Vicia cracca diploids and autotetraploids are highly parapatric in Europe; tetraploids reside in western and northern part, whereas diploids occupy much drier south-eastern part. They meet together in a Central European contact zone. This distribution pattern raised questions about a transformative effect of polyploidization on plant performance and environmental tolerances. We investigated plant survival, growth, and seed production in two water regimes in a common garden experiment using seeds collected from five localities in the Central European contact zone where diploids and tetraploids occur in sympatry. Obtained data imply that tetraploids of V. cracca are not generally superior in performance to diploids. Significantly larger seeds from tetraploid mother plants collected in the field were not correlated with greater stature of the seedlings. Nonetheless, tetraploids might have a potential to out-compete diploids in the long run due to the tetraploids' ability of greater growth which manifested in the second year of cultivation. Considering the response of diploids and tetraploids to water supply, drought stressed tetraploids but not diploids produced a higher proportion of aborted seeds than watered ones, which implies that tetraploids are more drought susceptible than diploids. On the other hand, decreased plant height in drought stresses tetraploids, which simultaneously increased total seed production, may suggest that tetraploids have a greater ability to avoid local extinction under unfavourable conditions by enhancing biomass allocation into production of seeds at the cost of lower growth. The significant interaction between ploidy level and locality in several traits suggests possible polyfyletic origin of tetraploids and the necessity to clarify the history of the tetraploids in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• Drought stress, Polyploid, Seed production, Seed weight, Sympatric, Vegetative growth,
• MeSH
• biomasa MeSH
• diploidie MeSH
• ploidie MeSH
• semena rostlinná genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• semenáček genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• sympatrie MeSH
• tetraploidie MeSH
• vikev genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• zahrady MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

BACKGROUND: Plant genomes can respond rapidly to environmental changes and transposable elements (TEs) arise as important drivers contributing to genome dynamics. Although some elements were reported to be induced by various abiotic or biotic factors, there is a lack of general understanding on how environment influences the activity and diversity of TEs. Here, we combined common garden experiment with short-read sequencing to investigate genomic abundance and expression of 2245 consensus TE sequences (containing retrotransposons and DNA transposons) in an alpine environment in Arabidopsis arenosa. To disentangle general trends from local differentiation, we leveraged four foothill-alpine population pairs from different mountain regions. Seeds of each of the eight populations were raised under four treatments that differed in temperature and irradiance, two factors varying with elevation. RNA-seq analysis was performed on leaves of young plants to test for the effect of elevation and subsequently of temperature and irradiance on expression of TE sequences. RESULTS: Genomic abundance of the 2245 consensus TE sequences varied greatly between the mountain regions in line with neutral divergence among the regions, representing distinct genetic lineages of A. arenosa. Accounting for intraspecific variation in abundance, we found consistent transcriptomic response for some TE sequences across the different pairs of foothill-alpine populations suggesting parallelism in TE expression. In particular expression of retrotransposon LTR Copia (e.g. Ivana and Ale clades) and LTR Gypsy (e.g. Athila and CRM clades) but also non-LTR LINE or DNA transposon TIR MuDR consistently varied with elevation of origin. TE sequences responding specifically to temperature and irradiance belonged to the same classes as well as additional TE clades containing potentially stress-responsive elements (e.g. LTR Copia Sire and Tar, LTR Gypsy Reina). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that the A. arenosa genome harbours a considerable diversity of TE sequences whose abundance and expression response varies across its native range. Some TE clades may contain transcriptionally active elements responding to a natural environmental gradient. This may further contribute to genetic variation between populations and may ultimately provide new regulatory mechanisms to face environmental challenges.

