Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Chromosome number variation and repeatome dynamics in Nicotiana section Suaveolentes (Solanaceae).","authors":"Leylson Ferreira de Araújo, Felipe Nollet, Mark W Chase, Steven Dodsworth, Andrea Pedrosa-Harand","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Nicotiana section Suaveolentes comprises ∼65 allotetraploid species derived from South American diploid ancestors. This group originated around six million years ago, with diversification in arid central Australia, coinciding with successive chromosomal reorganizations forming a descending dysploid series (n = 24-15). However, genome size variation does not parallel chromosome number variation, possibly due to changes in repetitive DNA. To clarify this non-parallel evolution, we investigated the relationship between karyotypic diversification, repetitive DNA variability and constitutive heterochromatin distribution.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed comparative analyses of repetitive DNA by clustering sequence reads with RepeatExplorer, chromosome banding with CMA/DAPI, and FISH using telomeric, ribosomal and satellite DNA probes.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Our results revealed extensive heterochromatin variation, mainly terminally located, with Ty3-gypsy LTR retrotransposons associated with larger genomes, whereas satellite DNAs were more abundant in species with fewer chromosomes. Terminal CMA⁺ heterochromatin linked to Tsate-181 satellite DNA predominates in species with lower chromosome numbers, whereas those with higher numbers showed greater transposable element content. The number and position of 5S rDNA loci varied during diversification, reflecting descending dysploidy, whereas those of 35S rDNA remained largely constant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The contrasting dynamics of retrotransposons, accumulated in larger genomes, and satellite DNAs, amplified in species with lower chromosome numbers, suggest that genomic turnover might have contributed to adaptation to arid environments and facilitated colonization of novel habitats.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Repurposing genome skimming data for non-model plant functional phylogenetics: A case study in Rhodiola.","authors":"Hao He, Fu-Sheng Yang, Yu-Xiang Zhang, Chao Xu, Xin-Tang Ma, Yong-Xiu Song, Jia-Hui Sun, Yan Yu","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag114","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Investigating the evolution of functional genes in non model plants is often hindered by the lack of reference genomes and transcriptomic resources, especially for taxa inhabiting extreme environments. Here, focusing on the salidroside biosynthesis pathway in the medicinal alpine genus Rhodiola, we asked whether genome skimming data could be used to test three a priori predictions: predominant purifying selection across most pathway genes, lineage specific shifts in selective constraint under heterogeneous environments, and corresponding differences in predicted protein binding properties.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We integrated genome skimming with codon based selection analyses, environmental variable analysis, and two deep learning based tools, Evo2 for nucleotide level conservation scoring and AlphaFold 3 for protein structure prediction, to reconstruct phylogenies, detect selection signals, and evaluate relative binding patterns through molecular docking. Functional genes were mined using GeneMiner2, and phylogenetic signal analyses were performed with RASP to examine associations between gene evolutionary patterns and climatic or edaphic factors across 18 Rhodiola species.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>A total of 37 target genes, including 4HPAAS, 4HPAR1, 4HPAR2, and 34 UGT family members, were retrieved with a mean recovery rate of 96.7%. Six genes (4HPAAS, 4HPAR2, UGT3, UGT9, UGT20, and UGT21) showed strong purifying selection, high structural conservation, and significant phylogenetic signals correlated with diurnal temperature range and precipitation gradients. Divergence time estimation placed functional gene diversification in the late Pliocene-early Quaternary, coinciding with major uplift events of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Comparative phylogenetic regressions (PIC and PGLS), together with PAML tests, further highlighted three candidate FGs (4HPAR2, UGT10 and UGT26) showing lineage-specific shifts in selective constraint associated with environmental gradients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study illustrates that genome skimming data, combined with codon based and AI based analyses, can be used to test biologically grounded predictions about the evolution of functional genes in non model plants. Our results remain preliminary, but they identify a small set of candidate genes for future functional and ecological validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Woody Encroachment in Savannah and Open Ecosystems: A Global Analysis of Patterns and Impacts.","authors":"Lucas Silva Costa, Cássia Beatriz Rodrigues Munhoz, Mercedes Maria da Cunha Bustamante","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Woody encroachment is a growing ecological concern in savannas and grasslands, potentially disrupting the coexistence between woody and herbaceous-graminoid layers. This study aimed to assess and analyze how woody encroachment impacts the herbaceous-graminoid vegetation, identify profile traits of encroaching species, and evaluate the role of rainfall regime, soil texture and plant functional traits in modulating this impact.