Levels of genetic polymorphism: marker loci versus quantitative traits.

Species are the units used to measure ecological diversity and alleles are the units of genetic diversity. Genetic variation within and among species has been documented most extensively using allozyme electrophoresis. This reveals wide differences in genetic variability within, and genetic distances among, species, demonstrating that species are not equivalent units of diversity. The extent to which the pattern observed for allozymes can be used to infer patterns of genetic variation in quantitative traits depends on the forces generating and maintaining variability. Allozyme variation is probably not strictly neutral but, nevertheless, heterozygosity is expected to be influenced by population size and genetic distance will be affected by time since divergence. The same is true for quantitative traits influenced by many genes and under weak stabilizing selection. However, the limited data available suggest that allozyme variability is a poor predictor of genetic variation in quantitative traits within populations. It is a better predictor of general phenotypic divergence and of postzygotic isolation between populations or species, but is only weakly correlated with prezygotic isolation. Studies of grasshopper and planthopper mating signal variation and assortative mating illustrate how these characters evolve independently of general genetic and morphological variation. The role of such traits in prezygotic isolation, and hence speciation, means that they will contribute significantly to the diversity of levels of genetic variation within and among species.     

Phenotypic integration and plastic correlations in Phlox drummondii (Polemoniaceae)

Clones from two populations of Phlox drummondii were grown in three different nutrient environments to determine the extent to which the overall level and pattern of correlation among traits within an environment changes across environments. With one exception, the level of phenotypic correlation in both populations was the same across environments. Plants from Lexington, Texas exhibited a significantly lower level of phenotypic correlation when grown at a high nutrient concentration. The two populations did not differ from one another in their levels of phenotypic correlation when compared within environments. The pattern of correlation was homogenous both within populations across environments and among populations within environments. Tests of a priori hypotheses regarding the associations among functionally or developmentally related traits suggest that the correlations among traits are higher in traits that share a common function or developmental origin. We also compared the level and pattern of plasticity correlations among populations for three different components of the plastic response. We found that the level and pattern of plastic correlation for the average, linear, and nonlinear components of the plastic response did not differ among the two populations. With only one exception, the relationships among the plastic responses of different traits fit our model of functional and developmental integration. The results from our analyses of phenotypic and plastic correlations support the hypothesis that plastic correlations determine the extent to which phenotypic correlations are environment-dependent.     

The impact of habitat fragmentation on fitness‐related traits in a native prairie plant,Chamaecrista fasciculata (Fabaceae)

Loss and fragmentation of the native prairies in the Midwestern United States have resulted in isolated and smaller habitats and populations. The populations remaining in these prairies are expected to show a decline in the extent of genetic variation and an increase in genetic drift load (accumulation of deleterious recessive alleles due to genetic drift) in fitness‐related traits. Using complementary greenhouse experiments, we tested whether these expected changes have occurred in the native annual prairie plant Chamaecrista fasciculata. In the first experiment, open pollinated C. fasciculata seeds from 12 prairie fragments representing a range in area of habitat were grown in competition with Schizachyrium scoparium to determine if there are changes in plant vigour with changes in fragment size and corresponding changes in population size. Plants from smaller prairie fragments exhibited a slight but significant decline in biomass, suggesting an increase in genetic drift load. In the second experiment, a formal genetic crossing design of four prairie fragment populations was used to estimate quantitative genetic diversity and genetic drift load. We did not find extensive quantitative genetic variation, but we did find a strong effect of genetic drift load on five traits in this experiment. Our overall conclusion is that a decline in relative‐fitness traits in smaller prairie fragments is probably associated with fixation of deleterious alleles due to more isolated and smaller populations, i.e. genetic drift load. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ?? , ??–??.     

Gene Variation, Population Differentiation, and Sociogenetic Structure of Nests of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini)

Gene variation and the differentiation of two populations of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from the Caatinga biome, a semiarid ecosystem unique to Brazil, were estimated through allozymic and microsatellite analyses. These populations exhibited similar low degrees of enzyme gene variation. Observed genotype frequencies at the allozyme and microsatellite loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two populations. Both markers demonstrated that the two populations are not genetically homogeneous and must be considered distinct populations. The occurrence of private alleles at the allozyme and microsatellite loci corroborates this differentiation, sustaining the hypothesis of a low level of interpopulation gene flow. The phenotypic segregations clearly demonstrated that the progeny inside each nest were the result of mating between the queen of the colony and only one male.     

