Tritrophic mutualisms in a changing climate

Abstract

Warmer than average temperatures and decreased annual precipitation caused by climate change are affecting the growth and reproduction of many species, including flowering plants. Climatic shifts may affect angiosperm functional traits, such as water use efficiency and nectar sugar concentration, which can in turn alter the strength and incidence of interactions between plants and their mutualists. Climatic stress can separate mutualists, leading to additional alterations in partner traits which may have consequences for plant fitness. Here, we explore how warming temperatures, early snowmelt, and below-average annual precipitation (snow and summer monsoonal rains) can affect plant functional traits such as water use efficiency and lead to a loss of interaction with symbiotic rhizobia, thereby altering legume nitrogen content and leaf carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. In a snowmelt manipulative experiment, we found that early snowmelt increased nectar sugar concentrations, reduced plant total nitrogen, shifted the activity and phenology of plant-important rhizobia, and decreased legume water use efficiency relative to ambient snowmelt conditions. Decreased soil nitrogen inputs from senescing legume plants may alter competitive outcomes and growth rates of heterospecific plants in the local area. Additionally, an analysis of historical herbarium specimens revealed that warmer, drier conditions over time are associated with a loss of interactions between legumes and rhizobia and decreased plant water use efficiency. These two independent lines of evidence suggest that changing climate may destabilize mutualistic interactions and shift plant functional traits, ultimately affecting nitrogen inputs and plant community dynamics. 8

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Tritrophic mutualisms in a changing climate

Abstract

Local Knowledge Graph (Top 65 entities)

Related Works

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