17
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Substantial variation in the timing of pollen production reduces reproductive synchrony between distant populations of Pinus sylvestris L. in Scotland

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          The ability of a population to genetically adapt to a changing environment is contingent not only on the level of existing genetic variation within that population, but also on the gene flow received from differently adapted populations. Effective pollen‐mediated gene flow among plant populations requires synchrony of flowering. Therefore differences in timing of flowering among genetically divergent populations may reduce their ability to adapt to environmental change. To determine whether gene flow among differently adapted populations of native Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) in Scotland was restricted by differences in their flowering phenology, we measured timing of pollen release among populations spanning a steep environmental gradient over three consecutive seasons (2014–2016). Results showed that, over a distance of 137 km, there were as many as 15.8 days’ difference among populations for the predicted timing of peak pollen shedding, with the earliest development in the warmer west of the country. There was much variation between years, with the earliest development and least synchrony in the warmest year (2014) and latest development and greatest synchrony in the coolest year (2015). Timing was negatively correlated with results from a common‐garden experiment, indicative of a pattern of countergradient variation. We conclude that the observed differences in reproductive synchrony were sufficient to limit gene flow via pollen between populations of P. sylvestris at opposite ends of the environmental gradient across Scotland. We also hypothesize that continually warming, or asymmetrically warming spring temperatures will decrease reproductive synchrony among pine populations.

          Related collections

          Most cited references56

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          Conserving biodiversity under climate change: the rear edge matters.

          Modern climate change is producing poleward range shifts of numerous taxa, communities and ecosystems worldwide. The response of species to changing environments is likely to be determined largely by population responses at range margins. In contrast to the expanding edge, the low-latitude limit (rear edge) of species ranges remains understudied, and the critical importance of rear edge populations as long-term stores of species' genetic diversity and foci of speciation has been little acknowledged. We review recent findings from the fossil record, phylogeography and ecology to illustrate that rear edge populations are often disproportionately important for the survival and evolution of biota. Their ecological features, dynamics and conservation requirements differ from those of populations in other parts of the range, and some commonly recommended conservation practices might therefore be of little use or even counterproductive for rear edge populations.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Phenotypic similarity and the evolutionary significance of countergradient variation.

            Countergradient variation is a geographical pattern of genotypes (with respect to environments) in which genetic influences on a trait oppose environmental influences, thereby minimizing phenotypic change along the gradient. Phenotypic similarity across changing environments ought to be of intense interest because it belies considerable genotypic change. When it occurs in characters that are positively associated with fitness, countergradient variation conflicts with the hypothesis that local adaptation to one environment trades off against performance in another environment. Cases of countergradient variation therefore offer unique insight into the mechanisms that produce and maintain phenotypic similarity and/or differences along environmental gradients. Copyright © 1995. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: not found
              • Article: not found

              Date of Budburst of Fifteen Tree Species in Britain Following Climatic Warming

                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                richardwhittet@gmail.com
                Journal
                Ecol Evol
                Ecol Evol
                10.1002/(ISSN)2045-7758
                ECE3
                Ecology and Evolution
                John Wiley and Sons Inc. (Hoboken )
                2045-7758
                15 June 2017
                August 2017
                : 7
                : 15 ( doiID: 10.1002/ece3.2017.7.issue-15 )
                : 5754-5765
                Affiliations
                [ 1 ] Institute of Evolutionary Biology University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
                [ 2 ] NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Penicuik UK
                [ 3 ] Forest Research Northern Research Station Roslin UK
                Author notes
                [*] [* ] Correspondence

                Richard Whittet, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

                Email: richardwhittet@ 123456gmail.com

                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5481-227X
                Article
                ECE33154
                10.1002/ece3.3154
                5586338
                b96a7a97-f589-41c0-b9e4-ecbeba43a30c
                © 2017 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

                This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 08 March 2017
                : 24 April 2017
                : 17 May 2017
                Page count
                Figures: 8, Tables: 2, Pages: 12, Words: 8688
                Categories
                Original Research
                Original Research
                Custom metadata
                2.0
                ece33154
                August 2017
                Converter:WILEY_ML3GV2_TO_NLMPMC version:5.1.9 mode:remove_FC converted:06.09.2017

                Evolutionary Biology
                assortative mating,countergradient variation,cumulative link model,flowering phenology,functional connectivity,gene flow,pinus sylvestris,pollen,reproductive synchrony,scotland

                Comments

                Comment on this article