CONTRASTING PATTERNS OF HERITABLE GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN SHELL MORPHOLOGY AND GROWTH POTENTIAL IN THE MARINE GASTROPOD BEMBICIUM VITTATUM: EVIDENCE FROM FIELD EXPERIMENTS

Similar phenotypes do not always imply similar genotypes. In species distributed over a broad latitudinal range, geographical variation in morphological and life-history traits may reflect very different relations between genotypic and environmental effects on these traits. Patterns of selection among latitudinally separated sites may minimize phenotypic differences in life-history traits but promote phenotypic differences in form. Thus, for example, latitudinal variation in temperature often leads to genetically based metabolic differences that minimize differences in growth rate among populations at different latitudes (countergradient variation). However, variation in habitat experienced by the same populations may promote genetically based differences in shell form (cogradient variation). Few attempts have been made to assess simultaneously such mosaic effects of natural selection on the genetic basis of variation in both morphological and life-history traits among geographically separated populations. I quantified the extent to which widely separated populations of the rocky shore marine gastropod Bembicium vittatum exhibited genetic differences in shell shape, shell pattern, and growth rate. Bembicium vittatum occurs naturally at only three widely separated locations on the Western Australian coast. Individuals were transplanted from all three locations to a latitudinally intermediate site, where they were released in different pairwise combinations and allowed to reproduce. F₁ offspring from crosses between same- or different-source parents were identified using allozyme markers. When grown in a common environment, offspring from same-source parents exhibited similar differences in shell shape and pattern, but dramatic differences in growth rates, compared to native populations. Genetic variation therefore exists for all three traits. Growth rates in the common environment were positively correlated with latitude of the source population, confirming the existence of countergradient variation for growth associated with metabolic compensation. In addition, for both shell shape and growth rate, hybrids exhibited phenotypes roughly midway between the same-source parents, suggesting that genetic differences have a large additive component. In contrast, when one parent had pigmented spots, the offspring also had spots, suggesting a strong dominance component to the genetic basis of shell pattern. Genetic differences therefore yield different morphological phenotypes but similar life-history phenotypes, among latitudinally distant populations, and confirm a pattern of mosaic evolution in B. vittatum.     

Differences in functional traits among distinct populations of the plant invader Bunias orientalis

入侵植物疣果匙荠不同种群间的功能性状差异 特定环境下植物扩大领域入侵到其他区域时,其功能性状会发生改变。原产地环境已形成植物原有功能性状,当植物居住环境发生改变时,其功能性状亦会随之改变。本文旨在探讨居于常见条件与原产地气候条件的原状态、入侵状态、归化状态下不同疣果匙荠(Bunias orientalis)种群间的性状变异。自8个国家收集了12种疣果匙荠种子(每种状态各4种),将其种植于标准条件下的同质园中,并比较不同状态不同种类的物候、生长、繁殖等功能性状变化。 研究结果表明, 物候不因植物状态而异,但某些原产于常年低温地区的原状态植物并未开花。相比原状态植物,入侵状态植物的叶子更多,这表明了其在积累植被生物量上的活力。短角果的数量和质量,以及其他的生长性状在不同的状态间没有差异,但在不同种群间存在差异。一些功能性状的变异可能是由于原生地对当地条件的长期适应和遗传多样性所致,而其他环境因素在新环境下的差异可能导致了较高的性状变异。     

Differentiation in populations of Hordeum spontaneum Koch along a gradient of environmental productivity and predictability: plasticity in response to water and nutrient stress

Plants from four populations of Hordeum spontaneum originating in distinct environments of Israel were compared for stress induced phenotypic plasticity. The environments ranged along a gradient of increasing rainfall amount and predictability from low (desert) to moderate (semisteppe batha) to high (Mediterranean grassland and mountain, the latter also experiencing frost stress). The plants were exposed to a set of four treatments: no stress (optimum water and nutrients), water, nutrient and both water and nutrient stress. Plants from the four populations (or ecotypes) exhibited different patterns of plasticity in response to the different stresses (water and nutrients) and in different trait categories (reproductive, fitness and resource allocation). The importance of plasticity in response to water stress appears to decrease, and to nutrient stress appears to increase along the increasing rainfall gradient. The mountain ecotype, growing in an area with high potential productivity (amount of rainfall) but experiencing periodic frosts, was the most plastic among ecotypes in resource allocation under both water and nutrient stress, but exhibited low plasticity in other trait categories. In contrast, the desert ecotype had low plasticity in resource allocation under water stress and the lowest plasticity among the four ecotypes in all trait categories in response to nutrient stress. The ecotype originating in Mediterranean grassland, a predictable and most favourable environment, was highly plastic in fitness and allocation traits in response to low nutrient levels which is likely to occur due to competition in productive environment. We discuss the observed differences in ecotype plasticity as part of their environmentally induced adaptive ‘strategies’. We found no support for the hypothesis that plants originating in environments with greater variation and unpredictability are more plastic. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 2002, 75 , 301–312.     

