Research Article |
Corresponding author: Melodie Ollivier ( melodie.ollivier@supagro.fr ) Academic editor: Mark van Kleunen
© 2020 Melodie Ollivier, Elena Kazakou, Maxime Corbin, Kevin Sartori, Ben Gooden, Vincent Lesieur, Thierry Thomann, Jean-François Martin, Marie Stéphane Tixier.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Ollivier M, Kazakou E, Corbin M, Sartori K, Gooden B, Lesieur V, Thomann T, Martin J-F, Tixier MS (2020) Trait differentiation between native and introduced populations of the invasive plant Sonchus oleraceus L. (Asteraceae). NeoBiota 55: 85-115. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.55.49158
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There is growing evidence that rapid adaptation to novel environments drives successful establishment and spread of invasive plant species. However, the mechanisms driving trait adaptation, such as selection pressure from novel climate niche envelopes, remain poorly tested at global scales. In this study, we investigated differences in 20 traits (relating to growth, resource acquisition, reproduction, phenology and defence) amongst 14 populations of the herbaceous plant Sonchus oleraceus L. (Asteraceae) across its native (Europe and North Africa) and introduced (Australia and New Zealand) ranges. We compared traits amongst populations grown under standard glasshouse conditions. Introduced S. oleraceus plants seemed to outperform native plants, i.e. possessing higher leaf and stem dry matter content, greater number of leaves and were taller at first flowering stage. Although introduced plants produced fewer seeds, they had a higher germination rate than native plants. We found strong evidence for adaptation along temperature and precipitation gradients for several traits (e.g. shoot height, biomass, leaf and stem dry matter contents increased with minimum temperatures, while germination rate decreased with annual precipitations and temperatures), which suggests that similar selective forces shape populations in both the native and invaded ranges. We detected significant shifts in the relationships (i.e. trade-offs) (i) between plant height and flowering time and (ii) between leaf-stem biomass and grain yield between native and introduced plants, indicating that invasion was associated with changes to life-history dynamics that may confer competitive advantages over native vegetation. Specifically, we found that, at first flowering, introduced plants tended to be taller than native ones and that investment in leaf and stem biomass was greater in introduced than in native plants for equivalent levels of grain yield. Our study has demonstrated that climatic conditions may drive rapid adaption to novel environments in invasive plant species.
Agricultural weed, Common sowthistle, ecological trade-offs, plant trait differentiation, Rapid trait evolution
Introduced plant species are a threat to native biodiversity (
Adaptation to novel environmental conditions, through rapid evolution resulting in phenotypic changes (
Other traits relating to plant phenology (
Classical functional ecological theory posits that plant growth, reproduction and defence may be traded-off or partitioned along competition, stress and disturbance gradients (e.g.
The aim of this study was to investigate differences in plant functional traits associated with growth, resource acquisition, reproduction, phenology and defence between native and introduced populations of the common sowthistle, Sonchus oleraceus L. (Asteraceae) across temperature and precipitation gradients. This species is a herbaceous plant native to Europe (
Field-based trait measurements can determine how plants respond to environmental change in situ but cannot discriminate between phenotypically plastic versus genetic responses to local conditions (
Sonchus oleraceus is an annual, or occasionally biennial species, that has expanded across most of Australia, becoming established in more than 4.3 M ha of crops (cereals and cotton) and fallow land in south-eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, in particular, where it causes an estimated annual loss of AUD $ 6.3 M (
Seeds were collected from 2016 to 2018, from 14 field populations across two geographic ranges: the native range in the Western Palaearctic (Europe and North Africa) and the introduced range in Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) (Figure
Maps of the collection locations for Sonchus oleraceus seeds across (A) the native range in Europe and North Africa (blue triangles) and (B) the introduced range in Australia and New Zealand (orange circles).
Within the native range, a collection permit was obtained for Andalusia (Spain) (ID: 64oxu764FIRMAF+xU9RItQJeLhEPV, 05/12/2017). No specific permission was required for seed sampling at other sites in Europe and North Africa or for seeds collected in Australia and New Zealand. No specific authorisation was required to introduce seeds into France.
