Gypsum soils in the Mediterranean Basin house large numbers of edaphic specialists that are adapted to stressful environments. The evolutionary history and standing genetic variation of these taxa have been influenced by the geological and paleoclimatic complexity of this area and the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90standing effect of human activities. However, little is known about the origin of Mediterranean gypsophiles and the factors affecting their genetic diversity and population structure.
METHODSUsing phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches based on microsatellites and sequence data from nuclear and chloroplast regions, we evaluated the divergence time, genetic diversity, and population structure of 27 different populations of the widespread Iberian gypsophile Lepidium subulatum throughout its entire geographic range.
RESULTSLepidium subulatum diverged from its nearest relatives ~3 million years ago, and ITS and psbA/matK trees supported the monophyly of the species. These results suggest that both geological and climatic changes in the region around the Plio\uffe2\uff80\uff90Pleistocene promoted its origin, compared to other evolutionary processes. We found high genetic diversity in both nuclear and chloroplast markers, but a greater population structure in the chloroplast data. These results suggest that while seed dispersal is limited, pollen flow may be favored by the presence of numerous habitat patches that enhance the movement of pollinators.
CONCLUSIONSDespite being an edaphic endemic, L. subulatum possesses high genetic diversity probably related to its relatively old age and high population sizes across its range. Our study highlights the value of using different markers to fully understand the phylogeographic history of plant species.Salt marshes provide an important and unique habitat for plants and animals. To restore salt marshes, numerous coastal realignment projects have been carried out, but restored marshes often show persistent ecological differences from natural marshes. We evaluate the effects of elevation and marsh topography, which are in turn affected by drainage and livestock grazing, on soil salinity after de-embankment. Salinity in the topsoil was monitored during the first 10 years after de-embankment and compared with salinity in an adjacent reference marsh. Additionally, salinity at greater depths (down to 1.2 m below the marsh surface) was monitored during the first 4 years by measuring the electrical conductivity of the groundwater. Chloride concentration in the top soil strongly decreased with increasing elevation; however, it was not affected by marsh topography, i.e. distance to creek or breach. Chloride concentrations higher than 2 g Cl-/litre were found at elevations below 0.6 m + MHT. Salinization of the groundwater, however, took several years. At low marsh elevations, the salinity of the deep groundwater (at 1.2 m depth) increased slowly throughout the full 4-year period of monitoring but did not reach the level of seawater. Compared to the ungrazed treatment, the grazed treatment led to lower accretion rates, lower soil-moisture content and higher chloride content of soil moisture. The de-embankment of the agricultural grasslands resulted in a rapid increase of soil salinity, although deeper ground-water levels showed a much slower response. Elevation accounted for most of the variation in the salinization of the soil. Grazing may enhance salinity of the top soil.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Salinity", "ARGENTINA", "Ecology", "IMPACT", "WADDEN SEA", "HALOPHYTES", "15. Life on land", "Oceanography", "01 natural sciences", "6. Clean water", "DISPERSAL", "Elevation", "SOIL-SALINITY", "Drainage", "VEGETATION", "Grazing management", "INUNDATION FREQUENCY", "ELEVATION", "NITROGEN MINERALIZATION", "Nature and Landscape Conservation"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Roos M. Veenklaas, Peter Esselink, Jan P. Bakker, E.C. Koppenaal,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-015-0390-z"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Coastal%20Conservation", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1007/s11852-015-0390-z", "name": "item", "description": "10.1007/s11852-015-0390-z", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1007/s11852-015-0390-z"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-07-03T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:15:51Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-09-18", "title": "Changes in the genetic structure of an invasive earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricidae) along an urban \u2013 rural gradient in North America", "description": "European earthworms were introduced to North America by European settlers about 400 years ago. Human-mediated introductions significantly contributed to the spread of European species, which commonly are used as fishing bait and are often disposed deliberately in the wild. We investigated the genetic structure of Lumbricus terrestris in a 100 km range south of Calgary, Canada, an area that likely was devoid of this species two decades ago. Genetic relationships among populations, gene flow, and migration events among populations were investigated using seven microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene. Earthworms were collected at different distances from the city and included fishing baits from three different bait distributors. The results suggest that field populations in Alberta established rather recently and that bait and field individuals in the study area have a common origin. Genetic variance within populations decreased outside of the urban area, and the most distant populations likely originated from a single introduction event. The results emphasise the utility of molecular tools to understand the