Book of Abstracts

27th - 29th May 2021

Book of Abstracts

33rd Conference of the Plant Population Biology — Section of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ)

POPBIO Prague 2021

Organizing team:

Zuzana Münzbergová Tomáš Dostálek Petr Dostál Věra Hadincová Tomáš Herben Vít Latzel Hana Pánková Jana Raabová Hana Skálová

Department of Population Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science and Plant Ecology Unit, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague

LIFE for Minuartia

The LIFE for Minuartia project NAT/CZ/000818 is financially supported by the European Union, the LIFE program and the Ministry of the Environment.

organizing team / POPBIO Prague 2021 2

Dear PopBio participants,

Welcome to PopBio 2021! Wow, we are so happy that we will finally come together again after wait- ing for so long! This 33rd meeting of our Specialist Group Plant Population Biology of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ) had to be postponed by one year due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and has now been re-organized as an online conference by our colleagues in Prague. They have done an amazing job in adjusting a physical meeting into a virtual one. We are grateful for their time and efforts to realize this.

We also thank the keynote speakers – Markus Fischer, Thomas Giesecke, Petr Kuneš, Vojtěch Novot- ný, Christina Richards and Vigdis Vandvik – for their upcoming contributions in five sessions covering a broad range of themes and for their willingness to wait for a year. In addition, this year’s participants, contributing a total of 32 oral and 65 poster presentations, will fill this conference with exciting content that feeds our common interests and lively discussions. Many presenters are young scientists, for whom this conference aims to provide a welcoming stage.

This conference is indebted to its sponsors, in particular the directorate of the GfÖ for their financial support, allowing us to realize this virtual PopBio meeting in a professional way.

We are sure that this virtual version of PopBio will greatly contribute to the scientific as well as the social exchange and we look forward to meet you all, the usual participants as well as the new ones. Our meeting will be different from previous years, yes, but PopBio 2021 will still be one of those meetings that we will remember as we do past PopBio meetings.

Enjoy!

Niek Scheepens & Solveig Franziska Bucher – Speaker and vice-speaker of the Specialist Group Plant Population Biology of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland

welcome / POPBIO Prague 2021 3

Table of contents:

Programme...... 5 Keynote presentations...... 14 Talks oral presentations...... 20 Poster presentations...... 53 List of participants...... 119

Table of contents / POPBIO Prague 2021 4

Programme:

Wednesday 26th May 2021

16:00–18:00 Life project meeting with excursion to the National Nature Monument Hadce u Želivky - one of the most important serpentine areas in the Czech Republic

19:30–21:00 welcome reception at VIRTUAL FOYER

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 5

Thursday 27th May 2021

9:00–9:15 Introduction

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions (chair Yvonne Buckley, Session 1 co-chair Petr Dostál)

9:15–10:05 Markus Fisher (Keynote presentation): On the relevance, practice, and limits of plant population biology

10:05–10:35 Tsipe Aavik A nationwide citizen science campaign Talk 1 in Estonia brings novel insight into the patterns of heterostyly of Primula veris

Johannes Hofner Populations restored using regional seed Talk 2 are genetically diverse and similar to natural populations in the region

10:35–10:55 coffee break

10:55–11:00 session introduction

11:00–12:00 Theresa Anna Lehmair Drivers of genetic diversity in plant Talk 3 populations differ between semi-natural grassland types

Seraina Cappelli Undersown plant species diversity affects Talk 4 disease severity in barley differently through above and belowground processes

Anna-Maria Madaj Two common grassland species differ in multivariate genetic diversity and Talk 5 predicted evolutionary changes in response to drought

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 6

Tobias Sandner Adaptive plasticity - an attempt to Talk 6 free ecologists from a complicated evolutionary concept

12:00–12:45 lunch

12:45–13:45 workshop Publishing workshop with editors of Journal of Ecology (ZOOM)

13:45–14:10 Coffee break

Session 2 (Epi)genetics in plant adaptations (chair Walter Durka, co-chair Vít Latzel)

14:10–15:00 Christina Richards (Keynote presentation) Using genomics approaches to understand mechanisms of response to complex environmental conditions in non-model plants.

15:00–15:30 Iris Sammarco Natural epigenetic variation in wild Talk 7 strawberry populations along a European climatic gradient

Dario Galanti Genetic and environmental determinants Talk 8 of natural DNA methylation variation in Thlaspi arvense

15:30–16:00 Coffe break+poster session 1 (posters 1–32)

16:00–17:00 poster session 1 – posters 1–32 (Zoom)

17:00–17:30 Coffee break + poster session 1 (posters 1–32)

17:30–18:00 Cristian Javier Pena Distinctive DNA methylation patterns Talk 9 Ponton induced by abiotic and biotic factors in the widely distributed clonal tree Populus nigra var. italica

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 7

Anne Sophie Rosa Transgenerational plasticity of Mimulus Talk 10 Michaeli guttatus in response to waterlogging

19:30–20:30 Meet the keynotes

19:30–21:00 VIRTUAL FOYER

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 8

Friday 28th May 2021

Session 3 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions (chair Danny Hooftman, co-chair Jitka Klimešová)

9:00–9:50 Vojtěch Novotný (Keynote presentation) Tropical trees insect herbivores and their endless ecological entanglements

9:50–10:35 Finn Rehling How does logging affect the seed Talk 11 dispersal loop of animal-dispersed plants?

Merav Seifan Who regulates patterns of scent Talk 12 emission along the day in desert Brassicaceae?

Stav Luzon Shooting the messenger: Identifying the Talk 13 mycorrhizal species transferring carbon between neighboring trees

10:35–10:50 Coffee break

Session 4 Plant performance and physiology (chair Hagai Shemesh, co-chair Jitka Klimešová

10:50–12:05 Viktoria Ferenc The Stronger The Better Đ Trait Hierarchy Talk 14 is Driving Alien Species Interaction

Sergey Rosbakh Plant community persistence strategy is Talk 15 environment-specific

Annalena Lenk The Relationship between Flower and Talk 16 Growth Phenology

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 9

Sofia van Moorsel Differential responses of wild duckweed Talk 17 populations to salt stress

Sophie Weides Where does the water come from? Talk 18 Quantifying water-uptake depths of plants in changing grasslands.

12:10–13:40 lunch

Session 4 Global change (chair Guy Colling, co-chair Zuzana Munzbergová

13:40–14:30 Vigdis Vandvik (Keynote presentation) Using an experimental macroecological approach to assess climate change impacts on plant populations and communities: experiences, insights, and ways forward

14:30–15:15 Martin Andrzejak Reproductive success of two native Talk 19 grassland species under two climate and pollen scenarios

Maude Baudraz Vital rate and life history strategies, but Talk 20 not necessarily population performance respond to SDM predictions along a steep suitability gradient in the Swiss Alps in Plantago lanceolata

Lukas Flinspach Modelling demographic processes to Talk 21 understand spatial patterns of alpine treelines

15:15–15:40 Coffee break + poster session 2 (posters 33–64)

15:40–15:45 group photo (zoom)

15:45–16:45 poster session 2 – posters 33–64 (Zoom)

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 10

16:45–17:15 Coffee break + poster session 2 (posters 33–64)

Session 5 Global change 2 (chair Marc Stift, co-chair Zuzana Munzbergová)

17:15–18:00 Ragnhild Gya A test of local adaptation to drought in germination and seedling traits in Talk 22 populations of two alpine forbs across a 2000 mm/year precipitation gradient

Lotte Korell Climate change and grassland Talk 23 management interactively influence the population dynamics of Bromus erectus (Poaceae)

Oliver Bossdorf Advanced flowering of forest understorey Talk 24 plants is associated with climate change in Europe

19:30 Conference party at VIRTUAL FOYER

programme / POPBIO Prague 2021 11

Saturday 29th May 2021

Session 6 Long-term ecology (chair Michal Gruntman, co-chair Tomáš Herben)

9:00–9:50 Thomas Giesecke (Keynote presentation) Paleoecological insights + Petr Kuneš into plant population dynamics

9:50–10:35 Robert Rauschkolb Historical comparisons with four Talk 25 European plant species reveal differentiations and trade-offs in responses to drought and herbivory after two decades of global change

Stefan Abrahamczyk Species richness increases in Swiss plant Talk 26 assemblages since 2001 but species with specialized reproductive strategies profit little

Christine Sabine Long-term dynamics of plant invasions: Talk 27 Sheppard How population growth, functional traits, climate responses and biotic resistance change with residence time

10:35–10:50 Coffee break

Session 7 Community and population dynamics (chair Dina in ‘t Zandt, co-chair Tomáš Herben)

10:50–12:05 Gal Lupovitch A Tradeoff between mother and offspring Talk 28 requirements governs release from dormancy in the True Rose of Jericho

Belén González Genetic variation in the interactions Talk 29 Moncalvillo of the root hemi-parasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus with different host species

12 Rafaella Canessa Litter-mixture decomposition relates Talk 30 variably to functional dispersion along a climatic gradient in Chile

10:50–12:05 Trevor Fristoe Alien species and the shape of commonness and rarity in Europe´s flora Talk 31

Javier Puy Competition-induced transgenerational Talk 32 plasticity influences competitive interactions and leaf decomposition of offspring

12:05–12:50 Closing remarks (prizes, speaker election, next meeting announcement, farewell)

14:00–15:00 Excursion (chair Tomáš Herben)

13 Keynote

presentation

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 14

KN1 On the relevance, practice, and limits of plant population biology

Markus Fischer

University of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences, Plant Ecology

In this talk I reflect on the potential basic and applied relevance of plant population biology, address in how far the actual practice has realized this potential, and point out future opportunities. I illustrate my reflections with a number of own and other case studies.

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 15

KN2

Using genomics approaches to understand mechanisms of response to complex environmental conditions in non-model plants.

Christina Richards

Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Plant Evolutionary Ecology group, University of Tübingen,

Understanding how organisms are able to respond at different time scales is an essential component of deci- phering the impact and long-term consequences of a changing environment. Rapidly developing genomic tools for model plants grown in controlled conditions can now be used to examine the mechanisms of phenotypic response in a broad array of wild organisms and biologically relevant conditions. While studies interested in adaptation have largely assumed that trait variation is based on DNA sequence variation, we now know that epigenetic effects can result in heritable, novel phenotypes even without variation in DNA sequence and could therefore provide an unappreciated source of response. I will present data from my lab groups that uses reduced representation bisulphite sequencing and transcriptomic approaches to explore the potential role of genetic and epigenetic processes in the response to challenging environmental conditions in native and invasive populations of Spartina alterniflora and Japanese knotweed. Our work leverages the power of the eudicot Arabidopsis and monocot Brachypodium distychum model plant species to confirm our findings in these non-model plants. Com- bined, these studies will enhance our understanding of how genetic and epigenetic variation interact in response to environment on different time scales, and ultimately contribute to adaptation.

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 16

KN3 Tropical trees, insect herbivores and their endless ecological entanglements

Vojtěch Novotný

Department of Ecology at Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences

The precise nature of plant-herbivore ecology and phylogeny in tropical forests is complicated by the exceptional complexity of plant-herbivore food webs that may involve over 10,000 species in a single ecosystem. The clas- sical ecological dilemma between the bottom-up control of herbivores by plant resources versus their top-down control by natural enemies may have an unexpected solution, viz. that plants control herbivores by calling their natural enemies to help whenever they are being attacked. The study of plant-herbivore interactions has been fragmented into entomologists studying herbivore species, ecologists measuring holes in the leaves caused by these herbivores, and botanists ignoring the herbivores entirely. A community-scale manipulative experiments are seen as the way towards better understanding of plant-herbivore interactions, and some of them are illustrated by our research mostly conducted in Papua New Guinea.

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 17

KN4 Using an experimental macroecological approach to assess climate change impacts on plant populations and communities: experiences, insights, and ways forward

Vigdis Vandvik

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen

Predicting the rate, magnitude, and consequences of ecological responses to unprecedented rates of global environmental change present a pressing challenge for today’s ecologists. Both observational gradient approaches and localized field experiments are making important contributions to our understanding of how biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services are impacted. However, these approaches differ in scope, strengths, and, more fundamentally, also in the underlying ecological questions asked. Differences in outcomes and predictions from different approaches have led to discussions and concerns over their comparability and even validity for answering the pressing global change questions, but also to calls for integrated approaches. I will share experiences and insights from such an integrated approach; replicating experiments to assess climate change impacts on grassland ecosystems and the plant populations and communities that inhabit them across regional-scale climate gradients in Western Norway. Our work illustrates a number of methodological challenges facing climate change ecologists, but also how these approaches can further our understanding of the ecological responses to climate change. In particular, by replicating our climate change experiments along independent temperature and precipitation gradients we can assess and disentangle climate context-dependencies in the responses, and thereby arrive at greater generality about why and how climate change effects vary across landscapes and regions. We manipulate climate per se, but also experimentally isolate the direct and indirect effects of climate change to understand to what extent responses are driven by direct physiological responses to the climatic variables or indirect effects, operating through changes in species’ interactions. In all these studies we explore a variety of responses, from physiological responses via plant population dynamics to community composition, plant functional traits, and ecosystem functioning. This allows us to explore how effects scale across these levels of biological organization. Keywords: ecosystem transplant experiments; extinction; global change; invasion.

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 18

KN5 Paleoecological insights into plant population dynamics

Thomas Giesecke1 and Petr Kuneš2

1 Physical Geography, Utrecht University 2 Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague

Studying the dynamics of wooded ecosystems consisting of species with lifespans of several centuries requires palaeoecological techniques. Plant remains preserve in lake sediments and peat, which can be dated with an accuracy of years to decades, permit studies of vegetation change on timescales from years to millennia. The dispersal and deposition of pollen grains from wind-pollinated trees have been studied extensively, documenting a linear relationship between changes in the absolute amount of pollen deposited in a lake and the standing volume of trees surrounding the site. The proportional cover of different trees and open vegetation types can be obtained from pollen percentages using models of pollen dispersal and deposition. It is thus possible to study the dynamics of the increase and decline in the population of individual tree species evaluating lag times to environmental forcing or the duration of compositional changes as well as responses to disturbance. Here we present examples of such changes in tree populations. We examine the response to climate change at the end of the last ice age showing that population growth was faster in the south under higher temperatures, while the resident populations may have caused an establishment lag with respect to the new arriving trees. Most of the forests dominated by the shade tolerant Fagus and Picea only formed several millennia after the onset of the Holocene. To which extent the rate of population expansion of these two trees was determined by climate or the resistance of the established vegetation and therefore disturbance regime is still an area of active research.

keynote presentation / POPBIO Prague 2021 19

Talks oral presentations

Session 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 20

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 1 A nationwide citizen science campaign in Estonia brings novel insight into the patterns of heterostyly of Primula veris

Tsipe Aavik1, Carlos P. Carmona1, Sabrina Träger1,2, Marianne Kaldra1, Iris Reinula1, Kertu Hool3, Silvia Lotman3

1University of Tartu 2Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg 3Estonian Fund for Nature

Heterostyly is a floral polymorphism, which promotes pollen transfer between plant individuals, and thereby helps to enhance outcrossing, avoid inbreeding and support plant fitness. Primula veris (cowslip), a common model species in studies of heterostyly, is a distylous plant with morphologically two different types of flowers, being either short-styled (S-morphs) or long-styled (L-morphs). Usually, both morphs occur in plant populations at equal frequencies. However, loss in the area and connectivity of grasslands and other preferred habitats of P. veris due to land-use change may lead to substantial deviations of morph frequencies with negative consequences for the fitness of P. veris. We used data from a nationwide citizen science campaign to examine morph frequencies in cowslip populations across Estonia. Data from nearly 1700 observations showed a dominance of one morph (S-morph) over the other. Furthermore, morph frequencies were likely to deviate in smaller plant populations as well as in locations with higher human population density suggesting a negative effect of human impact on heterostylous plants. To determine, whether the prevalence of S-morphs over L-morphs is occurring throughout the distribution range of the species, the citizen science campaign will be carried out all across Europe in spring 2021. The study aims at clarifying whether the deviations in morph frequencies are caused by the factors related to landscape change or are altered through other mechanisms.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 21

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 2 Unnatural or naturally different? Genetic differentiation of restored plant populations

Student contribution

Johannes Höfner1,2, Theresa Klein-Raufhake1, Christian Lampei1, Ondřej Mudrák4, Anna Lampei-Bucharova1, Walter Durka2,3

1Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster 2Department of Community Ecology (BZF), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ 3German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig 4Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Ecological restoration and plant re-introductions aim to create plant populations that are genetically similar to natural populations to preserve the regional gene pool, yet genetically diverse to allow adaptation to a changing environment. For this purpose, seeds for restoration are sourced from multiple populations in the target region. However, it was only rarely tested whether this strategy indeed leads to genetically diverse restored populations which are genetically similarity to natural populations. We used ddRAD derived SNP markers to investigate genetic diversity and differentiation of populations ofCentaurea jacea and Betonica officinalis on restored and natural meadows in the White Carpathians, Czech Republic. The meadows have been restored 20 years ago using regional seeds sourced from multiple populations in an approach resembling regional admixture provenancing. To assess temporal changes and alternative seed sources, we also analysed the original seeds used for restoration (only in C. jacea), as well as conventional commercial seeds without certified origin. The differentiation between restored and ancient populations (mean pairwise F ST = 0.018 in Centaurea and 0.021 in Betonica) was similar to the differentiation among regional natural populations (F ST = 0.023 and 0.021), and the restored populations were slightly more genetically diverse than the natural populations. Restored populations were rather similar to seeds from which they have been restored (F ST = 0.015). In contrast, conventional commercial seeds were strongly differentiated from the regional populations (F ST = 0.100 and 0.059, in Centaurea and Betonica, respectively) and harboured substantially lower genetic diversity. We also found signs of gene flow from ancient to restored populations but not vice versa. Our results suggest that regional admixture provenancing is an effective tool to establish genetically diverse populations at natural levels of genetic differentiation.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 22

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 3

Drivers of genetic diversity in plant populations differ between semi-natural grassland types

Theresa Anna Lehmair, Ellen Pagel1, Peter Poschlod1, Christoph Reisch1

1Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology - University of Regensburg

The conservation of genetic diversity requires a deeper understanding of the processes shaping intraspecific variation. In recent decades, numerous studies identified various drivers of genetic diversity. However, the interpreta- tion of these drivers remains inconsistent since their strength and balance may differ between species and habitats. Therefore, we analyzed potential drivers of genetic diversity in a comparative multispecies approach across different semi-natural grassland types. We used molecular markers to detect genetic diversity in populations of nine typical grassland plant species from dry calcareous grasslands, mesic hay meadows, and wet litter meadows in Central Europe. Additionally, we collected data on potential drivers of genetic diversity, which were assigned to four categories describing habitat age, landscape structure, habitat quality, and population size. Subsequently, we applied multiple linear regression models and variation partitioning analyses to identify the most influential drivers of genetic diversity in semi-natural grassland plant populations. Our study revealed clear differences in drivers of genetic diversity between grassland types. In calcareous grasslands genetic diversity depended almost completely on landscape structure. However, we identified habitat age and habitat quality as additional drivers in hay meadows, while genetic diversity was also driven by population size in litter meadows. The strong variation in drivers of genetic diversity in hay and litter meadows can be ascribed to higher levels of environmental variation among these sites due to their more recent origin than calcareous grassland sites. Thus, we conclude that different drivers of genetic diversity must be considered to conserve high levels of intraspecific diversity in different grassland types.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 23

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 4

Undersown plant species diversity affects disease severity in barley differently through above and belowground processes Seraina L. Cappelli1, Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta2, Jussi Heinosal1, Anna-Liisa Laine1,2

1University of Helsinki 2University of Zürich

From theoretical and experimental studies in model systems it is well established that species rich ecosystems are better at providing ecosystem functions such as biomass production, pollinator abundance, pest suppression or carbon sequestration than species poor ecosystems. Modern agroecosystems are depleted of diversity, heavily dependent on external inputs and notoriously sensitive to pathogen outbreaks. In the TWINWIN field experiment we study the potential of different undersown plants to provide a multitude of ecosystem functions in agroecosystems. When barley was grown with a diverse set of undersown species it suffered less from pathogen infection (mostly net blotch disease) and had lower proportions of damaged seeds (mostly insect larvae) than when grown alone or with only few undersown species. Most undersown species contributed to reduced disease pressure, but single undersown species varied greatly in their impact on barley yield. A pot experiment showed that reduced pathogen infection with increasing undersown diversity was mostly mediated through aboveground processes, while below-ground processes had an opposing effect. Understanding how diversification in general and single undersown species in particular affect different ecosystem functions, is crucial to design sustainable agroecosystems in the future.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 24