基于种实性状的无患子天然群体表型多样性研究

无患子(Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.)是我国长江以南地区传统的重要绿化树种,其果皮富含皂苷,种仁富含油脂,是国家林业局审定的新型木本油料树种之一。为揭示无患子群体间和群体内种实表型性状变异式样,采用单因素方差分析、巢式方差分析、相关分析和主成分分析等方法,对无患子13个天然群体的10个种实表型性状进行比较分析,研究其群体间和群体内种实表型多样性以及表型变异与地理生态因子间的相关性。结果表明:无患子种实表型性状变异系数平均为7.34%,在群体间和群体内均存在丰富的表型变异。表型性状分化系数平均为62.21%,群体间变异(39.93%)大于群体内(27.46%),是无患子种实表型性状变异的主要来源。多数性状在群体间差异显著,不同程度的表现出边缘群体易于分化的特点,但地理变化规律不连续,而在群体内不同性状的差异性亦不一致。种子形态受群体地理生态的影响较果实形态大,西北部群体种子趋于椭圆形,东部、南部则趋于圆球形;地理纬度、年平均气温与多数种实性状间呈显著相关,是无患子种实表型性状变异的主要地理生态影响因子。可见,无患子种实表型性状在群体间、群体内变异都较为丰富,这些变异是由遗传和环境因素共同作用的结果。群体间和群体内多层次的变异为无患子优良种质资源保育和利用提供了物质基础。     

A comparison between desert and Mediterranean antlion populations: differences in life history and morphology

We performed a transplant experiment to compare the life histories and morphologies of five geographically representative antlion Myrmeleon hyalinus populations along a sharp climatic gradient, from a Mediterranean climate in Israel's north to a desert climate in the south. Larvae were raised in two environmental chambers simulating Mediterranean and desert climates to investigate the extent to which the different populations exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Along the north-to-south climatic gradient, we observed a gradient in body mass prior to pupation and in pupation rate. Mediterranean populations suffered higher mortality rate when exposed to desert conditions, whereas the mortality rate of desert populations was consistent between Mediterranean and desert conditions. Our results regarding body mass, pupation rate and mortality rate suggest that Mediterranean populations had a more flexible response compared with desert populations. An analysis of digital photographs was used to measure population morphological differences, which were usually indicative of a decrease in trait size along the north-to-south gradient. We show how climatic gradients translate into phenotypic differences in an antlion population and provide a morphometric tool to distinguish between instar stages.     

中亚热带赤皮青冈天然种群表型多样性分析

赤皮青冈(Quercus gilva)是我国中亚热带地区极具经济价值的珍贵用材树种。为揭示其表型多样性与变异规律以及影响表型变异的关键地理气候因子，该研究以14个赤皮青冈天然种群115个单株为材料，对其15个树体和叶片性状进行测量，并采用巢式方差分析、表型分化系数分析、多样性指数分析、相关性分析、主成分分析以及聚类分析等方法，探究赤皮青冈的表型变异规律及其与地理气候因子的相关性。结果表明：(1)赤皮青冈表型多样性水平较高，15个表型性状的变异系数和Shannon-Wiener指数平均值分别为35.070%和1.998,14个种群的变异系数在14.94%(洞口)～35.56%(龙山)之间、Shannon-Wiener指数在1.127(松阳)～1.980(常宁)之间。(2)15个表型性状在种群间和种群内均存在极显著差异(P<0.01),种群平均表型分化系数为41.491%,表型变异主要来源于种群内。(3)相关性分析发现，赤皮青冈部分性状间存在显著或极显著相关性，表型性状与地理因子间相关性不明显，降水是影响赤皮青冈表型性状的主要气候因子。(4)主成分分析发现，基于11个表型可提炼出4个...     