spatial extent and connectivity of populations of exotic species, in particular soil-delling species, that invade native ecosystems and to obtain information on the origin of populations. Such information is crucial for developing management and prevention strategies to limit and control establishment of non-native earthworms in North America.", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "03 medical and health sciences", "Ecology", " evolutionary biology", "11. Sustainability", "15. Life on land", "Microsatellites", " Exotic earthworms", " Invasion", " Gene flow", " Dispersal", " Population structure", " Soil", "01 natural sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20Soil%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.08.009"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-11-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1365-2435.14304", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:37Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-02-21", "title": "Functional traits explain both seedling and adult plant spatial patterns in gypsum annual species", "description": "Abstract
Ecological processes such as seed dispersal or plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93plant interactions and environmental constraints such as climate or soil heterogeneity are known to influence establishment, and thus the spatial patterns of plant communities and populations. In this study, we hypothesized that key functional traits such as the specific leaf area (SLA), reproductive ratio (reproductive/vegetative biomass), seed mass and maximum plant height would influence the spatial patterns of individual species in annual, gypsophilous plant communities, and that these effects would be modulated by both the soil surface structure (biocrust) and climate (precipitation) conditions.
We mapped the spatial patterns of all plants found in six 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc3\uff97\uffe2\uff80\uff891\uffc2\uffa0m plots (more than 1000 individuals per plot) in both the seedling (autumn) and adult stages (spring) under two biocrust experimental conditions (intact vs. disturbed biocrust) during two consecutive years which were contrasted in term of precipitation (dry year and wet year). To assess the spatial patterns of seedlings and adults, we fitted four different spatial point pattern models (i.e. Poisson, inhomogeneous Poisson, Poisson cluster and inhomogeneous Poisson cluster processes) to each of the 242 populations of the 26 most abundant species that had more than 15 individuals per plot.
Most seedling populations exhibited clustered spatial patterns that persisted in the adult stage, which suggests that short\uffe2\uff80\uff90distance dispersal is an adaptive trait for soil specialists such as gypsophilous plants. One\uffe2\uff80\uff90third of the populations fitted an inhomogeneous model best but the physical structure of the biocrust was not related to them. More importantly, we found a connection between the functional strategies of species and the spatial distribution of plants. In particular, during the dry year, irrespective of the biocrust conditions, species with a high SLA and high Rep/Veg mainly exhibited clustered spatial patterns, whereas low SLA and low Rep/Veg were associated with random distributions. Species with heavy and light seed masses had random and clustered patterns, respectively. In both the dry and wet years, species with lower maximum heights had clustered patterns, whereas taller species exhibited random patterns. In addition, species with heavier seeds and greater maximum heights had the largest cluster sizes.
Our results confirm that the spatial patterns of seedlings and adult plants are significantly determined by the functional strategy of each species.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.Retreating glaciers, icons of climate change, release new potential habitats for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. High\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation species are threatened by temperature increases and the upward migration of lowlands species. Improving our understanding of successional processes after glacier retreat becomes urgent, especially in the tropics, where glacier shrinkage is particularly fast. We examined the successional patterns of aquatic invertebrates, ground beetles, terrestrial plants, soil eukaryotes (algae, invertebrates, plants) in an equatorial glacier foreland (Carihuairazo, Ecuador). Based on both taxonomical identification and eDNA metabarcoding, we analysed the effects of both environmental conditions and age of deglacierization on community composition. Except for algae, diversity increased with time since deglacierization, especially among passive dispersers, suggesting that dispersal was a key driver structuring the glacier foreland succession. Spatial \uffce\uffb2\uffe2\uff80\uff90diversity was mainly attributed to nestedness for aquatic invertebrates, terrestrial plants and soil algae, likely linked to low environmental variability within the studied glacier foreland; and to turnover for soil invertebrates, suggesting competition exclusion at the oldest successional stage. Pioneer communities were dominated by species exhibiting flexible feeding strategies and high dispersal ability (mainly transported by wind), probably colonising from lower altitudes, or from the glacier in the case of algae. Overall, glacier foreland colonisation in the tropics exhibit common characteristics to higher latitudes. High\uffe2\uff80\uff90elevation species are nevertheless threatened, as the imminent extinction of many tropical glaciers will affect species associated to glacier\uffe2\uff80\uff90influenced habitats but also prevent cold\uffe2\uff80\uff90adapted and hygrophilous species from using these habitats as refuges in a warming world.