• Klíčová slova
• Alpine environment, Arabidopsis arenosa, Common garden experiment, Parallelism, RNA-seq, Transposable elements,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Dispersal and reproduction are key life-history traits that jointly determine species' potential to expand their distribution, for instance in light of ongoing climate change. These life-history traits are known to be under selection by changing local environmental conditions, but they may also evolve by spatial sorting. While local natural selection and spatial sorting are mainly studied in model organisms, we do not know the degree to which these processes are relevant in the wild, despite their importance to a comprehensive understanding of species' resistance and tolerance to climate change. METHODS: The wasp spider Argiope bruennichi has undergone a natural range expansion - from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe during the recent decades. Using reciprocal common garden experiments in the laboratory, we studied differences in crucial traits between replicated core (Southern France) and edge (Baltic States) populations. We tested theoretical predictions of enhanced dispersal (ballooning behaviour) and reproductive performance (fecundity and winter survival) at the expansion front due to spatial sorting and local environmental conditions. RESULTS: Dispersal rates were not consistently higher at the northern expansion front, but were impacted by the overwintering climatic conditions experienced, such that dispersal was higher when spiderlings had experienced winter conditions as occur in their region. Hatching success and winter survival were lower at the range border. In agreement with theoretical predictions, spiders from the northern leading edge invested more in reproduction for their given body size. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence for spatial sorting leading to higher dispersal in northern range edge populations of A. bruennichi. However, reproductive investment and overwintering survival between core and edge populations differed. These life-history traits that directly affect species' expansion rates seem to have diverged during the recent range expansion of A. bruennichi. We discuss the observed changes with respect to the species' natural history and the ecological drivers associated with range expansion to northern latitudes.

• Klíčová slova
• Araneae, Argiope bruennichi, Body size, Passive dispersal, Reciprocal common garden experiment, Reproductive success,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Aggregated transfer factors (Tag) were identified for three common vegetables grown in six common European soils freshly contaminated by 134Cs and 85Sr. The experiment was carried out as a mesocosm experiment in pots with an average soil weight of 15.8 kg per pot. The vegetables were grown one after the other during one vegetation season, in the order lettuce, onion, and radish (the order usually applied in private gardens and small farms). Despite the fact that lettuce was grown in the most contaminated soil, it had the lowest Tag (in m2/kg) of both radionuclides (3.6E-4 for Cs, 2.0E-2 for Sr), while onion had 6.4E-3 for Cs and 3.2E-2 for Sr and radish had 1.9E-3 for Cs and 8.1E-2 for Sr. Potassium supply did not show any statistically significant effect on Cs Tag; there was a significant impact of K on the decrease in Sr Tag. The experiments indicated that Tag is more affected by plant species than by soil type; therefore, selection of plants with a lower capacity to uptake radionuclides may be an important measure to reduce food contamination and thus minimize the committed effective dose.

• Klíčová slova
• Caesium, Radionuclides, Soil, Strontium, Transfer factor, Vegetable,
• MeSH
• kontaminace potravin MeSH
• půda MeSH
• salát (hlávkový) MeSH
• zelenina * MeSH
• znečištění životního prostředí * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda MeSH

In spite of the increasing number of studies on the importance of transgenerational plasticity for species response to novel environments, its effects on species ability to respond to climate change are still largely unexplored. We study the importance of transgenerational plasticity for response of a clonal species Festuca rubra. Individuals from four natural populations representing two levels of temperature and two levels of precipitation were cultivated in four growth chambers that simulate the temperature and precipitation of origin of the populations (maternal phase). Each population was represented in each growth chamber. After 6 months, single young ramets of these plants were reshuffled among the growth chambers and let to grow for additional 2 months (offspring phase). The results show that transgenerational effects (i.e., maternal phase conditions) significantly modify species response to novel climates, and the direction and intensity of the response depend on the climate of origin of the plants. For traits related to recourse acquisition, the conditions of maternal phase, either alone or in interaction mainly with climate of origin, had stronger effect than the conditions of cultivation. Overall, the maternal climate interacted more intensively with the climate of origin than with the offspring climate. The direction of the effect of the maternal climate was of different directions and intensities depending on plant origin and trait studied. The data demonstrated strong significant effects of conditions during maternal phase on species response to novel climates. These transgenerational affects were, however, not adaptive. Still, transgenerational plasticity may be an important driver of species response to novel conditions across clonal generations. These effects thus need to be carefully considered in future studies exploring species response to novel climates. This will also have strong effects on species performance under increasingly variable climates expected to occur with the climate change.