Plant propagation and common garden growth experiments were performed in a glasshouse at the CSIRO European laboratory in Montpellier, France. In March 2018, eight seeds from each flower head (i.e. 1,568 in total) were sown on moistened Whatman® filter paper on a substrate of vermiculite in a Petri dish. Seeds were maintained in a growth room at a temperature of 25 °C/20 °C (day/night) to stimulate germination. Seven days after sowing, three seedlings per flower head were planted in a single pot (upper diameter ~ 16 cm, height ~ 19 cm) filled with 1.15 kg of nursery-grade soil ("Terreau à mottes Neuhaus, Humin-Substrat N2", ratio of N:P:K = 14:16:18). Pots were transferred to a glasshouse with a minimum night-time temperature of ~15 °C and maximum daytime temperature of ~32 °C. Pots were arranged in a standard Latin square design, such that plants derived from each source population were present once in each row and once in each column. Twelve days after planting, two seedlings were removed from each pot, leaving a single target plant, which was used for growth and functional trait measurements. All plants were watered two to three times per week, with equal volumes of tap water (i.e. between 100 and 400 ml). All plants were sprayed with a sulphur solution (Sulfostar, BASF) every two weeks, to control powdery mildew infestation. Pots were redistributed within the glasshouse at random every three days, to account for variability in light exposure.
We measured 20 traits (from five categories: growth, resource acquisition, reproduction, phenology and defence) at different stages of plant development on 194 replicates (two plants died during the experiment) between March and July 2018.
Growth traits. We first determined the height of each S. oleraceus plant when the first flower bud appeared, measured as the distance (cm) between the soil surface and the first cauline leaf at the base of the inflorescence. As described by
Resource acquisition traits. Basal leaves (forming a rosette) capture light and synthesise chemical energy to support the growth of stem, cauline leaf and reproductive tissues (
Reproductive traits. We first calculated the viability of field-collected seeds as the proportion of the seeds sown that germinated at three and six days after sowing. We chose to measure germination at two time points, as we had no preconceived notions about potential differences in germination rates between the two ranges. On average, 75-80% of the seeds had germinated after six days (Suppl. material
Phenological traits. We measured two phenological traits associated with the timing of key reproductive stages: we counted the number of days until development of the first flower bud (longer than 5 mm) and the number of days until the emergence of the first fully-open flower head.
Defence traits. We characterised investment in defence against generalist herbivores (
We evaluated the effects of two climate variables on each of the 20 functional traits considered: mean minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean annual precipitation, calculated from 1970 to 2000 (Supplementary material
We investigated differences between native and introduced populations in two resource allocation trade-offs related to growth and reproductive effort: i.e. relationships (1) between time to flowering and vegetative height at first flower bud and (2) between grain yield and leaf-stem biomass. Grain yield represents an aggregate measure of reproductive effort (
1) Grain yield (g) = seed mass (g) * number of seeds per flower head * number of flower heads per plant
2) Leaf-stem dry biomass (g) = total above-ground dry biomass (g) – grain yield (g)
As a first step, we performed a phylogenetic principal component analysis (PCA) incorporating the 20 traits to explore the multidimensional distribution of individual plants from native and introduced ranges, based on the entire suite of traits. The phylogenetic PCA was used, because it accounts for the non-independence of plants derived from the same source population (
We used mixed models to test for differences in each plant trait between native and introduced ranges. Linear mixed models (LMM) were used for continuous data, such as masses and lengths. For C:N ratios of leaves, data were log-transformed to meet the requirement of a normal distribution of residuals. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) were used for discrete variables, such as counts (Poisson distribution), percentages (binomial distribution) and duration (Gamma distribution). Range of origin was considered as a fixed factor, whereas population of origin within each range was considered as a random categorical predictor variable. For each trait, the bench, on which the plants were placed in the greenhouse, was tested as a random factor, but was subsequently removed from the model as it was found to have no effect, confirming the successful randomisation of the experiment. Previous research by
We then accounted for the possible influence of climatic conditions on trait differences between native and introduced populations using a second series of mixed models that included the two climate covariates: mean minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean annual precipitation. The interaction of range with each of the covariates was also considered, as traits might respond differently to climate between ranges. For both series of mixed models (with and without climatic covariates), the significance of each main effect or interaction was assessed in a stepwise manner, using likelihood ratio tests (LRTs). The proportion of the variance explained by each full model (i.e. R² values) is reported (
We finally investigated whether the trade-offs between flowering time and vegetative height at time of reproduction and between leaf/stem biomass and grain yield differed between native and introduced plant populations. We performed two analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) for each of the trait combinations, considering the predictor variable and range as fixed factors and population of origin as a random covariate. We accepted the hypothesis (i.e. that the trait associations differ between native and introduced ranges), based on significant interaction terms in each model along with different slopes of regression lines. Interactions were tested by comparing two different models (with and without the interaction term) in LRTs. Both trade-offs are plotted to illustrate the correlation patterns by range.
