Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics最新文献

{"title":"Population genomics and taxonomy solve a conservation conundrum in the Balearic paleoendemic Femeniasia balearica","authors":"Andrea Villanueva Raisman ,&nbsp;Rut Sánchez de Dios ,&nbsp;Felipe Domínguez Lozano ,&nbsp;Irene Villa-Machío ,&nbsp;Beatriz Pías ,&nbsp;Llorenç Sáez ,&nbsp;Mario Fernández-Mazuecos ,&nbsp;Mario Mairal","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125888","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125888","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A robust understanding of taxonomy, distribution and intraspecific genetic diversity is crucial for the conservation of narrow endemic species, which face a higher risk of extinction, especially in insular systems. Here, we study the monotypic plant genus <em>Femeniasia</em> (Asteraceae), narrowly endemic to the Balearic Islands. Only four populations are known for the sole species of this genus, <em>Femeniasia balearica</em>: three on the island of Menorca, where it is considered native and endemic, and one recently discovered on the island of Mallorca, suspected to be the result of a recent anthropogenic introduction. The latter population poses a conservation conundrum: if introduced, it may not merit the same conservation status as native populations; if native, it would be of high biogeographic and conservation interest. To solve this problem and gain an in-depth understanding of diversity and differentiation across the distribution of <em>F. balearica</em>, we conducted phylogenetic and divergence time inference for <em>F. balearica</em> and its relatives based on plastid DNA, phylogenomic, population genomic and coalescent-based demographic analysis of <em>F. balearica</em> populations based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and a morphological study. Our findings revealed a divergence dating back to the Pliocene, and significant morphological and genetic differentiation between Mallorcan and Menorcan populations, which supports an old presence of <em>F. balearica</em> on Mallorca. As a result, the Mallorcan population is herein described as <em>F. balearica</em> subsp. <em>majoricensis</em>. The combined study of intraspecific genetic diversity and taxonomy proved fundamental in identifying natural populations of taxonomic, biogeographic and evolutionary relevance. Our findings should prompt a reconsideration of the conservation and management strategies of <em>Femeniasia</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125888"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ontogeny unlocks the floral development and evolution of Uleanthus, a florally divergent monospecific genus of Amazonian legume trees","authors":"Catarina S. Carvalho ,&nbsp;Gerhard Prenner ,&nbsp;Simone Pádua Teixeira ,&nbsp;Thiago André ,&nbsp;Annícia Barata ,&nbsp;Charles E. Zartman ,&nbsp;Domingos Cardoso","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125887","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Floral ontogeny is one of the most powerful tools in comparative biology for understanding the diversity of flower forms and their evolutionary pathways. The Amazonian monospecific tree genus <em>Uleanthus</em> (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) stands out for its striking hummingbird-pollinated flowers with a bright red calyx and pink to lilac standard petal forming a tubular structure that encloses the reproductive organs. Ontogenetic revelations of <em>Uleanthus erythrinoides</em> may shed light on its controversial phylogenetic placement and help to elucidate broader patterns of floral homology and convergence among morphologically similar yet evolutionarily distant, and morphologically contrasting but phylogenetically close lineages within papilionoid legumes. Flower buds were collected in different developmental stages in the field, and stored in 70 % ethanol to investigate the floral ontogeny using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results were broadly compared with existing material from putatively closely related papilionoid legume genera. Sepals of <em>Uleanthus erythrinoides</em> emerge with a unidirectional sequence. The petals initiate simultaneously; the antesepalous and antepetalous stamens initiate unidirectionally. The carpel initiation is concomitant with the first antesepalous stamen primordia. The apparent resemblance between <em>Uleanthus</em> and other bird-pollinated papilionoid genera does not bear support in floral ontogeny, rather they have evolved convergently. Despite the contrasting floral architecture of <em>Uleanthus</em> and its putative phylogenetically closely related <em>Camoensia</em> from the Genistoid clade, both share similar flower with a showy standard and undifferentiated inner petals that are verified early in the ontogenetic development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125887"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insect herbivory and leaf defensive traits in native