• Klíčová slova
• Festuca rubra, climatic extremes, common garden experiment, epigenetic memory, genome methylation, local adaptation, reciprocal transplant experiment,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Most range shift predictions focus on the dispersal phase of the colonization process. Because moving populations experience increasingly dissimilar nonclimatic environmental conditions as they track climate warming, it is also critical to test how individuals originating from contrasting thermal environments can establish in nonlocal sites. We assess the intraspecific variation in growth responses to nonlocal soils by planting a widespread grass of deciduous forests (Milium effusum) into an experimental common garden using combinations of seeds and soil sampled in 22 sites across its distributional range, and reflecting movement scenarios of up to 1600 km. Furthermore, to determine temperature and forest-structural effects, the plants and soils were experimentally warmed and shaded. We found significantly positive effects of the difference between the temperature of the sites of seed and soil collection on growth and seedling emergence rates. Migrant plants might thus encounter increasingly favourable soil conditions while tracking the isotherms towards currently 'colder' soils. These effects persisted under experimental warming. Rising temperatures and light availability generally enhanced plant performance. Our results suggest that abiotic and biotic soil characteristics can shape climate change-driven plant movements by affecting growth of nonlocal migrants, a mechanism which should be integrated into predictions of future range shifts.

• Klíčová slova
• Milium effusum (millet grass), climate change, climate envelope, common garden experiment, forest understorey, intraspecific variation, range shifts, soil biota,
• MeSH
• distribuce rostlin * MeSH
• globální oteplování * MeSH
• lipnicovité růst a vývoj   MeSH
• podnebí * MeSH
• půda * MeSH
• semena rostlinná MeSH
• semenáček růst a vývoj   fyziologie   MeSH
• stromy MeSH
• světlo MeSH
• teplota * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda * MeSH

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased interest in the potential for forest ecosystems and soils to act as carbon (C) sinks. While soil organic C contents often vary with tree species identity, little is known about if, and how, tree species influence the stability of C in soil. Using a 40 year old common garden experiment with replicated plots of eleven temperate tree species, we investigated relationships between soil organic matter (SOM) stability in mineral soils and 17 ecological factors (including tree tissue chemistry, magnitude of organic matter inputs to the soil and their turnover, microbial community descriptors, and soil physicochemical properties). We measured five SOM stability indices, including heterotrophic respiration, C in aggregate occluded particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral associated SOM, and bulk SOM δ15 N and ∆14 C. The stability of SOM varied substantially among tree species, and this variability was independent of the amount of organic C in soils. Thus, when considering forest soils as C sinks, the stability of C stocks must be considered in addition to their size. Further, our results suggest tree species regulate soil C stability via the composition of their tissues, especially roots. Stability of SOM appeared to be greater (as indicated by higher δ15 N and reduced respiration) beneath species with higher concentrations of nitrogen and lower amounts of acid insoluble compounds in their roots, while SOM stability appeared to be lower (as indicated by higher respiration and lower proportions of C in aggregate occluded POM) beneath species with higher tissue calcium contents. The proportion of C in mineral associated SOM and bulk soil ∆14 C, though, were negligibly dependent on tree species traits, likely reflecting an insensitivity of some SOM pools to decadal scale shifts in ecological factors. Strategies aiming to increase soil C stocks may thus focus on particulate C pools, which can more easily be manipulated and are most sensitive to climate change.

• Klíčová slova
• 14C, 15N, common garden, heterotrophic respiration, mineral associated SOM, physical fractionation, stoichiometry,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Understanding the direct consequences of polyploidization is necessary for assessing the evolutionary significance of this mode of speciation. Previous studies have not studied the degree of between-population variation that occurs due to these effects. Although it is assumed that the effects of the substances that create synthetic polyploids disappear in second-generation synthetic polyploids, this has not been tested. METHODS: The direct consequences of polyploidization were assessed and separated from the effects of subsequent evolution in Vicia cracca , a naturally occurring species with diploid and autotetraploid cytotypes. Synthetic tetraploids were created from diploids of four mixed-ploidy populations. Performance of natural diploids and tetraploids was compared with that of synthetic tetraploids. Diploid offspring of the synthetic tetraploid mothers were also included in the comparison. In this way, the effects of colchicine application in the maternal generation on offspring performance could be compared independently of the effects of polyploidization. KEY RESULTS: The sizes of seeds and stomata were primarily affected by cytotype, while plant performance differed between natural and synthetic polyploids. Most performance traits were also determined by colchicine application to the mothers, and most of these results were largely population specific. CONCLUSIONS: Because the consequences of colchicine application are still apparent in the second generation of the plants, at least the third-generation polyploids should be considered in future comparisons. The specificities of the colchicine-treated plants may also be caused by strong selection pressures during the creation of synthetic polyploids. This could be tested by comparing the initial sizes of plants that survived the colchicine treatments with those of plants that did not. High variation between populations also suggests that different polyploids follow different evolutionary trajectories, and this should be considered when studying the effects of polyploidization.