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 5

Two common grassland species differ in multivariate genetic diversity and predicted evolutionary changes in response to drought

Student contribution

Anna-Maria Madaj1, Walter Durka1,2 Stefan Michalski1

1Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UfZ) 2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Climate change is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss as it leads to rapidly changing environmental conditions on global and local scales. Future climatic predictions include impacts like alterations in climatic means, higher climatic variability and increases in frequency of extreme events. Regarding predicted climatic extremes, drought is considered to have among the most severe consequences for terrestrial ecosystems. As a consequence of global warming and altered precipitation, nearly half of the planet’s terrestrial surface is expected to experience less water availability during the growing season. Hence, the investigation of the ability of species and communities to cope with predicted precipitation deficits as well as the comprehensive understanding of possible adaptation processes is urgently needed. We used a quantitative genetic approach to quantify the evolutionary potential of two grassland species, Bromus erectus and Trifolium pratense, under environments differing in water availability. For this we established a green-house common garden experiment using a half-sib design with two treatments, control and drought. We quantified variation in functional traits and reproductive fitness, estimated treatment-specific genetic variance-covariance matrices and compared multivariate genetic diversity and selective response patterns among traits and species in order to eventually predict the evolutionary dynamics in response to drought. The study revealed marked plastic responses to water deficits for both species. The underlying genetic basis of multivariate trait expression and selection in response to drought revealed contrasting patterns between species. This knowledge helps us to understand the short-term adaptive potential of grassland species in response to predicted precipitation deficits and to formulate future scenarios.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 25

Biodiversity and ecosystem functions / Session 1

Talk 6

Adaptive plasticity – an attempt to free ecologists from a complicated evolutionary concept

Tobias M. Sandner1

1Philipps-Universität Marburg

Phenotypic plasticity is a key concept in studies of plant responses to changing environmental conditions. Orig- inally defined to describe reaction norms of individual genotypes exposed to various environments, the study of phenotypic plasticity has exploded since the approach has been broadened to include mean phenotypic plasticity of populations or species. This is an important development, as the amount of phenotypic plasticity may influence the success of invasive species or the fate of rare species in small populations. However, many common measures of phenotypic plasticity are hard to interpret, mostly because they ignore the direction of the phenotypic response, which usually defines whether it is adaptive or not. Moreover, attempts to show that plasticity is adaptive by correlating plasticity with fitness are problematic and often even wrong. In this talk I will use simulated data and data from two experiments with clonal lines of Silene vulgaris and Mimulus guttatus grown under several stress treatments to show pitfalls in the analysis of phenotypic plasticity and its potential adaptive value. I conclude that only in rare cases it is possible to decide whether phenotypic plasticity is really adaptive, but that in most cases this is not even necessary to know. I suggest that ecologists should free themselves from attempts to define plasticity as “adaptive” in the strict, evolutionary sense and find more pragmatic terms to account for the direction of phenotypic plasticity. - I hope this stimulates a debate with participants.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 26

(Epi)genetics in plant adaptations / Session 2

Talk 7

Natural epigenetic variation in wild strawberry populations along a European climatic gradient

Student contribution

Iris Sammarco1,2, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2, Vít Latzel1

1 Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2 Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, have been proposed to contribute to local adaptation of plant populations. As opposed to genetic mutations, environmentally induced DNA methylation variants can arise rapidly and generate locally adapted phenotypes, potentially heritable even across multiple generations. While epigenetic processes have been largely explored under laboratory conditions, only a limited number of studies addresses the extent of DNA methylation variation in wild populations. Such research is crucial to unravel the processes regulating natural phenotypic variation and organism’s adaptation to local environment. To address this issue, we evaluated patterns of DNA methylation variation in wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) populations. Using a single-base resolution technique of cytosine DNA methylation, we assessed variation in epigenetic marks among 21 natural populations along climatic gradients in Italy, Czechia and Norway. Individual plants were sampled in the field, and one year later in a common garden from clones of the same plants. Principal component analysis showed that overall epigenetic variation was closely related to the geographic origin of the populations, in both field and garden conditions. In addition, we found crucial differences in functional DNA regions and a potential variation in transposable elements regulation between populations with different climatic origin. Our findings suggest that the habitat of origin was associated with an epigenetic signature heritable across multiple clonal generations, and that the environmentally induced DNA methylation variants could have a key role on gene activity and transposable elements regulation, potentially contributing to natural phenotypic variation. We therefore conclude that DNA methylation variation in the wild is common and relevant for plant adaptation.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 27

(Epi)genetics in plant adaptations / Session 2

Talk 8

Genetic and environmental determinants of atural DNA methylation variation in Thlaspi arvense

Student contribution

Dario Galanti1, Oliver Bossdorf1

1Plant Evolutionary Ecology, University of Tübingen

There is growing evidence that plants harbour substantial variation in DNA methylation both within and among natural populations. However, the ecological and evolutionary significance of this epigenetic variation, i.e. its relationships with phenotypic and environmental variation, and to what degree it is stable and potentially adaptive, is still poorly understood. Due to the intrinsic complexity of epigenetic marks and to their interdependency with genetic variation, addressing these questions requires a combination of large-scale and high-accuracy that so far was only achievable in few model species. In this project, we sampled 36 Thlaspi arvense (Brassicaceae) populations along a large climatic gradient, spanning from southern France to central Sweden. We grew the first generation progeny under common conditions and we screened more than 200 lines for genetic (Whole Genome Sequencing) and DNA methylation (Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing) variation as well as for phenotypic variation. Genetic and epigenetic population structure analysis show very similar geographic patterns, with two distinct clades roughly corresponding to central Europe and Sweden. Regression analysis correcting for the genetic background highlights correlations between methylation patterns and climate of origin, suggesting a potential adaptive role of DNA methylation. In particular methylation positively correlates with several temperature variables and negatively correlates with temperature variability. In addition, by means of Genome Wide Association Studies, we detected several genetic variants associated with context specific (CpG, CHG and CHH) DNA methylation variation, suggesting partial in-trans genetic control of methylation patterns. While few of these variants neighbor genes previously reported to affect natural methylation variation, other point to genes with potential epigenetic roles that were instead not detected in previous studies. Our study shows that, although natural DNA methylation variation is largely under multilocus genetic control, it is also partially shaped by climate of origin.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 28

(Epi)genetics in plant adaptations / Session 2

Talk 9

Distinctive DNA methylation patterns induced by abiotic and biotic factors in the widely distributed clonal tree Populus nigra var. Italica

Student contribution

Cristian Pena-Ponton1, Koen Verhoeven1

1Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)

Epigenetic mechanisms are thought to play a role in the modulation of gene expression in response to environmental changes. DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic mark in plants, and is found in three sequence contexts: CG, CHG and CHH (where H corresponds to A, T or C). Changes in DNA methylation levels can occur either spontaneously or in response to the environment, causing epimutations. In long-lived species, such as trees, accumulated environmental-induced epimutations have the potential to influence plant ability to respond to novel situations. However, precise epigenetic patterns triggered by specific stress factors are still unknown in most species. In this study, we examined the effects of abiotic (heat, cold, drought) and biotic stresses (herbivory, rust infection, and salicylic acid) on the DNA methylation in the clonal tree Populus nigra italica. Cuttings were collected from different European regions, grown in common greenhouse conditions for 4 months, and subsequently exposed to different stresses. DNA Methylation was measured in leaf tissue by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) in 8 replicate individuals per treatment. We found evidence of strong global stability of CG and CHG methylation after any stress condition. However, global CHH methylation was significantly increased after drought, while CG/CHG hypermethylation was induced in response to cold. A region-specific analysis revealed that abiotic stresses induced more methylation changes compared to biotic stresses, and that those changes target specific genomic regions depending on the sequence context. Specifically, changes in CHG context are enriched on introns and UTR5’ regions, while changes in CHH context preferentially target promoters, intergenic regions and transposable elements. Our study shows how trees are able to remodel the background landscape of DNA methylation depending on the environment.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 29

(Epi)genetics in plant adaptations / Session 2

Talk 10

Transgenerational plasticity of Mimulus guttatus in response to waterlogging

Student contribution

Anne S. R. Michaeli1, Diethart Matthies1, Tobias M. Sandner1

1Philipps-Universität Marburg

Stressful conditions can not only plastically alter a plant‘s own development, but also influence the phenotype of its offspring. Such transgenerational plasticity can be adaptive when the environment is heterogeneous and that of the progeny is likely to be similar to that of the parents. We grew clonally replicated plants of seven genotypes of Mimulus guttatus under waterlogging and control conditions, and the offspring under both conditions. Water- logging strongly influenced several functional traits of the offspring generation. Compared to the control group, waterlogged plants were larger, produced more flowers on the main stem, more and longer stolons, more floating roots, and leaves with a higher SLA. However, offspring performance was also influenced by the parental environment. Plants with paternal waterlogging experience were larger from the beginning. When stress was started, paternal flooding increased the number of stolons and reduced stomatal conductivity in both the control and the flooding treatment. Maternal flooding, on the other hand, reduced the biomass of floating roots. Interactions of parental and offspring environment influenced early relative growth rates, number of stomata and SLA. Such -pa rental effects on functional traits involved in the flooding response might translate into fitness differences under certain flooding conditions (e.g. under short, transient flooding). However, neither paternal nor maternal flooding experience consistently increased the final biomass and flower number of the offspring under the current flooding conditions in the experiment. As genotypes differed in their parental environment x offspring environment interactions, there is potential for the evolution of adaptive transgenerational plasticity.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 30

Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions / Session 3

Talk 11

How does logging affect the seed dispersal loop of animal-dispersed plants?

Student contribution

Finn Rehling1, Jan Schlautmann1, Eelke Jongejans2, Bogdan Jaroszewicz3, Jörg Albrecht4, Diethart Matthies5, Nina Farwig1, Dana G. Schabo1

1Philipps-University Marburg, Faculty of Biology, Conservation Ecology 2Radboud University, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology 3University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Białowieża Geobotanical Station 4Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt 5Philipps-University Marburg, Faculty of Biology, Plant Ecology

Logging changes the structure and spatial composition of forest ecosystems and can strongly affect species interactions such as seed dispersal by frugivorous animals. Quantifying these effects, however, is complex as it requires in-depth knowledge of the delayed effects of seed dispersal on the regeneration of plant communities. In the logged and old-growth part of the Białowieża Forest (BF) in Eastern Poland, we investigated the consecutive steps of the seed dispersal mutualism between 41 frugivores (31 birds and 10 mammals) and 9 fleshy-fruited plant species in ash-alder forests. To get a comprehensive picture, we studied fruit removal (2,718 h of observation), seed deposition (> 4,000 collected scats), seedling recruitment (24,750 sown seeds) and plant demography (938 assessed individuals of one fleshy-fruited plant species) in different microhabitats of the logged and old-growth forest (defined by deadwood, vegetation structure and light availability). In a last step, we combined all these approaches in integral projection models. Logging caused a loss of 27 % in the number of disperser species in the fruit removal networks and a 50 % decline in their interaction frequencies as compared to the old- growth forest. In addition, logging simplified the structure of microhabitats and, as a consequence, seed deposition by frugivores became uniform and redundant. Seedling recruitment was higher in old-growth than in logged forests. However, the positive effect of seed dispersal by frugivores on population growth of one plant species was considerably small, because gravity also contributed to successful plant regeneration.Overall, quantity and quality of seed dispersal by frugivores is negatively affected by logging. Nevertheless, we conclude that the seed dispersal mutualism in temperate forests may be relatively robust against anthropogenic pressures, because small-bodied, generalist frugivores and gravity can ensure successful plant regeneration in logged forests.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 31

Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions / Session 3

Talk 12

Who regulates patterns of scent emission along the day in desert Brassicaceae?

Merav Seifan1, Alon Cna‘ani1,2, Efrat Dener1, Vered Tzin2

1Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Re- search, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Diel fluctuation in floral scent is a well-known character of plants, but the contribution of factors beyond pollinator activity to the creation of these patterns is often overlooked. To fill this gap, we estimated the relative contribution to the emerging patterns of phylogenetic and of a-biotic factors that are related to the biogeographic origin and the local habitat in which the species are growing. To this end, we studied the pattern of light vs. dark floral emission of 17 desert Brassicaceae species. We found that while diel shifts in magnitude and richness of vol- atile emission were strongly affected by genetic relatedness, they also reflected the environmental conditions in which species grew. In particular, we found a negative effect of increased winter temperature on the ratio of light to dark emission. This was probably related to the impact that ambient temperature has on both plant physiology and insect locomotion. We also found an effect of the fraction of sand in the habitat soil, a feature that was previously correlated with physiological stress that may temper with diel metabolic rhythms. Our finding shed light on less-known factors that govern plant activity and indicate that increased temperature and water limitation are significant factors shaping floral traits that serves as signals to secure pollination success. This is particularly crucial in arid regions where insect pollinators are already a limiting factor and may become highly relevant to our understanding of the expected changes in nature in the face of climate change.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 32

Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions / Session 3

Talk 13

Shooting the messenger: Identifying the mycorrhizal species transferring carbon between neighboring trees

Stav Livne-Luzon1, Rotem Cahanovitc1, Tamir Klein1

1Department of Plant Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science

EMF play an important role in forests around the globe, by improving tree nutrition and water supply, as well as connecting different tree species through common mycorrhizal networks (CMN‘s). However, the extent to which EMF control resource sharing within these networks has not yet been thoroughly addressed. We constructed a simple network of tree-fungus-tree and monitored carbon flow from a 13CO2 labeled donor tree to the final recipient. DNA Stable Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP) of ectomycorrhizal root tips was used to identify the main fungal symbionts involved in carbon transfer among trees. We used pairs of inter and intra-specie Pinus halepensis and Quercus calliprinos saplings, and examined the carbon dynamics for 40 days within the leaf, stem and root tissues. The peak of 13C in the roots of the donor trees was around day 4 post labeling, while the recipient roots peaked at day 9 with observed differences between pairs. The intrinsic tree carbon pool, and not the tree species identity, was the main factor governing carbon transfer between trees. Finally, we were able to identify the main fungal symbionts enriched with 13C. Our results add the „missing piece of the puzzle“ by linking specific mycorrhizal species to carbon transfer within CMN‘s.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 33

Plant performance and physiology / Session 4

Talk 14

The stronger, the better – trait hierarchy is driving alien species interaction

Student contribution

Viktoria Ferenc1, Christine S. Sheppard1

1Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim

Regardless of the fact that multiple invaders commonly co-occur in native ecosystems, research on alien species interactions is lacking. Consequently, we aim at identifying the underlying mechanisms of alien species interactions by determining whether individual traits, phylogenetic distance, multi-trait based distance or hierarchical trait differences explain alien plant interactions best. Using all pairwise species combinations of 20 alien annual plant species from seven families in Germany, we investigated interactions among individuals in a common garden experiment. We measured performance of individuals and explained species interactions with functional traits, phylogenetic and multivariate trait distances as well as individual trait hierarchies between target and neighbour individuals. While the magnitude of interspecific competition compared to intraspecific competition was on average larger across the 190 alien species combinations, interspecific facilitation still occurred in 24% of cases. Interactions could be better explained by hierarchical trait differences reflecting competitive ability, compared to phylogenetic and multivariate trait distance, reflecting niche differences, supporting recent criticisms of the limiting similarity versus environmental filtering and community phylogenetic approach. Specifically, relative biomass and seed number increased when growing taller and having a lower specific leaf area compared to the co-occurring alien neighbour, whereas effects of seed mass, root:shoot ratio and flowering time depended on the performance measure. These results advance our fundamental understanding of trait-interaction relationships, particularly by being applied to the novel case of alien-alien interactions. Given the continuing accumulation of alien species around the globe, such studies improving our understanding of invader interactions are crucial to enable us to take appropriate management decisions.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 34

Plant performance and physiology / Session 4

Talk 15

Plant community persistence strategy is environment-specific

Sergey Rosbakh1, Peter Poschlod1

1Chair of Ecology and Conservation Biology, University of Regensburg

Persistence plays a key role in both plant population and community dynamics as it allows withstanding tempo- rarily unsuitable habitat conditions for growth and reproduction. We collected data on seed soil persistence, adult longevity and clonality for 290 species occurring in 18 grasslands located along an elevational gradient of 1000 meters and examined their contribution to persistence in a community. We found that dominance of a certain persistence strategy varies depending on environmental variability. Specifically, persistence in lowlands is mainly achieved by persistent and dense soil seed banks along with extended clonal growth (larger spread distances and higher number of offspring). Contrastingly, the main persistence strategy in the alpine communities is increased adult longevity. Remarkably, the changes in relative contribution of each strategy to community persistence along the elevational gradient are interrcorrelated suggesting a trade-off among them.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 35

Plant performance and physiology / Session 4

Talk 16

The Relationship between Flower and Growth Phenology

Student contribution

Annalena Lenk1, Tomáš Herben2, Tomáš Koubek2, Desiree Jakubka1,3, Christine Römermann1,3

1Plant Biodiversity Group, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jenaaka 2Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 3German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Many studies have reported climate change induced shifts in flowering phenology, especially changes in first flowering day towards earlier days in the year. However, not much is known about growth phenological changes, even though the growth rate of a plant and its timing is seen as a crucial element of its ecological strategy and these parameters are known to play a very important role in species coexistence as a temporal axis of niche differentiation. Here we explore the relationship between the timing of flowering and growth as well as their associations with functional leaf and flower traits considering 30 perennial herbaceous species from different habitats in the two botanical gardens of Jena (Germany) and Prague (Czech Republic).The results of the work show that first flowering day, day of peak flowering and first fruiting day are significantly positively related to the day of peak growth. The final volume of the plant foliage turned out to be a particularly important predictor for most phenological events, but maximum growth rates also had an important influence on the timing of growth and senescence. We do further show how the correlation between growth rate and specific leaf area, which is often used as a proxy for growth rate, changes over the season from a positive to a negative relationship. This work contributes to a better understanding of the connections within and between phenological and functional leaf (i.e. SLA, LDMC, CN content, leaf thickness) as well as flower traits (i.e. flower size, number of flowers, nectar and pollen characteristics). Based on my results, we can assume that the shifts in first flowering day reported in recent decades are also linked to the timing of growth phenology and that species have therefore most likely changed the timing of their growth in recent years. Further research is needed to identify whether and how this leads to changes in species abundances and competitive hierarchies, with consequences for biodiversity.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 36

Plant performance and physiology / Session 4

Talk 17

Differential responses of wild duckweed populations to salt stress

Sofia J. van Moorsel1, Andrew Gonzalez2, Owen L. Petchey1

1University of Zurich 2McGill University

Global pollution of freshwater ecosystems is threatening freshwater plant species diversity. Freshwater plants, such as duckweed (Lemna minor), are highly sensitive to salt (NaCl) concentrations. However, their fast growth and short generation times may enable rapid adaption to stressful conditions, particularly after selection from early salt exposure at non-lethal stressor levels. Thus, duckweed are an ideal model system to test whether freshwater plant populations can adapt to strong environmental stress. Using seven L. minor populations collected in the wild in Switzerland, we tested whether pre-exposure to sub-lethal “moderate” salt stress levels would increase population survival at “lethal” levels. We grew several populations (ecotypes) of L. minor over five months in experimental mesocosms in a glasshouse. After assessing each ecotypes’ growth rates in unperturbed conditions, we subjected the populations to moderate salt stress (50mM NaCl) for several weeks. After which, we increased the salt concentrations to lethal levels (100mM NaCl). Growth rates were measured at each stage. In unperturbed conditions, the ecotypes showed unequal growth rates, the fastest growing at twice the rate of others. During moderate salt exposure we also observed an ecotype effect on salt tolerance, some ecotypes grew, and others went extinct. We predict that when subjected to extreme salt levels, pre-exposure treatment will affect survival rates and determine the persistence of the populations. The different responses of the ecotypes suggesting wild local adaptations were surprising, given the small -ge ographic collection area and that L. minor is commonly believed to have low wild genetic variation. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that we need to protect not only a species as a whole, but individual local populations because they may differ in their response to future anthropogenic impacts.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 37

Plant performance and physiology / Session 4

Talk 18

Where does the water come from? Quantifying water-uptake depths of plants in changing grasslands.

Student contribution

Sophie Weides1, Tomáš Hájek2, Maximiliane Herberich3, Pierre Liancourt2, Rosa Kramp1, Katja Tielbörger1, Maria Májeková1

1Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen 2 Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 3Institute of Botany, BOKU Vienna

Quantifying from which depths plants take up water, i.e. the belowground water partitioning, could be key to understand how species coexist under both ambient and stressful hydrological conditions. Its significance further increases under the current scenarios of climate change, where drought intensity is predicted to increase. A crucial response of plants to drought stress could be either re-allocation of roots to greater soil depths or relying on a dynamic rooting system in order to avoid desiccation. However, physically recovering roots from soil in the field and investigating water uptake is a difficult task and studies are generally scarce.