", "keywords": ["Colonization", "[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", "550", "Early succession", "glacier retreat", "Sociology", "[SDV.EE.ECO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment/Ecosystems", "Environmental DNA Sequencing", "Glacier", "Ecology", "Geography", "early succession", "Life Sciences", "Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "Biodiversity", "[SDV.BV.BOT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "Threatened species", "FOS: Sociology", "Multiple-taxa", "multiple-taxa", "Habitat", "[SDE]Environmental Sciences", "Physical Sciences", "environment/Ecosystems", "570", "Physical geography", "Population", "Global Diversity of Microbial Eukaryotes and Their Evolution", "[SDV.BV.BOT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology/Botanics", "Ecological succession", "Biochemistry", " Genetics and Molecular Biology", "Biological dispersal", "[SDV.BID.SPT] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics", " Phylogenetics and taxonomy", "equatorial glacier foreland", "Equatorial glacier foreland", "Glacier retreat", "Molecular Biology", "Biology", "Demography", "Marine Microbial Diversity and Biogeography", "Colonisation", "South America", "15. Life on land", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "13. Climate action", "FOS: Biological sciences", "[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "Environmental Science", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "early succession; equatorial glacier foreland; glacier retreat; multiple-taxa", "Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Monitoring"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/851699/2/rosero%202021.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecography", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/ecog.05478", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/ecog.05478", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/ecog.05478"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-05-06T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1365-2745.12053", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:38Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2013-05-10", "title": "Strong Congruence In Tree And Fern Community Turnover In Response To Soils And Climate In Central Panama", "description": "Summary
Plant species turnover in central Panamanian forests has been principally attributed to the effects of dispersal limitation and a strong Caribbean to Pacific gradient in rainfall seasonality. Despite marked geological heterogeneity, the role of soil variation has not been rigorously examined.
We modelled the compositional turnover of trees and ferns in the Panama Canal watershed as a function of soil chemistry, climate and geographical separation, using generalized dissimilarity models (GDMs).
Predictability in both plant groups was strong, with 74% of turnover explained in trees and 49% in ferns. Major trends in the two plant groups were strikingly similar. The independent effects of soils, and of climate for trees, were sizeable, but those of geographical distance were minor. In both plant groups, distance and climatic effects on species turnover covaried strongly.
Including floristic dissimilarity of the other taxon as a predictor increased explained deviance to 81% in trees and 59% in ferns. Controlling for differences in plant density among plots reduced deviance explained by climate and distance, while soil effects remained strong. Limiting the analyses to soils of volcanic origin increased deviance explained by climate, soils and distance, but their effects covaried strongly. Independent soil effects on tree turnover were reduced, but their effects on fern turnover remained pronounced.
Dry season length was the most important climatic predictor for both taxa, and P and pH were the most important soil predictors. Particularly, rapid species turnover was associated with the driest end of the seasonality gradient, linked to declining individual densities and species richness, and with the low end of the phosphorus gradient.