Patterns of genetic diversity vary among shoot and root functional traits in Norway spruce Picea abies along a latitudinal gradient

Roots constitute a major segment of plant biomass, and variation in belowground traits in situ correlates with environmental gradients at large spatial scales. Local adaptation of populations maintains intraspecific genetic variation in various shoot traits, but the contribution of genetic factors to adaptation to soil heterogeneity remains poorly known. I established a common-garden experiment with three Norway spruce Picea abies populations sampled between 60° and 67° N in Finland, each represented by 13 or 15 maternal families, to determine whether belowground traits are as genetically differentiated among populations as those in the shoot along a collective latitudinal gradient of temperature and soil heterogeneity. Two growing season simulations enabled testing for among-population differences in phenotypic plasticity. I phenotyped 777 first-year seedlings from shoot to root to capture functional traits that may influence survival in the wild: autumn phenology, shoot growth, root system size, root architecture, root morphology and growth allocation. All traits exhibited within-population genetic diversity, but among-population differentiation ranged from strong in shoot traits to nonexistent in root system architecture and morphology that are scaled to root system size. However, latitudinal trends characterised root-to-shoot ratio and root tip-to-shoot ratio that account for among-population differences in aboveground growth. Overall trait variability was multidimensional with variable among- versus within-population trends: for example, phenology and shoot growth covaried across populations, but their association within individual populations was variable. Shoot growth correlated positively with root system size, but not with root architecture or morphology. Finally, the two higher-latitude populations exhibited greater phenotypic plasticity in shoot traits and growth allocation. The results demonstrate varying patterns of genetic variation in functional traits of Norway spruce in the boreal zone, suggesting simultaneous adaptation to multiple environmental factors. Functional traits that exhibit phenotypic plasticity, genetic diversity and little covariation will promote long-term survival of populations in fluctuating environments.     

Genetic structure of the widespread and common Mediterranean bryophyte Pleurochaete squarrosa (Brid.) Lindb. (Pottiaceae) - evidence from nuclear and plastidic DNA sequence variation and allozymes

The Mediterranean Basin as one the world's most biologically diverse regions provides an interesting area for the study of plant evolution and spatial structure in plant populations. The dioecious moss Pleurochaete squarrosa is a widespread and common bryophyte in the Mediterranean Basin. Thirty populations were sampled for a study on molecular diversity and genetic structure, covering most major islands and mainland populations from Europe and Africa. A significant decline in nuclear and chloroplast sequence and allozyme variation within populations from west to east was observed. While DNA sequence data showed patterns of isolation by distance, allozyme markers did not. Instead, their considerable interpopulation genetic differentiation appeared to be unrelated to geographic distance. Similar high values for coefficients of gene diversity (G(ST)) in all data sets provided evidence of geographic isolation and limited gene flow among populations (i) within islands, (ii) within mainland areas, and (iii) between islands and mainland. Notably, populations in continental Spain are strongly genetically isolated from all other investigated areas. Surprisingly, there was no difference in gene diversity and G(ST) between islands and mainland areas. Thus, we conclude that large Mediterranean islands may function as 'mainland' for bryophytes. This hypothesis and its implication for conservation biology of cryptogamic plants warrant further investigation. While sexually reproducing populations were found all over the Mediterranean Basin, high levels of multilocus linkage disequilibrium provide evidence of mainly vegetative propagation even in populations where sexual reproduction was observed.     

Quantitative variation within and among populations of Arabis serrata Fr. & Sav. (Brassicaceae)

Phenotypic and genetic variation within and among eight populations of Arabis serrata are documented in this study. This species shows great morphological variation throughout its geographical distribution in Japan. Plants are located in habitats with different types of soils and degree of disturbance. Half-sibs progenies from eight populations were collected and cultivated in a garden experiment. Nine morphological traits representing size and shape of rosette leaves were recorded. Univariate analyses of measured traits showed that phenotypic means differed among populations for all characters. Leaves of plants from disturbed habitats had the longest petioles (lanceolate) and plants from limestone habitats showed the most roundness in leaf shape (ovate). The northernmost populations always revealed the smallest leaves. Multivariate principal component analyses also showed that leaf shape and size varied among populations. The first three principal components explained 98.5% of the variation. Coefficients of variation had a very wide range and differed from one population to another. Some traits (e.g. leaf width/leaf length ratio) were consistently less variable while others (e.g. leaf area and petiole length) were more plastic. All traits had significant genetic variance in all populations. Intra-class correlation coefficients differed for most of the traits and each population presented a different range of values. Most of the leaf traits were intercorrelated in all the populations studied, although some populations were integrated more tightly for some traits. Populations of A. serrata are differentiated in phenotypic means but they display a mosaic of traits with slight morphological differences in each locality (i.e. a quantitative genetic variation). Some traits can be correlated to the habitats that they occupy but for some of them it is difficult to assign an actual adaptive value.     

