Provenance,genotype, and flooding influence growth and resource acquisition characteristics in a clonal,riparian shrub |
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Authors: | Emily C. Palmquist Kiona Ogle Thomas G. Whitham Gerard J. Allan Patrick B. Shafroth Bradley J. Butterfield |
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Affiliation: | 1. U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, 2255 N Gemini Dr, Flagstaff, AZ, 86001 USA;2. School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Box 5693, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 USA;3. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Box 5640, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 USA;4. U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, 2150 Centre Ave., Bldg C, Fort Collins, CO, 80526 USA |
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Abstract: | Premise Riparian plants can exhibit intraspecific phenotypic variability across the landscape related to temperature and flooding gradients. Phenotypes that vary across a climate gradient are often partly genetically determined and may differ in their response to inundation. Changes to inundation patterns across a climate gradient could thus result in site-specific inundation responses. Phenotypic variability is more often studied in riparian trees, yet riparian shrubs are key elements of riparian systems and may differ from trees in phenotypic variability and environmental responses. Methods We tested whether individuals of a clonal, riparian shrub, Pluchea sericea, collected from provenances spanning a temperature gradient differed in their phenotypes and responses to inundation and to what degree any differences were related to genotype. Plants were subjected to different inundation depths and a subset genotyped. Variables related to growth and resource acquisition were measured and analyzed using hierarchical, multivariate Bayesian linear regressions. Results Individuals from different provenances differed in their phenotypes, but not in their response to inundation. Phenotypes were not related to provenance temperature but were partially governed by genotype. Growth was more strongly influenced by inundation, while resource acquisition was more strongly controlled by genotype. Conclusions Growth and resource acquisition responses in a clonal, riparian shrub are affected by changes to inundation and plant demographics in unique ways. Shrubs appear to differ from trees in their responses to environmental change. Understanding environmental effects on shrubs separately from those of trees will be a key part of evaluating impacts of environmental change on riparian ecosystems. |
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Keywords: | flooding genotype intraspecific variation multivariate Bayesian mixed effects model plant physiology Pluchea sericea provenance riparian shrub river flow alteration |
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