and non-native populations of an endemic plant in a Macaronesian archipelago","authors":"Xoaquín Moreira ,&nbsp;Jonay Cubas ,&nbsp;Juli Caujapé-Castells ,&nbsp;Carla Vázquez-González ,&nbsp;Gresheen Garcia ,&nbsp;Beatriz Lago-Núñez ,&nbsp;Felisa Covelo ,&nbsp;Jesús Barranco-Reyes ,&nbsp;Alejandra López-Chicheri Yriarte ,&nbsp;Cristina Maldonado-Gallego ,&nbsp;Luis Abdala-Roberts","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125886","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125886","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The spread of island endemic plants to new islands is an emerging topic, yet the mechanisms driving such invasions remain unclear. While herbivory-related explanations are common for widespread species, their relevance to island endemics is uncertain. Enemy release suggests that introduced plants face less herbivory and invest less in defence, unlike at their native sites with specialized herbivores. Conversely, low defences from minimal native herbivory could make them vulnerable to generalist herbivores in new locations. Additionally, abiotic factors—such as soil type or climate—may influence plant traits and herbivore interactions, potentially overriding or complicating expected herbivory-based invasion outcomes. Here we compared in situ levels of insect leaf herbivory and leaf chemical, physical, and nutritional traits for <em>Rumex lunaria</em> across islands of the Canary Archipelago to which this species is endemic. Specifically, we sampled populations found on islands where this species is native (Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro) and compared them to invasive (non-native) populations found on Lanzarote. Contrary to predictions, <em>R. lunaria</em> found on Lanzarote (i.e., non-native populations) exhibited higher levels of herbivory but also higher defensive traits—specifically, thicker leaves and higher concentrations of phenolic compounds—compared to populations on islands where this species is native to. To explore underlying correlates to these patterns, we conducted a follow-up structural equation model testing whether abiotic variation between native and non-native populations contributes to explain differences in leaf traits and herbivory. While non-native populations were associated with distinct abiotic conditions relative to native ones—including higher temperatures, reduced and more seasonal precipitation, and denser, more alkaline soils—this did not account for observed differences in leaf traits or herbivory between native vs. non-native populations. Accordingly, these findings suggest that the divergence in leaf defences and herbivory between native and non-native <em>R. lunaria</em> populations is not attributable to the abiotic factors analysed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125886"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How do plants survive in the starving, burning, and hiding vegetation realms generated by novel fire regimes?","authors":"Marco Antonio Chiminazzo ,&nbsp;Tristan Charles-Dominique ,&nbsp;Renon Santos Andrade ,&nbsp;Aline Bertolosi Bombo ,&nbsp;Alessandra Fidelis","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125885","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125885","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fire has been an important evolutionary force across many vegetation types worldwide, but human activities and climate change currently impose novel and unprecedented fire regimes. In some areas, fire is and will be excluded, while in others, fire activity will be increased either in intensity or frequency. Changes resulting in fire exclusion should create novel environments where competition for light dominates (starving realm), filtering out species with the costliest adaptations against fire. In areas where fire intensity will increase, fire should filter out species with aboveground parts exposed to the strongest impacts of the flames (hiding realm). Areas exposed to higher fire frequencies should promote species capable of quickly building protection between fire events (burning realm). Based on well-investigated savanna-forest mosaics in the Cerrado, we propose a set of plant adaptations and strategies that should be favoured or unfavored under different novel fire regimes. In the starving realm, species with the capacity to better explore vertical space and maintain competition for light with surrounding plants will likely be favored. In the hiding realm, species with strategies based on escaping flame exposure (for example belowground) will likely be favored. In the burning realm, species capable of shielding themselves from flames and quickly investing in aboveground protection in between fires should be favored. Finally, more than just promoting a collection of traits, novel fire regimes are expected to filter contrasting plants’ growth forms that perform better in fast vertical exploration, quick canopy expansion, or belowground strategies, imposing cascading consequences over vegetation