High-level phenotypic variations in populations of Armeniaca sibirica in Nei Mongol,China北大核心CSCD

Aims: Our objectives were to determine the variations in phenotypic traits of Armeniaca sibirica populations and their spatial patterns. Methods: We used nested variation, coefficient of variation, multi-comparison, correlation analysis and principal component analysis to analyze the 23 phenotypic traits for 130 individuals in 13 populations of A. sibirica. Important findings: The results showed that there were significant differences in phenotypic variations among and within populations. The variation was greater among populations (47.15%) than within population (16.43%). The mean phenotypic differentiation coefficient was 73.03% among populations, indicating the variance among populations being the main source of the phenotypic variation. The average variation coefficient of 23 traits ranged from 7.01% to 27.23%, with an average of 14.28%. The variation coefficient of nutlet was highest (15.67%), and the variation coefficient of fruit was smallest (12.11%). The phenotypic diversity is highest in Wanjiagou Tumotezuoqi and smallest in Horqin, Right Front Banner Chaersen. Longitude, mean annual precipitation and sunshine duration were significantly correlated with major traits of phenotypic. The 13 populations could be divided into four groups according to the principal component analysis. Leaf traits of Wula Mountain and nutlet traits of Archorchin Banner were significantly correlated with ecological and geographic factors.     

High-level phenotypic variations in populations of Armeniaca sibirica in Nei Mongol,China

Aims Our objectives were to determine the variations in phenotypic traits of Armeniaca sibirica populations and their spatial patterns. Methods We used nested variation, coefficient of variation, multi-comparison, correlation analysis and principal component analysis to analyze the 23 phenotypic traits for 130 individuals in 13 populations of A. sibirica. Important findings The results showed that there were significant differences in phenotypic variations among and within populations. The variation was greater among populations (47.15%) than within population (16.43%). The mean phenotypic differentiation coefficient was 73.03% among populations, indicating the variance among populations being the main source of the phenotypic variation. The average variation coefficient of 23 traits ranged from 7.01% to 27.23%, with an average of 14.28%. The variation coefficient of nutlet was highest (15.67%), and the variation coefficient of fruit was smallest (12.11%). The phenotypic diversity is highest in Wanjiagou Tumotezuoqi and smallest in Horqin, Right Front Banner Chaersen. Longitude, mean annual precipitation and sunshine duration were significantly correlated with major traits of phenotypic. The 13 populations could be divided into four groups according to the principal component analysis. Leaf traits of Wula Mountain and nutlet traits of Archorchin Banner were significantly correlated with ecological and geographic factors.     

Allozyme polymorphisms of maize populations from southwestern China

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most-important food crops in southwestern China. The diversity of maize populations from southwestern China has been evaluated on the basis of agronomic and morphological data, but not on marker data. Our objectives were to evaluate the allozyme polymorphism of these populations, and group the populations on the basis of allozyme data. We analyzed 27 maize populations from southwestern China and two populations [BS13(S)C2 and Lancaster] from the USA for genetic variation at 18 allozyme loci. We found a total of 69 alleles at 18 allozyme loci with an average of 3.8 alleles per locus. Compared with inbreds, hybrids, and populations from the U.S. Corn Belt, the 27 Chinese populations had a significantly higher (p<0.01) number of allozyme alleles per locus. Maize populations from southwestern China have accumulated abundant genetic diversity, and might be valuable germplasm for broadening the genetic base of U.S. Corn Belt breeding germplasm. The analyses of allele-frequency distributions and the expected heterozygosity also reflected the differences between the Chinese and the U.S. germplasm. The Chinese populations might be valuable germplasm for complementing U.S. Corn Belt breeding germplasm. The analysis of gene diversity showed that 77% of the allozyme variation resided within populations and 23% between populations. This result suggested that breeders should identify one or a few Chinese populations with the best agronomic performance, and exploit the genetic variation within these selected populations. Cluster analysis classified the 29 populations into four main groups. Groupings based on allozyme data could be useful for classifying the populations into different heterotic groups and, consequently, exploiting them in hybrid breeding. Received: 12 October 2000 / Accepted: 13 March 2001     