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review was conducted using Web of Science, followed by rigorous screening criteria. A meta-analysis was conducted using continuous effect sizes (Log Response Ratio and Y-index) to assess woody-herbaceous/graminoid interactions under encroachment. Using Mixed-Effects Meta-Regression (MEM) and Linear Mixed Models (LMM), we investigated the role of mean annual precipitation (MAP), soil clay content, and woody functional traits (nitrogen fixation and leaf phenology) on the impact of woody on the herbaceous-graminoid layer.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Woody encroachment leads to competitive exclusion, reducing cover and mainly the diversity of the herbaceous-graminoid layer. Local soil and functional traits overrode regional climate in determining interaction outcomes. Clayey soils significantly exacerbated the competitive exclusion of the herbaceous-graminoid layer. Furthermore, evergreen and non-N-fixing species drove severe competition. Most studies were conducted in dry climates, revealing a potential observational bias in drylands.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Woody encroachment severely alters plant-plant interactions in grasslands and savannas globally, predominantly driving the competitive exclusion of the herbaceous-graminoid layer. The magnitude of this negative impact is governed by local edaphic factors and the functional profile of the encroaching species.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seaweed functional traits predict species' roles in nutrient cycling and primary productivity.","authors":"Matthew E S Bracken, Robin J Fales, Emily Jones, Miriam Kleit, John N Griffin","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Functional traits - organisms' attributes that are quantifiable at the individual level - have emerged as a framework for predicting species' roles as mediators of ecosystem functions and services in terrestrial, freshwater, and pelagic marine systems. However, despite the high productivity and diversity of seaweeds in coastal habitats, we currently lack a trait-based framework for evaluating the effects of macroalgae on ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling and productivity. Based on previous research, we predicted that resource acquisition by seaweeds, including nitrate uptake and photosynthetic rates, would be associated with species' surface-area-to-volume ratios (SA:V). However, given the potential for other traits (e.g., thallus dry matter content, specific thallus area) to influence resource acquisition we also investigated a broader range of potentially linked traits that captured the diverse morphology and ecological strategies of seaweeds.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We filled this knowledge gap by measuring eight morphological traits of 15 seaweed species and using Principal Component Analysis to evaluate multivariate trait space and explore relationships between traits (i.e., Principal Component axes) and Michaelis-Menten parameters of nitrate uptake and photosynthetic rates.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found that nitrate uptake parameters were most closely related to the first Principal Component axis (PC1), which was associated with traits such as SA:V and the specific thallus area (STA). In contrast - and contrary to our predictions - photosynthetic parameters were related to PC3, which was associated with thallus dry matter content (TDMC), linking photosynthetic performance to metabolically active (i.e., low TDMC) structural composition.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The fact that parameters associated with acquisition of different resources (i.e., nitrate uptake and photosynthesis) were underpinned by different, orthogonal functional traits was unexpected and highlights the utility of trait-based approaches in providing new insights into the links between seaweed form and function, with implications for ecosystem functioning and services.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tight stomatal regulation and high intrinsic capacity of carbon assimilation inferred from isotopic composition negatively correlate with drought-driven decline in sclerophyllous species.","authors":"Frida I Piper, Susana Paula, Rocío Urrutia-Jalabert","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Long-term droughts reduce the carbon (C) and water pools of trees, causing mortality. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms explaining tree mortality remain unclear, and evidence from mature forests is scarce. The Chilean sclerophyllous forest has shown an abrupt and severe decline after >10 years of continuous drought, evidenced by browning and defoliation. We hypothesized that limited photosynthesis led to reduced concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and consequently impaired dehydration tolerance, and that drought resistance imposed a penalty in growth rates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We quantified the species-specific level of crown decline in eleven woody species and sampled unhealthy and healthy individuals within species to measure isotopic composition (δ18O and δ13C) and NSC concentrations in twigs and leaves formed in 2019 and 2020 as well as mean basal area increment (BAI) before (1999-2009) and during the megadrought (2010-2020). The effects of species-specific crown decline and intraspecific health status on isotopes, NSC, and BAI were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>δ13C decreased with species' crown decline, while δ18O did not change, indicating biochemical limitations to C assimilation in species with higher decline. Stomatal limitations to C assimilation, inferred from higher δ18O, along with lower NSC and sugar concentrations, were found in healthy individuals of species with less crown decline and in unhealthy individuals of species with higher crown decline. Unhealthy individuals grew less than healthy ones in both periods examined and regardless of species' crown decline.