Synthesis. While changes in rainfall and seasonality undoubtedly limit plant distributions in this region, soil effects are at least as important, and interactions between the two are sizeable. This is likely to hold elsewhere in the Caribbean region, where mosaics of marine and volcanic soils combined with pronounced rainfall gradients are common. Strong congruence between our focal taxa suggests that our results can be extrapolated to other plant groups, particularly as trees and ferns are distantly related and represent different life\uffe2\uff80\uff90forms.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "biotic interactions", " determinants of plant community diversity and structure", " edaphic variation", " environmental control", " matrix regression", " precipitation", " Pteridophyta", " seed and spore dispersal", " tropical forests", " turnover rates", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12053"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1365-2745.12053", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1365-2745.12053", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1365-2745.12053"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-01-14T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/ele.14530", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:43Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2024-10-16", "title": "Microbial Evolution Drives Adaptation of Substrate Degradation on Decadal to Centennial Time Scales Relevant to Global Change", "description": "ABSTRACTUnderstanding microbial adaptation is crucial for predicting how soil carbon dynamics and global biogeochemical cycles will respond to climate change. This study employs the DEMENT model of microbial decomposition, along with empirical mutation and dispersal rates, to explore the roles of mutation and dispersal in the adaptation of soil microbial populations to shifts in litter chemistry, changes that are anticipated with climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90driven vegetation dynamics. Following a change in litter chemistry, mutation generally allows for a higher rate of litter decomposition than dispersal, especially when dispersal predominantly introduces genotypes already present in the population. These findings challenge the common idea that mutation rates are too low to affect ecosystem processes on ecological timescales. These results demonstrate that evolutionary processes, such as mutation, can help maintain ecosystem functioning as the climate changes.Dispersal is a critical factor determining the spatial scale of speciation, which is constrained by the ecological characteristics and distribution of a species\uffe2\uff80\uff99 habitat and the intrinsic traits of species. Endogean taxa are strongly affected by the unique qualities of the below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground environment and its effect on dispersal, and contrasting reports indicate either high dispersal capabilities favoured by small body size and mediated by passive mechanisms, or low dispersal due to restricted movement and confinement inside the soil. We studied a species\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich endogean ground beetle lineage, Typhlocharina, including three genera and more than 60 species, as a model for the evolutionary biology of dispersal and speciation in the deep soil. A time\uffe2\uff80\uff90calibrated molecular phylogeny generated from >400 individuals was used to delimit candidate species, to study the accumulation of lineages through space and time by species\uffe2\uff80\uff93area\uffe2\uff80\uff93age relationships and to determine the geographical structure of the diversification using the relationship between phylogenetic and geographic distances across the phylogeny. Our results indicated a small spatial scale of speciation in Typhlocharina and low dispersal capacity combined with sporadic long distance, presumably passive dispersal events that fuelled the speciation process. Analysis of lineage growth within Typhlocharina revealed a richness plateau correlated with the range of distribution of lineages, suggesting a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term species richness equilibrium mediated by density dependence through limits of habitat availability. The interplay of area\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and age\uffe2\uff80\uff90dependent processes ruling the lineage diversification in Typhlocharina may serve as a general model for the evolution of high species diversity in endogean mesofauna.Plants have evolved different mechanisms to disperse from parent plants and improve germination to sustain their survival. The study of seed dispersal mechanisms, with the related structural and functional characteristics, is an active research topic for ecology, plant diversity, climate change, as well as for its relevance for material science and engineering. The natural mechanisms of seed dispersal show a rich source of robust, highly adaptive, mass and energy efficient mechanisms for optimized passive flying, landing, crawling and drilling. The secret of seeds mobility is embodied in the structural features and anatomical characteristics of their tissues, which are designed to be selectively responsive to changes in the environmental conditions, and which make seeds one of the most fascinating examples of morphological computation in Nature. Particularly clever for their spatial mobility performance, are those seeds that use their morphology and structural characteristics to be carried by the wind and dispersed over great distances (i.e. \uffe2\uff80\uff9cwinged\uffe2\uff80\uff9d and \uffe2\uff80\uff9cparachute\uffe2\uff80\uff9d seeds), and seeds able to move and penetrate in soil with a self-burial mechanism driven by their hygromorphic properties and morphological features. By looking at their motion mechanisms, new design principles can be extracted and used as inspiration for smart artificial systems endowed with embodied intelligence. This mini-review systematically collects, for the first time together, the morphological, structural, biomechanical and aerodynamic information from selected plant seeds relevant to take inspiration for engineering design of soft robots, and discusses potential future developments in the field across material science, plant biology, robotics and embodied intelligence.