An appealing possibility to ‘look belowground’ is using the stable isotope approach, which allows to explicitly quantify from which depths plants take up water. Specifically, a prolonged dry period causes the upper soil layers to become enriched in water containing heavier isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, deuterium and 18O, because water containing the common lighter ones, H and 16O, evaporates more easily. This fractionation process results in a vertical gradient of isotopic signature in the soil profile. Since there is no further fractionation occurring in the plant after water is taken in the roots and the root crown, water obtained from these tissues will match the isotopic signature of soil water from the depth the plants took it up.

Here, we used the stable isotope approach to quantify plant’s water-uptake depths under ambient conditions and under experimentally imposed extreme drought conditions in eight herbaceous species from temperate mesic grasslands. Our aim was to (1) determine from which depths co-occurring species take their water up in ambient conditions, and (2) whether the water-uptake depths are altered after exposure to four-year long extreme drought conditions.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 38

Global change / Session 5

Talk 19

Reproductive success of two native grassland species under two climate and pollen scenarios

Student contribution

Martin Andrzejak1,2, Lotte Korell1,2, Harald Auge1, Tiffany M. Knight1,2,3

1Dept. Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research 2 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) 3Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

Climate change has the potential to alter plants reproductive success and therefore population dynamics. Climate models project altered seasonal precipitation patterns and thus it can be expected that climate change will influence available resources and pollination services, depending on the season. Yet, very few studies have looked at pollen limitation under realistic climate change scenarios, i.e. summer droughts and wetter spring and fall. In this study, we conducted a field experiment at the Global Change Experiment Facility (GCEF) Bad Lauchstädt, where the climate change and its impact on a native grassland habitat is simulated since 2014. The two native, perennial, and drought resistant species Dianthus carthusianorum and Scabiosa ochroleuca where tested for a reaction in reproduction to supplemented pollen and a control treatment between the two climate treatments (ambient and future) in two seasons (summer and fall). We assumed that reproduction would be increased in the wetter treatments (ambient summer and future fall). The supplementation of pollen. D. carthusianorum showed weak evidence for pollen limitation in future climate conditions independent of the season. Both species showed an increased reproduction in summer compared to the fall. However, we did not find any evidence for a change in pollen limitation with altered climate regime (i.e. three-way interaction pollination x season x climate). We conclude that climate change has little effect on the reproduction of these two specific plants.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 39

Global change / Session 5

Talk 20

Vital rate and life history strategies, but not necessarily population performance respond to SDM predictions along a steep suitability gradient in the Swiss Alps in Plantago lanceolata

Student contribution

Maude E. A. Baudraz1, Dylan Childs2, Anna M. Csergö3, Olivier Broennimann4, PlantPo- pNet consortium, Antoine Guisan4, Yvonne M. Buckley1

1Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin 2Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Shefﬁeld 3Department of Botany, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Szent István University 4Département d’Ecologie et d’Evolution (DEE), Université de Lausanne

Species Distribution Models (SDM) are used to predict environmental suitability for species from occurrence data. Suitability values are often assumed to be correlated with abundance, vital rates or population performance; however, there is little empirical support for these assumptions. We used individual observations of plants in 19 populations of Plantago lanceolata over three years along an SDM suitability gradient to test this assumption. We found that suitability was a significant predictor of survival and reproductive investment and in interaction with plant size suitability also significantly affected growth and probability of flowering. However, patterns of- de mographic buffering and density dependent recruitment make populations remain of stable size along the whole suitability gradient. Previous works find contrasting evidence depending about the ability of the predictions of Species Distribution Model to predict population performance. Our research adds to this debate by providing insight based on a dataset gathered in a spatially replicated manner along a steep suitability gradient. Our conclusions are that Species Distribution Models built at an appropriate scale might capture underlying demographic processes, but not overall population performance.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 40

Global change / Session 5

Talk 21

Modelling demographic processes to understand spatial patterns of alpine treelines

Student contribution

Lukas Flinspach¹, Thorsten Wiegand², Maaike Y. Bader¹

1Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg 2UFZ Leipzig

Tree populations at alpine treelines are characterized by gradients in tree density, size and shape. The nature of these gradients may reveal what underlying demographic processes shape the treeline and control its dynamics. To study the link between these processes and spatial patterns at alpine treelines, we are developing an individual-based spatial model of treeline tree populations focusing on gradients of the first-level processes growth, dieback and mortality. The model is parameterized by matching modelled patterns with observed patterns at several alpine treeline sites. In this presentation, we will demonstrate how the model can reproduce spatial treeline types using basic assumptions for the ecological processes. The model aims to serve researchers as a tool to test hypotheses on pattern formation at alpine treelines around the globe, and to help predict future dynamics in the ecotone in the context of the ongoing global change.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 41

Global change / Session 5

Talk 22

A test of local adaptation to drought in germination and seedling traits in populations of two alpine forbs across a 2000 mm/year precipitation gradient

Student contribution

Ragnhild Gya1,2, Sonya Rita Geange1, Joshua Scott Lynn1, Joachim Paul Spindelböck1,3, Øystein Wallevik1, Camilla Zernichow1, Vigdis Vandvik1,2

1University of Bergen, Department of Biological Sciences 2Bjerknes Center for Climate Research 3Norwegian Institute for Nature Research

Seed regeneration is a critical stage in the life-histories of plants, affecting species’ abilities to maintain local populations, evolve, and disperse to new sites. Extreme weather events such as drought during the critical life-history stage of regeneration can have big implications for species in a changing world. We test how local adaption along a precipitation gradient (600 - 2700 mm/year in Western Norway) affected species ability to germinate during drought conditions. To detect local adaptation to drought we tested germination and seedling growth traits of two alpine forbs with contrasting habitat preferences: the snow-bed specialist Sibbaldia procumbens and the alpine generalist Veronica alpina. We performed a growth chamber experiment where the seeds germinated at ten different moisture levels under controlled light and temperature conditions. By using both germination and seedling traits we could investigate the timing and synchrony of the germination, and how seedlings invested their resources to grow and survive in drought conditions. We found that drought affected both species negatively in all germination traits, and lead to smaller seedlings that invested more in roots relative to shoots. There were also clear indications of local adaptation to drought with species from drier habitats germinating better under dryer conditions. These results indicate that plants from drier populations are already better equipped to handle drought events, while populations from wet conditions might be more vulnerable to extreme drought events.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 42

Global change / Session 5

Talk 23

Climate change and grassland management interactively influence the population dynamics of Bromus erectus (Poaceae)

Julia Lemmer1, Martin Andrzejak2,3, Aldo Compagnoni2,3, Tiffany M. Knight2,3,4, Lotte Korell2,3,4

1Georg-August-Universität Göttingen 2Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg 3German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig 4Dept. Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ

Climate and land management are important environmental drivers that might interactively influence vital rates and growth rates of populations. However, demographic studies that allow a mechanistic understanding of the pathways in which environmental factors change population size have not heretofore considered both factors in combination. We used the Global Change Experimental Facility as a platform to study the effect of climate (ambient climate conditions vs. future climate conditions) and land management (sheep grazing vs. mowing) on the demography of the common grass, Bromus erectus. Using an integral projection model, we found positive population growth rates for B. erectus under all treatment combinations, and an interactive effect of climate and land management. Under ambient climate conditions, population growth of B. erectus was higher in mowed than grazed grassland plots, while population growth rates were similar across both management types under future climatic conditions. This interaction was primarily due to changes across treatments in seedling recruitment, a vital rate the population growth rate was particularly sensitive to changes in. The interaction found in this study highlights the importance of considering multiple environmental drivers in demographic studies, to better predict future plant population dynamics and ultimately changes in community structure.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 43

Global change / Session 5

Talk 24

Advanced flowering of forest understorey plants is associated with climate change in Europe

Franziska M. Willems1, J. F. Scheepens2, Oliver Bossdorf1

1University of Tübingen 2Goethe University Frankfurt

Some of the most striking biological responses to climate change are the observed shifts in the timing of life-history events of many organisms. Plants, in particular, often flower earlier in response to climate warming, and herbarium specimens are excellent witnesses of such long-term changes. However, in large-scale analyses the magnitude of phenological shifts may vary geographically, and the data are often clustered, and it is thus necessary to account for spatial correlation to avoid geographical biases and pseudoreplication. Here, we analysed herbarium specimens of 20 early-flowering forest understory herbs for their long-term trends in flowering phenology across Central Europe. Our analyses show that the forest understory plants advanced their flowering on average by six days within the last century, and that these changes were associated with warmer spring temperatures, with an average of 3.6 days earlier flowering per 1°C warming. There was significant residual spatial variation in flowering time across Europe, even after accounting for the effects of temperature, precipitation, elevation and year. Including this spatial autocorrelation into our statistical models significantly improved the model fit and reduced bias in coefficient estimates. Our study indicates that forest understory plants in Europe strongly advanced their phenology in response to climate change during the last century, with potential severe consequences for their associated ecological communities. It also demonstrates the power of combining herbarium data with spatial modelling when testing for long-term phenology trends across large spatial scales.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 44

Long-term ecology / Session 6

Talk 25

Historical comparisons with four European plant species reveal differentiations and trade-offs in responses to drought and herbivory after two decades of global change

Student contribution

Robert Rauschkolb1, Zixin Li1, Sandrine Godefroid2, Lara Dixon3, Walter Durka4, Maria Májeková1,Oliver Bossdorf1, Andreas Ensslin5, Niek Scheepens6

1University of Tübingen 2Meise Botanic Garden 3Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles 4Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ 5Conservatory and Botanic Garden of the City of Geneva 6Goethe University of Frankfurt

Plant populations are adapting continuously to changing environmental conditions. Throughout the last decades rapid climatic changes posit particular challenges including an increasing average temperature and more frequent droughts. Simultaneously, plant populations have to cope with many other environmental stressors and insect herbivory is one such important stress in virtually all natural habitats. On the one hand, we expect that advanced flowering helps to escape both drought and herbivory and thus acts synergistically. On the other hand, we predict that costly investments into drought tolerance may trade off with investments into herbivore defense mechanisms. Here we use the resurrection approach to investigate whether four populations, one each of four European plant species (Matthiola tricuspidata, Plantago crassiolia, Clinopodium vulgare, Leontodon hispidus), have evolved drought responses during the last decades and how these responses interact with responses to insect herbivory. We obtained 21-26 year old seeds from two seed banks, recollected seeds from the originally sampled populations in summer 2018, and grew a refresher generation in 2019. In Spring 2020 we grew ances- tor and descendant lines in a common garden experiment and subjected the plants to a full-factorial combination of well-watered vs. dry conditions combined with no vs. artificial herbivory by injuring leaves. As expected, our results showed that descendants of three species had an accelerated development, advanced flowering, and higher investment in reproductive compared to total aboveground biomass. This shortening of the life cycle helps to escape droughts and may be advantageous to limit damage through insect herbivory. However, we also found trade-off patterns, e.g. for flowering time or size at flowering, in two species where descendants responded stronger to drought and less to herbivory, which indicated that ongoing adaptations to drought may cause decreases in herbivore defense.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 45

Long-term ecology / Session 6

Talk 26

Species richness increases in Swiss plant assemblages since 2001 but species with specialized reproductive strategies profit little

Stefan Abrahamczyk1, Michael Kessler2, Tobias Roth3, Nico Heer3

1Nees-Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, University of Bonn 2Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich 3Hintermann and Weber AG, Ecological Consultancy, Planning and Research

Local floristic diversity has massively decreased during the 20th century in Central Europe but in the 1990s a turning point has been reached in several regions. However, little is known whether the increases in floristic diversity are equally distributed over plant groups with different reproductive traits and how this increase in floristic diversity influences different groups of flower visitors. We used data from 2001 to 2020 of the Swiss Biodiversity Monitoring Program. In this program, plant species occurrence is recorded in 450 1 km2 study sites distributed regularly over Switzerland. For all 1774 plant species registered, we researched data on blossom type, blossom colour, reproductive system, and groups of flower visitors. We then tested whether temporal changes in species frequency were equally distributed among species with different trait states. Species richness and functional diversity significantly increased in the study sites while functional evenness decreased. Wind-pollinated species increased more strongly than insect-pollinated species and species with simple, open insect-pollinated blossoms visited by generalist groups of insects increased slightly more strongly than species with complex blossoms visited by more specialized groups of flower visitors. Additionally, self-incompatible species increased significantly less strongly than self-compatible species. The overall increase in local plant species richness in Switzerland is mostly driven by wind- or generalist insect-pollinated, self-compatible species. Species with complex flowers and self-incompatible reproductive systems, which are essential for specialized groups of flower visitors, profit less. We thus emphasize the need to consider functional traits in the planning and monitoring of conservation activities, and calls for a special focus on plant species with specialized reproductive traits.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 46

Long-term ecology / Session 6

Talk 27

Long-term dynamics of plant invasions: How population growth, functional traits, climate responses and biotic resistance change with residence time

Christine S. Sheppard1, Marco R. Brendel1, Frank M. Schurr1

1Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim

When alien species are introduced to new ranges, climate or trait mismatches may initially constrain their population growth. However, inter- and intraspecific selection in the new environment should cause population growth rates to increase with residence time. Conversely, while native communities may initially be highly impacted by alien species due to a lack of shared evolutionary history, with time they may adapt and thus increase biotic resistance to invasions. Using a species-for-time approach, we tested such potential effects of climate and trait mismatches and biotic resistance over long timescales. We set up a common-garden mesocosm-experiment using 46 annual Asteraceae species with a wide range of residence times (7-12,000 years) in Germany and followed their population dynamics in monocultures and native communities over two years. We found no support for the hypothesis that negative effects of climatic mismatches on population growth weaken with residence time. However, seed mass had a clear negative effect on population growth in monocultures. As expected under such strong directional selection between or within species, increasing residence time led seed mass to converge to low values that increase population growth. Accordingly, population growth in monocultures tended to increase with residence time. Conversely, in presence of the communities seed mass had a positive effect. Although species with longer residence times had lower population growth rates in the community, we did not find any evidence that this was due to an increase in biotic resistance. Thus, we identified trait mismatches as important constraints on population growth of invaders, whereas climatic mismatches and increasing biotic resistance did not have strong effects. Our study thus contributes to the understanding of limits to the population growth and spread of invaders over long timescales.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 47

Community and population dynamics / Session 7

Talk 28

A Tradeoff between mother and offspring requirements governs release from dormancy in the True Rose of Jericho

Student contribution

Gal Lupovitch1, Merav Seifan1

1The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Annual plants are at risk of reproduction failure when growing in harsh unpredictable environments. Therefore, Annuals under these conditions often show bet-hedging strategies, adopting the well-known “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” logic by obtaining seed banks which germinate gradually. Another adaptation is germination triggering by cues which predict favorable conditions like rain-gauges in desert annuals. Still, rain gauges can only predict future precipitation to a limited probability. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that desert annuals obtain germination mechanisms which combine both strategies. An example may be the variability of plastic sensitivity of seeds within a seed bank, to precipitation cues. Theory predicts that plasticity of seeds should decrease with resource quality obtained by the mother plant. Therefore, seeds are expected to be less sensitive to cues which trigger release from dormancy when are produced under favorable conditions. However, seed traits might be counter-affected by the risks of natural decay and seed predation that dormant seeds are exposed to. Therefore, theory also predicts that plasticity levels should increase with the age of the seed bank. In our research we have tested this theory on the annual desert plant Anastatica hierochuntica (Brassicaceae), the True Rose of Jericho. This species holds its seed bank on its branches. Release from dormancy is gradual and triggered by precipitation cues. Dry skeletons were measured in the lab for the force required for fruit opening and seed release. This was used as a dependent variable proxy for plasticity levels of seeds. The force required for fruit opening decreased with the age of the seed bank and increased with the mother plants allocation, which is a proxy for the quality of resources obtained by the mother plant. Thus, our results suggest that a delicate balance between mother and offspring risk assessment govern release from dormancy in arid habitats.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 48

Community and population dynamics / Session 7

Talk 29

Genetic variation in the interactions of the root hemi-parasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus with different host species

Student contribution

Belén Moncalvillo González1, Diethart Matthies1

1Department of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg

Root hemiparasites show large intra-specific variability in their morphology. This could be the result of plastic responses to host species identity, but also of genetic variation. We grew eight maternal families of the faculta- tive hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus from a single population with six host species (two grasses, two legumes and two forbs) and without a host. Both host species and maternal family influenced parasite biomass and morphological traits and the two factors interacted, indicating genetic variation in the response to individual hosts and the preconditions for adaptation to different hosts. However, there were no trade-offs in the performance of maternal families with different hosts, but instead clear positive relationships between the performance with certain pairs of hosts. All traits were more strongly influenced by host species than by maternal family, except for the number of vegetative nodes, indicating that this trait was not plastic and strongly under genetic control. While parasite autotrophic ability showed no genetic variation, families varied in their virulence (negative effect on the hosts). We conclude that genetic variation within populations of R. alectorolophus contributes to the ability of the parasite to use different hosts in its communities.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 49

Community and population dynamics / Session 7

Talk 30

Litter-mixture decomposition relates variably to functional dispersion along a climatic gradient in Chile

Student contribution

Rafaella Canessa1,2, Liesbeth van den Brink2, Monica B. Berdugo1, Stephan Hätten- schwiler3, Rodrigo S. Rios4,5, Alfredo Saldaña6, Katja Tielbörger2, Maaike Y. T1

1Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg 2Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen 3CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 4Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena 5Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena 6Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográfcas, Universidad de Concepción

Litter decomposition is an important ecosystem process. In litter mixtures, the decomposition of each litter type is influenced by the quality of other litter types in the mixture, which may lead to non-additive effects on overall decomposition rates. The strength of these effects seems to depend on the litter functional diversity. It is -un known, however, which functional traits explain litter mixture effects and how these depend on the range of trait values and the ecosystem involved, hampering our ability to predict decomposition in mixed plant communities. We aimed at understanding 1) whether functional dispersion (FDis) affects litter mixture decomposition across different climates in Chile, and 2) whether the diversity of litter traits related to nutrient transfer among litter types and to litter recalcitrance explain positive and negative mixture effects, respectively.Litter mixture effects on decomposition were inconsistent across sites, and most mixtures showed just additive effects, except in the most arid sites. Interestingly, non-additive mixture effects were negative in one and positive in the other arid site. Both were amplified by FDis, as defined by diversity in recalcitrance and in nutrient transfer traits, respectively. The other ecosystems showed no correlation between mixture effects and FDis.Overall, litter diversity did not have strong effects on decomposition rates in the studied Chilean ecosystems, and the direction and intensity of these effects were context-dependent, with stronger effects in the driest ecosystems. Where significant effects were found, the diversity of functional traits related to nutrient transfer and litter recalcitrance predicted mixture effects, especially when the range of trait diversities included was large. Functional diversity metrics based on relevant traits applied to diverse litter mixtures in different climates could help to further understand when and how litter diversity affects decomposition.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 50

Community and population dynamics / Session 7

Talk 31

Alien species and the shape of commonness and rarity in Europe’s flora

Trevor Fristoe1, Milan Chytrý2, Mark van Kleunen1

1University of Konstanz 2Masaryk University

Human activities are driving profound changes in the global distribution of biodiversity by bridging natural dispersal barriers and introducing species into new regions. Just like in species native ranges, some introduced aliens will remain scarce and restricted after establishment, but others will become abundant and widespread. Here, we combine data from over 1 million vegetation plots covering the extent of Europe and its diversity of habitats with databases on species’ native and alien distributions in order to investigate how alien species are altering the shape of commonness and rarity within a continental flora. Specifically, we apply the dimensions of rarity and commonness framework, measuring and comparing local abundance, geographic range extent, and habitat breadth in native and alien species. We find these three dimensions are linked for both groups: species that are locally dominant also occur over large areas and in diverse habitats. Introductions are driving ‘rich get richer’ dynamics, with intracontinental aliens – those that are native in some parts of Europe and introduced into others – among the most abundant and widespread habitat generalists in their native distributions. Extracontinental aliens make up only 2% of the European flora but comprise nearly 10% of the continent’s 10% most abundant species; these exotic aliens are shifting the dominance hierarchy by reducing species evenness at local scales. De- spite being comparatively specialized in their habitat use, extracontinental aliens already reach range sizes similar to those of native species. We predict that these patterns are likely to intensify in the future as alien distributions are given time to approach equilibrium and as ongoing anthropogenic disturbances provide further opportunities for exploitation by exotic aliens and the most common natives.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 51

Community and population dynamics / Session 7

Talk 32

Competition-induced transgenerational plasticity influences competitive interactions and leaf decomposition of offspring

Javier Puy1,2, Francesco de Bello2,3, Hana Dvořáková2, Nagore G. Medina2,4, Vit Latzel5, Carlos P. Carmona6

1Trinity College Dublin 2University of South Bohemia 3CSIC-Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertifcación 4Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 5 Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 6University of Tartu

Phenotypic plasticity, within and across generations (transgenerational plasticity), allows organisms and their progeny to adapt to the environment without modification of the underlying DNA. Recent findings suggest that epigenetic modifications are important mediators of such plasticity. However, empirical studies have, sofar, mainly focused on plasticity in response to abiotic factors, overlooking the response to biotic interactions such as competition. We tested for within-generation and transgenerational phenotypic plasticity triggered by plant– plant competition intensity, and tested whether it was mediated via DNA methylation, using the perennial, apom- ictic herb Taraxacum brevicorniculatum in four coordinated experiments. We then tested the consequences of transgenerational plasticity affecting competitive interactions of the offspring and ecosystem processes such as decomposition. We found that, by promoting differences in DNA methylation, offspring of plants under stronger competition developed faster and presented more resource-conservative phenotypes. Further, these adjustments associated with less degradable leaves which have the potential to reduce nutrient turnover and might, in turn, favour plants with more conservative traits. Greater parental competition enhanced competitive abilities of the offspring by triggering adaptive phenotypic plasticity, and decreased offspring leaf decomposability. Our results suggest that competition-induced transgenerational effects could promote rapid adaptations and species coexistence, and feed back on biodiversity assembly and nutrient cycling.

