Seed Source May Determine Field-Specific Germination and Emergence: The Source by Planting Environment Interaction

Farm environmental conditions and management practices can result in within-cultivar differences in seed quality and lead to transgenerational plasticity (farm-specific effects on offspring, or TGP) that affect germination and emergence in transplant fields. We used three perennial bunchgrasses, [green needlegrass (Nassella viridula) ‘Lodorm’, slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus) ‘Pryor’, and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoregneria spicata) prevariety registered germplasm P-7] to determine if seeds exhibited TGP. We also determined if TGP was affected by the interaction between production farms and planting environments (farm × environment interaction, or context-dependent TGP), using four laboratory temperature regimes to test germination response and four field environments to test emergence response in 2013. We stored seeds in four different environments for 10 mo before repeating the experiment to test if recent seed storage conditions mitigated TGP. Contextdependent TGP affected emergence for Pryor and Lodorm both years, however, only Pryor exhibited context-dependent TGP for germination in 2013. Sources with low germination and emergence in the field were less likely to exhibit context-dependent TGP. Some transplant fields did not show differences among sources, but in other transplant fields, emergence increased as much as 24% depending on farm source. The effect of recent seed storage conditions, significant only for Pryor, was opposite for germination and emergence, with room-temperature stored seeds exhibiting the highest emergence and lowest germination. Context-dependent TGP in emergence could not be predicted by our coarse information regarding seed production environments and storage conditions or by germination in the lab. Nonetheless, context-dependent TGP significantly determined emergence in two of the three study species. Mechanisms underlying this phenomenon need further study to understand potential benefits and pitfalls for producers and seed buyers

The human body at cellular resolution: the NIH Human Biomolecular Atlas Program

Abstract: Transformative technologies are enabling the construction of three-dimensional maps of tissues with unprecedented spatial and molecular resolution. Over the next seven years, the NIH Common Fund Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) intends to develop a widely accessible framework for comprehensively mapping the human body at single-cell resolution by supporting technology development, data acquisition, and detailed spatial mapping. HuBMAP will integrate its efforts with other funding agencies, programs, consortia, and the biomedical research community at large towards the shared vision of a comprehensive, accessible three-dimensional molecular and cellular atlas of the human body, in health and under various disease conditions

Datasets

This file contains all data supporting the publication, including qualitative scores for signature, trait*environment scores, quantitative comparison data (mean trait data), and location data for all populations and gardens. A "data dictionary" tab is also provided to explain the contents

Strong patterns of intraspecific variation and local adaptation in Great Basin plants revealed through a review of 75 years of experiments

Variation in natural selection across heterogeneous landscapes often produces (a) among-population differences in phenotypic traits, (b) trait-by-environment associations, and (c) higher fitness of local populations. Using a broad literature review of common garden studies published between 1941 and 2017, we documented the commonness of these three signatures in plants native to North America's Great Basin, an area of extensive restoration and revegetation efforts, and asked which traits and environmental variables were involved. We also asked, independent of geographic distance, whether populations from more similar environments had more similar traits. From 327 experiments testing 121 taxa in 170 studies, we found 95.1% of 305 experiments reported among-population differences, and 81.4% of 161 experiments reported trait-by-environment associations. Locals showed greater survival in 67% of 24 reciprocal experiments that reported survival, and higher fitness in 90% of 10 reciprocal experiments that reported reproductive output. A meta-analysis on a subset of studies found that variation in eight commonly measured traits was associated with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature at the source location, with notably strong relationships for flowering phenology, leaf size, and survival, among others. Although the Great Basin is sometimes perceived as a region of homogeneous ecosystems, our results demonstrate widespread habitat-related population differentiation and local adaptation. Locally sourced plants likely harbor adaptations at rates and magnitudes that are immediately relevant to restoration success, and our results suggest that certain key traits and environmental variables should be prioritized in future assessments of plants in this region

R Code for Quantitative Analysis

R Code supporting the quantitative analysis. Data called for by this code are in the "quantitative analysis" tab of the "GBLA_forDryad_datasets" excel file

Data from: Strong patterns of intraspecific variation and local adaptation in Great Basin plants revealed through a review of 75 years of experiments

Variation in natural selection across heterogeneous landscapes often produces 1) among-population differences in phenotypic traits, 2) trait-by-environment associations, and 3) higher fitness of local populations. Using a broad literature review of common garden studies published between 1941 and 2017, we documented the commonness of these three signatures in plants native to North America’s Great Basin, an area of extensive restoration and revegetation efforts, and asked which traits and environmental variables were involved. We also asked, independent of geographic distance, whether populations from more similar environments had more similar traits. From 327 experiments testing 121 taxa in 170 studies, we found 95.1% of 305 experiments reported among-population differences, and 81.4% of 161 experiments reported trait-by-environment associations. Locals showed greater survival in 67% of 24 reciprocal experiments that reported survival, and higher fitness in 90% of 10 reciprocal experiments that reported reproductive output. A meta-analysis on a subset of studies found that variation in eight commonly-measured traits was associated with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature at the source location, with notably strong relationships for flowering phenology, leaf size, and survival, among others. Although the Great Basin is sometimes perceived as a region of homogeneous ecosystems, our results demonstrate widespread habitat-related population differentiation and local adaptation. Locally-sourced plants likely harbor adaptations at rates and magnitudes that are immediately relevant to restoration success, and our results suggest that certain key traits and environmental variables should be prioritized in future assessments of plants in this region