). Data collected include early-season survival, which includes both germination and survival for the first two weeks, about 3-4 weeks after planting. About eight weeks after planing, I collected data on mid-season survival, reproductive stage, height, leaf number, and collected the top-most fully expanded leaf to calculate SLA. At the end of the growing season, I recorded height, branch number and collected a subsample of ~10% of the seedpods on a plant.

CfE2_data.csv

analysis script

R script for data analysis using CfE2_data.csv

JSG_Chamaecrista_PLoSONE_analysis.r

Location

Upper Midwest United States of America

Iowa

Minnesota