Nutrient Enrichment Alters Phenotypic Selection on Plant Traits in an Annual Herb on the Tibetan Plateau
(2025) In Ecology and Evolution 15(6).- Abstract
Nutrient enrichment is an increasingly important consequence of anthropogenic activities. Nutrient enrichment can alter the composition, diversity, and functioning of terrestrial plant communities, yet its effect on evolutionary processes in plant populations has been less well studied. To understand the evolutionary consequence of long-term soil nutrient enrichment, we examine the effects of nutrient addition (N or P) on plant traits, female reproductive success, and pattern of phenotypic selection in the annual plant Pedicularis szetschuanica M. in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Nutrient addition generally increased plant height and reduced tube length and nectar production per flower. Surprisingly, the effects of N and P... (More)
Nutrient enrichment is an increasingly important consequence of anthropogenic activities. Nutrient enrichment can alter the composition, diversity, and functioning of terrestrial plant communities, yet its effect on evolutionary processes in plant populations has been less well studied. To understand the evolutionary consequence of long-term soil nutrient enrichment, we examine the effects of nutrient addition (N or P) on plant traits, female reproductive success, and pattern of phenotypic selection in the annual plant Pedicularis szetschuanica M. in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Nutrient addition generally increased plant height and reduced tube length and nectar production per flower. Surprisingly, the effects of N and P addition on seed number per plant were reversed between years. Despite variation in traits, mean fitness, and opportunity for selection among nutrient treatments, patterns of selection changed only for nectar production, where we detected N-mediated selection favoring greater nectar production. This study suggests that nutrient enrichment can alter patterns of phenotypic selection, potentially influencing the evolution of floral traits even if pollinators play a limited role in selection.
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- author
- Ningna, Lu ; Meng, Hou ; Yan, Ma ; Opedal, Øystein H. LU and Zhigang, Zhao
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- alpine meadow, floral traits, nutrient addition, Pedicularis szetschuanica, phenotypic selection
- in
- Ecology and Evolution
- volume
- 15
- issue
- 6
- article number
- e71592
- pages
- 9 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105008193015
- pmid:40519892
- ISSN
- 2045-7758
- DOI
- 10.1002/ece3.71592
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- id
- 878ec6b5-156a-41a8-be8d-dea6f719e256
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-25 05:48:36
- date last changed
- 2025-07-09 08:01:29
@article{878ec6b5-156a-41a8-be8d-dea6f719e256,
abstract = {{<p>Nutrient enrichment is an increasingly important consequence of anthropogenic activities. Nutrient enrichment can alter the composition, diversity, and functioning of terrestrial plant communities, yet its effect on evolutionary processes in plant populations has been less well studied. To understand the evolutionary consequence of long-term soil nutrient enrichment, we examine the effects of nutrient addition (N or P) on plant traits, female reproductive success, and pattern of phenotypic selection in the annual plant Pedicularis szetschuanica M. in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Nutrient addition generally increased plant height and reduced tube length and nectar production per flower. Surprisingly, the effects of N and P addition on seed number per plant were reversed between years. Despite variation in traits, mean fitness, and opportunity for selection among nutrient treatments, patterns of selection changed only for nectar production, where we detected N-mediated selection favoring greater nectar production. This study suggests that nutrient enrichment can alter patterns of phenotypic selection, potentially influencing the evolution of floral traits even if pollinators play a limited role in selection.</p>}},
author = {{Ningna, Lu and Meng, Hou and Yan, Ma and Opedal, Øystein H. and Zhigang, Zhao}},
issn = {{2045-7758}},
keywords = {{alpine meadow; floral traits; nutrient addition; Pedicularis szetschuanica; phenotypic selection}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ecology and Evolution}},
title = {{Nutrient Enrichment Alters Phenotypic Selection on Plant Traits in an Annual Herb on the Tibetan Plateau}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71592}},
doi = {{10.1002/ece3.71592}},
volume = {{15}},
year = {{2025}},
}