structure and defining novel habitats for a wide range of organisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125885"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detrimental effects of anthropogenic disturbances on ant-mediated seed dispersal services: A global meta-analysis","authors":"Byanca N.T. Cavalcante ,&nbsp;Diego Centeno-Alvarado ,&nbsp;Fernanda M.P. Oliveira ,&nbsp;José D. Ribeiro-Neto ,&nbsp;Alexander V. Christianini ,&nbsp;Xavier Arnan ,&nbsp;Inara R. Leal","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125876","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125876","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly the loss of natural and semi-natural habitats, have global impacts on ecosystems, notably affecting vital ecological services like seed dispersal by ants, which are crucial for about 4.5 % of plant species. These effects depend on factors such as biogeographical origins of the biota, plant growth form, plant and seed traits, interacting ant species, and local site characteristics. In this meta-analysis, we investigated the overall trends in the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on ant-mediated seed removal rates and dispersal distances. We also explored how these services are influenced by disturbance type, environmental factors (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and biome), plant and seed traits (e.g., dispersal syndrome, its interaction with plant growth form, and seed size), and disperser species characteristics (e.g., keystone species). We analyzed 76 independent studies, comprising 430 experiments related to seed dispersal services (353 focused on seed removal rates and 77 on seed dispersal distances). Our findings revealed that anthropogenic disturbances negatively impact seed removal rates, although not consistently across all abiotic and biotic contexts, while having no significant effects on seed dispersal distances. The relationship between disturbances and seed removal was influenced by disturbance type, biome, plant and seed traits. Specifically, mining activities decreased seed removal rates, and disturbances in general reduced seed removal by ants in Mediterranean forests, woodlands, deserts and xeric shrublands. Interestingly, myrmecochorous trees were especially vulnerable in seed removal compared to other plant growth forms or dispersal syndromes, suggesting that the impacts of disturbance on ant-mediated seed dispersal could lead to major modifications in the structure of forest ecosystems. Our study highlights the importance of conserving ant-mediated seed dispersal, particularly in myrmecochory hotspots, to protect this critical ecological service.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125876"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term effects of free-ranging cattle and ponies on the soil and vegetation of reseeded grasslands in the New Forest, England","authors":"Peter J. Edwards ,&nbsp;J. Rue Ekins ,&nbsp;Susan Hollis","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125875","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125875","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The New Forest, England, includes an extensive area of semi-natural vegetation that is grazed by free-ranging cattle and ponies. Between 1947 and 1958, several areas of nutrient-poor acid grassland were fenced and sown with pasture seed mixtures with the aim of improving the animals’ food resources. After the swards had established, the fences were removed and the leys, known locally as reseeded lawns, have since been grazed continuously. Drawing upon data from previous studies and reports, we investigated changes in the vegetation and soils of these lawns, and in their use by grazing animals, over a period of &lt; 75 years. The sown species, among them <em>Lolium perenne</em> and <em>Trifolium repens</em>, were soon replaced by <em>Agrostis capillaris</em> and rosette-forming forbs such as <em>Hypochoeris radicata</em> and <em>Leontodon autumnalis</em>. After about 1996, the cover of <em>Danthonia decumbens</em> and various <em>Carex</em> spp. increased, and heathland species, especially <em>Calluna vulgaris</em>, began to encroach onto the lawns. This floristic succession was associated with declining productivity and lower nutritional quality of herbage, and reduced use of lawns by livestock. We present various lines of evidence indicating that the main driver of these changes was declining soil phosphorus (P), caused in large part by its export from lawns in excreta and in the bodies of animals leaving the New Forest. We conclude that, through their selective use of habitat, free-ranging livestock can strongly influence vegetation processes at larger spatial scales and may contribute positively to the conservation value of pastoral landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 125875"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144116441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biological flora of Central