Examinando por Autor "Matesanz, Silvia"

Mostrando 1 - 20 de 31

Additive effects of a potentially invasive grass and water stress on the performance of seedlings of gypsum specialists
(International Association of Vegetation Science, 2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Escudero, Adrián; Valladares, Fernando
Contrasting adaptive trait variation in response to drought in two Mediterranean shrubs
(Elsevier, 2023) Blanco-Sánchez, Mario; Franks, Steven J.; Ramos-Muñoz, Marina; Pías, Beatriz; Ramírez-Valiente, José Alberto; Escudero, Adrián; Matesanz, Silvia
Adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity are key mechanisms of climate change responses. However, we still lack a detailed understanding of the strategies different species use to cope with climatic changes such as increased droughts, particularly for species with special edaphic requirements and limited dispersal such as gypsum endemics. In this study, we assessed phenotypic and genotypic selection, phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation in traits potentially related to drought response in two dominant gypsum Mediterranean species, Helianthemum squamatum and Centaurea hyssopifolia. We established a common garden in which 524 plants from 79 maternal families from both species were grown under two contrasting watering treatments. Our results revealed that selection was stronger under drought than well-watered conditions for both species, but we found contrasting adaptive strategies and genetic variation. In H. squamatum, a drought-escape strategy with advanced reproductive phenology and faster growth rates was positively associated with fitness under dry conditions, and most adaptive traits exhibited quantitative genetic variation. In contrast, in C. hyssopifolia, selection under dry conditions favored a drought-tolerance strategy with thicker leaves and longer phenologies, but all traits lacked quantitative genetic variation, indicating that their evolutionary potential may be limited. Most traits exhibited significant plasticity in response to drought and genetic variation for trait plasticity in both species, indicating that trait plasticity can evolve independently of the evolution of trait means in these gypsophiles. Our results show that these gypsum endemic species vary in strategies and adaptive potential in response to drought, which contributes to our understanding of potential adaptive responses to climate change in such edaphic specialists.
Contrasting levels of evolutionary potential in populations of the invasive plant Polygonum cespitosum
(Springer Netherlands, 2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Horgan-Kobelski, Tim; Sultan, Sonia E.
Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for polygonum cespitosum (Polygonaceae) 1
(2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia
Drivers of phenotypic variation and plasticity to drought in populations of a Mediterranean shrub along an environmental gradient
(Elsevier, 2024-10-18) Ramos-Muñoz, Marina; Castellanos, María Clara; Blanco-Sánchez, Mario; Pías, Beatriz; Ramírez-Valiente, José Alberto; Benavides, Raquel; Escudero, Adrián; Matesanz, Silvia
Assessing the factors driving intraspecific phenotypic variation is crucial to understand the evolutionary trajectories of plant populations and predict their vulnerability to climate change. Environmental gradients often lead to phenotypic divergence in functional traits and their plasticity across populations. We studied the entire environmental range of the Mediterranean gypsum endemic shrub Helianthemum squamatum to evaluate the factors underlying quantitative population differentiation and phenotypic plasticity to drought, using a common garden with 16 populations that covered the main geographic and the entire climatic range of the species. Sampling followed a hierarchical approach to assess trait genetic variation within and among four distinct geographical regions. We found high but similar plastic responses across populations, which were consistent with adaptive plasticity to drought, including advanced phenology, more sclerophyllous leaves, higher water use efficiency and larger seeds in dry conditions. Despite these generally similar plastic responses, we found significant population differentiation in quantitative traits, part of which was structured at the regional scale. Such differentiation was not associated with environmental variation, including differences in climate and soil conditions. This suggests that non-adaptive processes might have had a role on genetic differentiation in H. squamatum, likely due to the island-like configuration of gypsum habitats and the lack of effective seed dispersal of the study species. Our results emphasize the role of phenotypic plasticity in adaptive drought response and the importance of considering both adaptive and non-adaptive processes shaping intraspecific phenotypic variation, which is crucial for predicting plant population vulnerability to climate change
Early Dynamics of Plant Communities on Revegetated Motorway Slopes from Southern Spain: Is Hydroseeding Always Needed?
