Genome size influences plant growth and biodiversity responses to nutrient fertilization in diverse grassland communities
Experiments comparing diploids with polyploids and in single grassland sites show that nitrogen and/or phosphorus availability influences plant growth and community composition dependent on genome size; specifically, plants with larger genomes grow faster under nutrient enrichments relative to those with smaller genomes. However, it is unknown if these effects are specific to particular site localities with speciifc plant assemblages, climates, and historical contingencies. To determine the generality of genome size-dependent growth responses to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization, we combined genome size and species abundance data from 27 coordinated grassland nutrient addition experiments in the Nutrient Network that occur in the Northern Hemisphere across a range of climates and grassland communities. We found that after nitrogen treatment, species with larger genomes generally increased more in cover compared to those with smaller genomes, potentially due to a release from nutrient limitation. Responses were strongest for C3 grasses and in less seasonal, low precipitation environments, indicating that genome size effects on water-use-efficiency modulates genome size-nutrient interactions. Cumulatively, the data suggest that genome size is informative and improves predictions of species' success in grassland communities.
Authors
- Yvonne M. Buckley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7599-3201)
- Ilia J. Leitch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3837-8186)
- Marc W. Cadotte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5816-7693)
- Lars A. Brudvig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3857-2165)
- Holly M. Martinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1462-0051)
- Nico Eisenhauer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0371-6720)
- Carlos Alberto Arnillas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1506-9978)
- Christiane Roscher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9301-7909)
- Rebecca L. McCulley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2393-0599)
- Carly Stevens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2390-1763)
- Anke Jentsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2345-8300)
- Kateřina Veselá (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8665-3472)
- Sylvia Haider (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2966-0534)
- Elizabeth T. Borer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2259-5853)
- Catalina Estrada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0074-0776)
- Xavier Raynaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9065-2867)
- Erika I. Hersch‐Green (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3887-0768)
- Andrew Rowland Leitch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8574-302X)
- Eric W. Seabloom (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6780-9259)
- Kendi F. Davies (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7716-3359)
- A. Wallace
- Ian Donohue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-6448)
- Anne Ebeling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3221-4017)
- Joseph A. Morton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4400-4575)
- Yann Hautier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4347-7741)
- Lori Biedermann
Institutions
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE)
- Michigan Technological University (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (DE)
- University of Kentucky (US)
- McDaniel College (US)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Minnesota State University Moorhead (US)
- Iowa State University (US)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Université Paris-Est Créteil (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- Scarborough Health Network (CA)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (GB)
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Michigan United (US)
- Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Bayreuth (DE)
- Lancaster University (GB)
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Leipzig University (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS Biology
- Published
- 2024-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002927
- Citations
- 12
- Primary Topic
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.20
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Queen Mary University of London
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, UK Government
- UK Research and Innovation
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Analyses et Expérimentations pour les Ecosystèmes
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- CHIST-ERA