Talks / POPBIO Prague 2021 52

Posters presentations

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 53

Poster 1 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Overcoming data limitations to model daily carbon assimilation patterns of epiphytic bryophytes in lowland tropical forests

Monica B. Berdugo1, Nada Nicolic1, Louise Guerot1, Sarah Brach1, S. Robbert Gradstein2,3, Jörg Bendix4, Maaike Y. Bader1

1Ecological Plant Geography at the Faculty of Geography of the University of Marburg 2University of Göttingen 3Muséum National d‘Histoire Naturell, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité 4Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing at the Faculty of Geography of the University of Marburg

Water availability controls the photosynthetic performance of bryophytes. Yet, epiphytic bryophytes persist in canopies of lowland tropical forests despite frequent warm and sunny conditions. Because accessing tropical canopies involves several logistic challenges, it remains unclear how epiphytic bryophytes cope with climate dynamics in this unique environment. Modelling bryophyte carbon assimilation in dependence of climatic conditions may help to elucidate this question. However, such models need physiological parameters and microclimatic input data, and currently the availability of empirical data still limits the use of mechanistic assimilation models. To overcome this limitation, we accessed the canopy of forests surrounding the Yasuní Scientific Station in the Amazon basin (Orellana, Ecuador) with two objectives: deriving carbon assimilation curves for canopy bryophytes and recording high-resolution canopy climate data series. We will present the assimilation profile of the dominant epiphytic bryophyte species in these forests and examples of the daily canopy climate series recorded between 2019 and 2020. We will also present the outputs of a carbon assimilation model under development that, when fed with these physiological parameters and climatic inputs, calculates carbon balances at different time resolutions. Our mechanistic model coupled with our valuable empirical data series allows us to test for the effect of the individual climate parameters and for the effect of contrasting day types (e.g. rainy vs. sunny days) on the carbon balance of bryophyte species and life forms. Because the model output indicates that carbon assimilation differs between bryophyte life forms, our model provides a mechanistic explanation for the observed dominance of reptant bryophytes in the canopy of lowland tropical forests. Our model can be applied to solve questions on the ecology, biogeography, and climate-change responses of these fascinating plants in all climate zones.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 54

Poster 2 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Does it make sense to plough grasslands?

Martina Fabšičová1, Jan Šipoš1,2, Tomáš Vymyslický3, Martin Jiroušek4,5, Magda Zdražílková4, Sabina Smetanová4, Filip Trnka1

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Mendel University in Brno, Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture 3Agricultural Research, Ltd. 4Mendel University in Brno, Department of Plant Biology 5Masaryk University, Department of Botany and Zoology

A non-interventional way of managing abandoned fields in protected areas together with grassing using commercial seed mixtures has caused a decrease in biodiversity not only in plant species but also in insects. To re- store the species diversity of short-term grasslands in the Podyjí National Park in the Czech Republic, we used ploughing as alternative disturbance management supporting colonisation by plants and invertebrates from the local species pool. We compared plant species composition and the abundance of target beetle and butterfly species among an- nually ploughed sites, plots ploughed only once and controls with grassland vegetation on twelve localities with different environmental conditions. In the case of plants, we recorded vegetation relevés and cultivated soil seed bank samples in the greenhouse. Beetles and butterflies were caught by using a sweeping net and into pitfall traps. We focused on the effect of disturbance regime on the occurrence of threatened and invasive species. Although we did not notice significant changes in the overall species numbers of plants among treatments in the first years of succession, we recorded several endangered plants Adonis( flammea, Anagallis foemina, Xan- thium strumarium), beetles (Minyops variolosus, Colaphellus sophiae) and butterflies (Melitaea didyma) after ploughing. On the other hand, invasive species did not occur in large numbers with an exception of one locality. The species composition of the soil seed bank reflected mainly the composition of the annual weed vegetation on the ploughed plots. In the control plots, the species composition of vegetation differed from the composition of the soil seed bank. As in the field, seedlings of several endangered plants were also found rarely within the greenhouse cultivation. According to our preliminary results, small-scale disturbances in the form of ploughing could be a suitable way to support and maintain local biodiversity in species-poor grasslands.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 55

Poster 3 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Species richness and functional traits in areas with comparable grazing intensity

Student contribution

Cristiane Forgiarini1,2, Leonardo Nogueira2, Dióber Lucas2, Mariana Vieira2, Yuri Siqueira2, Marcos Aurélio Andriotti Júnior2, Tatiana Teixera de Souza-Chies2

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)

Grazing intensity influences species richness and can result in selection of functional traits. Also, geographic distances play an important role in species richness and how species are distributed. Serra do Sudeste is a region of southern Brazil that has a pre-Cambrian origin comprising a mosaic of natural grasslands and woodlands. In this study, natural grasslands under similar grazing intensity were used to investigate if areas separated by 30-50Km are capable of maintaining similar levels of species richness and, also, test if numbers of C4 species and species that offer oil as the main floral reward are similar in these areas. During the spring of 2014, 2015 and 2016, species data were collected in three different locations within the Serra do Sudeste region. All the species present in a 1m2 square were identified in ten different aleatory plots in each location. Size of each area was measured using high-resolution satellite imagery. Grazing intensity was measured by constructing general linear models taking into account soil type, fresh and dry biomass and plant height. Data on photosynthesis patterns and floral rewards offered to pollinators were collected from each location for each species. Multivariate analysis of variance and a non-metric multidimensional scaling did not reveal substantial variation in species richness between study areas. The statistical analyses also showed that number of C4 species and presence of species that offer oil as the main floral reward were not significantly different between study areas. The data suggest that areas with similar grazing intensity from Serra do Sudeste region do not vary in species richness or in the functional traits tested when geographic distances between regions are ~30-50Km. Our finding will help local communities in the Serra do Sudeste region optimise grasslands management.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 56

Poster 4 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Influence of habitat and climatic conditions on population dynamics of Minuartia smejkalii

Student contribution

Karolína Hrušková1,2, Eelke Jongejans3, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2, Hana Pánková1

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 3Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud Univer- sity Nijmegen

Serpentine areas in the Czech Republic form minor but important islands in the landscape with specific chemical properties such as high content of magnesium and other heavy metals. Due to this, serpentine is toxic for most plants. Increased demands on the survival and occurrence of plants lead to the emergence of serpentine specialists obligatorily specialized in these extreme habitats. Currently, serpentine areas are threatened by gradual overgrowth of sites, insufficient or poor site management and fragmentation or shrinkage of sites due to anthropogenic activities. Along with the disappearing localities, the serpentine specialists, are becoming highly endangered. Minuartia smejkalii is highly endangered serpentine specialist with an endemic occurrence in the Czech Republic with great need of its conservation. The aim of the work was to collect data on population dynamics of the species and identify habitat and climatic factors affecting population growth. We studied dynamics in all existing 7 populations during the period from 2006 to 2020 were collected. We linked these data to information on population dynamics, habitat and climatic factors and analysed them using Integral projection models (IPM). The study presents the importance of individual habitat and climatic conditions on the dynamics of M. smejkalii. It will also try to estimate the development of the population dynamic during climate change and propose a suitable management not only for this endemic species, but for the entire eminent serpentine habitat of the Czech Republic.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 57

Poster 5 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

The effect of habitat continuity and recent management on grassland plant species in the northern part of the White Carpathian Mts.

Student contribution

Barbora Hubáčková1, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Grasslands of the eastern Moravia have big potential to host species-rich plant communities. However, changes in land-use during the second half of the last century were rapid and vast and many grasslands had been plowed over. In the early 80s some arable lands were sown with low diversity clover-grass mixture and transferred back to grassland. Restoration of grasslands on former arable fields is a major challenge. Their colonisation by grassland species may be complicated by initial seeding with productive low diversity seed mixtures. The aim of this study was to estimate differences in species composition and species diversity between ex-arable artificially seeded grasslands and fragments of grasslands with continuity over 60 years in the north part of Bílé Karpaty Mts., SE Czech Republic and identify species traits limiting species ability to colonize the ex-arable grasslands. Target plant species (total of 137) were survey on 66 grasslands. Surveyed grasslands were classified by continuity and type of management. Coordinates of centroids from each polygon were used to treat the spatial autocorrelation of the surveyed grasslands. The effect of continuity on species composition and diversity was tested after accounting for differences in the management and abiotic factors (TWI, TPI, DAHI, slope, elevation, orientation). Differences in species responses to habitat continuity and management have been tried to be explained by their functional traits (canopy height, zoochory, LDMC, seed mass, SLA and terminal velocity – LEDA database, epizoochory on wool of cattle – D3 database, start of flowering, end of flowering). The results showed that both – species diversity and species composition is significantly affected habitat continuity. Also, the type of management significantly affects the species composition. The extent to which the functional traits are responsible for differences in species responses to habitat continuity and management is yet to be explored.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 58

Poster 6 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Adaptation of understorey herbs to forest management

Student contribution

Charlotte Møller1, Pieter De Frenne2, J.F. Scheepens1

1Goethe University Frankfurt 2Ghent University

Changing environmental conditions, involving both climate and land use, have strongly increased over the last two centuries. This threatens plant populations and their capacity to adapt genetically to their rapidly changing environment. Also, forest management practices strongly influence the understorey microenvironment, and one could therefore predict that, if the same management system is applied for a long time, understorey herbs have responded to forest management evolutionarily. Surprisingly, understorey forest herbs have seldom been tested for genetically heritable phenotypic differentiation, despite intraspecific variation being an important level of biodiversity and a prerequisite for adaptation of a species to its environment through natural selection. Our project is divided into three work packages (WP). In WP1 we are conducting a common garden experiment with six understorey herb species (Anemone nemorosa, Galium odoratum, Oxalis acetosella, Viola reichenbachiana, Mil- ium effusum and Brachypodium sylvaticum; 3 012 individuals) to test for genetic differentiation and investigate functional and performance traits related to forest management and related structural attributes. WP2 involves a reciprocal transplant experiment to test for local adaptation in two understorey herbs (A. nemorosa and M. effusum; 1 056 individuals) to forest management and related structural attributes. Lastly, in WP3 we investigate genetic variation in plastic responses to drought and early shading, to simulate important climatic changes, in three understorey herbs (A. nemorosa, M. effusum and G. odoratum; 1 320 individuals) in a common garden experiment. Our results will provide invaluable insights in whether forest understorey herbs are locally adapted to forest management, to its related structural forest attributes and the resulting microclimate, and how they will respond to primary climate change drivers. This will help us to predict future population fitness when faced with imminent climatic changes.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 59

Poster 7 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Intra-population variation and dynamics of cadmium and zinc concentrations in leaves of rabidopsis halleri in response to soil properties and herbivory

Filip Pošćić1, V. Preite1, U. Krämer1

1Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Molecular Genetics and Physiology of Plants

Metal hyperaccumulator plants accumulate extraordinarily high concentrations of metals in their leaves. Zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulation (more than 3000 µg Zn g-1 leaf DM) is a wide species trait in Arabidopsis halleri (L.) O‘Kane & Al-Shehbaz, while cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulation (more than 100 µg Cd g-1 leaf DM) is population specific. In a few populations found on non-contaminated soils, we observed an unusually large within-population variation in the extent of Cd or Zn hyperaccumulation in a field survey (Stein et al. 2017). In this project, we are addressing whether this variation is a result of acclimation at the natural site, and to which environmental factor. Alterna- tively, these within-population differences could be governed by within-population genetic variation, which would then raise the question of whether they are a result of evolutionary adaptation and to which environmental factor. We are conducting our study on those populations of A. halleri that exhibit the largest intra-population variation in metal hyperaccumulation in the field. We are monitoring in the field the dynamics of leaf Cd concentrations in two populations, and leaf Zn concentration in one population, all on non-contaminated soils. At each time point of sampling, soil mineral composition, soil pH and the degree of herbivory are also quantified. We collected individuals containing the lowest and the highest leaf Cd or Zn concentrations of a population from the field and transferred them into our greenhouse. With vegetative clones of these extreme genotypes we then performed herbivory simulation experiments for evaluating the effects of genotype, herbivory and genotype-herbivory interaction in tuning leaf Cd and Zn concentrations. We are also characterizing the microbiomes of selected individuals and preparing for within-population crosses to probe for a genetic basis of between-individual differences in metal accumulation. References: Stein et al. (2017) https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14219

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 60

Poster 8 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Can herbicide application on railways be reduced through conservation-oriented management of neighbouring vegetation?

Jinlei Zhu1, Carsten Buchmann1, Jasmin Lepper1, Marcel Schäfer1, Frank Schurr1

1Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim

Vegetation growth on railways is a problem for rail transport. Particularly problematic are plant species that grow vegetatively into railways from trackside areas. Currently, vegetation growth on railways is mostly controlled by synthetic herbicides (mostly glyphosate). However, due to ecological and health consequences of herbicide use, there is now an intensive search for herbicide-free control methods. Mulching has often been used to control vegetation growth on trackside areas, but the effect of mulching regime on vegetation growth on railways has not yet been studied. We ask how the mulching regime on trackside areas (1) affects vegetation growth on railways, and (2) affects the conservation value of trackside areas. To answer these questions, we established a large-scale experiment along railways in Southwestern Germany. In 20 herbicide-free experimental blocks (each 120 m long), we applied four mulching treatments that differ in the timing of biannual mulching. We then monitored the response of different species categories (problem plants, conservation-relevant species, neophytes, etc.) on both railways and trackside areas. We also investigated soil seed banks to study the intrinsic restoration potential of trackside areas. Additionally, we carried out seed sowing experiments to test the effects of mulching regime on establishment of conservation-relevant species in trackside vegetation. First results suggest that the combination of early first and late second mulching supresses vegetation growth of problem plants on railways, while simultaneously increasing the proportion of pre-existing conservation-relevant species in trackside areas. In contrast, a combination of late first mulching and early second mulching promotes seedling establishment of conservation-relevant species. Our study thus suggest that it might be possible to reduce herbicide use on railways while promoting the conservation value of trackside areas.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 61

Poster 9 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Less confusion – better conclusion. Unifying terminology related to the eradication of alien plant species.

Student contribution

Halina Galera1, Agnieszka Rudak1, Maciej Wódkiewicz1

1Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Biological and Chemical Research Centre

In the field of biological invasions a need for unifying terminology arose recently, as many overlapping terms are now present among eradication assessment frameworks. With more eradication efforts taking place and knowledge about invasive species expanding, we are encountering new terms, describing same phenomenons. This causes confusion and makes it harder to compare the works of different researchers. To tackle this problem we created the Unified System of Eradication Related Factors (USEReF) based on literature survey. It is a complex arrangement of factor definitions for the analysis of eradications of alien plant species. It compiles 24 factors related to eradication success probability reported earlier in the literature and orders them in a hierarchical system. Each factor is precisely defined and given an intuitive name along with the list of its synonyms and similar and/or related terms appearing in literature. We ascribed factors into four categories (i.e. location, species, human and replay context) depending on the context that matches best with each factor. We divided compound factors into components, which may influence eradication feasibility in a contrasting manner as factor influence varies highly between different eradication efforts. USEReF system may be used to report and analyze eradication campaign data in order to (i) prioritize alien species for eradication when many species are considered, (ii) create the strategy for controlling invasive plants, (iii) compare eradication effects of populations of the same species from different geographic regions and (iv) compare eradication efficiency of different invasive species in the same region. The main advantage of using our system lies in reporting eradication experience data in a synthesized way. With unifying the language used by researchers performing different eradication actions in different systems, studying invasions and planning future eradications can become more efficient.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 62

Poster 10 Biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Scales of diversity in Amazonian rainforest bryophytes

Maaike Y. Bader1, Monica B. Berdugo1, Louise Guerot1,2, S. Robbert Gradstein2,3

1 Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg 2 Muséum National d‘Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité 3 Albrecht von Haller Institute, University of Göttingen

The canopies of tropical rainforests are full of life, including a rich flora consisting of vascular as well as non-vascular epiphytes. The non-vascular epiphytes, principally lichens, mosses and liverworts, attain less biomass in lowland rain forests than in montane cloud forests, but species richness of these groups can still be very high here. Their diversity can be high already at the mm scale and grows further when expanding to forest-scale vertical gradients and large-scale geographic areas. However, little is known about the scales at which diversity is most amplified. We therefore studied bryophyte diversity patterns across scales, varying the grain and extent from 10- cm2 plots repeated within single trees (24 trees, 15-22 plots per tree) to groups of trees several km apart in the rainforest of Yasuní National park, Amazonian Ecuador. Diversity patterns differed between the tree crowns and the trunks: crowns had higher species numbers per quadrat but a lower beta diversity between quadrats than the trunks. As a result, at the regional scale the trunks had a higher overall species number (i.e. gamma diversity) than the crowns (93 vs. 77 observed species). When clustering plots based on the species compositions, they clustered by position on the trunk or in the crown rather than by tree. Also, geographic distance was not correlated to similarities in species composition. These results, and the higher beta-diversity between trunks and crowns of the same tree than between crowns of different trees, even some km apart, indicates that the vertical environmental gradients in the forest are more important for the species composition than geographical distance. Still, at all scales and in all directions beta diversity was very high, with many species occurring only once or twice in our sampled plots. Overall it can be concluded that, although species have habitat preferences, the species composition of these bryophyte communities is hardly predictable in this environment.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 63

Poster 11 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Land-use and local climate effects on genetic structure of pasture sage in Mongolian drylands Student contribution

Khurelpurev Oyundelger1,2, Veit Herklotz1, Dörte Harpke3, Batlai Oyuntsetseg4, Karsten Wesche1,2, Christiane M. Ritz1,2

1Department of Botany, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz 2Technical University Dresden, International Institute (IHI) Zittau, Chair of Biodiversity of Higher Plants 3Leibniz Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), OT Gatersleben 4Department of Biology, School of Arts and Science, National University of Mongolia

Drylands are among the most extensive biomes globally, and although many desert and dry rangeland ecosystems are under threat, genetic structures of dryland species are still rarely studied. Artemisia frigida is one of the most widely distributed plant species in temperate rangelands of Eurasia and North America, and dominates in many habitats of Mongolia due to its tolerance to coldness, drought and disturbance. Both local environmental conditions and grazing may influence species performance, and also affect spatial patterns of genetic diversity. To evaluate the contrasting effects of local environment and grazing pressure on genetic diversity and structure of A. frigida, we developed new species-specific Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) markers using whole genome sequencing (WGS). We then analysed 11 populations of A. frigida sampled along a large climatic gradient in Mongolia, which were sub-structured according to three grazing intensity levels. Estimates of genetic diversity at population level were high (HO = 0.56, HE = 0.73), and tended to increase with higher precipitation and soil nutrient availability, while grazing had no effect. However, 20% of the total allele were associated with a certain grazing level across widely spaced populations, i.e., some alleles were prone to occur at only one grazing level, or being absent at other levels irrespective of their location along the main climatic gradient. Genetic differentiation among populations was extremely low (mean FST = 0.04). AMOVA revealed 5% variance between populations along the climatic gradient, whereas 3% variance was partitioned among different grazing intensity levels. We found no relationships between geographic and genetic distances, and thus no isolation by distance in this widely distributed species. The relatively low genetic structuring suggests that considerable gene flow exists among A. frigida populations across the rangelands of Mongolia in spite of pervasive grazing in the region.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 64