All analyses were performed with the software R (R Core Team 2018). The “nlme” package (function lme) was used for linear mixed models and the “lme4” package (function glmer) was used for generalised linear mixed models. For mixed models, R² was obtained with the “piecewiseSEM” package (function rsquared).
The first two principal component axes of the phylogenetic PCA accounted for 34.53% of the variance (Figure
Phylogenetic principal component analysis (PCA) plot, based on individual values for 20 traits measured in 14 populations of Sonchus oleraceus from the native (Europe and North Africa, blue triangles) and introduced (Australia and New Zealand, orange circles) ranges. The 95% confidence ellipses, defined by the centre of gravity of each range, are represented. The first two components account for 34.53% of the total variance. On the right, is presented the correlation circle on the 20 variables represented by the two principal components (HeightFstBud: vegetative height at first bud, HeightShoot: total shoot height, Biomass: biomass, SLA: SLA, LDMC.Bas: LDMC of basal leaf, LDMC.caul: LDMC of cauline leaf, Thickness: leaf thickness, NbLeaves: number of leaves, SDMC: SDMC, CN.leaves: C:N ratio of leaves, CN.seeds: C:N ratio of seeds, GermRt3: rate of germination at three days, GermRt6: rate of germination at six days, NbFlow: number of flower heads, NbSeeds: number of seeds, DispWind: seed dispersal window, SeedMass: seed mass, DaysToBud: number of days to bud formation, DaysToFlow: number of days to flowering, Trchm: leaf trichome density).
Regarding growth traits (Figure
Box plots for twenty traits measured in native (Europe and North Africa, blue) and introduced (Australia and New Zealand, orange) Sonchus oleraceus plants, grown under standardised conditions. Growth: vegetative height at first bud (cm), total shoot height (cm), biomass (g). Resource acquisition: SLA (m²/kg), LDMC of basal and cauline leaves (mg/g), leaf thickness (µm), number of leaves, SDMC (mg/g), C:N ratio of leaves, C:N ratio of seeds. Reproduction: rate of germination (0 to 100%) at three and six days, number of flower heads, number of seeds, seed dispersal window (cm), seed mass (µg). Phenology: number of days to bud formation, number of days to flowering, defence: leaf trichome density (trichomes/cm²). The dashed horizontal lines through boxplots indicate the mean for each range. Asterisks indicate a significant difference between ranges (as main effect or in interaction with one of the climatic variables).
The conclusions drawn after adjustment for bioclimatic covariates were different from those for the previous analysis (Table
Regarding resource acquisition traits, LDMC of cauline leaves, number of leaves and SDMC differed significantly between native and introduced plants (Table
Amongst reproduction traits, the rate of germination after three days was negatively influenced by annual precipitation but did not differ between ranges (Table
No significant difference between ranges or influence of climatic conditions was detected for phenological traits (number of days to bud formation and number of days to flowering) and the defence trait (leaf trichome density) (Table
Significant interactions between range of origin (native: Europe and North Africa, introduced: Australia and New Zealand) and climatic conditions (mean minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean annual precipitation) for A) Vegetative height at first flower bud (LRTχ2 = 4.04, df = 1, p value = 0.04), B) Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of seeds (LRTχ2 = 4.84, df = 1, p value = 0.03) and C) Mean number of seeds per flower head (LRTχ2 = 5.21, df = 1, p value = 0.02).