", "keywords": ["soft robotics", "plant biology", "Robotics and AI", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "bioinspired robotics", " soft robotics", " embodied intelligence", " plant biology", " smart materials", " plant biomechanics", " seeds dispersal", "embodied intelligence", "QA75.5-76.95", "15. Life on land", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "smart materials", "plant biomechanics", "Electronic computers. Computer science", "TJ1-1570", "bioinspired robotics", "Mechanical engineering and machinery"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2021.797556"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Robotics%20and%20AI", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3389/frobt.2021.797556", "name": "item", "description": "10.3389/frobt.2021.797556", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3389/frobt.2021.797556"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-11-26T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.2307/1940889", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2006-05-09", "title": "Effects Of Invasion Of An Aspen Forest (Canada) By Dendrobaena-Octaedra (Lumbricidae) On Plant-Growth", "description": "Effects of invasion of an aspen forest in the Canadian Rocky Mountains by the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny) on nutrient mineralization, soil microflora, and plant growth were investigated during the growth period of 1992. Experimental chambers with reconstructed forest floor were placed in the field and destructively sampled after 7 and 14 wk. D. octaedra enhanced the shoot biomass of the grass Agropyron trachycaulum (Link) Malte (Poaceae) and increased the shoot\uffe2\uff80\uff94to\uffe2\uff80\uff94root ratio during early plant growth. Microbial biomass, basal respiration and respiratory quotient qCO2 in L/F layer material were reduced by D. octaedra but increased in the H layer. The nutrient (NH4+, NO3\uffe2\uff80\uff94, PO43\uffe2\uff80\uff94) content in soil was also affected by D. octaedra but the effects were small. Effects of the earthworms on soil nutrient content were masked by the great variation in the data and by leaching of nutrients from experimental chambers.
", "keywords": ["roots", "microbes and plants", "soil chemistry", "growth", "populus", "microflora and plants", "Invasion effects on nutrients", "Alberta", "forest soils", "microflora and plants in aspen forest", "Dendrobaena octaedra (Oligochaeta): Element cycles", "Forest and woodland", "nutrients", "biomass production", "Invasion consequences for ecosystem processes in forest soils", "impacts of invasion in aspen forest soils", "mineralization", "Annelids", "effects", "invasion impacts on ecosystem processes", "forests", "2. Zero hunger", "plant morphology", "effects on nutrients", "biomass", "soil fertility", "grasslands", "Habitat colonization", "KananaskisValley", "woodland grasslands", "Dispersal", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "invasion", "Invasion of aspen forest soils effects on nutrients", "Invertebrates", "soil biology", "introduced species", "Soil habitat", "Aspen forest soils", "Nutrient mineralization", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "dendrobaena", "Impact on habitat", "root shoot ratio", "elymus trachycaulus", "soil fauna", "forest trees", "shoots"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Scheu, Stefan, Parkinson, Dennis,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.2307/1940889"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.2307/1940889", "name": "item", "description": "10.2307/1940889", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.2307/1940889"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1994-12-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/genes10010068", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:59Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-01-22", "title": "Convergent Evolution of the Seed Shattering Trait", "description": "Loss of seed shattering is a key trait in crop domestication, particularly for grain crops. For wild plants, seed shattering is a crucial mechanism to achieve greater fitness, although in the agricultural context, this mechanism reduces harvesting efficiency, especially under dry conditions. Loss of seed shattering was acquired independently in different monocotyledon and dicotyledon crop species by \uffe2\uff80\uff98convergent phenotypic evolution\uffe2\uff80\uff99, leading to similar low dehiscent and indehiscent phenotypes. Here, the main aim is to review the current knowledge about seed shattering in crops, in order to highlight the tissue modifications that underlie the convergent phenotypic evolution of reduced shattering in different types of fruit, from the silique of Brassicaceae species, to the pods of legumes and spikes of cereals. Emphasis is given to legumes, with consideration of recent data obtained for the common bean. The current review also discusses to what extent convergent phenotypes arose from parallel changes at the histological and/or molecular levels. For this reason, an overview is included of the main findings relating to the genetic control of seed shattering in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana and in other important crops.
", "keywords": ["QTL mapping", "common bean", "2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "legumes", "Quantitative Trait Loci", "Common bean; Crop domestication; Gene expression; Legumes; Pod anatomy; QTL mapping; Genetics; Genetics (clinical)", "legume", "Review", "QH426-470", "pod anatomy", "15. Life on land", "Evolution", " Molecular", "crop domestication", "Magnoliopsida", "03 medical and health sciences", "Seed Dispersal", "Seeds", "Genetics", "gene expression"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/1/68/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/genes10010068"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Genes", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/genes10010068", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/genes10010068", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/genes10010068"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-01-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5281/zenodo.10628722", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:22:00Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-02-21", "title": "Functional traits explain both seedling and adult plant spatial patterns in gypsum annual species", "description": "Abstract
Ecological processes such as seed dispersal or plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93plant interactions and environmental constraints such as climate or soil heterogeneity are known to influence establishment, and thus the spatial patterns of plant communities and populations. In this study, we hypothesized that key functional traits such as the specific leaf area (SLA), reproductive ratio (reproductive/vegetative biomass), seed mass and maximum plant height would influence the spatial patterns of individual species in annual, gypsophilous plant communities, and that these effects would be modulated by both the soil surface structure (biocrust) and climate (precipitation) conditions.