Poster 12 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Woody overgrowth of semi-natural grasslands affects genetic diversity at adaptive but not neutral genetic regions in Primula veris

Sabrina Träger1, Christian Rellstab2, Iris Reinula3, Niklaus Zemp4, Aveliina Helm3, Rolf Holderegger2,5, Tsipe Aavik3

1Department of Biology / Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg 2Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL 3Department of Botany, University of Tartu 4Genetic Diversity Centre (GDC), ETH Zurich 5Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich

Habitat change in semi-natural grasslands due to a lack of management is one of the driving forces of plant genetic modification. Yet, it is unknown how plants respond at different genetic regions, i.e. neutral and adaptive, to habitat change. We applied double-digest RADseq to collect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers across both neutral and adaptive DNA regions in Primula veris, a plant species common to semi-natural grasslands. We worked in Estonian alvar grasslands, which have experienced a drastic loss in habitat area in the last century due to woody overgrowth. Our study showed that genetic diversity at adaptive loci of P. veris was significantly higher in overgrown habitats than open habitats, most likely due to the exertion of novel selection pressures in the new overgrown habitats. Our results indicate that genetic effects of habitat change should be considered at both neutral and adaptive DNA regions to avoid misleading conclusions.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 65

Poster 13 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Phenotypic diversity created by a transposable element increases productivity and resistance to competitors in plant populations

Vít Latzel1, Javier Puy2, Michael Thieme3, Etienne Bucher4,5, Lars Götzenberger1,6, Francesco de Bello6,7

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin 3Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zürich 4Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, INRA, Université d’Angers 5Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Agroscope 6Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia 7CIDE-UV-CSIC, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertifcación

An accumulating body of evidence indicates that natural plant populations harbour a large diversity of transposable elements (TEs). TEs provide genetic and epigenetic variation that can substantially translate into changes in plant phenotypes. Despite the wealth of data on the ecological and evolutionary effects of TEs on plant individuals, we have virtually no information on the role of TEs on populations and ecosystem functioning. On the example of Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that TE-generated variation creates differentiation in ecologically important functional traits. In particular, we show that Arabidopsis populations with increasing diversity of individuals differing in copy numbers of the ONSEN retrotransposon had higher phenotypic and functional diversity. Moreover, increased diversity enhanced population productivity and reduced performance of interspecific competitors. We conclude that TE-generated diversity can have similar effects on ecosystem as usually documented for other biological diversity effects.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 66

Poster 14 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Genetic diversity between subgenomes of finger millet

Student contribution

Céline Bitter1, Masaomi Hatakeyama1,2, Mathi Thumilan Balachadran3, Sajeevan Radha Sivaraja3, Ralph Schlapbach2, Sheshshayee M. Sreeman3, Kentaro K. Shimizu1,4

1Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich 2Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich / University of Zurich 3Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus 4Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) is an important crop for food security, which is known for its high nutritional value and resistance against climate changes. However, still little is known about the genetic and genomic structure due to the genome complexity, despite being a widely consumed resource in India and Africa.

We have improved the bioinformatic workflow for polyploid genomic analysis efficiency and investigated the- ge netic and genomic structure of finger millet in each subgenome separately. We observed differences in genetic diversity between the subgenomes in domesticated finger millet and found an elevated nucleotide diversity- and Tajima‘s D distributions within subgenome A of the domesticated lines. In the wild species accessions no differences between the subgenomes were detected.It is difficult to clearly separate the Indian and African accessions based on the polymorphism data of domesticated finger millet, which indicates that some of the accessions were hybridized recently and genetically mixed. The results indicate that the diversification between subgenomes occurred by introgression from one of the parental diploids after the polyploidization of the wild species and was possibly induced through human influence by cultivation effects.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 67

Poster 15 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Inbreeding depression under stress in Mimulus guttatus – a two-generation study of multiplicative fitness

Student contribution

Anna Dotzert1, Florian Gerken1, Diethart Matthies1, Tobias M. Sandner1

1Department of Ecology, Philipps-Universität Marburg

Due to habitat fragmentation and habitat loss, inbreeding depression is a topic of growing concern in conservation biology: Inbreeding becomes more likely as populations become smaller and less connected in fragmented landscapes, but this does not necessarily lead to fitness reductions (i.e. inbreeding depression). It is widely assumed that inbreeding depression is higher under stressful conditions, but the empirical evidence is not consistent and sometimes observed patterns show an opposite tendency. One aspect which may strongly influence estimates of inbreeding depression is the chosen estimate of fitness. If the effects of stress and inbreeding depend on the stage in the life-cycle, estimates of inbreeding depression may depend on whether inbreeding in survival, growth or reproduction is analyzed. We grew inbred and outbred Mimulus guttatus plants under control- and waterlogged conditions and grew a second generation of plants under control, early and late waterlogging. In the first generation, inbreeding depression in biomass and number of flowers changed over time but was in the end higher under waterlogging. While inbreeding reduced flower number and germination of the new seeds, waterlogging even increased both traits. The initiation of flowering of the 2nd generation was delayed under early, but not under late waterlogging. Currently the plants are still flowering, but at the conference, effects of different stress-scenarios on inbreeding depression in multiplicative fitness measures will be presented.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 68

Poster 16 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Segregation of self-(in)compatibility is not due to S-locus genotype

Student contribution

Karoline Jetter1, Yan Li1,2, Ekaterina Mamonova1, Mark van Kleunen1,3, Marc Stift1

1Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz 2Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences 3Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University

Breakdown of self-incompatibility (SI) and subsequent shifts to inbreeding have intrigued evolutionary geneti- cists for decades. In self-incompatible plants, self-pollen is rejected due to the simultaneous expression of female recognition proteins in the stigma and matching male-recognition proteins in the pollen. The S-locus, two closely linked female and male genes, encodes these matching recognition proteins. In species with a functional SI system, multiple S-locus specificities (matching female and male recognition pairs) are maintained in the population. The intraspecific breakdown of SI in North American Arabidopsis lyrata provides an excellent system to unravel the genetic basis of the breakdown of SI. The fixation of certain S-specificities in selfing populations of this- spe cies (S1 in two populations, S19 in three populations) suggests a functional link between SC and the S-locus, for example due a loss-of-function mutation at these haplotypes that compromises self-recognition. We tested this in a family segregating for breeding system and S-locus genotype after a cross between self-incompatible and self-compatible plants (SIxSC). We found that the breeding system phenotype (SI, SC or intermediate) was not strongly associated with the S-locus genotype, suggesting that more than one gene is involved in the loss of self-incompatibility in this system. This supports our working hypothesis that a modifier (unlinked to the S-locus) interacts with the S-locus to determine self-fertility (i.e., the degree of seed set of plants after self-pollination).

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 69

Poster 17 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

How does forest management affect genetic and species diversity in non-timber species? Student contribution

Marcel Glück1, Oliver Bossdorf2, Henri A. Thomassen1

1Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Comparative Zoology, Tübingen University 2Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Tübingen University

Genetic variation is the most basic level of biodiversity, crucial for adequate responses of species to changing environments, and thus their long-term persistence. However, fuelled by an ever-increasing demand for timber, forests are experiencing intense human pressure, potentially depleting intraspecific genetic variation in many non-timber species. Yet, we are still lacking systematic insight into how forest management might affect this existential pillar of biodiversity. This uncertainty hampers our understanding of how forests are managed best to sustain high levels of biodiversity. As the response to management might vary among species, we will assess how forest management affects genetic diversity in ten plant and ten arthropod species. To do so, we first sampled ~ 150 plots of the Germany-wide Biodiversity Exploratories research project, covering a management intensity gradient from undisturbed to heavily managed habitats. We are now about to gain insight into genetic diversity using double-digest restriction-associated DNA and whole-genome sequencing. Benefitting from the wealth of information generated through the Biodiversity Exploratories and correcting for potential confounding factors, we will infer how genetic diversity varies across the management intensity gradient. Additionally, we will relate genetic to species diversity to assess whether a loss in the former coincides with a loss in the latter. Following this holistic approach, we will contribute to a clearer picture of the processes shaping genetic and species diversity, which will allow us to protect remaining biodiversity as efficiently as possible.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 70

Poster 18 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Adaptation to metal-polluted soils in Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa

V. Preite1, L. Syllwasschy1, C. Sailer2,3, L. Yant2,4, U. Krämer1

1Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Molecular Genetics and Physiology of Plants 2John Innes Center, Cell and Developmental Biology, Colney Lane 3Graz University of Technology, Institute of Biomedical Informatics 4University of Nottingham, Medicine and Health Sciences

Micronutrient metals, e.g. zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), are essential to plants in small quantities, but they are toxic when their bioavailable levels in the soil exceed the plants physiological range. All plants possess basal tolerance to non-essential metals, such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), but an excess of non-essential metals causes tox- icities. Soils with elevated levels of heavy metals that are toxic for ordinary plants from natural or anthropogenic sources are named metalliferous soils. We study plant species that can tolerate such extreme metalliferous environments and can hyperaccumulate Zn and Cd, defined as 3,000 µg g-1 Zn and 100 µg g-1 DW Cd in aboveground dry biomass in their natural habitat. The goal of our research is to understand how metal homeostasis is regulated in these plants. We perform growth chamber experiments using metalliferous soils and hydroponic solutions comparing the sister species Arabidopsis arenosa and Arabidopsis halleri:- A. halleri is widely found on non-metalliferous and metalliferous soils across Europe and East Asia, and is a model system to study metal hyperaccumulation of Zn and Cd. - A. arenosa grows across Europe predominantly on areas poor in nutrition (e.g. sandy roadsides), but it can grow as well successfully in habitats with metalliferous soils. Recent studies demonstrated the ability for Zn and Cd hyperaccumulation also in some A. arenosa populations (Szopinki et al. 2020, Zaneta-Gieron et al. 2021). We study a metalliferous (M) site and a non-metalliferous (NM) site in South Poland, at which both species A. halleri and A. arenosa are growing in close proximity. Previous results from these populations demonstrated signs of local adaptation and convergent evolution (Preite et al. 2018). While gene expression and population genomic analyses are still on the way, we present here our results on fitness and leaf metal accumulation from the growth chamber experiments.

References: Szopinski et al. (2020) doi.org/10.1111/pce.13883Zaneta-Gieron et al. (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125052Preite, Sailer & Syllwasschy et al. (2018) doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0243

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 71

Poster 19 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Plastic cleistogamy in response to competition and drought stress

Anežka Eliášová1, Tomáš Tureček1, Bojana Stojanova1

1University of Ostrava

Beyond floral dimorphism – cleistogamy as an adaptation to multiple environmental stresses Cleistogamous plants produce closed, obligately selfing flowers. Most cleistogamous species also produce open, potentially outcrossing flowers in variable proportions. Thus, cleistogamy is a plastic, putatively mixed-mating system. Var- ious explanations have been proposed for the maintenance of plastic cleistogamy – avoidance of the negative consequences of selfing (inbreeding depression, geitonogamy) or adaptation to environmental factors (pollinator abundance, resource availability, differential dispersal strategies). Each of these explanations has been tested independently from the others. We hypothesize that adjustments in the proportion of closed flowers can be simultaneously an adaptation to multiple environmental pressures each favoring different reproductive strategies. To test this, we subjected seven populations of an annual cleistogamous species, Lamium amplexicaule, to a full factorial experimental design combining competition (biotic) and drought (abiotic) stress in two seasons. We show that competition negatively affects plant growth and total seed production, independently of drought stress and season. Despite this, the proportion of closed flowers decreases in the competitive environment, but only when the plants are sufficiently watered. We explain these results as independent adaptive response to two environmental stresses – increasing the production of open flowers production when grown in competition potentially increases the proportion of outcrossed offspring which that do not suffer inbreeding depression, and thus com- pensates the reduced number of offspring by increasing its quality. However, this is only possible if the plant has enough resources (water) to invest in the production of costly, open flowers. These results show that plastic cleistogamy cannot be viewed as solely a mixed-mating strategy aiming to avoid genetic consequences of inbreeding, nor as floral dimorphism that is an adaptation to environmental variation, but rather a combination of both.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 72

Poster 20 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

A compendium of in vitro germination media for pollen research

Student contribution

Donam Tushabe1, Sergey Rosbakh1

1University of Regensburg

The correct choice of in vitro pollen germination media (PGM) is crucial in functional and applied pollen research. However, the methodological gaps (e.g. strong focus of current research on model species and cultivated plants and lack of general rules for developing a PGM) makes experimenting with pollen difficult. We closed these gaps by compiling a compendium of optimised in vitro PGM recipes from more than 1800 articles published from 1926 to 2019. The compendium includes PGM of 1572 recipes successfully used to germinate pollen grains or produce pollen tubes in 816 species representing 412 genera and 114 families. Among the 110 components recorded from the different in vitro PGM recipes, sucrose (89% of species), boric acid (80%), Ca2+ (59%), Mg2+ (44%), and K+ (39%) were the most commonly used PGM components. Also, we identified some general rules for creating PGM for various groups of species differing in area of research (wild and cultivated species), phylogenetic relatedness (angiosperms vs. gymnosperms, dicots vs. monocots), pollen physiology (bi- and tricellular), biochemistry (starchy vs. starchless pollen grains) and stigma properties (dry vs. wet), and compared the components requirements. Only sucrose concentrations (%) were significantly different across all categories indicating that pollen sensitivity to sugar concentration in in vitro media is highly species-specific and should be accounted for when composing new PGM. This compendium is an important data resource on PGM and can facilitate future pollen research. Keywords: pollen, experiment, in vitro

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 73

Poster 21 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Plant-animal interactions and their impact on gene flow in Neotropical plant species

Katrin Heer1, Tiziana Gelmi-Candusso2, Sarina Thiel1, Marco Tschapka3, Eckhard W. Heymann4

1Universität Marburg 2University of Toronto 3Universität Ulm 4German Primate Center

Many tropical plant species depend on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. Thereby, the behaviour of these pollinators and seed dispersers has an impact on dispersal distances and thus, on the spatial distribution of genetic diversity of the respective plants. Foraging behavior of nectarivorous and frugivorous animals can for example differ depending on their preferred microhabitat, on their resource preferences or on traits that affect their mobility. Further, animal species might adjust their foraging routes depending on which species they preferentially forage on at a given time. Here, we highlight two study systems from the Peruvian Amazon that allowed us to investigate that foraging behaviour of frugivores can differ among plant species or even among strata of a single plant species and how this impacts dispersal distances and thus, spatial genetic structure of the respective plant species. The first study system focuses on two tree species that are exclusively dispersed by frugivorous tamarins. We found that movement patterns of tamarins differed depending on the plant species they foraged on, which was in line with significant differences in dispersal distances as well as in spatial genetic structure. The second study system centered around a liana species that is pollinated and dispersed by a highly diverse assemblage of vertebrate species. We found significant differences in visitation rates and interacting species assemblages along the vertical gradient and currently investigate how this affects gene flow distances. Further, an outlook on forth- coming research on the importance of phenology for animal-mediated dispersal will be presented.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 74

Poster 22 Global change I

Is the Seasonal Variation in Frost Resistance and Plant Performance in Four Oak Species Affected by Changing Temperatures?

Student contribution

Maggie Preißer1, Solveig Franziska Bucher1

1Department of Plant Biodiversity, Institute of Ecology and Evolution with Herbarium Haussknecht and Botanical Garden, Friedrich Schiller University

Research Highlights: We found seasonal variation in frost resistance (FR) and plant performance which were affected by growth temperature. This helps to better understand ecophysiological processes in the light of climate change. Background and Objectives: FR and photosynthesis vary with the season. The aim of this study was to find out whether there is a seasonal variation in FR, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rates and leaf functional traits associated with performance in two evergreen and two deciduous species, and whether this is influenced by different temperature treatments. Additionally, the trade-off between FR and photosynthetic performance, and the influence of leaf functional traits was analyzed. By understanding these processes better, predicting species behavior, concerning plant performance and its changes under varying climate regimes can be improved. Mate- rials and Methods: 40 individuals of four oak species were measured weekly over the course of ten months with one half of the trees exposed to frost in winter and the other half protected in the green house. Two of these species were evergreen (Quercus ilex L., Quercus rhysophylla Weath.), and two were deciduous (Quercus palustris L., Quercus rubra L.). We measured FR, the maximum assimilation rate at light saturation under ambient CO2 concentrations (Amax), chlorophyll fluorescence and the leaf functional traits SLA, LDMC, stomatal pore area index (SPI), chlorophyll content (Chl) and leaf thickness. Results: All parameters showed a significant species-specific seasonal variation. There was a difference in all traits investigated between evergreen and deciduous species and between the two temperature treatments. Individuals that were protected from frost in winter showed higher photosynthesis values as well as SLA and Chl, whereas individuals exposed to frost had overall higher FR, LDMC, SPI and leaf thickness. A trade-off between FR and SLA, rather than FR and photosynthetic performance was found.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 75

Poster 23 Global change I

A concept to detect temporal variability of dike grassland after restoration and its relation to legally defined habitat types

Student contribution

Markus Bauer1, Jakob Huber1, Johannes Kollmann1

1Restoration Ecology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich

Dike relocations are an important part of new flood protection concepts due to climate change, and these dikes can serve as secondary habitats for endangered grasslands. Legal evaluation of protected grassland types is based on snap-shot surveys, leading to a simple success vs. failure dichotomy. However, vegetation varies over time, and can change from the state of a legally protected habitat to a non-protected type. The variation of restoration outcomes due to effects of different locations or year-to-year effects needs to be more investigated and put in relation to effects like of restoration measures or local soil conditions. Along many rivers dike grasslands have been restored and monitored for various years. The aim of our study was to describe the temporal beta diversity (variation and turnover) of grasslands in relation to habitat types and environmental factors. Furthermore, it was investigated whether the floristic variability was mirrored by functional variation of the communities. A field study was conducted on dikes along the Danube in southern Germany. We surveyed 70 plots over 4 years on both sides of dikes that had been restored 5–20 years ago. The target vegetation were hay meadows (FFH type 6510) and dry grasslands (6210). For the functional analysis, the traits specific leaf area, seed mass and canopy height were used. The analysis of the plot-specific temporal variation of species composition showed that a crucial number of plots change over the years between the state of a FFH types and a non-FFH status and that they can remain in that condition. Beyond that, the variation was best described by factors like the general location and the year of survey, but not due to effects like local soil conditions or exposition. We expect that for functional diversity and species richness, local soil conditions and exposition explain relatively more than random effects compared to the beta diversity analysis.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 76

Poster 24 Global change I

Differences in plant palatability depending on plant origin and cultivation treatment

Student contribution

Alžběta Brožová1,2, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

During the long co-evolutionary history of plants and their insect herbivores plants have developed various anti-herbivore defences or mechanisms to mitigate fitness loss. Grasses are among the most dominant plants and serve as food for many insect species. Although they are thought to tolerate herbivory rather than use defences, they often contain silicon crystals that decrease their digestibility. The site-specific abiotic conditions could modify plant attractiveness for insect herbivores. The degree of herbivory generally decreases with increasing elevation, so plants in higher elevations are under lower selection pressure and might be more vulnerable to herbivores. However high mountain plants must withstand harsh climatic conditions and consequently they might be smaller and tougher which may decrease their palatability. Ongoing climate change will probably lead to changes in community composition as species are migrating poleward and to higher altitudes. Insects are expected to move faster and thus can invade areas where plants are less adapted to herbivory. I conducted multichoice feeding experiment with Festuca rubra plants to test whether there are differences in their palatability considering their origin and growing conditions. Plants originated from four sites differing in elevation, temperature and precipitation regime, individuals from each group were then grown in four climatic chambers under conditions simulating the four places of origin. Climate and herbivore pressure at the original site could result in local adaptation and thus affect plant palatability. At the same time plants react to the conditions of cultivation through phenotypic plasticity. Thanks to the factorial design of the experiment, it is possible to assess the relative importance of genetic differentiation and plasticity. I also measured three traits related to plant palatability (SLA, LDMC, Si content) to find out whether herbivore preferences can be explained by differences in traits.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 77

Poster 25 Global change I

The timing of leaf senescence relates to flowering phenology and functional traits in 17 herbaceous species along elevational gradients

