| Abstract Detail
Ecology Novaes, Letícia Rodrigues [1], Simón-Porcar, Violeta [2], Arroyo, Juan [3]. Global patterns in plant reproductive traits and genetic diversity. The biogeography of plant traits depends on evolutionary processes and on the ecological niche of species, which encompasses abiotic and biotic factors. Evaluating the variation of plant traits across different gradients is key to forecast the response of plant species to ongoing climate change. Previous studies show changes in reproductive traits, pollination niche and genetic diversity of plant populations across elevation and/or latitudinal gradients. However, the local scale and focus on particular taxonomic groups of such studies has precluded to unravel any general pattern of these changes. Also, elevation has been used as a proxy for latitude changes without evidence of its suitability. Here, we aim to evaluate the global effects of elevation on reproductive traits and genetic diversity of angiosperms, and test whether such effects are constant across latitude. For this, we performed a systematic PRISMA review and meta-analysis of studies analysing plant reproductive traits (i.e. number of flowers, floral size, floral phenology, sex traits, pollinators visitation rate, seed set) and expected heterozygosity in various natural plant populations. The review, performed on the Web of Science and Scopus databases until January 2021, retrieved 1098 papers, in whose bibliography we also sought for similar data. We selected articles that met the following criteria: include two populations per species with a minimum elevation difference of 400m and geographical coordinates, and provide sample size, mean and variance measures for each variable, population and species. We performed separate meta-analysis for each variable, including as moderators: family, life form (annual, perennial, biennial), vegetative form (herb, shrub, tree), geographic range (widespread, regional), ecorregion, breeding system (hermaphroditic, andromonoecious, gynomonoecious, dioecious, gynodioecious), incompatibility system (compatible or incompatible), and elevation, temperature and precipitation differences within the pair of populations. We conducted multicollinearity tests to select the best set of moderators for each meta-analysis. Our results suggest that there is no effect of altitude nor latitude on genetic diversity of plant populations. However, few studies are performed in low latitudes (less than 10 degrees), which can be considered as a research gap to solve. On the other hand, we found a positive effect of elevation on the production of flowers. Ongoing meta-analyses for all variables together will allow a deeper understanding of the responses of plant populations to environmental gradients, which is necessary for a proper account of sensitivity of plant populations to climate changes in extreme environments.
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1 - University of Seville, Department of Botany and Ecology, Avenida Reina Mercedes,6, Sevilla, Sevilla, 41012, Spain
2 - University of Seville, Avenida Reina Mercedes,6, Sevilla, Sevilla, 41012, Spain
3 - University Of Seville, Dept. Plant Biology And Ecology, Dept Biologia Vegetal Y Ecol, Univ De Sevilla/Aptdo 1095, Sevilla, SE, 41080, Spain
Keywords:
reproductive biology
floral traits
distribution.
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P1, Ecology Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Monday, July 19th, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM(EDT)
Number: P1EC020
Abstract ID:663
Candidate for Awards:None |
