Data from: Rapid evolution of flower phenology and clonality in restored populations of multiple grassland species
Data files
Jan 29, 2024 version files 61.22 KB
Abstract
- Restoration of terrestrial ecosystems often requires re-introduction of plants. In restored sites, the plants often face environments that differ from those of natural populations. This can affect plant traits, reduce performance and impose novel selection pressures. As a response, restored populations might rapidly evolve and adapt to the novel conditions. This may enhance population survival and contribute to restoration success but has been rarely tested so far.
- Here, we focused on populations of three grassland species restored 20 years ago (Galium wirtgenii, Inula salicina and Centaurea jacea) by the transfer of green hay, and compared them with donor populations that were the source of the hay. We measured plants both in situ and in a common garden under control and three stress conditions.
- In-situ, plants in restored sites flowered earlier than plants in donor sites in two out of the three species. In the common garden, plants from the restored populations flowered earlier (in Galium) or showed increased plasticity of clonal propagation in response to clipping (in Inula). Both these traits suggest rapid adaptation to the contrasting mowing regimes in restored in comparison to the donor sites. In Centaurea, we detected no differentiation, neither in situ nor in the common garden.
- Synthesis and applications: Grassland plants introduced into degraded habitats within the framework of ecological restoration may quite commonly evolve in response to novel selection pressures at restored sites. This rapid evolution likely increases the plant's adaptation to the new conditions of the restored grassland and thus enhances the likelihood of survival of the population and ultimately restoration success. While most practitioners do not consider evolution to be part of restoration, our finding highlights that restored populations of grassland species can be systems with considerable eco-evolutionary dynamics.
README: Data from: Rapid evolution of flower phenology and clonality in restored populations of multiple grassland species
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.280gb5mx2
Comparison of plants from three species (Galium wirtgenii, Inula salicina and Centaurea jacea) from restored sites and sites that served as donor of seed material for the restoration. We compared the plants both in situ, and in a common garden under common and three stress conditions - nutrition deficiency, competition and clipping.
In-situ, plants in restored sites flowered earlier than plants in donor sites in two out of the three species. In the common garden, plants from the restored populations flowered earlier (in Galium) or showed increased plasticity of clonal propagation in response to clipping (in Inula). In Centaurea, we detected no differentiation, neither in-situ, nor in the common garden.
Description of the data and file structure
There are two datasets, one from in-situ, and one from common garden.
NA stands for missing values or non-available data.
Field_data_Bucharova_JApplEcol_Rapid_evolution_in_restoration - measurements *in situ*
Each line is one plant measured in the field (except CommunityBiomass, see below)
Variables:
- Nr - ID number, unique for each plant
- PopulationHistory - if the plant was measured at restored or donor site
- PlotID - identity of the site (there are many restored and donor sites)
- Species - identity of the species
- Height - plant height in cm
- ProportionOpenFlowersGalium - Phenology status, specific for Galium - % of opened flowers at the time of measurement (other flowers were still flower buds)
- PhenologyStageInula - Phenology status, specific for Inula - whether the plant was sterile, started to develop flower bud, or the bud was already developed
- PhenologyStageInulaNummeric - the same as above, just coded as numeric from sterile (1) over started to develop flower bud (2) to developed bud (3)
- ComunityBiomass - measured on the site level, not plant level as other variables. One value per site. Weight of dry biomass from 0.1 square meter, in grams. For analysis, restructure the data set so that there is one line per site.
Garden_data_Bucharova_JApplEcol_Rapid_evolution_in_restoration - measurements in the common garden
Each line is one plant measured in the common garden. Note that the seeds were collected at one pair of restored and donor sites (not multiple donor and restored sites as in the data set from the field)
Variables:
- ID - unique number of each plant
- Species - species identity
- PopulationHistory - whether seeds, from which the plan grew, was collected at restored or donor site
- MotherID - identity of the field maternal plant. There were multiple offspring of the same maternal plant in the experiment. Use to correct for non-independence of the offspring from the same maternal plant.
- Treatment - Stress treatment. Whether the plant grew under control condition, competition, nutrient deficiency, or it was clipped (as simulation of mowing).
- FloweringDay - the day when the first flower opened (counted since seedling transplant to the common garden)
- Inflorescence - the number of inflorescence at harvest
- ClonalRunner - in Inula only, if the plant formed clonal runners or not
- Height - plant height in cm
- Biomass - above ground dry biomass in g
Methods
There are two sets of mesurements:
1) in the field
2) in the common garden