Limited life‐history plasticity in marginal population of an invasive foundation species: Unraveling the genetic underpinnings and ecological implications

TL;DR

The study explores how an invasive plant species, Spartina alterniflora, adapts to climate differences across regions, affecting its life cycle and fitness.

Contribution

The study integrates life-history traits and genetic factors to test the center–periphery hypothesis in an invasive foundation species.

Findings

Southernmost populations of Spartina alterniflora show the lowest plasticity and fitness in response to warming.

Reproductive phase plasticity correlates with fitness in warmer climates.

Genetic divergence in life history traits may impact the species' dispersal and ecosystem effects.

Abstract

Plant's life history can evolve in response to variation in climate spatio‐temporally, but numerous multiple‐species studies overlook species‐specific (especially a foundation species) ecological effects and genetic underpinnings. For a species to successfully invade a region, likely to become a foundation species, life‐history variation of invasive plants exerts considerable ecological and evolutionary impacts on invaded ecosystems. We examined how an invasive foundation plant, Spartina alterniflora, varied in its life history along latitudinal gradient using a common gardens experiment. Two common gardens were located at range boundary in tropical zone and main distribution area of S. alterniflora in temperate zone in China. Within each population/garden, we measured the onset time of three successive phenological stages constituting the reproductive phase and a fitness trait. In the low‐latitude garden with higher temperature, we found that reproductive phase was advanced and its length prolonged compared to the high‐latitude garden. This could possibly due to lower plasticity of maturity time. Additionally, plasticity in the length of the reproductive phase positively related with fitness in the low‐latitude garden. Marginal population from tropic had the lowest plasticity and fitness, and the poor capacity to cope with changing environment may result in reduction of this population. These results reflected genetic divergence in life history of S. alterniflora in China. Our study provided a novel view to test the center–periphery hypothesis by integration across a plant's life history and highlighted the significance in considering evolution. Such insights can help us to understand long‐term ecological consequences of life‐history variation, with implications for plant fitness, species interaction, and ecosystem functions under climate change.

The ecological effects of the variation in the plant life history of specific species (e.g., foundation species) and genetic underpinnings therein were rarely studied. We found that geographic populations of invasive Spartina alterniflora had different plasticity in the reproductive phase in response to warming, and the lowest plasticity and fitness of southernmost population may suggest the slowdown of rapid dispersion of S. alterniflora in China. Our study provided a novel view to test the center–periphery hypothesis by integration across a plant's life history.

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