• Klíčová slova
• Anti-mitotic agent, Fabaceae, common garden experiment, flow cytometry, individual growth rate, neopolyploid, reproductive fitness, trait evolution,
• MeSH
• diploidie MeSH
• kolchicin farmakologie   MeSH
• molekulární evoluce MeSH
• polyploidie * MeSH
• tetraploidie MeSH
• vikev účinky léků   genetika   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• kolchicin MeSH

Genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity jointly shape intraspecific trait variation, but their roles differ among traits. In short-lived plants, reproductive traits may be more genetically determined due to their impact on fitness, whereas vegetative traits may show higher plasticity to buffer short-term perturbations. Combining a multi-treatment greenhouse experiment with observational field data throughout the range of a widespread short-lived herb, Plantago lanceolata, we (1) disentangled genetic and plastic responses of functional traits to a set of environmental drivers and (2) assessed how genetic differentiation and plasticity shape observational trait-environment relationships. Reproductive traits showed distinct genetic differentiation that largely determined observational patterns, but only when correcting traits for differences in biomass. Vegetative traits showed higher plasticity and opposite genetic and plastic responses, masking the genetic component underlying field-observed trait variation. Our study suggests that genetic differentiation may be inferred from observational data only for the traits most closely related to fitness.

• Klíčová slova
• biomass, common garden experiment, countergradient variation, fecundity, genotype by environment interaction, intraspecific trait variation, observational datasets, root:shoot ratio, specific leaf area, widespread species,
• MeSH
• biomasa MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• fyziologická adaptace MeSH
• masky * MeSH
• Plantago * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• dopisy MeSH

Soils and forest soil in particular represent important pools of carbon (C). The amount of C stored in soil depends on the input of organic matter into the soil, but also on quality of the organic matter, which determines the proportion of organic matter that remains in the soil or that is released from the soil as CO2. Here, we present a quantitative review of common garden experiments in which various tree species were planted alongside each other. The main goals of the study were to determine whether: 1) the amount of sequestered C under broadleaf and coniferous trees could be affected by soil age and previous land use; 2) the C:N ratio of leaf litter is correlated with the amount of sequestered C; 3) the amount of sequestered C under broadleaf and coniferous trees could be affected by pH and clay content. We found that the effects of broadleaf and coniferous trees on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration differed with the stage of soil development. We used soils with different previous land uses as a representative of different stages of soil development. Forest soils and agricultural soils represent soils in later stages of soil development and post-mining soils represent soils in early stages of development. In forest soils, more SOC was stored under coniferous trees than under broadleaf trees. In post-mining soils the opposite trend was found, i.e., more SOC was stored under broadleaf than coniferous trees. In afforested agricultural soils, SOC sequestration did not differ between broadleaf and coniferous trees. SOC sequestration under broadleaf trees was highest in soils with high pH. SOC sequestration was negatively correlated with the litter C:N ratio in post-mining soils but not in other more mature soils. Similarly, SOC sequestration was negatively correlated with the litter C:N in alkaline soils and in soils with high clay content. These results suggest that dominant SOC sequestration mechanisms change with stage of soil development such that SOC storage is greater under broadleaf trees in immature soils but is greater under coniferous trees in mature soils.

• Klíčová slova
• Carbon sequestration, Common garden, Soil organic carbon, Tree species,
• MeSH
• cévnaté rostliny * MeSH
• lesy MeSH
• půda MeSH
• sekvestrace uhlíku MeSH
• stromy * MeSH
• uhlík MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda MeSH
• uhlík MeSH