Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Changes in wing length in the pollinator Bombus dahlbomii occurring with the fragmentation of the Maulino forest, Chile

Habitat fragmentation can affect the morphological design of flying insects in different ways through changes in the costs and benefits of dispersal patterns. Larger wings should be favored if necessary resources are scattered across a fragmented landscape. The purpose of this research is to test this prediction in Bombus dahlbomii (Guérin), a native Chilean pollinator associated with the fragmented Maulino forest. We used hanging traps to collect individuals in the continuous native forest, in four small forest remnants and in two Pinus radiata plantations (matrix). We measured the body size (mm) and the length of the first and the second pairs of wings (mm) of each individual collected. In all, 280 individuals were captured. The body size and the length of both the first and the second pairs of wings were higher in the forest fragments and the matrix than in the continuous forest. A significant positive relationship between wing length and body size was observed for all habitats, but the percentage of variance explained was lower in the continuous forest than in the fragments and the matrix. These results suggest that the fragmentation of the Maulino forest would favor phenotypes with larger wings. It is probable that these phenotypes would be best at flying and obtaining scarce resources during foraging.La fragmentación del hábitat puede afectar el diseño morfológico de los insectos voladores de distintas maneras, a través de cambios en los costos y beneficios de los patrones de dispersión. Como resultado, es probable que alas más grandes puedan ser favorecidas cuando los recursos necesarios se encuentren dispersos a lo largo del paisaje fragmentado. En esta investigación se puso a prueba esta predicción en Bombus dahlbomii (Guérin), un polinizador nativo de Chile asociado al bosque Maulino fragmentado. Mediante trampas colgantes, se capturaron individuos en el bosque nativo continuo, en cuatro pequeños fragmentos y en dos plantaciones de Pinus radiata (matriz). A cada individuo colectado se le midió su tamaño corporal (mm) y el largo de su primer y segundo par de alas (mm). En total, fueron capturados 280 individuos. El tamaño corporal y el largo de ambos pares de alas fue mayor en los fragmentos y en la matriz, en comparación con el bosque continuo. Además, se observó una relación positiva y significativa entre la longitud de las alas y el tamaño corporal en todos los hábitats, sin embargo, la varianza explicada fue menor en el bosque continuo que en los fragmentos y la matriz. Estos resultados sugieren que la fragmentación del bosque Maulino podría favorecer fenotipos con alas más grandes, probablemente con mayores capacidades de vuelo para la búsqueda de recursos escasos durante el forrajeo

Changes in wing length in the pollinator Bombus dahlbomii occurring with the fragmentation of the Maulino forest, Chile Cambios en el largo alar del polinizador Bombus dahlbomii, con la fragmentación del bosque Maulino, Chile

Habitat fragmentation can affect the morphological design of flying insects in different ways through changes in the costs and benefits of dispersal patterns. Larger wings should be favored if necessary resources are scattered across a fragmented landscape. The purpose of this research is to test this prediction in Bombus dahlbomii (Guérin), a native Chilean pollinator associated with the fragmented Maulino forest. We used hanging traps to collect individuals in the continuous native forest, in four small forest remnants and in two Pinus radiata plantations (matrix). We measured the body size (mm) and the length of the first and the second pairs of wings (mm) of each individual collected. In all, 280 individuals were captured. The body size and the length of both the first and the second pairs of wings were higher in the forest fragments and the matrix than in the continuous forest. A significant positive relationship between wing length and body size was observed for all habitats, bu

Does Plant Origin Influence the Fitness Impact of Flower Damage? A Meta-Analysis.

Herbivory has been long considered an important component of plant-animal interactions that influences the success of invasive species in novel habitats. One of the most important hypotheses linking herbivory and invasion processes is the enemy-release hypothesis, in which exotic plants are hypothesized to suffer less herbivory and fitness-costs in their novel ranges as they leave behind their enemies in the original range. Most evidence, however, comes from studies on leaf herbivory, and the importance of flower herbivory for the invasion process remains largely unknown. Here we present the results of a meta-analysis of the impact of flower herbivory on plant reproductive success, using as moderators the type of damage caused by floral herbivores and the residence status of the plant species. We found 51 papers that fulfilled our criteria. We also included 60 records from unpublished data of the laboratory, gathering a total of 143 case studies. The effects of florivory and nectar robbing were both negative on plant fitness. The methodology employed in studies of flower herbivory influenced substantially the outcome of flower damage. Experiments using natural herbivory imposed a higher fitness cost than simulated herbivory, such as clipping and petal removal, indicating that studies using artificial herbivory as surrogates of natural herbivory underestimate the real fitness impact of flower herbivory. Although the fitness cost of floral herbivory was high both in native and exotic plant species, floral herbivores had a three-fold stronger fitness impact on exotic than native plants, contravening a critical element of the enemy-release hypothesis. Our results suggest a critical but largely unrecognized role of floral herbivores in preventing the spread of introduced species into newly colonized areas

Tristerix corymbosus microsatellite library

This repository entry contains the microsatellite library generated for the mistletoe <i>Tristerix corymbosus</i> (Loranthaceae). This microsatellite library was generated using 454 Next Generation Sequencing. The FASTQ file attached is complementary to the original publication:<br><br>Fontúrbel, F.E., M.M. Murúa & C. Vega-Retter. 2016. Development of ten microsatellite markers from the keystone mistletoe <i>Tristerix corymbosus</i> (Loranthaceae) using 454 next generation sequencing and their applicability to population genetic structure studies. Molecular Biology Reports 43(5): 339-343. doi: 10.1007/s11033-016-3970-6<br><br>Data contained in this library could be used freely on the sole condition than the original paper and this repository entry is cited.<br><br>How to cite this data:<br>Fontúrbel, F.E., M.M. Murúa & C. Vega-Retter. 2017. <i>Tristerix corymbosus</i> microsatellite library. Figshare, doi: <a target="_blank">10.6084/m9.figshare.4729954</a

Crop-Specific Effects on Pan-Trap Sampling of Potential Pollinators as Influenced by Trap Color and Location

Characterizing insect communities in pollinator-dependent crops helps determine the potential pollinator effectiveness and their effects on crop yield. Few studies have examined pollinator communities and their services to crops in South America. Furthermore, optimal sampling methods for these communities in the crop habitat have received little attention. Pan traps are one of the simplest and most widely used sampling methods to assess insect diversity. We compared different pan trap arrangements to describe potential pollinator communities in two commercial crops (blueberry and canola) in Southern Chile. We compared communities in the crops and assessed how sampling position (border or center) and pan trap color (blue, white, or yellow) affected sample composition. Species composition was significantly different between crops. Furthermore, trap color affected sample composition in blueberry, but trap position did not, whereas color had no significant effect on canola, but trap position did. In all cases, yellow pans captured the largest number of species. Hymenoptera explained most of the differences in sampling efficiency because of the differential responses across species. We suggest that pan trap assessments of the diversity in potential pollinator insects depend on crop characteristics, including planting configuration and floral morphology. Therefore, comparative studies should include pans of different colors positioned at various locations within the crop

Mean effect size of flower herbivory on plant fitness in studies using natural and artificial herbivory.

<p>Bars around means indicate 95% confidence intervals. Numbers indicate the number of records.</p

Distribution of Hedges’d effects of flower herbivory on plant fitness arranged in increasing order for (a) type of damage, (b) origin, and (c) data source.

<p>Bars indicate 95% CI. The zero line is presented for reference of statistical significance.</p