(Wilely-Blackwell, 2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Valladares, Fernando; Tena, David; Costa-Tenorio, Margarita; Bote, Daniel
Ecological and evolutionary responses of Mediterranean plants to global change
(Elsevier, 2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Valladares, Fernando
Ecological drivers of fine-scale distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a semiarid Mediterranean scrubland
(Oxford Academic, 2023-06) López-Angulo, Jesús; Matesanz, Silvia; Illuminati, Angela; Sánchez Pescador, David; Sánchez, Ana María; Pías, Beatriz; Chacón-Labella, Julia; De la Cruz, Marcelino; Escudero, Adrián
Background and Aims Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi enhance the uptake of water and minerals by the plant hosts, alleviating plant stress. Therefore, AM fungal–plant interactions are particularly important in drylands and other stressful ecosystems. We aimed to determine the combined and independent effects of above- and below-ground plant community attributes (i.e. diversity and composition), soil heterogeneity and spatial covariates on the spatial structure of the AM fungal communities in a semiarid Mediterranean scrubland. Furthermore, we evaluated how the phylogenetic relatedness of both plants and AM fungi shapes these symbiotic relationships. Methods We characterized the composition and diversity of AM fungal and plant communities in a dry Mediterranean scrubland taxonomically and phylogenetically, using DNA metabarcoding and a spatially explicit sampling design at the plant neighbourhood scale. Key Results The above- and below-ground plant community attributes, soil physicochemical properties and spatial variables explained unique fractions of AM fungal diversity and composition. Mainly, variations in plant composition affected the AM fungal composition and diversity. Our results also showed that particular AM fungal taxa tended to be associated with closely related plant species, suggesting the existence of a phylogenetic signal. Although soil texture, fertility and pH affected AM fungal community assembly, spatial factors had a greater influence on AM fungal community composition and diversity than soil physicochemical properties. Conclusions Our results highlight that the more easily accessible above-ground vegetation is a reliable indicator of the linkages between plant roots and AM fungi. We also emphasize the importance of soil physicochemical properties in addition to below-ground plant information, while accounting for the phylogenetic relationships of both plants and fungi, because these factors improve our ability to predict the relationships between AM fungal and plant communities.
Effects of parental drought on offspring fitness vary among populations of a crop wild relative
(The Royal Society, 2022-08-31) Matesanz, Silvia; Ramos-Muñoz, Marina; Rubio Teso, María Luisa; Iriondo, José M.
Transgenerational plasticity is a form of non-genetic inheritance that can reduce or enhance offspring fitness depending on parental stress. Yet, the adaptive value of such parental environmental effects and whether their expression varies among populations remain largely unknown. We used self-fertilized lines from climatically distinct populations of the crop wild relative Lupinus angustifolius. In the parental generation, full-siblings were grown in two contrasting watering environments. Then, to robustly separate the within-generation and transgenerational response to drought, we reciprocally assigned the offspring of parents to the same experimental treatments. We measured key functional traits and assessed lifetime reproductive fitness. Offspring of drought-stressed parents produced less reproductive biomass, but a similar number of lighter seeds, in dry soil compared to offspring of genetically identical, well-watered parents, an effect not mediated by differences in seed provisioning. Importantly, while the offspring of parents grown in the favourable environment responded to drought by slightly increasing individual seed mass, the pattern of plasticity of the offspring of drought-grown parents showed the opposite direction, and the negative effects of parental drought on seed mass were more pronounced in populations from cooler and moist habitats. Overall, our results show that parental effects may override immediate adaptive responses to drought and provide evidence of population-level variation in the expression of transgenerational plasticity.