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Species' crown decline in the sclerophyllous forest of Central Chile was associated with biochemical and diffusive limitations on photosynthesis, but it was not related to reduced levels of NSC or to historical high or low growth rates. Results suggest that a timely stomatal regulation successfully prevents dehydration and reduces crown decline only when it occurs along with a high capacity of C assimilation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic mechanisms for size- and light-dependent reproductive maturation in two maple species, Acer amoenum var. amoenum and Acer mono var. glabrum.","authors":"Maki Suzuki, Yukine Fujioka, Yoko Hisamoto","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Wild trees have a long prematuration period before flowering. Threshold tree size and light conditions are suspected to trigger the reproductive maturation, though genetic evidence is needed to confirm this. We investigated the genetic mechanisms underlying the onset of reproduction using two wild maple species, Acer amoenum var. amoenum (Aa) and A. mono var. glabrum (Am).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed RNA-seq on leaves and buds sampled from the canopy tops of wild juvenile and mature trees to capture RNA expression during bud formation. We identified genes whose expression levels were highly correlated with FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) as well as with tree size and/or light conditions; such genes were designated as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Genes significantly correlated with light were further examined through a light manipulation experiment.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Most DEGs were correlated with both tree size and light conditions, demonstrating clear expression changes between saplings and adult trees. In Am, DEG expression patterns in adult trees further relied on tree size and light conditions, unlike Aa, the shade-adapted species. DEGs included mRNA of several flowering pathway transcription factors, including SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like, FRIGIDA-like, and COP1, indicating their involvement in the lifetime reproductive schedule of Acer trees. Some of these genes responded to light manipulation, demonstrating light-dependent adjustments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, our results reveal a synchronous shift in flowering-related gene expression across tree size, along with interspecific differences correlated with their different light requirements.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Decoding the genetic mechanism of heterosis in rice: insights from multi-omics and systems approaches.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag108","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drought during a key post-fire stage for recovery success filters plants with enhanced fitness under water stress in a Mediterranean obligate seeder.","authors":"David Salesa, Victor M Santana","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag102","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Climate change in Mediterranean ecosystems is lengthening summer droughts towards the wet seasons (autumn and/or spring). These seasonal rains are critical to ensure post-fire recovery, especially for obligate-seeder species since they exclusively rely on germination success. While shifts in drought seasonality after fire could constrain regeneration, drought events can filter out more drought-tolerant species in adult communities. Yet the role of drought as a selective filter during the first wet seasons after fire in obligate seeders remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We did an experimental fire on three sites. Then, we experimentally extended post-fire summer drought either by delaying its end into autumn or by advancing its onset into the following spring. Four and six years after the fire, we measured key life-history (height and fruit production), and leaf traits related to water use strategy in the most abundant post-fire species found, Cistus albidus.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Four years after the fire, plants surviving autumn drought were taller and produced more fruits than those subjected to spring drought. Despite this higher resource investment, six years after the fire, these individuals also exhibited leaf traits (e.g., SLA) that enhanced drought tolerance. Furthermore, the advanced summer drought to spring led to opposite results. Further analysis revealed that drought treatments had a more relevant role than, for example, plant density, in explaining outcomes in key traits such as SLA.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that a drought during the first post-fire autumn can filter individuals with traits directly related to fitness and survival under drought. Moreover, we conclude that more than drought during recovery, the timing of drought in this phase is crucial to generate intrapopulation filtering. This mechanism could have important implications for obligate seeders, which rely on replenishing their seedbank to persist in the face of disturbances.