Results of mixed models assessing the effect of range (native: Europe and North Africa, introduced: Australia and New Zealand), two climatic covariates (mean minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean annual precipitation) and their interaction (the population within a range being considered as a random factor), for 20 plant traits measured on Sonchus oleraceus under standardised conditions.
Response variable | Main effect | Interaction | R ² | ||||
Trait | Range | Minimum temperatures | Annual precipitation | Range: Min. temp. | Range: An. Prec. | ||
LRTχ2 (df) p | LRTχ2 (df) p | LRTχ2 (df) p | LRTχ2 (df) p | LRTχ2 (df) p | R²m | R²c | |
Growth | |||||||
Vegetative height at first bud | nt | nt | 0.20 (1) 0.66 | 4.04 (1) 0.04 * | 0.20 (1) 0.66 | 0.20 | 0.42 |
Total shoot height | 1.11 (1) 0.28 | 6.54 (1) 0.01 * | 0.01 (1) 0.92 | 2.80 (1) 0.09 • | 0.16 (1) 0.69 | 0.21 | 0.52 |
Biomass | 1.26 (1) 0.26 | 12.04 (1) <0.001 *** | 3.78 (1) 0.05 • | 0.65 (1) 0.42 | 0.17 (1) 0.68 | 0.31 | 0.39 |
Resource acquisition | |||||||
SLA | 0.74 (1) 0.39 | 3.18 (1) 0.07 • | 0.56 (1) 0.45 | 0.21 (1) 0.65 | 1.33 (1) 0.25 | 0.06 | 0.09 |
LDMC of basal leaf | 0.30 (1) 0.58 | 1.45 (1) 0.23 | 0.89 (1) 0.34 | 0.43 (1) 0.51 | 1.31 (1) 0.25 | 0.06 | 0.23 |
LDMC of cauline leaf | 6.14 (1) 0.01 * | 4.11 (1) 0.04 * | 1.13 (1) 0.25 | 2.91 (1) 0.08 • | 0.88 (1) 0.34 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
Leaf thickness | 0.01 (1) 0.93 | 3.77 (1) 0.05 • | 0.14 (1) 0.71 | 0.08 (1) 0.77 | 0.05 (1) 0.83 | 0.12 | 0.41 |
Number of leaves | 8.99 (1) <0.01 ** | 2.28 (1) 0.13 | 0.71 (1) 0.40 | 0.23 (1) 0.63 | 2.75 (1) 0.10 | 0.33 | 0.52 |
SDMC | 4.34 (1) 0.04 * | 0.54 (1) <0.01 ** | 2.07 (1) 0.15 | 0.19 (1) 0.66 | 0.37 (1) 0.54 | 0.26 | 0.32 |
C:N ratio of leaves | 1.17 (1) 0.28 | 0.98 (1) 0.32 | 0.01 (1) 0.92 | 0.22 (1) 0.64 | 0.11 (1) 0.74 | 0.06 | 0.40 |
C:N ratio of seeds | nt | nt | 0.13 (1) 0.71 | 4.84 (1) 0.03 * | 0.15 (1) 0.69 | 0.16 | 0.27 |
Reproduction | |||||||
Germination rate at 3 days | 0.23 (1) 0.63 | 1.90 (1) 0.17 | 5.46 (1) 0.02 * | 1.48 (1) 0.22 | 0.94 (1) 0.33 | 0.11 | 0.52 |
Germination rate at 6 days | 11.30 (1) <0.001 *** | 10.77 (1) <0.001 *** | 11.25 (1) <0.001 *** | 0.31 (1) 0.58 | 0.65 (1) 0.42 | 0.07 | 0.20 |
Number of flower heads | 0.25 (1) 0.62 | 0.03 (1) 0.86 | 0.09 (1) 0.76 | 0.36 (1) 0.55 | 1.32 (1) 0.25 | 0.02 | 0.46 |
Number of seeds | nt | 0.35 (1) 0.56 | nt | 0.86 (1) 0.35 | 5.21 (1) 0.02 * | 0.54 | 0.66 |
Seed dispersal window | 0.06 (1) 0.80 | 3.06 (1) 0.08 • | 0.19 (1) 0.67 | 0.42 (1) 0.52 | 1.16 (1) 0.28 | 0.09 | 0.37 |
Seed mass | 0.03 (1) 0.87 | 0.02 (1) 0.89 | 1.86 (1) 0.17 | 1.72 (1) 0.19 | 1.67 (1) 0.20 | 0.05 | 0.22 |
Phenology | |||||||
Number of days to bud | 0.93 (1) 0.34 | 1.15 (1) 0.28 | 0.05 (1) 0.82 | 0.13 (1) 0.72 | 0.14 (1) 0.71 | 0.13 | 0.29 |
Number of days to flowering | 0.85 (1) 0.36 | 1.10 (1) 0.29 | 0.04 (1) 0.84 | 0.04 (1) 0.84 | 0.16 (1) 0.69 | 0.12 | 0.28 |
Defence | |||||||
