Neighbor-detection causes shifts in allocation across multiple organs to prepare plants for light competition
Data files
Jun 04, 2024 version files 310.39 KB
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README.md
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Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_Final_Mass.csv
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Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_Leaves.csv
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Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_SPAD_Validation.csv
Abstract
To maximize their fitness, plants have to adjust their allocation strategy according to their abiotic and biotic environments. Plants can use the ratio of red to far-red light (R:FR) to sense neighbors, allowing them to modify their growth in response to aboveground competition.
In this study, we used supplemental FR light to artificially lower the R:FR of the lower leaves of common sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) to examine how plants change their growth in response to the threat of neighbors. We combined this treatment with a nitrogen fertilization treatment to investigate how responses to neighbor-detection interact with nitrogen limitation.
Plants grown in low R:FR increased in height at the expense of root growth, resulting in nitrogen limitation that restricted leaf growth. However, we found that plants reduced their nitrogen investment into leaves in low R:FR. By weakening the nitrogen sink strength of these lower leaves before they experienced low photosynthetically active radiation, plants were able to preemptively allocate nitrogen to leaves higher in the canopy.
Plants responded to the perception of neighbors by simultaneously diverting resources from root growth to stem elongation and from leaves threatened by neighbors to leaves that would pose a threat to neighbors. This whole-plant response to neighbor-detection enables plants to change their allocation in a way that simultaneously manages their limited nitrogen and prepares them for future light competition.
README: Neighbor-detection causes shifts in allocation across multiple organs to prepare plants for light competition
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.crjdfn3cz
This dataset tracks the dimensions, height, and SPAD of every leaf on common sunflower plants (Helianthus annuus var. Solara F1) over a five week experimental period. In this experiment, plants were in one of four treatment groups: no nitrogen fertilization and no supplemental far-red light, no nitrogen fertilization and supplemental far-red light, nitrogen fertilization and supplemental far-red light, or nitrogen fertilization and no supplemental far-red light. This is complemented with the dry mass of the leaves, roots, stem, and flower buds for each individual at the end of the experiment and a validation dataset used to convert SPAD measurements into leaf nitrogen per area.
Description of the data and file structure
Plant IDs are given by the row (A-H) and a numerical ID (1-15). Plants in rows A, B, G, and H were in the supplemental far-red treatment groups. Plant IDs with an odd number were fertilized with nitrogen in rows A, C, E, and G, while Plant IDs with an even number were fertilized with nitrogen in rows B, D, F, and H. Leaf IDs are consistent for each plant over the five measurements. Lengths, widths, and heights are measured in centimeters. Leaf area was calculated using an equation that converts leaf dimensions into area, with units of square centimeters.
There are three csv files:
Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_Leaves.csv contains the timeseries of leaf data for each plant. The columns and their descriptions are as follows:
Index = row index
Week = the week of measurement
Plant_ID = unique identifier for individual plants
Leaf_ID = unique identifier for individual leaves on a plant)
Length = length of leaf in cm
Width = width of leaf in cm
Height = height of petiole insertion of leaf in cm
SPAD = average of five SPAD readings distributed over the leaf blade
Proportion_Dead = the estimated proportion of the leaf area that was dead
Nitrogen = indicator of whether the plant received nitrogen fertilizer (1 for yes, 0 for no)
Far-Red = indicator of whether the plant received supplemental far-red light (1 for yes, 0 for no)
Area = area of leaf using an equation to transform leaf dimensions into area in cm^2
Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_Final_Mass.csv contains the final dry mass of each plant, divided by organ type. The columns and their descriptions are as follows:
Plant_ID = unique identifier for individual plants
Stem = mass of stem, including petioles in grams
Flower = mass of all floral buds in grams
Leaves = mass of leaves in grams
Roots = mass of roots in grams
Nitrogen = indicator of whether the plant received nitrogen fertilizer (1 for yes, 0 for no)
Far-Red = indicator of whether the plant received supplemental far-red light (1 for yes, 0 for no)
Total_Mass = sum of stem, flower, leaf, and root mass in grams
Uyehara_FE-2024-00303_SPAD_Validation.csv contains data for 36 leaves grown in different light conditions and then measured and analyzed for their nitrogen concentration to validate the relationship between SPAD and leaf nitrogen per area. The leaves were measured when living then dried and weighed. For chemical analysis, the leaves were ground into a powder and a small amount was used to find the nitrogen concentration. The columns and their descriptions are as follows:
Sample Name = name of leaf sample
Light = the light environment the plant was grown in (low, high, or greenhouse)
Length (cm) = length of leaf in cm
Width (cm) = width of leaf in cm
Weight (g) = dry weight of leaf in g
SPAD = average of five SPAD measurements
Sample Weight (ug) = mass of sample used to calculate nitrogen concentration in ug
Nitrogen Concentration = concentration of nitrogen in the analyzed sample as a percent