Europe: Centaurea cyanus L.","authors":"Martina D’Agostino ,&nbsp;Thomas Abeli","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125874","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125874","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Centaurea cyanus</em> L., commonly known as cornflower, is an annual plant of the Asteraceae family, probably native to the Eastern Mediterranean region and historically a common weed of cereal crops. It is placed within the genus <em>Centaurea</em>, although the distinction between the genera <em>Centaurea</em> and <em>Cyanus</em> is controversial. <em>C. cyanus</em> has distinctive blue-violet flowers, erect grey-green stems, and lyrate basal leaves. Although its initial distribution was centred in the Eastern Mediterranean region, <em>C. cyanus</em> has spread to Europe, North America, and Asia as a weed. However, intensive farming practices have caused a significant decline in its populations. It grows in various habitats but most frequently in agricultural habitats with nutrient-rich soils and high light availability. It completes its life cycle between winter and spring, showing two distinct emergence periods: one in autumn and one in spring, depending on environmental conditions. <em>C. cyanus</em> has hermaphroditic flowers that are primarily cross-pollinated but can show pseudo-self-compatibility. The plant is pollinated by various insects including bees (<em>Apis mellifera</em>, <em>Bombus</em> spp<em>.</em>), and hoverflies (Syrphidae), which are attracted to its nectar-rich flowers. Its seeds are dispersed by several agents including wind, ants, and mechanical tillage. Seeds show primary dormancy, with optimal germination temperatures between 10 °C and 15 °C. <em>C. cyanus</em> competes poorly with crops and is susceptible to herbivores and pathogens, which can limit its establishment in agricultural fields. However, its association with mycorrhizal fungi plays a beneficial role in soil remediation, enhancing nutrient uptake and improving soil health. <em>C. cyanus</em> contains many secondary compounds including tocopherols, organic and phenolic acids, and anthocyanins with antioxidant and antibacterial activities. <em>C. cyanus</em> is a species of high ecological and genetic relevance. It displays notable within-population genetic diversity, and substantial differentiation among populations, which underlies its adaptive potential across diverse environments. However, the species still faces threats from climate change, habitat degradation, and agricultural practices. It was used in traditional medicine, and has culinary, cosmetic, and ornamental uses. Its conservation status is currently \"Least Concern” at the European and European Union levels, but its fragmented distribution, increased inbreeding, declining population trend due to agricultural intensification, high nitrogen inputs, herbicide use, and decreased pollinator activity warrant attention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 125874"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomic and genetic assessment of disjunct populations of the threatened plant Arnica montana (Asteraceae) from central France","authors":"Fabienne Van Rossum ,&nbsp;Didier Buisson ,&nbsp;Timothée Le Péchon ,&nbsp;Laura Daco ,&nbsp;Sylvie Hermant ,&nbsp;Richard Dahlem ,&nbsp;Guy Colling ,&nbsp;Philippe Bardin","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125873","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125873","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To optimize genetic restoration, not only the amount of genetic diversity is important, but also genetic differentiation among populations. When genetic divergence is too high, maladaptation and outbreeding depression may compromise long-term population evolutionary potential. The declining, self-incompatible, clonally-propagating mountainous herb <em>Arnica montana</em> (Asteraceae) shows wide phenotypic variation through its range. Two subspecies (<em>atlantica</em> and <em>montana</em>) were described based on nuclear and plastid markers and on sesquiterpene lactone composition. Taxonomic uncertainties remain about disjunct, low elevational, and ecologically marginal populations in central France (Val-de-Loire region). We investigated genetic diversity and structure using four plastid markers and nine polymorphic microsatellite markers and quantified helenalin and dihydrohelenalin compounds in flowers, to compare Val-de-Loire populations with low-elevation populations from Ardennes (northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg) ascribed to <em>A. m.</em> subsp. <em>montana</em>. Small Val-de-Loire populations retained genetic diversity similar to the larger restored Ardennes populations, so that they may be used as seed sources for local translocations, with source mixing to take the small number of compatible mates due to high clonality into account. Genetic differentiation between Val-de-Loire and Ardennes populations suggests isolation-by-distance, and founding and genetic drift effects. Val-de-Loire populations share the same phylogeographic history and chemotype as Ardennes populations, and can thus be ascribed to <em>A. m.