内蒙古山杏种群表型变异

为明确内蒙古山杏(Armeniaca sibirica)种群间和种群内的表型变异程度和变异规律, 以内蒙古山杏自然分布区的13个种群的23个表型性状为研究对象, 采用巢式方差分析、多重比较、变异分析、相关性分析和主成分分析等多种分析方法, 对种群间和种群内的表型多样性及其与地理生态因子的相关性进行了讨论。研究结果表明: 内蒙古山杏的表型性状在种群间和种群内均存在丰富的变异, 种群间的变异大于种群内的变异, 表型性状的平均分化系数为73.03%, 种群间变异是山杏表型变异的主要变异来源。各性状的平均变异系数为14.28%, 变异幅度为7.01%-27.23%, 其中核的变异系数最大, 果的变异系数最小。土默特左旗万家沟种群表型多样性最丰富, 科尔沁右翼前旗察尔森种群表型多样性最小。表型性状主要受经度、年降水量以及年日照时间3个主要地理生态因子影响。通过主成分分析可以把13个种源区划为四大类, 其中乌拉山种群的叶性状和阿鲁科尔沁旗种群的核性状受地理生态因子影响最大。     

茶条槭自然种群种子和果实表型多样性研究

为探析茶条槭(Acer ginnala)种子和果实表型差异程度及变异规律,该研究采用巢式方差分析、主成分分析、聚类分析等方法,对茶条槭主要分布区内7个种群种子和果实的12个表型性状进行比较研究,分析茶条槭种群间和种群内的表型多样性以及与地理生态因子的关系。结果表明:除种子长/宽(SLW)外,其它11个表型性状在茶条槭种群间和种群内均具有显著差异;各性状平均变异系数(CV)为13.90%,变异幅度为8.14%～32.08%;种群间翅果性状的平均变异系数(15.63%)高于种子性状的平均变异系数(8.71%),表明种子性状的稳定性高于果实性状。主成份分析中,果实形态特征对茶条槭种群表型的贡献率大于种子贡献率。种群间表型分化系数为35.47%,说明种群内变异(64.53%)大于种群间变异(35.47%),暗示变异主要来源于种群内变异。茶条槭种子和果实表型性状受地理生态因子影响较小,主要受自身遗传因素的影响。基于种群间欧式距离的聚类分析将茶条槭7个种群分为2大支,没有严格按照地理距离而聚类,表明茶条槭种群表型性状变异的不连续性。茶条槭不同种群种子和果实具有较高的表型多样性,与其分布范围和生物学特性有关。     

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.     

Adaptive phenology of desert and Mediterranean populations of annual plants grown with and without water stress

Summary The dynamics of vegetative and reproductive growth were compared in matched pairs of Mediteranean and desert populations of three unrelated annual species, Erucaria hispanica (L.) Druce, Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv. and Bromus fasciculatus C. Presl., under high and low levels of water availability in a common-environment experiment. Plants of all desert populations showed earlier switches to reproductive development and to subsequent phenophases, and the transition to flowering occurred at smaller plant sizes. Water stress had no effect (E. hispanica) or slightly accelerated the transition to flowering in B. fasciculatus (by 1–2 days) and in B. distachyon (by 4–6 days). Plant senescence was strongly enhanced by water stress, and this enhancement was greater in desert populations than in corresponding Mediterranean ones. Duration of life cycle was greatly shortened by water stress in all three species. Desert and Mediterranean populations of the three species exhibited small differences in their relative response, i.e. phenotypic plasticity, to water stress for phenological and plant size parameters. In E. hispanica and B. fasciculatus the population x water regime interaction amounted to less than 3% of total variance. By contrast, the Mediterranean population of B. distachyon was much more plastic in its response to water stress than the desert population in its transition to plant senescence. Plants from the desert populations appeared to be adapted to shorter, more compact growth cycles, culminating in earlier dates of seed maturation and plant senescence. In addition, they showed larger phenotypic plasticity in the transition to plant senescence, which trait was enhanced or magnified by sustained or repeated lack of water. By contrast, plants from Mediterranean populations delayed switchover from one phenophase to the next, seeming thus to bet on more water being forthcoming.