Leaf trichome density | 0.05 (1) 0.82 | 1.49 (1) 0.22 | 3.59 (1) 0.06 • | 0.05 (1) 0.83 | 1.37 (1) 0.24 | 0.15 | 0.32 |
The overall relationship between the number of days to flowering and vegetative height at first flower bud was strongly significant (LRTχ2 = 112.74, df = 1, p value < 0.001, Figure
Overall, there was also a very strong negative association between grain yield and leaf/stem biomass (LRTχ2 = 19.33, df = 1, p value < 0.001); however, this relationship differed strongly between native and introduced plants (significant interaction term, LRTχ2 = 6.81, df = 1, p value < 0.01). For low grain yield (below about 1.75 g per plant), introduced plants invested more resources than native plants in leaf and stem tissues. For grain yields greater than 1.75 g, this difference was no longer significant (overlapping standard errors and intersecting regression lines, Figure
Significant shift in trade-offs between native and introduced populations. A Relationship between vegetative height at first flower bud (cm) and number of days to flowering for Sonchus oleraceus populations in the native range (West Palearctic, blue) and in the introduced range (Oceania, orange). Regression estimates for native plants: y = 2.35 x – 102.95 and for introduced plants: y = 1.18 x - 33.43. The interaction is significant (LRTχ2 = 12.35, df = 1, p < 0.001). The shaded area represents the standard error of the mean. B Relationship between leaf-stem biomass (g) and grain yield (g) for Sonchus oleraceus populations in the native range (West Palearctic, blue) and in the introduced range (Oceania, orange). Regression estimates for native plants: y = -0.63 x + 9.01 and for introduced plants: y = -1.27 x + 10.84. The interaction is significant (LRTχ2 = 6.81, df = 1, p < 0.01). The shaded area represents the standard error of the mean.
When considering the full suite of traits, we found that there were only moderate differences in S. oleraceus populations between native and introduced ranges (as illustrated by the PCA). Native and introduced plants differed for seven of the 20 traits considered. Three of the seven significant traits were associated with resource acquisition, with higher values obtained for introduced plants (higher leaf and stem dry matter content, larger number of leaves). Climatic conditions significantly influenced nine of the 20 traits considered either as a main effect or in interaction with range. Shoot height, biomass, LDMC and SDMC increased with minimum temperatures, while germination rate decreased with annual precipitations and temperatures. The height of the introduced plants increased with increasing minimum temperature, whereas no such relationship was observed for native plants. Seed C:N ratio increased with increasing temperature for introduced plants, but decreased with increasing temperature for native plants. Introduced plants tended to display a more rapid decrease in seed production with increasing precipitation than native plants.