We mapped the spatial patterns of all plants found in six 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc3\uff97\uffe2\uff80\uff891\uffc2\uffa0m plots (more than 1000 individuals per plot) in both the seedling (autumn) and adult stages (spring) under two biocrust experimental conditions (intact vs. disturbed biocrust) during two consecutive years which were contrasted in term of precipitation (dry year and wet year). To assess the spatial patterns of seedlings and adults, we fitted four different spatial point pattern models (i.e. Poisson, inhomogeneous Poisson, Poisson cluster and inhomogeneous Poisson cluster processes) to each of the 242 populations of the 26 most abundant species that had more than 15 individuals per plot.
Most seedling populations exhibited clustered spatial patterns that persisted in the adult stage, which suggests that short\uffe2\uff80\uff90distance dispersal is an adaptive trait for soil specialists such as gypsophilous plants. One\uffe2\uff80\uff90third of the populations fitted an inhomogeneous model best but the physical structure of the biocrust was not related to them. More importantly, we found a connection between the functional strategies of species and the spatial distribution of plants. In particular, during the dry year, irrespective of the biocrust conditions, species with a high SLA and high Rep/Veg mainly exhibited clustered spatial patterns, whereas low SLA and low Rep/Veg were associated with random distributions. Species with heavy and light seed masses had random and clustered patterns, respectively. In both the dry and wet years, species with lower maximum heights had clustered patterns, whereas taller species exhibited random patterns. In addition, species with heavier seeds and greater maximum heights had the largest cluster sizes.
Our results confirm that the spatial patterns of seedlings and adult plants are significantly determined by the functional strategy of each species.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Ecological processes such as seed dispersal or plant\uffe2\uff80\uff93plant interactions and environmental constraints such as climate or soil heterogeneity are known to influence establishment, and thus the spatial patterns of plant communities and populations. In this study, we hypothesized that key functional traits such as the specific leaf area (SLA), reproductive ratio (reproductive/vegetative biomass), seed mass and maximum plant height would influence the spatial patterns of individual species in annual, gypsophilous plant communities, and that these effects would be modulated by both the soil surface structure (biocrust) and climate (precipitation) conditions.
We mapped the spatial patterns of all plants found in six 1\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc3\uff97\uffe2\uff80\uff891\uffc2\uffa0m plots (more than 1000 individuals per plot) in both the seedling (autumn) and adult stages (spring) under two biocrust experimental conditions (intact vs. disturbed biocrust) during two consecutive years which were contrasted in term of precipitation (dry year and wet year). To assess the spatial patterns of seedlings and adults, we fitted four different spatial point pattern models (i.e. Poisson, inhomogeneous Poisson, Poisson cluster and inhomogeneous Poisson cluster processes) to each of the 242 populations of the 26 most abundant species that had more than 15 individuals per plot.
Most seedling populations exhibited clustered spatial patterns that persisted in the adult stage, which suggests that short\uffe2\uff80\uff90distance dispersal is an adaptive trait for soil specialists such as gypsophilous plants. One\uffe2\uff80\uff90third of the populations fitted an inhomogeneous model best but the physical structure of the biocrust was not related to them. More importantly, we found a connection between the functional strategies of species and the spatial distribution of plants. In particular, during the dry year, irrespective of the biocrust conditions, species with a high SLA and high Rep/Veg mainly exhibited clustered spatial patterns, whereas low SLA and low Rep/Veg were associated with random distributions. Species with heavy and light seed masses had random and clustered patterns, respectively. In both the dry and wet years, species with lower maximum heights had clustered patterns, whereas taller species exhibited random patterns. In addition, species with heavier seeds and greater maximum heights had the largest cluster sizes.
