Genome size influences plant growth and biodiversity responses to nutrient fertilization in diverse grassland communities

Title data

Morton, Joseph A. ; Arnillas, Carlos Alberto ; Biedermann, Lori ; Borer, Elizabeth T. ; Brudvig, Lars A. ; Buckley, Yvonne M. ; Cadotte, Marc W. ; Davies, Kendi ; Donohue, Ian ; Ebeling, Anne ; Eisenhauer, Nico ; Estrada, Catalina ; Haider, Sylvia ; Hautier, Yann ; Jentsch, Anke ; Martinson, Holly ; McCulley, Rebecca L. ; Raynaud, Xavier ; Roscher, Christiane ; Seabloom, Eric W. ; Stevens, Carly J. ; Vesela, Katerina ; Wallace, Alison ; Leitch, Ilia J. ; Leitch, Andrew R. ; Hersch-Green, Erika I.:
Genome size influences plant growth and biodiversity responses to nutrient fertilization in diverse grassland communities.
In: PLoS Biology. Vol. 22 (December 2024) Issue 12 . - e3002927.
ISSN 1545-7885
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002927

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

Experiments comparing diploids with polyploids and in single grassland sites show that nitrogen and/or phosphorus availability influences plant growth and community composition dependent on genome size; specifically, plants with larger genomes grow faster under nutrient enrichments relative to those with smaller genomes. However, it is unknown if these effects are specific to particular site localities with speciifc plant assemblages, climates, and historical contingencies. To determine the generality of genome size-dependent growth responses to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization, we combined genome size and species abundance data from 27 coordinated grassland nutrient addition experiments in the Nutrient Network that occur in the Northern Hemisphere across a range of climates and grassland communities. We found that after nitrogen treatment, species with larger genomes generally increased more in cover compared to those with smaller genomes, potentially due to a release from nutrient limitation. Responses were strongest for C3 grasses and in less seasonal, low precipitation environments, indicating that genome size effects on water-use-efficiency modulates genome size–nutrient interactions. Cumulatively, the data suggest that genome size is informative and improves predictions of species’ success in grassland communities.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Institutions of the University:	Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences > Professor Disturbance Ecology Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Earth Sciences > Professor Disturbance Ecology > Professor Disturbance Ecology - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Anke Jentsch
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	500 Science > 550 Earth sciences, geology
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2025 13:03
Last Modified:	21 Feb 2025 08:12
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/92306