</em> subsp. <em>montana.</em> The wide chemotypic variation among and within populations suggests phenotypic plasticity related to site environment and climatic conditions, but also genetically-based local adaptation. The preservation of such ecologically marginal populations appear important in a context of climate change and increased eutrophication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 125873"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143898482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Untangling the relationship between pollination efficiency and pollen-ovule ratios","authors":"Martin Burd","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125872","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125872","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intuition suggests that loss of pollen during dispersal will favour increased pollen production to counteract the loss. From the perspective of sex allocation theory, however, such loss constitutes mortality following parental investment, and theoretical models have consistently shown that sex differences in post-investment mortality have no selective effect on parental sex allocation, of which pollen and ovule investment is a conspicuous part. This conflict between intuition and theory can be ameliorated by comparison to animal reproductive ecology. Mating systems such as polygyny that leave many seemingly superfluous males do not favour compensatory adjustments in the sex ratio. Rampant egg mortality among broadcast-spawners does not create selection for greater egg production. These inefficient reproductive investments evolve because efficiency is not the basis of the rare-sex advantage governing sex allocation. Nonetheless, empirical associations of pollination efficiency with pollen-ovule ratios need explanation. A simple but unexplored possibility is that high pollination efficiency tends also to involve stigmatic deposition of related cohorts of pollen or repeated pollination of nearby recipient plants by a focal donor, thus creating local mating competition, a factor long known to affect sex allocation. This hypothesis predicts that low pollen-ovule ratios will be accompanied by high levels of correlated paternity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 125872"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aquatic carnivorous plants fill gaps in the functional niches of macrophytes: Intra-species variability and group strategies","authors":"Alice Dalla Vecchia ,&nbsp;Lubomír Adamec ,&nbsp;Rossano Bolpagni","doi":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125871","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ppees.2025.125871","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inclusion of aquatic carnivorous plants (ACP) in global plant functional assessment is a key step to fully understand the functional space of macrophytes. For this purpose, we measured functional traits of ACP, focusing on the leaf economics spectrum, describing the functional space of ACP and comparing it with that of four widespread macrophyte growth forms (ceratophyllids, rooted submerged hydrophytes, nymphaeids and lemnids). Eight ACP species (<em>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</em>, and seven <em>Utricularia</em> spp.) were sampled in the Třeboňsko Biosphere Reserve and Protected Landscape Area (Czech Republic). Given the peculiar morphology of the target species, this required standardizing the selection of shoot portions for functional analysis by identifying \"functional units\" (<em>fu</em>) to be considered homologous to leaves. The analyzed ACP show wide functional variation, reflected in four different functional clusters. <em>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</em> differs markedly – in investment in carnivory and carbon content – from the <em>Utricularia</em> species, which in turn are characterized by significant differences, especially in <em>fu</em> size, number of traps, dry matter content, and chlorophyll-a content. Moreover, the functional space of ACP diverges significantly, with minimal overlap (∼10 %), with submerged species. All investigated ACP show traits related to rapid turnover of <em>fu</em>, confirming the tendency to adopt an acquisitive strategy. This, however, seems to be efficient only under conditions typical of these species (i.e. in nutrient-poor aquatic ecosystems). Our results considerably expand the available information on the functional space of aquatic macrophytes including ACP, clearly indicating the next steps for a full functional understanding of these species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56093,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 125871"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143882060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}