Solveig Franziska Bucher1, Christine Römermann1,2

1Institute of Ecology and Evolution with Herbarium Haussknecht and Botanical Garden, Department of Plant Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena 2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Leaf senescence is a major event in a plant’s life history as autumn marks the end of the growing season. The optimal timing of leaf senescence is crucial to both minimize risks of low temperature events and maximize carbon gain during the growing season. As abiotic conditions are currently changing, it is important to study how leaf senescence is responding to these changes in order to forecast future growing season length and carbon sequestration potentials. In contrast to flowering phenology, data on autumn events is scarce and even more so for herbaceous than for woody plants. Thus, we studied leaf senescence in 632 populations from 17 herbaceous species located along elevational gradients. We focussed on the beginning (5% of the population senesce, LS 5 ) and peak (50% senesce, LS 50 ) of leaf senescence. To see whether we can predict species-specific changes, we studied the link between LS 5 and LS 50 and flowering phenology as well as leaf functional traits related to plant performance. We looked at first and last flowering day and flowering duration as well as the traits specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, area based leaf nitrogen and carbon content, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), and the stomatal pore area index. We found species-specific changes of the beginning of leaf senescence along the elevational gradient. The peak of leaf senescence was uniformly delayed with increasing elevation across all species. Flowering phenology as well as leaf functional traits had a close relationship with leaf senescence and thus can be used to forecast species-specific responses to changes in abiotic conditions. High SLA and high leaf nitrogen were related to earlier senescence while high LDMC, high Δ13C and high SPI to later senescence.The link between senescence, flowering phenology and plant functional traits will help to fine-tune predictions of future growing season length and ecosystem function.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 78

Poster 26 Global change I

Resistance and resilience of semi-natural grasslands to extreme drought

Maximiliane Marion Herberich1, Maria Májeková2, Nicola Lechner2, Sara Fiedler2, Laura Fink2, Clara Hämmerle2, Lara Saul2, Katja Tielbörger2

1Institute of Botany, BOKU Vienna 2Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen

The stability of plant communities is predicted to be strongly influenced by the increase in the magnitude and frequency of droughts. However, the observed impacts of experimental droughts are highly variable. Specifically, the responses of plant communities to an extreme drought range from surprisingly high stability to significant reductions of ecosystem functions and/or changes in species composition. This may be because most studies focused on the effects of a single drought intensity over short time periods which challenges in the comparability among studies. Furthermore, the majority of drought impact studies stem from freshly sown, artificial plant communities while very little is known about the drought impact on established semi-natural plant communities. In this study, we studied the impact of two drought intensities on semi-natural temperate grasslands over four generations. We show consistent drought effects with increasing intensity on community biomass and species richness. Namely, biomass was significantly reduced with increasing drought intensity. Interestingly, this significant reduction was reversible with removal of the drought, i.e. plant community productivity was not resistant but resilient to extreme drought. Species richness, however, was not resistant and not resilient. Our study challenges the applicability of results from artificial communities to semi-natural ecosystems.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 79

Poster 27 Global change I

Effect of ectomycorrhizal fungi on the resistance of Aleppo pine seedlings to dry conditions

Student contribution

Lior Herol1, Stav Livne-Luzon2, Mor Avidar1, Shahar Yirmiahu1, Yair Zachl1, Tamir Klein2, Hagai Shemesh1

1Tel Hai College, Environmental Sciences 2Weizmann institute of science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Drought conditions, which are expected to become more frequent as a result of climate change, are considered to be one of the largest threats on forested habitats. Since many forest ecosystems rely on mutualistic relationships, the effect of dry conditions on such interactions can play a key role in forest response to drought. Stressful conditions can alter mutual relationships, resulting in new interactions along the continuum between mutualism and competition. We carried out a greenhouse experiment testing the effect of drought conditions on the obli- gate mutualism between ectomycorrhizal fungi and Aleppo pine seedlings. As expected, pines that germinated in the presence of the ectomycorrhizal fungal spores were taller, had greater biomass and had more side branches. Moreover, we found that under drought conditions the positive effect of the ectomycorrhizal fungi was greatly reduced. It therefore seems, that the value of the mutualistic interaction for the pine seedling, is quantitatively reduced while maintaining its qualitative beneficial nature. Such effects, that might be detrimental for seedling establishment under future climatic conditions, could be mitigated by temporal shifts in the structure of the mycorrhizal community.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 80

Poster 28 Global change I

Bryophytes’ growth and decomposition rate in fens along environmental gradients

Student contribution

Jaszczuk Izabela1, Jabłońska Ewa1, Kotowski Wiktor1

1Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Biological and Chemical Research Centre

In the light of global changes, growing attention is focused on peatland conservation and restoration as they are important for climate change mitigation. The functioning of fen ecosystems is highly dependent on bryophytes, which are one of the most important peat-forming plants. Peat formation occurs when production exceeds decomposition. To understand how the production and decomposition rate of bryophytes changes along nutrient availability and water level gradient we measured growth rate and mass loss of brown moss species most common in temperate and boreal fens of the northern hemisphere: Aulacomnium palustre, Brachythecium rutabu- lum, Calliergonella cuspidata, Caliergon giganteum, Campylium stellatum, Climacium dendroides, Drepanocladus aduncus, Fissidens adianthoides, Hamatocaulis vernicosus, Scorpidium cossonii and Tomentypnum nitens. In the field condition in Biebrza and Rospuda mires. Moss mass loss was studied using litter bags and moss growth rate was studied using the plug method - growth was measured on moss shoots collected from a patch, cut to 4.5 cm apical lengths, weighted, placed into a steel basket, and carefully replaced into the moss patch. Average moss mass loss after one year of incubation in peat was 26% and the average growth rate was 277 g/m2/y. These values were different for mosses forming hummocks and for mosses that occur in hollows. There was a significant effect of environmental factors such as water level amplitude and above ground vascular plant production on moss growth and decomposition rate. Maintaining the stable water level and low production of vascular plants are decisive for protecting peat formation processes.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 81

Poster 29 Global change I

Back to the wild - Combining transplant experiments with the resurrection approach to investigate rapid plant adaptations to recent environmental changes

Student contribution

Pascal Karitter1, Sandrine Godefroid2, Robert Rauschkolb3, Walter Durka4, Andreas Ens- slin5, J.F. Scheepens1

1Goethe University Frankfurt 2Botanic Garden Meise 3University of Tübingen 4UFZ Halle 5Conservatory and Botanic Garden of the City of Geneva

Rapidly changing environmental conditions are challenging the ability of populations to genetically adapt to current and future conditions. To be able to tailor effective conservation measures, there is a need to better understand how plant populations react to rapid environmental changes and their ability to genetically adapt to them. The project “Back To The Wild” aims to investigate the influence of environmental changes over there cent decades on the evolutionary adaptations of plant populations, especially to drought and eutrophication. To this end, we apply the resurrection approach to four different European herbaceous plant species Clinopodium( vulgare, Leontodon hispidus, Linum tenuifolium and Melica ciliata; one population each). Plants are grown from stored seeds (ancestors; sampled 1992-1995) and compared with progeny raised from newly collected seeds of the same populations (descendants; 2018 or 2020). In the first experiment, after a refresher generation, ancestral and descendant lines will be compared in a common garden under drought and fertilization treatments. Fitness measurements can then reveal if descendant populations have evolved to cope with increased eutrophication and drought conditions. Secondly, plants and seeds will be transplanted back to their sites of origin for testing local adaptation of the descendant populations to their respective natural habitats. Finally, ddRAD data will be used to conduct a Q ST -F ST analysis to infer past selection on ecologically important traits such as flowering time. With these approaches, we will be able to paint a comprehensive picture of the evolutionary processes that took place over almost 30 years within these four populations. Our results will help to understand the pace of plant adaptation to climate change and hence, will be valuable for conservation measures such as plant ex situ conservation and reintroduction.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 82

Poster 30 Global change I

Functional response of grassland plants to extreme drought

Student contribution

Rosa E. Kramp1, Pierre Liancourt1,2, Maximiliane Herberich3, Sophie Weides1, Katja Tielbörger1, Maria Májeková1

1Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 3Institute of Botany, BOKU Vienna

Under climate change, the predicted increasing occurrence of extreme droughts will limit water availability for plants. Species will respond differently to drought by employing drought avoidance or tolerance strategies, leading to changes in individual species abundance. We hypothesized that species’ abundance in response to drought will be best predicted by a combination of water economic traits in ambient conditions and the ability of plants to adjust these traits to increase their drought resistance. We predicted that the specific functional adjustment will depend on the drought’s intensity, with a potential shift from drought tolerant to avoidant strategy. We tested these hypotheses in a four-year-long experiment in mesic grasslands with simulated climate change scenarios of 30% and 50% rainfall reduction. We quantified species abundance response to these scenarios as the standardized effect size (SES) of abundance between control and the respective rainfall reduction. We measured traits in ambient and drought conditions and quantified the ability of species to functionally adjust (SES of traits). In both scenarios, abundance response of species to extreme drought was best explained by a combination of traits in ambient conditions together with the ability to functionally adjust, showing that in both scenarios species with smaller leaves were more likely to cope with drought. In the 30% scenario, species’ abundance response was also associated with their ability to increase leaf dry matter content. In contrast, in the more pronounced 50% scenario, species ability to cope with drought was associated with both a less negative turgor loss point (TLP) in ambient conditions and plants’ ability to adjust towards less negative TLP under drought. These results show a shift from a drought tolerance strategy (adjustment towards tougher leaves) to a drought avoidance strategy (less negative TLP to avoid tissue desiccation) to cope with drought as its intensity increases.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 83

Poster 31 Global change I

Trait variability enhances plant performance in hy- per-arid environments: A multi-scale analysis

Student contribution

Nir Krintza1, Katrin Meyer2, Merav Seifan1

1The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2Ecosystem Modelling Department, University of Göttingen

Plants functionally respond to spatiotemporal changes in environmental conditions by altering their phenotypic traits. This ability can be achieved by local adaptation, by phenotypic plasticity or by a combination of the two. Hyperarid habitats, characterized by high variability and unpredictability in local conditions, intensify the need of plants to respond to harsh conditions. In this study, we aim at evaluating the extent of trait variation and phenotypic plasticity of desert dwelling plants, at two spatial scales, in response to spatiotemporal changes in environmental conditions. We investigated trait variation of Anastatica hierochuntica (Brassicaceae) populations growing along a hyperarid environmental gradient in the Negev Desert, Israel. To assess plant performance, we evaluated plant size specific leaf area and damage caused to the leaf membrane at three field sites. Then, to- es timate whether the trait variability detected in the field originated in phenotypic plasticity, we conducted a net house experiment, in which we assessed similar key traits of four populations grown under two irrigation regimes. No significant effects of environmental factors on plant traits among sites was found in the field or in the net house. We did find significant effects of environmental factors at the within-site scale. Specifically, interaction terms of site aridity and within site factors significantly affected three traits in the field experiment. Furthermore, phenotypic plasticity index was found to differ among populations in the net house, indicating that phenotypic plasticity is the generating mechanism of detected trait variability. The overall results support our hypothesis that A. hierochuntica populations are generally adapted to the harsh environment in the Negev Desert. However, this adaptation is supported by high trait variability and phenotypic plasticity abilities at the individual levels, which secure populations abilities to cope with local heterogeneity.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 84

Poster 32 Global change I

Can metal hyperaccumulation increase drought tolerance?

Maria Májeková1, Anubhav Mohiley1, Belén Benítez Domínguez1, Katja Tielbörger1

1Plant Ecology Group, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen

The ‘drought resistance’ hypothesis posits that heavy metal hyperaccumulation in plants (MH) has evolved as a means of providing MH plants with a higher drought resistance compared to the non-MH plants. It proposes that drought stress will induce increased uptake and accumulation of heavy metals resulting in an increased solute concentration in leaf cells. This will allow MH plants to maintain turgor, and thus also critical physiological processes, such as growth, under drier conditions, providing MH plants with an advantage in less favourable environments. While non-MH plants utilize potentially expensive organic compounds such as sugars or amino-acids as solutes, the ‘drought resistance’ hypothesis postulates that MH has evolved to accumulate and utilize heavy metals instead. Surprisingly, this hypothesis has gained very little empirical support so far. We tested the ‘drought resistance’ hypothesis and the prediction that drought stress induces increased accumulation of heavy metals, thus providing MH plants with higher drought resistance through osmotic adjustment. Arabidopsis halleri (Bras- sicaceae) plants from a metalliferous and a non-metalliferous ecotype were grown in a full factorial design with clean soil or soil spiked with Cd and in well-watered or drought conditions. The results for metalliferous ecotype show a negligible effect of drought stress on the above-ground biomass in Cd-enriched soils, which could be explained by an increased solute concentration in plant leaves in the drought-stressed plants in Cd-enriched soils. Interestingly, this pattern was not observed in plants from the non-metalliferous ecotype, which showed no differences between treatments in both their biomass and solute concentration. Though the crucial results on Cd concentration in leaves are currently being analyzed, these preliminary results provide tentative initial support for the “drought resistance” hypothesis.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 85

Poster 33 Global change II

Provenance effects on seed traits of Saxifraga species in the European Alps Student contribution Vera Margreiter1, Francesco Porro2, Andrea Mondoni2, Brigitta Erschbamer1

1University of Innsbruck 2University of Pavia

In times of anthropogenic climate change, mountain habitats experience above-average climatic changes. Knowl- edge on the reproduction ecology (seed traits, germination, recruitment) is key to understand population dynamics and distribution patterns in response to these changes. Further, intraspecific variation is crucial for population persistence. The role of seed origin (provenances) on seed/seedling performance under new conditions is of major relevance. Species of the genus Saxifraga mainly inhabit mountainous and temperate areas of Europe and Asia, representing a highly successful group in environmentally stressful habitats. However, seed traits have not been investigated in a comparative way. Provenance effects were studied using seeds of 25 widespread and rare-endemic Saxifraga species from 80 populations of the European Alps. Seeds were sown in a common garden approach (in pots) and in the laboratory. Seed traits (germination capacity, time) were studied with a focus on intraspecific variability between geographically pooled regions (latitude, altitude), and between widespread and rare-endemic species. Results indicate that germination is higher under cold temperature conditions, and is similar among widespread and rare-endemic species. The experiment showed that substantial information can be gathered from studying seed traits, but tracking following life stages (juvenile-adult) is needed for a holistic view of population dynamics.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 86

Poster 34 Global change II

The WorldClimb project – Assessing the impact of sport climbing on cliff vegetation in the Mediterranean biome worldwide

Martí March-Salas1

1Goethe University Frankfurt. Plant Evolutionary Ecology. Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity

In recent years, rock climbing has grown tremendously in popularity, and this activity is projected to rise at least 50% more in the next 30 years. This sets an increasing pressure on cliff habitats, especially on plants as sessile -or ganisms. Despite their harsh conditions, cliffs can support a great diversity of plant species, harboring a high level of endemic, rare and even endangered species. Only few studies have assessed the effects of climbing activity on the vegetation of these habitats, and all of these studies were conducted as isolated case studies in specific sites, some lacking an accurate methodology. We carried out the first large-scale study of the effects of climbing on Mediterranean cliff plant communities, implementing a novel integrative methodology. The Mediterranean biome occurs at five distant regions around the globe, and all of them are considered biodiversity hotspots: the Medi- terranean basin, Southwestern Cape of South Africa, California in the USA, central Chile and Southwest Australia. Mediterranean cliffs offer attractive conditions for climbers, threatening the fragile plant communities inhabiting them. In all Mediterranean regions, we are evaluating if climbing activity is changing the abundance, composition and biodiversity of the cliffs flora and for the first time assessing whether there is a common pattern related with climbing disturbances at a broad geographical scale. Our study aims to know the status of Mediterranean cliff plant communities, unify the systematics to be used in this field, and at the same time, lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring of cliffs and particular species, creating a precedent for the sustainable management and effective conservation of these unique habitats.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 87

Poster 35 Global change II

Can long-lived clonally reproducing plants adapt to novel climatic conditions?

Zuzana Münzbergová1,2, Věroslava Hadincová1, Vít Latzel1, Maria Šurinová1, Vigdis Vandvik3

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague 3University of Bergen

Understanding the ability of species to adapt to novel climatic conditions is a key knowledge for predicting species responses to on-going climate change. Despite increasing knowledge on this topic, we still largely lack knowledge on long-lived clonally reproducing species, representing dominants of many systems. We studied a dominant clonal grass within a unique climatic grid and explored its ability to respond to changing climate. We showed that the species possesses high plasticity and genetic differentiation in response to variable climatic conditions in terms of its germination, physiology, growth and fitness. Species response to climate was not only determined by species genetic differentiation but also by epigenetic variation. The species possesses high evolutionary potential with many genotypes pre-adapted to novel climatic conditions. Using a field transplant experiment we also demonstrated that specific climatic conditions select genotypes with specific traits indicating that trait composition of a population may trait within a single generation suggesting potential for evolutionary rescue of the species. Overall, these results indicate that long-lived clonally reproducing species have a high potential to respond to novel climatic conditions and this potential should be considered in future climate-change models.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 88

Poster 36 Global change II

The roles of warming and changing competitive interactions as drivers of phenotypic selection in alpine plants facing climate change

Hanna A. Nomoto1, Jake M. Alexander1

1Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich

Understanding how climate change alters selection regimes is a key part of making predictions about the potential for evolutionary responses in populations facing novel abiotic and biotic conditions. Alpine plants are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have limited capacity to track optimal conditions, and apart from warming are also expected to face changes in competitive interactions. This occurs in the shorter term as warming alters competitive interactions within current high elevation communities, and in the longer term as new species from lower elevations migrate upslope to track their optimal conditions. Previous studies have mainly focused on understanding how warming directly alters selection regimes, while indirect effects of changing climate, such as altered competitive interactions, are rarely considered as selective agents. Here, we use a transplant experiment to estimate the role of warming and changing competitive interactions as drivers of phenotypic selection acting on morphology and phenology of three alpine plants, Anthyllis vulneraria spp. alpestris, Trifolium badium and Campanula scheuchzeri, in Switzerland. We use classic selection analyses (regressions of fitness on standardized traits) to estimate direct selection gradients (β) acting on leaf size, stalk height, floral size and flowering time to identify the roles of both warming and competition from novel species as drivers of phenotypic selection of alpine plants. Our results show that both warming and changing competitive interactions can drive alterations in selection acting on alpine plants. Warming and novel species can strengthen selection (e.g. towards earlier phenology), but also generate conflicting selection pressures on morphology (e.g. leaf size). To understand how alpine plants will evolve under climate change, it will be important to consider not only direct responses to climate itself, but also indirect effects caused by changing species interactions.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 89

Poster 37 Global change II

Effects of increasing temperatures on germination of three invasive plants in Central Europe

Lucija Rajčić1, Johannes Kollmann2, Leonardo H. Teixeira2

1University of Zagreb 2Chair of Restoration Ecology, TUM School of Life Sciences

Early germination has been recognized as one of the traits contributing to successful invasion of invasive plant species. The phenological niches that arise from differences in germination time between alien and native species influence community assembly in favour of aliens, since it allows them to use resources when the competition with later germinating natives is still low. However, germination, as well as other early stages of plant development, is vulnerable to environmental conditions, and as such, it is affected by climate change. Furthermore, the production of large amounts of small seeds with potentially high germination under different conditions will also promote invasive native plants. We tested how increased temperatures affect the germination capacity of seeds of Impatiens glandulifera and Solidago gigantea (two successful invasive alien plants in C Europe), and Jacobaea aquatica (an invasive native plant causing great trouble in cultivated grasslands of S Germany). We also tested if there is an effect of local adaptation influencing the germination rates of such plants under higher temperatures based on the humidity of sampling locations. Seeds were subjected to three different temperature scenarios (15, 25 or 35 °C , comprising 14 hours of daily temperatures), and germination was monitored during 4 weeks. Our results indicate that low temperatures do not allow for germination of any of the invasive species tested. S. gigantea and J. aquatica germinated under warm conditions, whereby the germination of S. gigantea showed an increasing trend, and seeds of I. glandulifera did not germinate at all, possibly due to immature seeds. No effect of local adaptation was found. We conclude that global warming might facilitate the spreading of S. gigantea which is something managers should pay attention to in the future.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 90

Poster 38 Global change II

Using digital data to study the flowering phenology of invasive Carpobrotus spp.

