What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient?
Abstract Background The reasons that clonal plants shift between sexual and clonal reproduction have persisted as a knowledge gap in ecological literature. We hypothesized that clonal plants’ shifts between sexual and clonal reproduction in different environments are driven by the relative costs of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Plant Biology |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12870-018-1313-6 |
| _version_ | 1818621508415651840 |
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| author | Zhongwu Wang Lina Xie Chelse M. Prather Hongyu Guo Guodong Han Chengcang Ma |
| author_facet | Zhongwu Wang Lina Xie Chelse M. Prather Hongyu Guo Guodong Han Chengcang Ma |
| author_sort | Zhongwu Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The reasons that clonal plants shift between sexual and clonal reproduction have persisted as a knowledge gap in ecological literature. We hypothesized that clonal plants’ shifts between sexual and clonal reproduction in different environments are driven by the relative costs of sexual and clonal reproduction. Moreover, we hypothesized plants prioritize sexual reproduction over clonal reproduction. To test these hypotheses, we determined the costs of sexual and clonal reproduction, and proportions of sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient (semi-arid, arid, very arid and intensively arid zones) in the Inner Mongolia Steppe using several complementary field experiments. Results The cost of sexual reproduction increased while the cost of clonal reproduction decreased as climatic drought stress increased from the semi-arid to the intensively arid zones. The changes in the costs of these reproductive modes drove a shift in the reproductive mode of C. stenophylla from more sexual reproduction in the semi-arid zone to more clonal propagation in the intensively arid zone. However, because of the evolutionary advantages of sexual reproduction, sexual reproduction still held priority over clonal production in C. stenophylla, with the priority of sexual reproduction gradually increasing from the semi-arid to the intensively arid zones. Conclusions Our study suggested that sexual reproduction has relatively high priority in propagation of C. stenophylla. However, if the costs of sexual reproduction are too high, C. stenophylla likely chooses clonal reproduction, and the ratio between sexual and clonal reproduction could be mediated by reproductive cost. These reproductive strategies reflect optimal resource utilization, and allow the persistence of both reproductive modes across stressful conditions depending on their evolutionary advantages. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:10:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca7875f156a3492a81009579d3ffe82a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2229 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:10:23Z |
| publishDate | 2018-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca7875f156a3492a81009579d3ffe82a2022-12-21T22:21:48ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292018-05-0118111010.1186/s12870-018-1313-6What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient?Zhongwu Wang0Lina Xie1Chelse M. Prather2Hongyu Guo3Guodong Han4Chengcang Ma5College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal UniversityDepartment of Biology, University of DaytonTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal UniversityCollege of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityTianjin Key Laboratory of Animal and Plant Resistance, College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal UniversityAbstract Background The reasons that clonal plants shift between sexual and clonal reproduction have persisted as a knowledge gap in ecological literature. We hypothesized that clonal plants’ shifts between sexual and clonal reproduction in different environments are driven by the relative costs of sexual and clonal reproduction. Moreover, we hypothesized plants prioritize sexual reproduction over clonal reproduction. To test these hypotheses, we determined the costs of sexual and clonal reproduction, and proportions of sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient (semi-arid, arid, very arid and intensively arid zones) in the Inner Mongolia Steppe using several complementary field experiments. Results The cost of sexual reproduction increased while the cost of clonal reproduction decreased as climatic drought stress increased from the semi-arid to the intensively arid zones. The changes in the costs of these reproductive modes drove a shift in the reproductive mode of C. stenophylla from more sexual reproduction in the semi-arid zone to more clonal propagation in the intensively arid zone. However, because of the evolutionary advantages of sexual reproduction, sexual reproduction still held priority over clonal production in C. stenophylla, with the priority of sexual reproduction gradually increasing from the semi-arid to the intensively arid zones. Conclusions Our study suggested that sexual reproduction has relatively high priority in propagation of C. stenophylla. However, if the costs of sexual reproduction are too high, C. stenophylla likely chooses clonal reproduction, and the ratio between sexual and clonal reproduction could be mediated by reproductive cost. These reproductive strategies reflect optimal resource utilization, and allow the persistence of both reproductive modes across stressful conditions depending on their evolutionary advantages.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12870-018-1313-6Clonal plantPriority of sexual reproductionReproductive costReproductive modeClimate |
| spellingShingle | Zhongwu Wang Lina Xie Chelse M. Prather Hongyu Guo Guodong Han Chengcang Ma What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? BMC Plant Biology Clonal plant Priority of sexual reproduction Reproductive cost Reproductive mode Climate |
| title | What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? |
| title_full | What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? |
| title_fullStr | What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? |
| title_short | What drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of Caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient? |
| title_sort | what drives the shift between sexual and clonal reproduction of caragana stenophylla along a climatic aridity gradient |
| topic | Clonal plant Priority of sexual reproduction Reproductive cost Reproductive mode Climate |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12870-018-1313-6 |
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