Estimating belowground plant abundance with DNA metabarcoding
(Wiley, 2019-09) Matesanz, Silvia; Pescador, David S.; Pías, Beatriz; Sánchez, Ana M.; Chacón-Labella, Julia; Illuminati, Angela; De la Cruz, Marcelino; López-Angulo, Jesús; Marí-Mena, Neus; Vizcaíno, Antón; Escudero, Adrián
Most work on plant community ecology has been performed above ground, neglecting the processes that occur in the soil. DNA metabarcoding, in which multiple species are computationally identified in bulk samples, can help to overcome the logistical limitations involved in sampling plant communities belowground. However, a major limitation of this methodology is the quantification of species’ abundances based on the percentage of sequences assigned to each taxon. Using root tissues of five dominant species in a semi-arid Mediterranean shrubland (Bupleurum fruticescens, Helianthemum cinereum, Linum suffruticosum, Stipa pennata and Thymus vulgaris), we built pairwise mixtures of relative abundance (20%, 50% and 80% biomass), and implemented two methods (linear model fits and correction indices) to improve estimates of root biomass. We validated both methods with multispecies mixtures that simulate field-collected samples. For all species, we found a positive and highly significant relationship between the percentage of sequences and biomass in the mixtures (R2 = .44–.66), but the equations for each species (slope and intercept) differed among them, and two species were consistently over- and under-estimated. The correction indices greatly improved the estimates of biomass percentage for all five species in the multispecies mixtures, and reduced the overall error from 17% to 6%. Our results show that, through the use of post-sequencing quantification methods on mock communities, DNA metabarcoding can be effectively used to determine not only species’ presence but also their relative abundance in field samples of root mixtures. Importantly, knowledge of these aspects will allow us to study key, yet poorly understood, belowground processes.
Every bit helps: The functional role of individuals in assembling any plant community, from the richest to monospecific ones
(Wiley, 2021) Matesanz, Silvia; Escudero, Adrián; Valladares, Fernando; Cruz, Marcelino de la; Pescador, David; Cavieres, Lohengrin
Plant trait-based ecology is a powerful extension of the attempt of community ecologists to unveil assembly mechanisms. However, the two main expected determinants of community assembly, niche and neutral processes, can be confused under this framework. Here, we propose to move from trait-based to phenotype-based community ecology, accounting for the variation between individuals (phenotypes affected by the abiotic and biotic environment, and vice versa), and explicitly considering their ability to compete with or facilitate its neighbours. This would shift our focus from species’ niche responses to niche specialization of phenotypes, reducing the space for neutrality at the finest scales. The current assembly framework, based mainly on niche complementarity and using species-average functional traits, has been developed exploring mega-diverse communities, but it fails at describing poor plant communities. Under this framework, monospecificity would be interpreted as an arena where functionally similar individuals compete, consequently leading to regular patterns, which are rarely found in nature. Our niche specialization framework could help explaining coexistence in rich plant communities, where the higher fraction of functional variation is found between species, whereas the intraspecific trait variation dominates in poor species and monospecific communities. We propose a guide to conduct massive phenotyping at the community scale based on the use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. We also discuss the need to integrate the so-called plant's eye perspective based on the use of spatial pattern statistics in the current community ecology toolbox.
Every little helps: the functional role of individuals in assembling any plant community, from the richest to monospecific ones
(Wiley, 2021-09) Escudero, Adrián; Matesanz, Silvia; Pescador, David S.; De la Cruz, Marcelino; Valladares, Fernando; Cavieres, Lohengrin A.
Plant trait-based ecology is a powerful extension of the attempt of community ecologists to unveil assembly mechanisms. However, the two main expected determinants of community assembly, niche and neutral processes, can be confused under this framework. Here, we propose to move from trait-based to phenotype-based community ecology, accounting for the variation between individuals (phenotypes affected by the abiotic and biotic environment, and vice versa), and explicitly considering their ability to compete with or facilitate its neighbours. This would shift our focus from species’ niche responses to niche specialization of phenotypes, reducing the space for neutrality at the finest scales. The current assembly framework, based mainly on niche complementarity and using species-average functional traits, has been developed exploring mega-diverse communities, but it fails at describing poor plant communities. Under this framework, monospecificity would be interpreted as an arena where functionally similar individuals compete, consequently leading to regular patterns, which are rarely found in nature. Our niche specialization framework could help explaining coexistence in rich plant communities, where the higher fraction of functional variation is found between species, whereas the intraspecific trait variation dominates in poor species and monospecific communities. We propose a guide to conduct massive phenotyping at the community scale based on the use of visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. We also discuss the need to integrate the so-called plant's eye perspective based on the use of spatial pattern statistics in the current community ecology toolbox.
