Natural selection on traits and trait plasticity in Arabidopsis thaliana varies across competitive environments.

ABSTRACT: Interspecific competition reduces resource availability and can affect evolution. We quantified multivariate selection in the presence and absence of strong interspecific competition using a greenhouse experiment with 35 natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana. We assessed selection on nine traits representing plant phenology, growth, and architecture, as well as their plasticities. Competition reduced biomass and fitness by over 98%, and plastic responses to competition varied by genotype (significant G × E) for all traits except specific leaf area (SLA). Competitive treatments altered selection on flowering phenology and plant architecture, with significant selection on all phenology traits and most architecture traits under competition-present conditions but little indication that se

SUBMITTER: Palacio-Lopez K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7728774 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature