Explaining geographical variation in the isotope composition of mouse lemurs (Microcebus)

Aim We sought to quantify geographical variation in the stable isotope values of mouse lemurs (Microcebus) and to determine whether this variation reflects trophic differences among populations or baseline isotopic differences among habitats. If the latter pattern is demonstrated, then Microcebus can become a proxy for tracking baseline habitat isotopic variability. Establishing such a baseline is crucial for identifying niche partitioning in modern and ancient communities. Location We studied five species of Microcebus from eight distinct habitats across Madagascar. Methods We compared isotopic variation in C₃ plants and Microcebus fur within and among localities. We predicted that carbon and nitrogen isotope values of Microcebus should: (1) vary as a function of abiotic variables such as rainfall and temperature, and (2) covary with isotopic values in plants. We checked for trophic differences among Microcebus populations by comparing the average difference between mouse lemur and plant isotope values for each locality. We then used multiple regression models to explain spatial isotope variation in mouse lemurs, testing a suite of explanatory abiotic variables. Results We found substantial isotopic variation geographically. Ranges for mean isotope values were similar for both Microcebus and plants across localities (carbon 3.5–4.0‰; nitrogen 10.5–11.0‰). Mean mouse lemur and plant isotope values were lowest in cool, moist localities and highest in hot, dry localities. Rainfall explained 58% of the variation in Microcebus carbon isotope values, and mean plant nitrogen isotope values explained 99.7% of the variation in Microcebus nitrogen isotope values. Average differences between mouse lemur and plant isotope values (carbon 5.0‰; nitrogen 5.9‰) were similar across localities. Main conclusions Isotopic data suggest that trophic differences among Microcebus populations were small. Carbon isotope values in mouse lemurs were negatively correlated with rainfall. Nitrogen isotope values in Microcebus and plants covaried. Such findings suggest that nitrogen isotope values for Microcebus are a particularly good proxy for tracking baseline isotopic differences among habitats. Our results will facilitate future comparative research on modern mouse lemur communities, and ecological interpretations of extinct Holocene communities.     

民勤沙区几种荒漠植物群落的现实生态位研究

民勤沙区属于典型的干旱荒漠气候,植被以灌木荒漠为主,盖度一般只有5%~15%.植物群落内生态位宽度悬殊,植物种之间的生态位相似比例很小.生态位宽度和生态位相似比例小是受制于干旱荒漠生境条件的结果,是干旱荒漠生态环境中稀疏荒漠植物的主要特征之一.植物的现实生态位宽度与年际降水量关系密切,在地貌、土壤颗粒、土壤水分、土壤养分等影响因子中,土壤水分是主导因子.当地地下水位深20 m左右,植物无法利用,植物种之间对资源的竞争主要表现为对水分资源的竞争,降水资源是植物种之间竞争的关键资源.同一种植物在不同群落中的生态位宽度变幅较大,不同群落内部植物种竞争关系的差异是由物种的生态位和由相对稳定的地貌、土壤条件以及随年际变动的降水条件共同作用的结果.群落中的优势种植物的生态位最宽,当优势种生态位减小时,一年生短命植物往往会进入群落中.荒漠植物的冠层单一,以冠幅占样方面积比作为植物的特征值计算其生态位特征值比较准确可靠.     

Photosynthetic response of two shrubs to rainfall pulses in desert regions of northwestern China

Pulses of rainfall are particularly pivotal in controlling plant physiological processes in ecosystems controlled by limited water, and the response of desert plants to rainfall is a key to understanding the responses of desert ecosystems to global climatic change. We used a portable photosynthesis system to measure the responses of the diurnal course of photosynthesis, light-response curves, and CO₂-response curves of two desert shrubs (Nitraria sphaerocarpa Maxim. and Calligonum mongolicum Turcz) to a rainfall pulse in a desert-oasis ecotone in northwestern China. The photosynthetic parameters, light- and CO₂-response curves differed significantly before and after the rainfall pulse. Their maximum net photosynthetic rate (P _N) values were 23.27 and 32.92 μmol(CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹ for N. sphaerocarpa and C. mongolicum, respectively, with corresponding maximum stomatal conductance (g _s) values of 0.47 and 0.39 mol(H₂O) m⁻² s⁻¹. The P _N of N. sphaerocarpa after the rainfall was 1.65 to 1.75 times the value before rainfall, whereas those of C. mongolicum increased to approximately 2 times the prerainfall value, demonstrating the importance of the desert plants response by improving their assimilation rate to precipitation patterns under a future climate.     

The relationship between N isotopic fractionation within soybean and N2 fixation during soybean development

The contribution of N₂ fixation to overall soybean N uptake has most commonly been quantified by N isotope‐based methods, which rely on isotopic differences in plant N between legumes and non‐fixing reference plants. The choice of non‐fixing reference plants is critical for the accuracy of isotope‐based methods, and mismatched reference plants remain a potential source of error. Accurate estimates of soybean N₂ fixation also require information on N isotopic fractionation within soybean. On the basis of a previous observation of a close correlation between an expression of N fractionation within soybean and the proportion of plant N derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) determined by ¹⁵N natural abundance, this field study aimed at assessing the relationship between various expressions describing intraplant ¹⁵N or N partitioning and %Ndfa during soybean development. Starting from a late vegetative stage until beginning senescence, the N content and N isotopic composition of shoots, roots and nodules of nodulated and non‐nodulated soybeans was determined at eight different developmental stages. Regression analysis showed that %Ndfa most closely correlated with the difference in the N isotopic composition of shoot N minus that of root including nodule N, and that this relationship was similar to that obtained in a previous multi‐site field study. We therefore consider this expression to hold promise as a means of quantifying %Ndfa independent of a reference plant, which would avoid some of the external sources of error introduced by the use of reference plants in determining %Ndfa.     

Environmental regulation of carbon isotope composition and crassulacean acid metabolism in three plant communities along a water availability gradient

Expression of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is characterized by extreme variability within and between taxa and its sensitivity to environmental variation. In this study, we determined seasonal fluctuations in CAM photosynthesis with measurements of nocturnal tissue acidification and carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) of bulk tissue and extracted sugars in three plant communities along a precipitation gradient (500, 700, and 1,000 mm year⁻¹) on the Yucatan Peninsula. We also related the degree of CAM to light habitat and relative abundance of species in the three sites. For all species, the greatest tissue acid accumulation occurred during the rainy season. In the 500 mm site, tissue acidification was greater for the species growing at 30% of daily total photon flux density (PFD) than species growing at 80% PFD. Whereas in the two wetter sites, the species growing at 80% total PFD had greater tissue acidification. All species had values of bulk tissue δ¹³C less negative than −20‰, indicating strong CAM activity. The bulk tissue δ¹³C values in plants from the 500 mm site were 2‰ less negative than in plants from the wetter sites, and the only species growing in the three communities, Acanthocereus tetragonus (Cactaceae), showed a significant negative relationship between both bulk tissue and sugar δ¹³C values and annual rainfall, consistent with greater CO₂ assimilation through the CAM pathway with decreasing water availability. Overall, variation in the use of CAM photosynthesis was related to water and light availability and CAM appeared to be more ecologically important in the tropical dry forests than in the coastal dune.     

稳定同位素技术在植物水分利用研究中的应用

近20a稳定同位素技术在植物生态学研究中的应用得到了长足发展,使得对植物与水分关系也有了更深一步的了解。介绍稳定同位素性碳、氢、氧同位素在研究植物水分关系中的应用及进展,以期能为国内植物水分利用研究提供参考。由于植物根系从土壤中吸收水分时并不发生同位素分馏,对木质部水分同位素分析有助于对植物利用水分来源,生态系统中植物对水分的竞争和利用策略的研究,更好地了解生态系统结构与功能。稳定碳同位素作为植物水分利用效率的一个间接指标,在不同水分梯度环境中,及植物不同代谢产物与水分关系中有着广泛的应用。同位素在土壤-植被-大气连续体水分中的应用,有助于了解生态系统的水分平衡。随着稳定同位素方法的使用,植物与水分关系的研究将取得更大的进展。     

Are drought-resistance promoting bacteria cross-compatible with different plant models?

The association between plant and plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) contributes to the successful thriving of plants in extreme environments featured by water shortage. We have recently shown that, with respect to the non-cultivated desert soil, the rhizosphere of pepper plants cultivated under desert farming hosts PGPB communities that are endowed with a large portfolio of PGP traits. Pepper plants exposed to bacterial isolates from plants cultivated under desert farming exhibited a higher tolerance to water shortage, compared with untreated control. This promotion was mediated by a larger root system (up to 40%), stimulated by the bacteria, that enhanced plant ability to uptake water from dry soil. We provide initial evidence that the nature of the interaction can have a limited level of specificity and that PGPB isolates may determine resistance to water stress in plants others than the one of the original isolation. It is apparent that, in relation to plant resistance to water stress, a feature of primary evolutionary importance for all plants, a cross-compatibility between PGPB and different plant models exists at least on a short-term.     

Plant–microbe interactions and nitrogen dynamics during wetland establishment in a desert stream

In late-successional steady state ecosystems, plants and microbes compete for nutrients and nutrient retention efficiency is expected to decline when inputs exceed biotic demand. In carbon (C)-poor environments typical of early primary succession, nitrogen (N) uptake by C-limited microbes may be limited by inputs of detritus and exudates derived from contemporaneous plant production. If plants are N-limited in these environments, then this differential limitation may lead to positive relationships between N inputs and N retention efficiency. Further, the mechanisms of N removal may vary as a function of inputs if plant-derived C promotes denitrification. These hypotheses were tested using field surveys and greenhouse microcosms simulating the colonization of desert stream channel sediments by herbaceous vegetation. In field surveys of wetland (ciénega) and gravelbed habitat, plant biomass was positively correlated with nitrate (NO₃ ^?) concentration. Manipulation of NO₃ ^? in flow-through microcosms produced positive relationships among NO₃ ^? supply, plant production, and tissue N content, and a negative relationship with root:shoot ratio. These results are consistent with N limitation of herbaceous vegetation in Sycamore Creek and suggest that N availability may influence transitions between and resilience of wetland and gravelbed stable states in desert streams. Increased biomass in high N treatments resulted in elevated rates of denitrification and shifts from co-limitation by C and NO₃ ^? to limitation by NO₃ ^? alone. Overall NO₃ ^? retention efficiency and the relative importance of denitrification increased with increasing N inputs. Thus the coupling of plant growth and microbial processes in low C environments alters the relationship between N inputs and exports due to increased N removal under high input regimes that exceed assimilative demand.     

Interpretation of global differences in plant calorific values

Summary Calorific values for the vegetative tissues of a group of perennial desert and arid woodland plants ranged from 3,191 to 5,375 calories per gram, oven dry weight. These span the range of comparable values reported earlier for plants in other environments, and reflect variety in adaptations to dry environments. Tissues with low values had high ash percentages, and contain significant amounts of low-energy oxalate salts. To interpret differences in calorific values for plants, one must understand: 1) the significance of calorific values in plant energetics, 2) the functions of compounds responsible for high and low values, and 3) the relative rates of metabolism and dry matter production for those plants.     

Edge effects on foliar stable isotope values in a madagascan tropical dry forest

Edge effects represent an inevitable and important consequence of habitat loss and fragmentation. These effects include changes in microclimate, solar radiation, or temperature. Such abiotic effects can, in turn, impact biotic factors. They can have a substantial impact on species, communities, and ecosystems. Here we examine clinal variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values for trees along an edge-interior gradient in the dry deciduous forest at Ankarafantsika National Park. We predicted that soil respiration and differences in solar irradiance would result in stratified δ(13)C values where leaves collected close to the forest floor would have lower δ(13)C values than those growing higher up in the canopy. We also anticipated that plants growing at the savannah-forest boundary would have higher δ(13)C and δ(15)N values than plants growing in the forest interior. As expected, we detected a small but significant canopy effect. Leaves growing below 2 m from the forest floor exhibit δ(13)C values that are, on average, 1.1‰ lower than those growing above this threshold. We did not, however, find any relationship between foliar δ(13)C and distance from the edge. Unpredictably, we detected a striking positive relationship between foliar δ(15)N values and increasing distance into the forest interior. Variability in physiology among species, anthropogenic influence, organic input, and rooting depth cannot adequately explain this trend. Instead, this unexpected relationship most likely reflects decreasing nutrient or water availability, or a shift in N-sources with increasing distance from the savannah. Unlike most forest communities, the trees at Ampijoroa are growing in nutrient-limited sands. In addition to being nutrient poor, these well-drained soils likely decrease the amount of soil water available to forest vegetation. Continued research on plant responses to edge effects will improve our understanding of the conservation biology of forest ecosystems in Madagascar.     

Nitrogen fixation and metabolism by groundwater-dependent perennial plants in a hyperarid desert

The Central Asian Taklamakan desert is characterized by a hyperarid climate with less than 50 mm annual precipitation but a permanent shallow groundwater table. The perched groundwater (2–16 m) could present a reliable and constant source of nitrogen throughout the growing season and help overcome temporal nitrogen limitations that are common in arid environments. We investigated the importance of groundwater and nitrogen fixation in the nitrogen metabolism of desert plants by assessing the possible forms and availability of soil N and atmospheric N and the seasonal variation in concentration as well as isotopic composition of plant N. Water availability was experimentally modified in the desert foreland through simulated flooding to estimate the contribution of surface water and temporally increased soil moisture for nutrient uptake and plant–water relations. The natural vegetation of the Taklamakan desert is dominated by plants with high foliar nitrogen concentrations (2–3% DM) and leaf nitrate reductase activity (NRA) (0.2–1 mol NO₂^– g^–1 FW h^–1). There is little evidence that nitrogen is a limiting resource as all perennial plants exhibited fast rates of growth. The extremely dry soil conditions preclude all but minor contributions of soil N to total plant N so that groundwater is suggested as the dominant source of N with concentrations of 100 M NO₃^–. Flood irrigation had little beneficial effect on nitrogen metabolism and growth, further confirming the dependence on groundwater. Nitrogen fixation was determined by the ¹⁵N natural abundance method and was a significant component of the N-requirement of the legume Alhagi, the average contribution of biologically fixed nitrogen in Alhagi was 54.8%. But nitrogen fixing plants had little ecological advantage owing to the more or less constant supply of N available from groundwater. From our data we conclude that the perennial species investigated have adapted to the environmental conditions through development of root systems that access groundwater to satisfy demands for both water and nutrients. This is an ecologically favourable strategy since only groundwater is a predictable and stable resource.     

Carbon isotopes as indicators of elephant diets and African environments

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been successfully used to assess modern animal diets and to reconstruct prehistoric diets of animals and humans (Vogel & van der Merwe, 1977; van der Merwe & Vogel, 1978; Burleigh & Brothwell, 1978; Vogel, 1978a; DeNiro & Epstein, 1978; Tieszen et al., 1979; Tieszen & Imbamba, 1980; Chisholm, Nelson & Schwarcz, 1982; Tauber, 1981). We have used ¹³C/¹²C ratio measurements of bone collagen to study the diets of African elephants in twelve wildlife refuges. These represent most of the habitats in which elephants live, including such diverse plant communities as primary rain forest, savanna woodland and desert. The δ¹³C values were found to have a simple linear relationship with tree density in most cases. When translated into relative amounts of dietary browse (C₃ plants) and graze (C₄ plants), the grass content is seen to be systematically under-represented, presumably due to inefficient metabolism. This does not affect the relationship between elephant diet and tree density, which has implications for the study of elephant-woodland interactions, and for reconstructions of past African environments.     

