Authors: D G Fischer S K Chapman A T Classen C A Gehring K C Grady J A Schweitzer T G Whitham
Publish Date: 2013/11/29
Volume: 379, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 1-19
Abstract
In the face of climate change shifts in genetic structure and composition of terrestrial plant species are occurring worldwide Because different genotypes of these plant species support different soil biota and soil processes shifts in genetics are likely to have cascading effects on ecosystemsWe explore plant genetic effects on soil function in the context of climate change and selection by soils soil biota and plantsoil feedbacks We propose categories of geneticallybased plant traits that should be prioritized in research on geneticbased effects on soil processes including plant productivity and C allocation tissue quality plant wateruse and rhizosphere mutualisms Additionally we posit that soil community responses to climate change should be considered in concert with plant genotype because of sensitivity of soil communities to climate We use two case studies to highlight these pointsWe argue that the effects of climate change as an agent of selection on plants may cascade to affect soils and ultimately the structure composition and function of ecosystems Understanding the ecological and evolutionary potential of plantsoil linkages may help us understand and mitigate the extended consequences of global change for ecosystems worldwide Accordingly we conclude with experimental approaches for examining geneticallybased plantsoil interactions across climate change gradientsPredicting and mitigating the impacts of climate change on ecosystems represents one of the greatest challenges in modern ecology While predicting the impact of climate change on species distributions is receiving much attention eg Thuiller et al 2008 Aitken et al 2008 Van der Putten et al 2010 a less appreciated reality is that climate change can exert selection pressures with consequences for plant population genetic structure and adaptation Davis et al 2005 Alsos et al 2012 In other words in response to climate change plants may tolerate changes migrate go extinct or adapt and adaptation represents a particularly important and understudied response Lavergne et al 2010 In fact both shifts in distribution and persistence insitu by plants may include microevolution as a fundamental response to changing climate Davis et al 2005 Norberg et al 2012 Plant population genetic structure has changed in the past and is currently changing in response to variation in climate Davis et al 2005 Knight et al 2006 Parmesan 2006 Travers et al 2010 Alsos et al 2012The interaction among selective effects of climate soil type and biotic environments results in unique selection on plant genotypes Recent research emphasizes the interplay between genotype and soil biotic environments which is unique among selective agents in that the biotic environment may be modified by genotype selection as a result of underlying soil type and climate changeIn order to predict future plantsoil connections we must understand how variation in plant genotypic diversity interacts with climate change to influence the function of ecosystems We predict climate change will act as an agent of selection on foundation species to significantly shape the distribution of plant genotypes and thus plantsoil interactions that have extended effects on ecosystems particularly carbon C and nitrogen N cycling processes in soils Here we extend previous reviews on the genetic basis of plantsoil interactions eg Schweitzer et al 2012 to explore specifically how plant genotypes influence ecosystem processes in the context of evolutionary responses to climate change
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