Fine-scale spatial patterns and genetic structure of two co-occurring plant congeners: fingerprints of coexistence?
(Willey, 2011) Matesanz, Silvia; Gimeno, Teresa E.; Cruz, Marcelino de la; Escudero, Adrián; Valladares, Fernando
1.¿The spatial distribution of individual plants within a population and the population¿s genetic structure are determined by several factors, like dispersal, reproduction mode or biotic interactions. The role of interspecific interactions in shaping the spatial genetic structure of plant populations remains largely unknown. 2.¿Species with a common evolutionary history are known to interact more closely with each other than unrelated species due to the greater number of traits they share. We hypothesize that plant interactions may shape the fine genetic structure of closely related congeners. 3.¿We used spatial statistics (georeferenced design) and molecular techniques (ISSR markers) to understand how two closely related congeners, Thymus vulgaris (widespread species) and T. loscosii (narrow endemic) interact at the local scale. Specific cover, number of individuals of both study species and several community attributes were measured in a 10 × 10 m plot. 4.¿Both species showed similar levels of genetic variation, but differed in their spatial genetic structure. Thymus vulgaris showed spatial aggregation but no spatial genetic structure, while T. loscosii showed spatial genetic structure (positive genetic autocorrelation) at short distances. The spatial pattern of T. vulgaris¿ cover showed significant dissociation with that of T. loscosii. The same was true between the spatial patterns of the cover of T. vulgaris and the abundance of T. loscosii and between the abundance of each species. Most importantly, we found a correlation between the genetic structure of T. loscosii and the abundance of T. vulgaris: T. loscosii plants were genetically more similar when they were surrounded by a similar number of T. vulgaris plants. 5.¿Synthesis. Our results reveal spatially complex genetic structures of both congeners at small spatial scales. The negative association among the spatial patterns of the two species and the genetic structure found for T. loscosii in relation to the abundance of T. vulgaris indicate that competition between the two species may account for the presence of adapted ecotypes of T. loscosii to the abundance of a competing congeneric species. This suggests that the presence and abundance of close congeners can influence the genetic spatial structure of plant species at fine scales.
Fragmentation modulates the strong impact of habitat quality and plant cover on fertility and microbial activity of semiarid gypsum soils
(2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Lázaro-Nogal, Ana; Gimeno, Teresa; Escudero, Adrián
Functional differences between herbs and woody species in a semiarid Mediterranean plant community: A whole-plant perspective on growth, nutrient-use and size
(Wiley, 2024-11-10) Illuminati, Angela; Matesanz, Silvia; Pías, Beatriz; Sánchez, Ana M.; Cruz, Marcelino de la; Ramos-Muñoz, Marina; López-Angulo, Jesús; Pescador, Daid S.; Escudero, Adrián
Despite decades of research, a comprehensive understanding of trait coordination at the whole-plant level remains elusive. Furthermore, while the link between above-ground growth rates and leaf traits related to nutrient use is well established, much less is known about the below-ground compartment. Herbs and woody species exhibit distinct above-ground growth and nutrient-use strategies, but whether these differences extend to root traits below-ground remains unclear. We carried out a common garden experiment with 23 perennials (7 herbs and 16 woody species) coexisting in a Mediterranean shrubland and measured 17 above-ground and below-ground traits related to growth, nutrient use and size. We analysed the links between growth rate and nutrient use focusing especially on roots and considering potential differences between herbs and woody species. We also combined plant size data from experimental juveniles and field-sampled adults to determine the effects of life stage on whole-plant phenotypic integration. We found a significant relationship between growth rates (both above-ground and below-ground) and root nutrient-use strategies. Root diameter was negatively associated to growth rate only in herbs. Specific root area and root tissue density were positively and negatively correlated with growth rate, respectively, in both herbs and woody species. Moreover, we found significant differences in roots traits between herbs and woody species. Plant growth rate and root nutrient-use strategies were both positively associated to plant size (height and above-ground diameter) in juveniles, while a negative relationship was observed in adults. Our work provides insights on the links between whole-plant growth rate and nutrient-use strategies in species from a dry Mediterranan shrubland. Specifically, we show that whole-plant growth rate is strongly associated to root traits, with more acquisitive root nutrient-use strategies related to faster growth rates, which in turn translated to greater plant size in juveniles but smaller in adults. Our results also highlight root functional differences and contrasting patterns of whole-plant phenotypic integration between herbs and woody species, offering deeper insights into species coexistence in species-rich dry Mediterranean environments