Natural abundance of 13C and 15N in C3 and C4 vegetation of southern Africa: patterns and implications

The mean annual rainfall in southern Africa is found to explain over half of the observed variance in the stable nitrogen (N) isotopic signatures of C₃ vegetation in southern Africa (r²=0.54, P<0.01). The inverse relationship between the stable N isotopic signatures of foliar samples from C₃ vegetation and long‐term southern African rainfall is found on a scale larger than previously observed. A modest relationship is found between stable carbon (C) isotopic signatures of C₃ vegetation and rainfall across the region (r²=0.20, P<0.01). No such relationship is found between stable C and N isotopic signatures of C₄ vegetation and rainfall. The explanation of the relationship between ¹⁵N in C₃ vegetation and the mean annual rainfall presented here is that nutrient availability varies inversely with water availability. This suggests that water‐limited systems in southern Africa are more open in terms of nutrient cycling and therefore the resulting natural abundance of foliar ¹⁵N in these systems is enriched. The use of this relationship may be of value to those researchers modeling both the dynamics of vegetation and biogeochemistry across this region. The use of the isotopic enrichment in C₃ vegetation as a function of rainfall may provide an insight into nutrient cycling across the semi‐arid and arid regions of southern Africa. This finding has implications for the study of global change, especially as it relates to vegetation responses to changing regional rainfall regimes over time.     

Responses of Nitraria tangutorum to water and photosynthetic physiology in rain enrichment scenario

Under the global warming conditions, great attention has been paid to the effects of precipitation on ecophysiological characteristics in desert plants. Nitraria tangutorum is one of the dominant shrubs distributes in desert outside Minqin oasis, Gansu Province. The artificial simulated rainfall experiments were carried out in four consecutive years from 2008 to 2011, in an attempt to understand the mechanisms of the photosynthetic response in desert plant to the variation of future precipitation pattern. The water and photosynthetic physiological characteristics of leaves in N. tangutorum were examined from July 24 to 26 in 2011 under different simulated rainfall increase gradients (increased 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of mean annual precipitation, respectively). We measured leaf traits that could reflect both leaf water status (e.g., leaf water content and leaf water potential) and photosynthetic physiology (e.g., maximum net photosynthetic rate). The results showed that leaf water content and leaf water potential of N. tangutorum increased with increasing rainfall. Leaf water content and leaf water potential of N. tangutorum in the 100% increased rainfall treatment were significantly greater by 8.51% and 12.07% than the control (0% increased rainfall treatment). But leaf dry matter content and specific leaf weight gradually decreased with increasing rainfall. Leaf dry matter content and specific leaf weight in the 100% increased rainfall treatment were significantly lower by 6.92% and 25.93% than the control. Leaf maximum net photosynthetic rate (A_max), apparent quantum yield (AQY) and light saturation point (LSP) increased with increasing rainfall, while light compensation point (LCP) gradually decreased with increasing rainfall. AQY in the 100% increased rainfall treatment was significantly greater by 70.00% than the control. However, there were no significant differences in LSP and LCP between different treatments. A_max, transpiration rate (T_r), stomatal conductance (G_s) in the 100% increased rainfall treatment were significantly greater by 81.91%, 166.07% and 110.47% than the control, respectively. On the contrary, water use efficiency (WUE) in the 100% increased rainfall treatment was significantly less 48.28% than the control. There were no significant differences in intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i) and stomatal limitation value (L_s) between different treatments. The correlation analysis showed that there were significantly positive correlations between leaf water content, leaf water potential, T_r and G_s. However, there were significantly negative correlations between leaf dry matter content, leaf specific mass and T_r, G_s, leaf water content and leaf water potential, suggesting that leaf gas exchanges were regulated by leaf water status. Therefore, N. tangutorum could adapt to the tendency of future increasing precipitation by the coordination of water physiology and photosynthesis.     