We found that, across all populations (i.e. when the climate experienced by the plant’s ancestors was not considered), native and introduced populations differed in terms of vegetative height at first flower bud, biomass, number of leaves and stem dry matter content, with significantly higher values obtained for introduced than for native plants. These results are consistent with those reported for Centaurea maculosa (larger and more competitive introduced plants) (
Differential responses to climatic conditions between native and introduced plant populations were also detected for some traits. Specifically, significant interactive effects were observed between range and minimum temperature on vegetative height at first flower bud and seed C:N ratio. Trait values increased with increasing minimum temperature for the introduced plants, whereas no such relationship was observed for native plants. Similarly, a study by
Moreover, even when climate variation was accounted for in the models, we found that the range of origin had a significant effect on cauline leaf dry matter content, number of leaves and stem dry matter content for S. oleraceus, indicating that the differences in phenotype between ranges could not be attributed solely to climatic conditions. Similarly, for the introduced Solidago gigantea, environmental differences and latitude only explained a small proportion of the total variation observed between the two ranges (
There may be several reasons for these observed trait differences. First, maternal effects on plant traits cannot be completely excluded in this study, since the plants were not cultivated in standardised conditions before the experiment. Maternal plants may have experienced variable environmental conditions that influenced growth and resource acquisition traits in the first-generation offspring. However, some studies on different plant species suggest that maternal effects tend to mainly affect early developmental stages and are less pronounced later in the life cycle (
For reproductive traits, only a few differences were observed between ranges and these differences were contrary to those expected. The main observations concerned the rate of germination after six days. Both climatic covariates, minimum temperature and precipitation, influenced this germination trait. Variations in germination rate along precipitation and temperature gradients are also frequently observed (
A significant interaction between range and annual precipitation was also observed for the number of seeds, with introduced plants tending to display a more rapid decrease in seed production with increasing precipitation than native plants, indicating contrasting responses to environmental conditions between native and introduced populations. Similarly, differential trait responses to environmental gradients between native and introduced populations has been observed for reproductive output in the alien plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia (
Contrary to our hypotheses, we found no differences in other reproductive traits, phenology or defences against generalist herbivores between native and introduced plants. Release from specialist enemies is thought to lead to strong evolutionary changes within a few generations (
We found an overall significant positive relationship between vegetative height and number of days to flowering. This likely represents a trade-off between growth and reproductive effort, whereby investment in vegetative tissues, related to growing tall, results in delayed onset of flower production, i.e. short plants flower earlier than tall plants. This relationship is commonly observed for herbaceous plants (
The overall strong negative relationship between stem-leaf investment and reproductive output confirmed that there is a trade-off between allocation to growth and reproduction, such that larger plants tended to invest relatively less in reproductive output than smaller plants. Trade-offs in growth and reproduction are commonly observed for ruderal plant species (
Our study found that the introduced S. oleraceus populations in Australia and New Zealand seem to outperform native populations, by having higher leaf and stem dry matter content, larger number of leaves, greater vegetative height at the early flowering stage, smaller number of seeds and higher germination rate. Shifts in trade-offs for plant height at time of reproduction vs. flowering time and leaves/stems biomass vs. grain yield were observed, suggesting that an ability to adapt life-history traits may also contribute to the invasion success in S. oleraceus. We found strong evidence for repeated adaptation to local temperatures and precipitation. When comparing model results with and without climatic covariates, climatic conditions were partly responsible for the observed differences. However, a clear effect of range of origin was observed for some traits, implying a role for other selective factors, such as habitat characteristics, in plant rapid evolution between ranges (
This project was supported by AgriFutures Australia (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation), through funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program (PRJ--010527). We thank M. van Kleunen and three anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments. Warms thanks are addressed to the collaborators who participated in seed collection in Australia and Europe: Michael Widderick, Louise Morin, Andy Sheppard, Raghu Sathyamurthy and Mireille Jourdan. We also thank Johannes Tavoillot for technical assistance with data collection. We thank Florian Fort and Odile Fossati for help with data analysis.
Table S1. Location and climatic data for the 14 Sonchus oleraceus populations used for offspring comparisons under standardised conditions
Data type: species data
Table S2. Mean (± standard error) values for 20 traits assessed for native (Europe and North Africa) and invasive (Australia and New Zealand) populations of Sonchus oleraceus under standardised conditions
Data type: species data
Table S3. Results of mixed models assessing the effect of range (native: Europe and North Africa, introduced: Australia and New Zealand), population within range being considered as a random factor, for 20 plants traits measured on Sonchus oleraceus under standardised conditions
Data type: statistical data