Edaphic ecotypic divergence in Senecio vulgaris and the evolutionary potential of predominantly self-fertilising species

There is continued interest in ecotypic divergence because it is informative of local adaptation and can be an important step in speciation. To investigate ecotypic divergence in a predominantly self-fertilising species, Senecio vulgaris, in response to variation in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPlant ecology & diversity Vol. 16; no. 1-2; pp. 29 - 44
Main Author Abbott, Richard J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis 23.03.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Adaptation
Ammonium nitrate
Birds
Divergence
Dunes
Ecotypes
Edaphic ecotypes
Environmental changes
Fertilization
Genetic diversity
local adaptation
Nitrogen
nitrogen response
Phosphorus
phosphorus response
Populations
Sand
Seed set
self-fertilisation
Senecio vulgaris
Soil fertility
Speciation
Urea
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Summary:There is continued interest in ecotypic divergence because it is informative of local adaptation and can be an important step in speciation. To investigate ecotypic divergence in a predominantly self-fertilising species, Senecio vulgaris, in response to variation in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations. Responses to increased N and P were compared among populations sampled from sand dune, bird sanctuary and garden habitats, containing soils of low, high and intermediate fertility, respectively. Responses were measured in terms of growth, with capitulum production and days to seed set recorded in some experiments. Population differences in response to increased N and P were detected and linked to differences in soil fertility among habitats. Thus, the sand dune population exhibited the lowest growth response to increased N and P concentrations, while a bird sanctuary population showed the greatest response to increased N supplied as either NaNO 3 , NH 4 NO 3 or urea. Genetic variation in response to increased N was present in both of these populations. The results indicate the presence of edaphic ecotypes in S. vulgaris, providing further evidence that questions the premise that self-fertilisation limits adaptation to environmental change and thus is an evolutionary dead-end.
ISSN:1755-0874
1755-1668
DOI:10.1080/17550874.2023.2209786