基于控水试验的喀斯特出露基岩生境植物水分来源分析

裂隙发育的喀斯特出露基岩生境,虽无土层覆盖却能维持不同生活型植物的水分消耗.然而目前对该类生境植物的水分来源缺乏清晰认识.本研究以植物潜在水分来源相对简单的孤立出露基岩为例,聚焦遮雨(即剔除雨水对浅层水源的补给)1年后仍然生长旺盛的代表性植物种,同时以无遮雨处理样地(即始终接受降雨补给)的同种植物为对照,运用稳定性氢氧同位素技术,结合对植物水势的测定,综合分析了3种典型植物(落叶乔木菜豆树、落叶乔木紫弹树、常绿灌木四子海桐)的水分来源.结果表明: 在降水充沛的雨季,遮雨条件下3种植物均依赖与泉水同位素比率相近的深层水源,这是植物在遮雨1年后仍能正常生长的根本原因;遮雨菜豆树和四子海桐凌晨水势与自然植株无显著差异,表明植物未受水分胁迫,而紫弹树凌晨水势显著低于自然植株,表明其受一定程度的水分胁迫;自然条件下,3种植物茎水同位素比率均显著低于遮雨植株,且处于近期雨水同位素比率波动范围内,表明植物均依赖受近期雨水主导的浅层水源.遮雨和自然条件下,四子海桐正午水势与凌晨水势始终无明显差异,表现出较为保守的水分利用策略;另外2种植物正午水势显著低于凌晨水势,属于偏挥霍型水分利用策略.具备利用浅层和深层水源的能力是喀斯特无土覆盖出露基岩生境植物适应不同水分环境和维持多样化水分利用策略的关键.     

Stable isotopes (δD and δ13C) are geographic indicators of natal origins of monarch butterflies in eastern North America

Wing membranes of laboratory and field-reared monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) were analyzed for their stable-hydrogen (δD) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope ratios to determine whether this technique could be used to identify their natal origins. We hypothesized that the hydrogen isotopic composition of monarch butterfly wing keratin would reflect the hydrogen isotope patterns of rainfall in areas of natal origin where wings were formed. Monarchs were reared in the laboratory on milkweed plants (Asclepias sp.) grown with water of known deuterium content, and, with the assistance of volunteers, on native milkweeds throughout eastern North America. The results show that the stable hydrogen isotopic composition of monarch butterflies is highly correlated with the isotopic composition of the milkweed host plants, which in turn corresponds closely with the long-term geographic patterns of deuterium in rainfall. Stable-carbon isotope values in milkweed host plants were similarly correlated with those values in monarch butterflies and showed a general pattern of enrichment along a southwest to northeast gradient bisecting the Great Lakes. These findings indicate that natal origins of migratory and wintering monarchs in Mexico can be inferred from the combined δD and δ¹³C isotopic signatures in their wings. This relationship establishes that analysis of hydrogen and carbon isotopes can be used to answer questions concerning the biology of migratory monarch butterflies and provides a new approach to tracking similar migratory movements of other organisms. Received: 1 July 1998 / Accepted: 11 November 1998     

影响阜康荒漠-绿洲过渡带荒漠植物数量特征的土壤驱动力分析

荒漠-绿洲过渡带是绿洲向沙漠系统的过渡地带,荒漠植物是绿洲扩展或荒漠化加速的缓冲器,土壤环境是影响植物演变的重要影响因素,土壤环境因素是整个过渡带演化的重要驱动力。通过对阜康荒漠-绿洲过渡带荒漠植物群落实地调查,利用通用植物数量分析软件CANOCO 5.0中冗余度分析(RDA),探讨过渡带影响荒漠植物群落数量特征指标的土壤驱动因子。结果表明:(1)土壤含水量、全N、全P和有机质是影响荒漠植物群落数量特征的主要驱动力因子,环境解释量累计达到69%,而总盐、p H和全K对荒漠植物群落数量特征影响较弱;(2)4个土壤主要驱动力对荒漠植物群落数量特征重要性大小顺序:土壤含水量有机质全N全P;(3)荒漠植物群落数量特征与土壤含水量、有机质和全P呈正相关,但与全N为负相关关系,揭示了土壤含水量、有机质和全P是利于荒漠植物群落稳定的正驱动力,而全N为抑制荒漠植物生长的负驱动力。综上所述,土壤各因子的驱动力作用不尽相同,存在正、负差异,协同维护荒漠植物群落数量特征的稳定和发展。     