Functional ecology of a narrow endemic plant and a widespread congener from semiarid Spain
(Elsevier, 2009) Matesanz, Silvia; Valladares, Fernando; Escudero, Adrián
We compared physiological and morphological traits of Thymus loscosii, a rare endemic of semiarid Spain, and Thymus vulgaris, a widespread Mediterranean species, over a precipitation gradient, and measured the spatial patterns of both species. Our results do not provide evidence for a congruent suite of traits associated with rarity in T. loscosii, since this species showed some traits reported in rare species (lower height and biomass), but exhibited better performance under severe climatic conditions (higher photochemical efficiency and quantum yield during winter) and higher values of traits conferring competitive abilities (SLA and LAR). T. loscosii did not show either lower phenotypic variability or better performance than its congener along the precipitation gradient. The two thymes were spatially dissociated when they co-occurred and the spatial pattern of T. loscosii changed from clumped in the presence of its congener to random when it was the only thyme, suggesting competition between the two species. These results suggest that T. loscosii is not a habitat-specialist and may behave as a refuge endemic. Its reduced distribution may be linked to a limited competitive ability that is not associated with the vegetative traits explored, although other causes like habitat degradation and genetic or reproductive constraints might also be important to explain its limited distribution.
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Polygonum cespitosum: Insights to an Ongoing Plant Invasion
(2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia
Global change and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in plants
(2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Gianoli, Ernesto; Valladares, Fernando
Habitat fragmentation and population features differently affect fruit predation, fecundity and offspring performance in a non‐specialist gypsum plant
(Wiley, 2020) Moncalvillo, Belén; Matesanz, Silvia; Escudero, Adrián; Sánchez, Ana M.
The effects of habitat fragmentation on plant populations are complex, as it might disrupt many ecological processes, including plant reproduction and plant–animal interactions. Gypsum specialist plants may be resilient to fragmentation due to their evolutionary history in fragmented landscapes, but the effects on non-specialist plants occurring in gypsum are unknown. We conducted a study focusing on different aspects of the reproductive cycle of Astragalus incanus subsp. incanus, a plant facultatively linked to gypsum soils. We focused on plant fecundity and pre-dispersal predation, obtained from field observations, and offspring performance, assessed in a common garden. Beyond fragment size and connectivity, we also considered habitat quality, population size and density and plant size as predictors. Fragment size and connectivity had no effect on plant fecundity, but jointly determined fruit predation, while fragment size was positively related to offspring growth. Population density, rather than population size, had a positive effect on predation but negatively affected plant fecundity and offspring performance. Habitat quality reduced both plant fecundity and predation incidence. In this non-specialist species, habitat fragmentation, population features and habitat quality affect different facets of plant performance. Predation was the only process clearly affected by fragmentation variables, fecundity mainly depended on population features and offspring performance and was better explained by mother plant identity. Our results show the need to consider habitat and population features together with fragment size and connectivity in order to assess the effects of fragmentation. Importantly, these effects can involve different aspects of plant reproduction, including plant–animal interactions.
High-performance genotypes in an introduced plant: insights to future invasiveness
(2014-10-30) Matesanz, Silvia; Sultan, Sonia E