Jonatan Rodríguez1, Ana Novoa1, Petr Pyšek1,2

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Department of Ecology of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Digital data provides a huge source of information that could be used to assess the distribution, life history, and spread dynamics of invasive alien species. Digitally generated and stored data can reveal ecological patterns and processes that would otherwise be very difficult to study; this approach has recently emerged as iEcology. Here we apply this approach to the South African succulent taxa of the genus Carpobrotus that are amongst the most problematic invasive plants in coastal areas worldwide. In the Iberian Peninsula, we recently observed that the flowering of Carpobrotus spp. was occurring at different times throughout the year, and not only in the spring season (between February and June) as it is known to occur in its native distribution range in South Africa (between August and October). We aimed to examine potential differences in flowering phenology of invasive Car- pobrotus spp. along a latitudinal gradient. To achieve this, we assessed digital data from geolocated pictures obtained from social media (Instagram) and Google Images of nine different populations ofCarpobrotus spp. along the shoreline of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Our results indicated that the flowering ofCarpobrotus spp. mainly occurred in spring, between March and May (plants with both magenta and yellow petals). Still, some populations exhibited a second flowering phase, of flowers with mainly yellow petals, in autumn (between September and December). However, we did not find differences in the flowering of populations located along the latitudinal gradient. We conclude that the collected digital data provided relevant information confirming an increase in the flowering periods ofCarpobrotus in the Iberian Peninsula, which could favour its dispersion and pollen availability.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 91

Poster 39 Global change II

Long term trends and cycles in plants species in a mountain grassland

Hana Skálová1, Věroslava Hadincová1,2, Tomáš Herben1, František Krahulec1, Sylvie Pecháčková1,3

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 3The West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen

Plant communities are dynamic steadily changing their composition in time as an outcome of species responses to the external environment, their mutual interactions and species traits. We studied how the dynamic is driven by species specific cycles with different length and long time directional trends. To reveal the processes we -an alysed detailed long time vegetation surveys from a mountain meadow in 1985-2019. We used Fourier analysis to reveal component frequencies in dynamics of individual species and tested to what extent these different dy- namical behaviours are driven by species traits. We revealed considerable cycling in abundance of most species. Despite it was not possible to explain different length of the cycles by functional traits of the species, species with similar length of the cycle have some similar characteristics corresponding to positions of the species on the slow-fast gradient. Using multivariate techniques and Ellenberg indicator values we revealed considerable shifts in vegetation composition towards community with higher temperature and nutrition demands, preferences for higher pH and partly also for lower soil moisture up to about 2005 and followed by a anti-intuitive reverse. The shifts roughly correspond with plot manuring, atmospheric depositions and an increase in atmospheric temperature.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 92

Poster 40 Global change II

The PhenObs initiative - Linking plant phenology to functional traits in herbaceous species in Botanical Gardens

Maria Sporbert1,2, Desiree Jakubka1,2, Isabell Hensen1,3, Solveig Franziska Bucher1,2, Martin Freiberg4, Birgit Nordt5, Albert-Dieter Stevens5, Aletta Bonn1,6,7, Christian Wirth1,4,8, Barbara Knickmann9, Carolin Plos1,3, Richard Primack10, Andreas König11, Katja Heubach12, Tomáš Herben13,14, Tomáš Koubek13, Tereza Mašková13, Christine Römermann1,2

1German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig 2Institute of Ecology and Evolution with Herbarium Haussknecht and Botanical Garden, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 3Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 4Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, 5Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 6Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, 7Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 8Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, 9Core Facility Botanical Garden, University Vienna, 10Biology Department, Boston University, 11Botanical Garden Frankfurt, 12Palmengarten Frankfurt, 13Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University, 14Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Changes in phenology are the fingerprint of climate change. To assess whether different plant characteristics determine specific responses in phenology, we monitored phenology following standardized protocols in260 herbaceous species in seven Central European Botanical Gardens in the years 2019 and 2020. We recorded duration and intensity of vegetative (leaf out, senescence) and generative (flowering, fruiting) phenology. On the same populations and in each Botanical Garden, we measured traits being associated with (1) productivity and competitive ability (plant height, absolute and specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content [LDMC], leaf carbon and nitrogen content), (2) dispersal and regeneration (seed mass and -size) and (3) water-use efficiency (stomatal pore area index). Furthermore, we obtained global mean data for the above-mentioned traits from the TRY database to test for the effect of trait variability on the predictive power of our models. We found taller species to start flowering later than shorter ones, whereas earlier flowering was associated with higher seed mass. High leaf nitrogen content was related to earlier senescence, while high LDMC and high leaf carbon content were related to later senescence. Associations between phenology and traits were mostly consistent across gardens. Overall, phenological stages were slightly better predicted by garden specific trait data than by available global mean trait data. Our results propose that functional traits have a high potential in explaining phenological variations and we therefore propose to include functional traits in future analyses on climate change effects.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 93

Poster 41 Global change II

Intra-annual variation in the metabolome of Rhododendron anthopogon, an alpine evergreen shrub of Himalaya

Student contribution

Nikita Rathore1,2, Amit Chawla1,2

1Environmental Technology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) 2Academy of Scientiﬁc and Innovative Research (AcSIR)

The variations in metabolome induced in plants as a response to environmental variability can be utilized to understand plant adaptation strategies. Using an eco-metabolomic approach, we studied changes in metabolome across the year at high altitude environment in the leaf tissue of Rhododendron anthopogon D. Don. New leaves of the broadleaved evergreen shrub are fully expanded in August and remain intact even when the air temperature falls below -20 °C in winters. Therefore, we expected that leaves would undergo several biochemical changes in response to variability in environmental conditions. To understand patterns of changes at metabolite levels, we analyzed leaf metabolome across ten different time-points, from August 2017 to August 2018. Sampling was conducted at 3990m a.s.l at Rohtang (32°37‘41‘‘N and 77°25‘65‘‘E) in western Himalaya, India. Metabolite profiling was done using the ‘gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry’ method. Data was analysed using analysis of variance and multivariate approach. As anticipated, leaf tissues exhibited a complete reshuffling of metabolome during the annual growth cycle. The sampling time-points were segregated into four clusters corresponding to distinct phases of acclimation [i.e., non-acclimation (August), early acclimation (September to mid-October), late acclimation (late-October to November) and de-acclimation (June and July)]. Cold acclimation was associated with ‘metabolite accumulation’ whereas, a reverse occurred during de-acclimation. The changes in metabolome was found to be maximum during transition to ‘de-acclimation’ rather than transition to late acclimation. The patterns of metabolome variation also suggested that de-acclimation was not just the reversal of changes that occurred during cold acclimation. Our results provided insights into the direction and magnitude of metabolic changes that occurred across the year at high altitude environment. Keywords: Acclimation, Adaptive responses, Broadleaved evergreen; In situ analysis; Metabolome variation, Hima- laya.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 94

Poster 42 Global change II

No home-field advantage for litter decomposition: an integrated assessment along a climatic gradient in Chile

Student contribution

Liesbeth van den Brink1, Rafaella Canessa2, Harald Neidhardt3, Timo Knüver3,4, Rodrigo S. Rios5,6, Alfredo Saldaña7, Lohengrin A. Cavieres7,8, Yvonne Oelmann3, Maaike Y. Bader1, Katja Tielbörger1

1Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen 2Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg 3Geoecology, Department of Geosciences, University Tübingen 4Ecophysiology, Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck 5Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena 6Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena 7Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográfcas, Universidad de Concepción 8Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB)

Climate, decomposer organisms and litter quality determine litter decomposition. Decomposer community might be locally adapted to the litter quality of local species, resulting in a home-field-advantage (HFA, i.e faster decomposition of local compared to non-local litter, after accounting for differences in litter quality. The HFA hypothesis is widely tested in forests, but remains controversial and its generality across climates is not well understood. We tested the HFA hypothesis for litter decomposition with a translocation experiment. We reciprocally translocated litter from 20 species from four contrasting ecosystems along a steep climatic gradient in Chile, and measured litter mass loss. To disentangle the effect of decomposers from climate effect, we used a new approach in which we used the loss rates of decomposable vs. leachable nutrient fractions. We used the ratios of N and K losses and P and K losses, to tease biotic mineralization (N and P loss) and physical leaching (K loss, driven by climate) apart. We expected, at each site, that N/K loss, P/K loss, as well as litter mass loss should be higher than expected for local than for non-local litter. Even though we used different approaches, a steep climate gradient and 20 different species, our findings unequivocally contradicted the HFA, both in mass loss as in nutrient loss ratios. Instead, our study indicates the importance of litter quality for microbial activity. Our study questions the generality of the HFA and suggests that for litter decomposition it is not a valid concept.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 95

Poster 43 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Patterns in climate and seedling establishment at a dry tropical treeline

Student contribution

Lirey A. Ramírez1,2, Luis D. Llambí2,3, Carmen J. Azocar2, Manuel Fernandez2, Eloy Torres2, Maaike Y. Bader1

1Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, Univ. of Marburg 2Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Ecológicas. Univ. de Los Andes 3Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregión Andina

On many slopes in internal valleys of the northern Andes, precipitation at treeline elevation is seasonal with a marked dry period that could exert a strong control on tree-seedling survival. However, little is known about the role of drought on tree seedling demographic dynamics and how this is modulated by local plant interactions in these tropical alpine ecosystems. We studied the relationship of seedling demography with microclimate and neighboring plants at a dry tropical treeline at 3100 m asl in the Venezuelan Andes. In three plots of 20x30 m spanning the ecotone from páramo to forest environments, we studied microclimate, demographic rates and ecophysiological performance of seedlings of the dominant tree species Cybianthus marginatus and Clusia multiflora established within forests, forest borders and border gaps during the dry season (2019). For both species, observed seedling density was zero in the páramo and did not differ between border and forest. Growth rates were low for both species, while survival rates were high. Low assimilation and transpiration rates were found in both species regardless of environment, in spite of high light levels in the border, suggesting stomatal closure. Our study shows a strong limitation for tree establishment in the páramo, but high rates of survival at the edge of the forest. The spatial association of seedlings with moisture-regulating elements such as mosses, ferns and basal rosettes may indicate a benefit of better hydric conditions in their neighbourhood, while the relationship with basal rosettes may indicate a benefit of protection from excessive light. This would suggest a scenario of slow potential forest expansion at this tropical treeline, moving in a closed front by the successive formation of forest-edge vegetation allowing tree seedling establishment outside of the forest. Keywords: tropical treeline, seedling demography, spatial associations, ecophysiological responses, páramos, Clu- sia multiflora, Cybianthus marginatus

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 96

Poster 44 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

A comparison of the identification and quantification success of insect-dispersed pollen with novel pollen identification methods

Student contribution

Elena Motivans1,2,3, Demetra Rakosy1,2, Thomas Hornick1,2, Alexander Keller4, David Boho5, Patrick Mäder5, Tiffany Knight1,2,3, Susanne Dunker1,2

1Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ 2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research – iDiv 3Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg 4Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology (CTB), Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg 5Software Engineering for Safety‐Critical Systems Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau

The identification and quantification of insect-dispersed pollen is important to understand pollen transfer and its effects on plant reproduction as well as to reconstruct past communities and climates using paleo-pollen. However, the principle method for pollen identification, microscopy, is time-intensive and requires strong taxo- nomic knowledge of pollen grains; it has thereby hampered the ability to answer large-scale research questions involving pollen. In addition to morphological identification, many recent advances have been made to automa- tize the identification of pollen, including DNA and image-based methods that promise accuracy, efficiency, and the potential to process large amounts of data. As these methods are relatively new, it is unknown how the output of these methods compares to the gold standard of microscopy or to each other. Therefore, we compared three methods for pollen identification, comprising metabarcoding, imaging flow cytometry coupled with machine learning, and microscopy, on the pollen loads taken from thirty pollinators collected in the field. Here, we present the results from our study, comparing species and abundance differences of pollen detection at different taxo- nomic scales (species, genus, and family). With these results, we can highlight the differences in detection limits between different methods and different pollen compositions.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 97

Poster 45 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Where do belowground storage traits fit in our understanding of the plant economic spectrum?

Frederic Curtis Lubbe1, Adam Klimeš1,2, Jiří Doležal1,3, Veronika Jandová1,3, Ondřej Mudrák1, Štěpán Janeček2, Alena Bartušková1, Jitka Klimešová1,2

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 2 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University 3University of South Bohemia

Although there is long-standing work describing economic strategy in plants, acquisitive traits have generally been favoured and storage traits (best exemplified by the belowground storage organs of herbaceous perennials) have largely been ignored. Our current understanding has frequently been described as a fast-slow continuum, but this is not necessarily universal across all systems and structures, and there is no consensus regarding the role of storage. We used data from 78 species to test the relationships between the different categories of traits to finally compare the well-known aboveground economic spectrum traits with belowground traits (morphology, anatomy, and storage carbohydrate concentration).Surprisingly, the suites of belowground traits were largely independent from one another, but there were relationships between aboveground traits and both anatomical traits and storage carbohydrate concentrations. For anatomy, maximum vessel area belowground aligned with leaf dry matter content aboveground. Carbohydrate type diverged between an alignment of starch and small carbohydrate molecules with leaf nitrogen concentration on one side and larger water soluble molecules and plant height on the other. It appears that complex relationships exist between the spectrum traits and belowground storage organ traits, highlighting the need for the incorporation of these traits within our understanding of the plant economic spectrum.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 98

Poster 46 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Effect of congeneric invasive and native plant species on soil properties

Student contribution

Věra Hanzelková1,2, Anna Aldorfová 1,2, Tomáš Cajthaml1,3, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 3Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Invasive plant species can modify soil properties differently that native species. This can explain rapid establishment and spread of invasive plants. To test this hypothesis, we used seven native-invasive pairs of congeneric plant species attempting to select dominant native species to ensure that invasiveness was not confounded with abundance. We grew these species for 12 weeks in garden experiment and compared properties of affected soil with the control unaffected soil. We analysed content of main nutrients (C, N, P, Ca, Mg and K), soil acidity, amount of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and composition of whole soil biota and tested the effect of plant genus, invasion status and their interactions on soil properties. Invasive species had significantly higher intake of phosphorus and also induced higher mycorrhizal inoculation potential of the soils, but did not differ in any other soil property. In contrast, genus significantly affected all soil properties, with genera from the same families showing similar behaviour. We also found that plant biomass affected most of soil properties with stronger effects on the biotic properties. Overall the results indicate that native and invasive species differ in some important properties such phosphorus uptake and ability to induce mycorrhizal potential of the soils. However, effects on species on most soil properties are mainly determined by plant genus with genera from the same families showing similar effects. This indicates that species phylogenetic history is more important predictor of its effects on the soil than its invasiveness. Many significant interactions between genus and invasiveness also indicate that different pairs on native and invasive species show differential effects on soil properties. Generalizations on the effects on the differences of native and invasive species in their effects on soils thus cannot be done from studying one or few species pairs only.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 99

Poster 47 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Plant-soil interactions in the communities dominated by alien and native plants

Jan Pergl1, Michaela Vítková1, Šárka Dvořáčková1, Richard Fleischhans2, Martin Hejda1, Josef Kutlvašr1,3, Anna Lučanová1, Petr Petřík1, Jiří Sádlo1, Martin Vojík1,3, Petr Pyšek1,4

1 Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University 3Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague 4Department of Ecology of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Human activities and resulting land-use changes promote the emergence of new alien species but also the coloni- zation of new sites by native species. Nevertheless, rigorous data on the ecological impacts of native plant dominants are missing, and researchers have not adequately addressed this group in their studies. We measured the impacts of five invasive alien and five native expanding plants in the Czech Republic on soil ecosystems. Seasonal nutrient availability and soil microbial activity were sampled during the vegetation season divided into three periods. For nutrient availability, we used PRS ion-exchange probes. The activity of soil biota was analysed by buried bags with pure cellulose paper and three different mesh sizes permeable for three groups of organisms (bacteria, fungi and protozoa; microflora, micro-and meso-arthropods; and freely permeable to soil fauna). We compared the net effect of invasive and native dominant species studied on soil properties comparing all species together and by using pairs of complementary species. The lowest values of mineral nitrogen were recorded in plots dominated by alien Impatiens glandulifera, followed by native Urtica dioica and alien Lupinus polyphyllus, where the soil was depleted by nitrophilous plants during the period of intensive growth; the highest concentrations were found in aliens Solidago spp. and Telekia speciosa. Decomposition followed the same pattern in all groups of soil biota, with the rate being fastest in aliens L. polyphyllus and T. speciosa, and slowest in Solidago spp. and native Calamagrostis epigejos. For 10 pairs of alien and native dominants, the most significant differences were detected in alien L. polyphyllus with both natives, C. epigejos and Filipendula ulmaria. The most similar impacts had C. epigejos and Solidago spp. Our research provides a basis for management decisions aimed at reducing the spread of plant species in disturbed landscapes regardless of their geographical origin.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 100

Poster 48 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Looking beyond the biomass: Interactive effects of plant-soil feedback, competition and herbivory on performance and physiological state of two plant species

Eliška Kuťáková1,2, Tereza Opravilová1, Zuzana Müzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Plant-soil feedbacks are, together with factors such as competition or herbivory, influencing plant ability to coexist in natural communities. We aimed to study interactions of these factors and compare their effects on two plant species, Arrhenatherum elatius and Centaurea scabiosa, in a pot experiment. The biomass ofArrhenatherum was influenced by plant-soil feedback and competition in mutual interaction, when the presence of a competitor changed the negative feedback to positive. In contrast, the biomass of Centaurea was influenced by these factors separately. Interestingly, the competitive efforts ofArrhenatherum in its biomass production led to increased stress levels, as shown by the negative trend in its chlorophyll fluorescence values. Plant-soil feedbacks can interact with other factors when influencing plant performance while for other species they rather act separately. Plant performance should be assessed not only by evaluating biomass production but also plant physiological state to complete the picture.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 101

Poster 49 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Plant-soil interactions of an invasive plant species in its native range help to explain its invasion success elsewhere

Anna Aldorfová1,2, Věra Hanzelková1,2, Lucie Drtinová1, Tomáš Cajthaml1,3, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 3Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Plant-soil feedback (PSF) is recognized as one of the drivers of plant invasions as loss of specialized soil enemies in the secondary range allows alien species to develop less negative PSF than the native species and gain dominance. Species most likely to benefit from enemy release and become invasive are hypothetically those more limited by specialized pathogens in the native range and able to benefit from generalistic mutualists, but evidence for this is so far scarce.

We compared PSF of invasive Cirsium vulgare in its native range in Europe with C. oleraceum, native to Europe but not invading elsewhere. We grew the plants in a two-phase greenhouse experiment. First, we conditioned the soil by each of the species separately and assessed the changes in soil chemistry, soil microbial communities and activity of arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Second, we assessed abiotic, microbial, and total biotic PSF by comparing the plants growth in self-conditioned or control soil, either sterilized or not, into which no biota, microbial filtrate or whole soil inoculum from either conditioned or control soil was added. Conditioning by C. vulgare caused a greater increase in AMF and a greater decrease in soil nutrients than conditioning by C. oleraceum, pointing to its more efficient nutrient utilization. Its abiotic PSF was, however, not more negative, showing its plastic response to nutrients, a useful trait for an invader. Both species performed the worse the more soil biota was added to the soil, but C. vulgare was more negatively affected by growth with its own, specialized, biota compared to the control biota, suggesting it may benefit more from enemy release when introduced to a secondary range. Our study showed that comparing PSF of an invasive species in its native range to that of its non-invading con- gener may provide a valuable insight into the invasive potential of the species. However, studies on more species are needed to test the generality of the results.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 102

Poster 50 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Plant underground responses to soil nutrient heterogeneity in the field

Student contribution

Adam Hrouda1

1Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague,

Nutrients are usually patchily distributed in natural soils. Plants are often able to respond to nutrient heterogeneity in artificial conditions by root foraging, i.e. plastic changes of root morphology or physiology. The occurrence or magnitude of a foraging response can be altered by the presence of competition. However, it is unclear to what extent root foraging takes place in the field. The aim of my study was to determine the effect of an artificial nutrient patch on fine belowground biomass of (a) an established community and (b) study plants. I conducted a field experiment on a temperate grassland in Central Bohemia, Czechia. I pre-cultivated 80 seedlings ofRumex acetosa L. and planted them in the centre of 30×30 cm plots arranged in an 8×10 metres grid. Each plot was divided into four quarters, inside which vegetation was sampled and aboveground biomass collected. Species composition was used to obtain Ellenberg indicator value (EIV) data. In half of the plots, slow release fertilizer was inserted into the same quarter. After 13 months, the quarters were excavated, soil washed out and roots & rhizomes divided into fine (FR), coarse (CR) and study plant (SR) categories, dried at 60°C and weighed. Fertilizer patch treatment did not increase FR biomass. Instead, spatial distribution of FR biomass was determined by soil moisture estimated by mean plot EIVs. Neither total SR biomass nor proportion of roots in the enriched quarter increased in the fertilizer treatment. Competition was probably higher in fertilized than in control plots judging by a 2-fold increase in death rate of study plants. However, greater proportion of study plants flowered in the treatment plots, possibly thanks to a plastic response. It seems that for species with small root systems, distance from the nutrient source rather than foraging abilities affects their survival. On a community level, smaller peaks of nutrients are unlikely to cause shifts in fine underground biomass allocation.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 103

Poster 51 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Go_belowground!