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147760269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Boundary-line trade-off in bryophytes between UV photoprotection and photosynthetic capacity, but not desiccation tolerance.","authors":"Alicia V Perera Castro, Maria Elena Solarte, Ayako Egawa, Pavel Brito-Gutiérrez, Melinda J Waterman, Sharon A Robinson, Jaume Flexas, Javier Gulías","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf242","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf242","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Coping with both UV-B radiation and desiccation was essential for early land plants. In bryophytes, UV-B screening and desiccation tolerance partially depend on the physicochemical features of cell walls, which may also constrain photosynthesis. This study tested the relationship between the accumulation of UV-absorbing compounds (UVACs) and photosynthetic capacity and desiccation tolerance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, desiccation tolerance and UVACs were analysed for Colombian, Antarctic, Spanish and Australian species collected from locations of contrasting UV exposure. Apparent photosynthesis, quantum efficiency and heat dissipation were measured using PAM-coupled systems. Desiccation tolerance was evaluated by recovery of Fv/Fm after long-term dry storage (14 d). Cell wall-bound and soluble UVACs were quantified through spectrophotometry after methanolic and alkali extraction. Trait relationships were assessed by correlation tests and quantile regression.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>A boundary line trade-off was found between apparent photosynthesis and cell wall-bound UVACs: no species simultaneously exhibited both high photosynthetic rates and large amounts of UVACs in its cell walls. The three phyla of bryophytes were segregated across this gradient, with mosses showing the highest photosynthetic capacity but lowest UVACs, and liverworts and hornworts presenting the highest UVACs together with low photosynthetic rates. No trend was observed with chlorophyll concentration or quantum efficiency of photosystem II. Long-term desiccation tolerance was not correlated with either cell wall-bound or soluble UVACs. On the contrary, it was associated with non-photochemical quenching, which is possibly linked to a minimum ROS scavenging capacity indispensable for recovering functionality after a long-term desiccation/rehydration cycle.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Bryophytes exhibit a boundary-line trade-off between UV protection and photosynthetic capacity, possibly driven by limitations to CO2 diffusion associated with the accumulation of cell wall-bound UVAC. In contrast, desiccation tolerance appears to rely on different physiological mechanisms, related to heat dissipation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"892-906"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13095883/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145249465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of herbivory on pollinators: a revisited meta-analysis.","authors":"Stephanie Haas-Desmarais, Bastien Castagneyrol, Luis Abdala-Roberts, Christopher J Lortie, Anna Traveset, Xoaquín Moreira","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf258","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf258","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Plant-herbivore and plant-pollinator interactions are closely interconnected through their combined influence on plant reproduction, involving both direct and indirect (plant-mediated) effects between these consumer groups. Although these dynamics have been investigated for nearly three decades and were previously synthesized in a meta-analysis, rapid growth in the field in recent years warrants an updated quantitative assessment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We extend the most recent synthesis by incorporating primary studies published between 2018 and 2023, nearly doubling the dataset from 88 to 171 studies and increasing the number of independent observations from 568 to 1348. We reanalysed the effects of both natural and simulated herbivory on floral traits, pollinator visitation and plant reproductive output, expanding previous damage categories to include stem damage and mixed-tissue damage - defined here as damage affecting multiple plant tissues simultaneously (e.g. grazing that impacts both leaves and flowers).</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Plant damage significantly reduced floral traits, pollinator attraction and reproductive success. These effects varied with both the type of damage and the tissue affected, with their interaction strongly moderating plant responses. Natural damage to leaves and flowers in most cases reduced floral traits, pollinator visitation and reproduction (except floral traits in the case of flower damage). By contrast, root and mixed damage had no significant effects. Simulated damage, on the other hand, also influenced responses: damage to flowers and stems only reduced floral traits, while damage to leaves reduced pollinator attraction. Importantly, our updated analysis corroborates some trends but also overturns earlier findings: whereas previous work suggested no impact of simulated herbivory, we now detect significant negative effects, and natural floral damage, once considered neutral or in some cases positive for reproduction, is revealed to be detrimental.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings demonstrate that herbivory alters plant-pollinator interactions in trait- and tissue-specific ways, providing new insights into the ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant-herbivore-pollinator linkages.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"879-885"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13095882/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145298201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}