Our results confirm that the spatial patterns of seedlings and adult plants are significantly determined by the functional strategy of each species.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.Spiders, ubiquitous and abundant predators in terrestrial ecosystems, often are the subjects of an unjust negative perception. However, these remarkable creatures stand as unsung heroes within our ecosystems, contributing a multitude of ecosystem services critical to human well\uffe2\uff80\uff90being. Here, we describe the diverse spectrum of ecosystem services offered by spiders and their potential to inspire or directly provide nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions. Provisioning services include the versatile uses of silk\uffe2\uff80\uff90like and other materials, inspiration for biomimetic technology, medicines derived from venom, hemolymph and silk, bio\uffe2\uff80\uff90insecticides that offer eco\uffe2\uff80\uff90friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals, food sources for various human communities worldwide, and unconventional yet increasingly valued pets. Regulating services provided by spiders extend to vital roles in pest suppression across diverse agricultural settings, mitigating diseases by curbing insect\uffe2\uff80\uff90mediated pathogen dispersal, and controlling invasive species. Supporting services offered by spiders are equally extensive, involving nutrient cycling through the breakdown of organic matter, acting as food sources for predators, or creating habitats for other organisms. Beyond their tangible contributions, spiders hold a significant cultural and spiritual heritage globally and are integral to many traditional medicine practices. They inspire contemporary culture, provide educational value, contribute to mental health improvement, evoke a sense of place, offer models for scientific discovery, and are commonly employed for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem health. To pave the way for future research, we present suggestions for exploring and quantifying the economic value of ecosystem services by spiders. While many of these services are well established and studied from various perspectives, others harbour untapped potential. Leveraging what nature inherently provides, these nature\uffe2\uff80\uff90based solutions offer avenues to address challenges such as biodiversity erosion and societal needs. By restoring, preserving, or mimicking natural processes of spiders, we can enhance or provide essential ecosystem services, harnessing the full potential of spiders and the web of benefits they bring us.Dispersal is a critical factor determining the spatial scale of speciation, which is constrained by the ecological characteristics and distribution of a species\uffe2\uff80\uff99 habitat and the intrinsic traits of species. Endogean taxa are strongly affected by the unique qualities of the below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground environment and its effect on dispersal, and contrasting reports indicate either high dispersal capabilities favoured by small body size and mediated by passive mechanisms, or low dispersal due to restricted movement and confinement inside the soil. We studied a species\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich endogean ground beetle lineage, Typhlocharina, including three genera and more than 60 species, as a model for the evolutionary biology of dispersal and speciation in the deep soil. A time\uffe2\uff80\uff90calibrated molecular phylogeny generated from >400 individuals was used to delimit candidate species, to study the accumulation of lineages through space and time by species\uffe2\uff80\uff93area\uffe2\uff80\uff93age relationships and to determine the geographical structure of the diversification using the relationship between phylogenetic and geographic distances across the phylogeny. Our results indicated a small spatial scale of speciation in Typhlocharina and low dispersal capacity combined with sporadic long distance, presumably passive dispersal events that fuelled the speciation process. Analysis of lineage growth within Typhlocharina revealed a richness plateau correlated with the range of distribution of lineages, suggesting a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term species richness equilibrium mediated by density dependence through limits of habitat availability. The interplay of area\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and age\uffe2\uff80\uff90dependent processes ruling the lineage diversification in Typhlocharina may serve as a general model for the evolution of high species diversity in endogean mesofauna.Dispersal is a critical factor determining the spatial scale of speciation, which is constrained by the ecological characteristics and distribution of a species\uffe2\uff80\uff99 habitat and the intrinsic traits of species. Endogean taxa are strongly affected by the unique qualities of the below\uffe2\uff80\uff90ground environment and its effect on dispersal, and contrasting reports indicate either high dispersal capabilities favoured by small body size and mediated by passive mechanisms, or low dispersal due to restricted movement and confinement inside the soil. We studied a species\uffe2\uff80\uff90rich endogean ground beetle lineage, Typhlocharina, including three genera and more than 60 species, as a model for the evolutionary biology of dispersal and speciation in the deep soil. A time\uffe2\uff80\uff90calibrated molecular phylogeny generated from >400 individuals was used to delimit candidate species, to study the accumulation of lineages through space and time by species\uffe2\uff80\uff93area\uffe2\uff80\uff93age relationships and to determine the geographical structure of the diversification using the relationship between phylogenetic and geographic distances across the phylogeny. Our results indicated a small spatial scale of speciation in Typhlocharina and low dispersal capacity combined with sporadic long distance, presumably passive dispersal events that fuelled the speciation process. Analysis of lineage growth within Typhlocharina revealed a richness plateau correlated with the range of distribution of lineages, suggesting a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term species richness equilibrium mediated by density dependence through limits of habitat availability. The interplay of area\uffe2\uff80\uff90 and age\uffe2\uff80\uff90dependent processes ruling the lineage diversification in Typhlocharina may serve as a general model for the evolution of high species diversity in endogean mesofauna.Gypsum soils in the Mediterranean Basin house large numbers of edaphic specialists that are adapted to stressful environments. The evolutionary history and standing genetic variation of these taxa have been influenced by the geological and paleoclimatic complexity of this area and the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90standing effect of human activities. However, little is known about the origin of Mediterranean gypsophiles and the factors affecting their genetic diversity and population structure.