Jitka Klimešová1, Jana Martínková1

1Třeboň Department of Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences

Although about half of a plant is hidden belowground the belowground organs are not receiving attention of researchers that they would deserve. What belowground organs can tell us about whole plant ecology? We will present overview of a role belowground organs play in different branches of ecological research, tools that may be used to study them, and questions that may be answered using them.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 104

Poster 52 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Rhizome trait scaling relationships are modulated by climate and are linked to plant fitness

Dinesh Thakur1, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University

Rhizomes are important organs allowing plants to persist and reproduce under stressful climates with longer rhizomes indicating enhanced ability of plants to spread vegetatively. However, we do not know how rhizome construction costs change with increasing length. Here we analysed rhizome length vs mass scaling relationship to address this question. We also analysed plasticity in scaling relationships, its genetic basis, and how scaling relationships are linked to plant fitness. We used data from 275 genotypes of a clonal grassFestuca rubra originating from 11 localities and cultivated under four contrasting climates. Data were analysed using standard major axis regression, mixed effects regression models and structural equation model. We found that rhizome construction costs increase with increasing length. The trait scaling relationships were modulated by cultivation climate and its effects also interacted with climate of origin. Increasing moisture lead to greater increase in rhizome construction costs with increasing length. Our results also demonstrated that trait scaling relationships are closely linked to plant fitness. This study provides evidences that scaling relationship are plastic, but also show genetic differentiation and are linked to plant fitness. Therefore, modulation in scaling relationships could be important for plant persistence under variable environments. Key words: Allometry; Clonal grass; Climate change; Plasticity; Resource allocation

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 105

Poster 53 Plant-animal & soil & belowground interactions

Matching plants and mycorrhizal fungi

Martin Weiser1, Pavlína Stiblíková1, Jan Jansa2

1Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 2Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Plants and arbuscular fungi form mycorhizae since vascular plants started to colonize land, so it is not very surprising that there are no strict rules in species-to-species matching among them. Yet here we show that in a common garden setting, there are signs of species-specific preferences, where phylogenetic history of the plant species and substrate heterogeneity matters.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 106

Poster 54 Community and population dynamics

Increased plant performance following invasion of new environments

Ramona-Elena Irimia1, Madalin Parepa1, Zhiyong Liao2, Bo Li3, Christina Richards1,4, Oliver Bossdorf1

1Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen 2Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden 3Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University 4Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida

The Japanese knotweed Reynoutria( japonica) invasive success in its introduced range may be partially explained by more benign environments, reduced enemy pressure and the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA). These hypotheses posit that a release from plant specialist herbivores can lead to a re-allocation of resources from defense to growth and reproduction. However, testing these hypotheses at intercontinental scales for major invaders is challenging because of sampling constraints. We conducted a global field survey of 150 populations of Japanese knotweed in East Asia, Europe and North America to test for range differences in population performance (demography), individual performance (growth) and enemy pressure by hierarchical model selection. We also aimed to understand the role of biotic and abiotic factors on plant performance. Our preliminary results suggest that: (1) environmental factors (climate, soil nutrients, canopy closure) vary widely across continents, (2) introduced populations are denser than natives, (3) introduced individuals grow taller and have higher specific leaf area and (4) we also found support for the idea that introduced populations in Europe and North America have escaped from pathogens but not herbivores. Climatic differences between ranges explained a large amount of variation in plant performance followed by range and climatic factors interactions. Thus far, our data indicate an increase in plant vigor and overall better performance of introduced populations of this invader in Europe and North America.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 107

Poster 55 Community and population dynamics

Intensity of competition effects on endangered Minuartia smejkalii vary over time and depend on other environmental factors

Sissi Lozada-Gobilard1,2, Hana Pánková1, Zuzana Münzbergová1,3

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2The Botanical Garden, School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, G.S. Wise Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University 3Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Understanding drivers of species performance is crucial for their effective conservation. Despite a range of studies on effects of single biotic and abiotic factors on plant performance, we still know very little on interactions among multiple factors and their interactions. We studied competition and abiotic interactions in the endemic vulnerable Minuartia smejkalii over 4 years. In a full factorial experiment, we evaluated performance of Minuartia smejkalii in the presence of the competitor Festuca ovina, its response to different abiotic conditions including soil type, shading and watering and how they change over time. We found that the presence of the competitor had no effect in the short term but became important in the long-term. Although the negative effect did not increase over time, it changed drastically. Competitive interactions depended mainly on shading, soil conditions and their interaction with time. Shading increased plant size but reduced flowering, while sunny conditions increased number of flowers in particular in normal soil types. Our results clearly showed that the interactions with abiotic factors as well as presence of competitor are very complex and can vary over time. These results highlight the importance of long monitoring studies to identify competitive interactions and can serve as a guideline for conservation and reintroduction strategies of vulnerable species such as Minuartia smejkalii.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 108

Poster 56 Community and population dynamics

Suppression effects of shading and site conditions on different life stages of a native invasive plant in grasslands

Student contribution

Marie-Therese Krieger1, Julia Ditton1, Harald Albrecht1, Luise Linderl1, Johannes Kollmann1,2, Leonardo H. Teixeira1

1Chair of Restoration Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich 2Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)

Management changes in grasslands alter the population structure of existing communities and can trigger expansion of invasive plants. As light availability greatly differs among grassland stands, shading management is a potential tool for the suppression of invasive plants. In this study, we examined if light reduction is an effective method to suppress a native invader in pre-alpine meadows. Our study focuses on the effects of shading and site conditions on different plant life stages as a control measure for Jacobaea aquatica, a poisonous and low competitive Asteraceae. We hypothesized (i) that negative shade effects on J. aquatica are enhanced in dense grasslands; (ii) this impact is increased by high soil fertility, moist climate and less intense management; and (iii) that shading affects vegetative growth more than reproduction. To understand the effects of shade, we conducted a greenhouse experiment with plants grown under different shading densities. We related these results to 20 field sites under contrasting management levels. Overall, performance of J. aquatica plants was reduced by shading, and while its abundance did not change, the population structure was altered. Plants affected by shading had significantly smaller rosettes and fewer flower heads. Under field conditions, shading effects were mediated by additional environmental factors, whereas abundance of vegetative plants was reduced by shading. All in all, light reduction can be used as a strategy to control the native invasive J. aquatica. In low to moderate intensity grasslands, suppression can be achieved by delaying the first mowing and enhancing shading during flowering. We recommend the manipulation of environmental filters for increasing resource competition as an alternative management tool to control the abundance of native invasive plants in grasslands.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 109

Poster 57 Community and population dynamics

Quantifying habitat-specific seed dispersal and demography to estimate population spread of an endangered plant

Jinlei Zhu1,2, Karolína Hrušková1,3, Hana Pánková1, Zuzana Münzbergová1,3

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology, University of Hohenheim 3Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Minuartia smejkalii is a critically endangered Czech endemic species, whose worldwide distribution is currently limited to seven habitats nearby Prague, with fewer than 1000 individuals surviving in nature. Due to its rarity and limited distribution, M. smejkalii is protected by Czech and international law, and there has been extensive effort made by the project LIFE for Minuartia (LIFE15NAT/CZ/000818) to protect the species and increase its population. However, how fast populations of M. smejkalii spread in these protected habitats has not been estimated yet. To estimate habitat-specific rate of population spread of M. smejkalii and quantify the relative importance of mechanistic drivers (seed dispersal versus demography) of population spread, we simulated seed dispersal distance with an analytical mechanistic wind dispersal model (WALD), and determined demographic parameters using long-term in-situ observational data. We then incorporated WALD into a demographic matrix model within an analytical integrodifference equation spread model. We calculated statistics of dispersal distances, and conducted demographic analysis to calculate the stochastic population growth rate (λ), and then quantified the relative effects of seed dispersal andλ on the spread of M. smejkalii. Our demographic analysis suggested that two habitats could face high risk of population extinction in 40 years, and survival of juvenile or large adults should play critical roles in λ. We also found that both rate of population spread (23.4 mm/year) and seed dispersal distance (2.5 m) of M. smejkalii were critically limited. The rate of population spread strongly depended on the maximal dispersal distance, but only weakly on λ. Our study suggests that future efforts should be made to largely increase the dispersal ability of M. smejkalii.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 110

Poster 58 Community and population dynamics

From fire to life: Consequences of smoke, heat and fire history on germination rate of common seeder species in Mount Carmel

Student contribution

Inbal First1,2, Neta Manela1, Ofer Ovadia1

1Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 2Tel Aviv University

Fire is a key component in some habitats such as the Mediterranean Basin (MB). Plants have evolved various strategies allowing them to persist under recurrent fires. For example, fire-related cues such as smoke have been shown to stimulate seed germination. However, little is known about the combined effect of smoke and heat cues or fire history on stimulating germination. We examined these combined effects on the germination rates (GR) of two common plant species in the eastern MB, the annual Anagallis arvensis and the perennial Cistus salviifolius. Fruits of both species were collected in Mount Carmel from three sites that have been subjected to different fire frequencies during the last four decades. C. salviifolius seeds were exposed to either heat, smoke, heat prior to smoke and untreated control. A. arvensis seeds were exposed only to smoke and untreated control. Germination was documented for 78 days. In both species, the number of seeds per fruit was higher in plants from sites that were subjected to fires compared to unburned sites. Exposure to smoke increased the GR of both species. However, exposure to heat and smoke acted synergistically for C. salviifolius seeds. GR of C. salviifolius seeds from burned sites was higher than that of seeds from unburned sites, while the opposite trend was found for A. arvensis seeds. The positive effect of smoke on the GR of A. arvensis and the fact that heat and smoke acted synergistically to increase the GR of C. salviifolius, illustrate that smoke is an important germination cue for annual and perennial eastern MB plants. Moreover, the positive effect of fire history on the number of seeds per fruit in both species, indicates selection for increased ability to colonize open gaps in a post-fire environment. However, the decrease in GR of the annual plant A. arvensis originating from burned sites points at selection for increased bet hedging or a trade-off between number of seeds and seed vitality in response to fire.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 111

Poster 59 Community and population dynamics

Decline and habitat relations of the endangered hemiparasite Pedicularis sylvatica

Student contribution

Arthur Händler1, Diethart Matthies1

1Department of Biology, University of Marburg

Changes in land use in the last 50 years have resulted in a strong decline of the abundance of species of nutrient-poor heaths and acidic grasslands. We studied the status and habitat relations of populations of a typical species of these habitats, the hemiparasite Pedicularis sylvatica L., in Hesse (Central Germany). Nearly half of the populations present c. 50 years ago are now extinct. The vegetation of sites with current populations differed from that of sites where P. sylvatica had become extinct (RDA), and mean Ellenberg indicator values indicated that sites with extinct populations were darker, drier and especially more nutrient-rich than those with extent populations. Similarly, within populations, plots without P. sylvatica had a different vegetation and were more nutrient-rich, drier, less species-rich, more productive than plots with the species, indicating that even within sites P. sylvatica is restricted to specific microhabitats. P. sylvatica is a federally protected species in Germany. The results indicate that to conserve the species, populations must be protected from nutrient input and management should aim to provide microsites for seedling recruitment, reduce site productivity, and prevent succession without negatively affecting the reproduction of the monocarpicP. sylvatica.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 112

Poster 60 Community and population dynamics

Seed persistence across time and depth of burial

Tereza Mašková1, Peter Poschlod1

1Regensburg University

Seed persistence in the soil is crucial for population dynamics and interspecific differences in soil seed mortality could be a mechanism which stimulates species coexistence in herbaceous plant community. Understanding the levels of seed survival is therefore key for understanding the community composition and population dynamics. Depth distribution of seeds is considered as one of the main predictors of seed longevity. Small seeds are known as long living and simultaneously they can bury faster into the deeper layer of soil which can make direct esti- mation of seed longevity difficult. Moreover, the deeper the seeds are buried, the lower the chance of seedling to reach the surface. Therefore, mechanisms that allow seeds to stay ungerminated - for instance light requirements - play the role. To investigate time dynamics of the seed persistence in the soil according to the depth of seed burial, we buried seeds of 28 herbaceous species of calcareous grassland in the field into three different depths under the soil surface. We tested seed viability by germination and tetrazolium tests at half year intervals for next three years. We used seed traits - namely, type of dormancy, light requirements for germination, seed mass, seed production and longevity index - for disentangling the links behind species differences.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 113

Poster 61 Community and population dynamics

Factors determining the success of population reinforcement of the rare Czech endemic Minuartia smejkalii

Alrun Siebenkäs1, Hana Pánková1, Karolína Hrušková1,2, Zuzana Münzbergová1,2

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2 Department of Botany, Charles University in Prague

Many plant species, especially specialists, have been endangered by fragmentation or even complete destruction of their habitats. Minuartia smejkalii is a serpentinophyte endemic to the Czech Republic highly threatened by recent habitat destruction, leading to an urgent need for effective conservation measures. We sowed seeds and transplanted seedlings in three consecutive years to locations currently or recently occupied by M. smejkalii to reinforce its populations and followed the success of the plants to identify factors responsible for the establishment success. The seed sowing was unsuccessful, but overall, 83% of transplants survived the first year and 49% until the third year. Survival depended on the year of transplantation, the size of transplanted individuals and mother plant characteristics. Mother plant characteristics were important for growth and flowering in the first year, but not for survival. Across years, initial seedling size and age were more important for size and flowers than mother plants. Population differences had a larger effect than initial size except for on the number of flowers. Seedlings established from seeds of transplants in four of the five populations. This led, despite mortality of transplants, to a three to four times larger population size in two populations compared to the number of transplanted seedlings. However, more than twice as many individuals survived the first year when they were transplanted compared to self-established seedlings. Transplants were also larger at time of transplantation and after one year. However, self-established seedlings had more than double the number of flowers. The transplantation of seedlings pre-grown in the common garden is a more promising method for reintroduction success of the threatened species, as in most populations seedlings established from transplants’ seeds. However, there were many differences between the populations, which showed a varying performance.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 114

Poster 62 Community and population dynamics

How seed nutrient contents affect germination in specific light-temperature conditions?

Andrea Veselá1, Ludmila Harčariková2, Zuzana Münzbergová1,3

1Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences 2Administration of Krkonoše Mts. National Park 3Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University

Species germination is affected by external conditions as well as by characteristics of the seeds themselves. Thought it is generally known that the nitrogen, phosphorus and carbohydrates play important role inplant growth and physiological regulation, the effect of these nutrients on germination are largely unexplored. Further, the effects, contributing to variability in seed nutrients content between species, have been studied, however, still require attention. In this study, we used 44 species of the Krkonoše Mts. as a study material. We determined content of nitrogen, phosphorus, fructans and starch. We aimed to investigate the effect of seed mass, elevation of plant origin, phylogenetic relationship and age of stored seeds on content of carbohydrates, nitrogen and phosphorus and determine the relationship between these factors and germination under different light-temperature conditions. Results demonstrated that higher seed mass led to significantly higher content of fructans and phosphorus. Significantly higher nitrogen and phosphorus content were found in species from lower elevations. Significant phylogenetic signal was found in all studied seed nutrient contents with exception of nitrogen. Seed age did not have effect on any nutrient content. Germination proportion was positively affected mainly by higher phosphorus and fructans content, especially when the seeds germinated in cold stratification or in dark. The results demonstrate that nutrient content can have impact on germination. Further, the results contribute to clarifying reasons of germination variability between species as well as variability in seed nutrient content. The effect of seed age on seed nutrient content provides valuable methodical information for Seed banks, germination studies and in using stored seeds in rescue programs.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 115

Poster 63 Community and population dynamics

Demographic characteristics of populations of Tofieldia calyculata growing in three different biotopes and its implications for species conservation

Student contribution

Tomáš Vlasta1, Terezie Šimáková1,2, Zuzana Műnzbergová1,2

1Department of Botany of the Faculty of Science, Charles University 2Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences

This study focuses on the population dynamics of Tofeldia calyculata, an example of species which is common in central European mountains but highly endangered and declining in adjacent lowlands. The detail information about the population dynamics of the species is necessary to set the appropriate management to rescue the remaining lowland populations. Altogether, ten populations in three different biotopes (fens, wet slopes, alpine grasslands) were studied both in lowlands (fens, wet slopes) and mountains (wet slopes, alpine grasslands) of central Europe. We compared these populations of Tofeldia calyculata in terms of survival, growth and reproduction including study of conditions affecting seedling recruitment. These data were used to propose the optimal management in conservation of this species. The species has high survival rate of all individuals in all biotopes. The key factor affecting population performance seems to be the lack of suitable places for seedling recruitment. This factor is also the main difference between biotopes, with fen populations with dense vegetation having almost no seedling recruitment in natural conditions resulting in their slow decline and population growth rate below one. Experimental removal of aboveground biomass and litter together with soil surface disturbance were necessary for seed germination and seedling recruitment. Management of the remaining lowland fen populations should focus not only on mowing, but also on litter removal and creation of little disturbances to support seedling recruitment. Contrary to fen populations, a lot of bare soil on wet slopes and alpine grasslands allows high reproduction of the species resulting in stable or growing populations.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 116

Poster 64 Community and population dynamics

Disentangling the role of neighbors’ relatedness and abiotic stress on the outcome intraspecific interactions in an annual legume

Sara Tomiolo1,3, Christian F. Damgaard1, Sha Zhang1, Simon Kelly1, Ke Tao1, Joëlle Ronfort2, Lauréne Gay2, Jean-Marie Prosperi2, Simona Radutoiu1, Bodil K. Ehlers1

1Aarhus University 2INRAE, Montpellier 3Tuebingen University

There is growing awareness that intraspecific interactions can affect community dynamics, but little is known about the drivers of intraspecific interactions. Some studies suggest plant may attain higher biomass and fitness when growing with distantly related conspecifics due to niche partitioning, whereas other studies suggest growing among kin plants should benefit from reduced competition. In addition, abiotic factors, such as water availability may influence the outcome of such interactions and ultimately intraspecific variation. In a greenhouse experiment, we set up mini-communities where we exposed plants to either kin or distantly related conspecifics. We investigated the combined effects of neighbors’ relatedness, water availability and genotype-specific properties on plant growth and fitness in an annual legume. During early life stages, plant growth was mediated by resource availability and relatedness of conspecific neighbors, whereas in later life stages, genotype-specific traits and resource availability were the main driver of plant performance and fitness. Potential early life effects mediated by neighbor’s identity may affect intraspecific variation and potentially interspecific interactions.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 117

Poster 65 (Epi)genetics of plant adaptations

Seeds or plugs? Similar genetic variation in a rare herb Armeria maritima ssp. elongata, reintroduced using different types of propagules

Kateřina Iberl1 , Christoph Reisch1

1 Institute of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, University of Regensburg

Population reintroduction is a common practice in conservation, but impacts on genetic diversity and structure of restored populations often remains unknown. One of the major risks associated with reintroductions is erosion of genetic diversity. Moreover, knowledge about how different types of propagules affect outcomes of restoration efforts is limited. In our study, we addressed this issue and analysed results of three reintroduction methods (sowing, planting, sowing/planting). The model species was Armeria maritima ssp. elongata, a strongly endangered perennial herb occurring in constantly declining nutrient-poor sandy habitats. Seeds for restoration were obtained directly from the natural populations. Additionally, we used one ex situ population as a seed source, originating from of the natural populations. Plants were grown in nursery settings in one single generation. Ge- netic diversity and structure of natural and restored populations were analysed employing neutral genetic markers (AFLPs). Restored populations comprised slightly higher levels of genetic diversity than the natural populations. Genetic differentiation among natural and restored populations was negligible. This means that the genetic bottleneck as a consequence of the restoration process can be excluded. Populations founded using seeds, plugs and both seeds/plugs contained similar levels of genetic diversity, implying that all three methods fulfilled the restoration goal.

Posters / POPBIO Prague 2021 118

List of participants

119 Name E-mail Key note/Talk/Poster

Presenting authors are in bold.

Tsipe Aavik [email protected] T1, P12

Stefan Abrahamczyk [email protected] T26

Anna Aldorfová [email protected] P46, P49

Korinna Allhoff [email protected]

Martin Andrzejak [email protected] T19

Harald Auge [email protected] T19

Andrej Bača [email protected]

T21, P1, P10, Maaike Bader [email protected] P42, P43