Climatic implications of δ13C and δ18O ratios from C3 and C4 plants growing in a tropical montane habitat in southern India

The stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in cellulose of C3 and C4 plants growing on the surface of a montane peat bog in the Nilgiri hills, southern India, were measured. The mean monthly δ¹³C values in cellulose of both C3 and C4 plants are found to be significantly related to rainfall, while the δ¹⁸O values are sensitive to changes in maximum temperature and relative humidity of the region. Further, higher δ¹⁸O values were observed in C4 plants compared to C3 plants, suggesting that C4 plants are probably less sensitive to relative humidity as compared to C3 plants and are able to photosynthesize even during drier conditions. The plant isotope-climate correlations thus established can be used for reconstructing the past temperature and rainfall conditions of the tropics from the isotopic ratios of peat deposits, derived from a mixture of C3 and C4 plants in the region.     

Environmental and species‐specific controls on δ13C and δ15N in dominant woody plants from central‐western Argentinian drylands

Spatial variation in mean annual precipitation is the principal driver of plant water and nitrogen status in drylands. The natural abundance of carbon stable isotopes (δ¹³C) in photosynthetic tissues of C3 plants is an indicator of time‐integrated behaviour of stomatal conductance; while that of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) is an indicator of the main source of plant N (soil N vs. atmospheric N₂). Previous studies in drylands have documented that plant δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values increase with decreasing mean annual precipitation due to reductions in stomatal conductance, and soil enriched in ¹⁵N, respectively. However, evidence for this comes from studies focused on stable isotopes measurements integrated at the plant community level or on dominant plants at the site level, but little effort has been made to study C and N isotope variations within a species growing along rainfall gradients. We analysed plant δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and C/N values of three woody species having different phenological leaf traits (deciduous, perennial and aphyllous) along a regional mean annual precipitation gradient from the central‐western Argentinian drylands. Noticeably, plant δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in the three woody species did not increase towards sites with low precipitation or at the start of the growing season (drier period), as we expected. These results suggest that environmental factors other than mean annual precipitation may be affecting plant δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N. The short‐term environmental conditions may interact with species‐specific plant traits related to water and nitrogen use strategies and override the predictive influence of the mean annual precipitation on plant δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N widely reported in drylands.     

Role of selection and gene flow in population differentiation at the edge vs. interior of the species range differing in climatic conditions

Evaluating the relative importance of neutral and adaptive processes as determinants of population differentiation across environments is a central theme of evolutionary biology. We applied the Q_ST–F_ST comparison flanked by a direct test for local adaptation to infer the role of climate‐driven selection and gene flow in population differentiation of an annual grass Avena sterilis in two distinct parts of the species range, edge and interior, which represent two globally different climates, desert and Mediterranean. In a multiyear reciprocal transplant experiment, the plants of desert and Mediterranean origin demonstrated home advantage, and population differentiation in several phenotypic traits related to reproduction exceeded neutral predictions, as determined by comparisons of Q_ST values with theoretical F_ST distributions. Thus, variation in these traits likely resulted from local adaptation to desert and Mediterranean environments. The two separate common garden experiments conducted with different experimental design revealed that two population comparisons, in contrast to multi‐population comparisons, are likely to detect population differences in virtually every trait, but many of these differences reflect effects of local rather than regional environment. We detected a general reduction in neutral (SSR) genetic variation but not in adaptive quantitative trait variation in peripheral desert as compared with Mediterranean core populations. On the other hand, the molecular data indicated intensive gene flow from the Mediterranean core towards desert periphery. Although species range position in our study (edge vs. interior) was confounded with climate (desert vs. Mediterranean), the results suggest that the gene flow from the species core does not have negative consequences for either performance of the peripheral plants or their adaptive potential.