METHODSUsing phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches based on microsatellites and sequence data from nuclear and chloroplast regions, we evaluated the divergence time, genetic diversity, and population structure of 27 different populations of the widespread Iberian gypsophile Lepidium subulatum throughout its entire geographic range.
RESULTSLepidium subulatum diverged from its nearest relatives ~3 million years ago, and ITS and psbA/matK trees supported the monophyly of the species. These results suggest that both geological and climatic changes in the region around the Plio\uffe2\uff80\uff90Pleistocene promoted its origin, compared to other evolutionary processes. We found high genetic diversity in both nuclear and chloroplast markers, but a greater population structure in the chloroplast data. These results suggest that while seed dispersal is limited, pollen flow may be favored by the presence of numerous habitat patches that enhance the movement of pollinators.
CONCLUSIONSDespite being an edaphic endemic, L. subulatum possesses high genetic diversity probably related to its relatively old age and high population sizes across its range. Our study highlights the value of using different markers to fully understand the phylogeographic history of plant species.Gypsum soils in the Mediterranean Basin house large numbers of edaphic specialists that are adapted to stressful environments. The evolutionary history and standing genetic variation of these taxa have been influenced by the geological and paleoclimatic complexity of this area and the long\uffe2\uff80\uff90standing effect of human activities. However, little is known about the origin of Mediterranean gypsophiles and the factors affecting their genetic diversity and population structure.
METHODSUsing phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches based on microsatellites and sequence data from nuclear and chloroplast regions, we evaluated the divergence time, genetic diversity, and population structure of 27 different populations of the widespread Iberian gypsophile Lepidium subulatum throughout its entire geographic range.
RESULTSLepidium subulatum diverged from its nearest relatives ~3 million years ago, and ITS and psbA/matK trees supported the monophyly of the species. These results suggest that both geological and climatic changes in the region around the Plio\uffe2\uff80\uff90Pleistocene promoted its origin, compared to other evolutionary processes. We found high genetic diversity in both nuclear and chloroplast markers, but a greater population structure in the chloroplast data. These results suggest that while seed dispersal is limited, pollen flow may be favored by the presence of numerous habitat patches that enhance the movement of pollinators.
CONCLUSIONSDespite being an edaphic endemic, L. subulatum possesses high genetic diversity probably related to its relatively old age and high population sizes across its range. Our study highlights the value of using different markers to fully understand the phylogeographic history of plant species.Understanding microbial adaptation is crucial for predicting how soil carbon dynamics and global biogeochemical cycles will respond to climate change. This study employs the DEMENT model of microbial decomposition, along with empirical mutation and dispersal rates, to explore the roles of mutation and dispersal in the adaptation of soil microbial populations to shifts in litter chemistry, changes that are anticipated with climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90driven vegetation dynamics. Following a change in litter chemistry, mutation generally allows for a higher rate of litter decomposition than dispersal, especially when dispersal predominantly introduces genotypes already present in the population. These findings challenge the common idea that mutation rates are too low to affect ecosystem processes on ecological timescales. These results demonstrate that evolutionary processes, such as mutation, can help maintain ecosystem functioning as the climate changes.