TY - JOUR A1 - Di Giacomo, Adrian S. A1 - Di Giacomo, Alejandro G. A1 - Kliger, Rafi A1 - Reboreda, Juan C. A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph A1 - Mahler, Bettina T1 - No evidence of genetic variation in microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers among remaining populations of the Strange-tailed Tyrant Alectrurus risora, an endangered grassland species JF - Bird conservation international N2 - The Strange-tailed Tyrant Alectrurus risora (Aves: Tyrannidae) is an endemic species of southern South American grasslands that suffered a 90% reduction of its original distribution due to habitat transformation. This has led the species to be classified as globally Vulnerable. By the beginning of the last century, populations were partially migratory and moved south during the breeding season. Currently, the main breeding population inhabits the Ibera wetlands in the province of Corrientes, north-east Argentina, where it is resident all year round. There are two remaining small populations in the province of Formosa, north-east Argentina, and in southern Paraguay, which are separated from the main population by the Parana-Paraguay River and its continuous riverine forest habitat. The populations of Corrientes and Formosa are separated by 300 km and the grasslands between populations are non-continuous due to habitat transformation. We used mtDNA sequences and eight microsatellite loci to test if there were evidences of genetic isolation between Argentinean populations. We found no evidence of genetic structure between populations (Phi(ST) = 0.004, P = 0.32; Fst = 0.01, P = 0.06), which can be explained by either retained ancestral polymorphism or by dispersal between populations. We found no evidence for a recent demographic bottleneck in nuclear loci. Our results indicate that these populations could be managed as a single conservation unit on a regional scale. Conservation actions should be focused on preserving the remaining network of areas with natural grasslands to guarantee reproduction, dispersal and prevent further decline of populations. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270914000203 SN - 0959-2709 SN - 1474-0001 VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 127 EP - 138 PB - Cambridge Univ. Press CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Muiño, Jose M. A1 - de Bruijn, Suzanne A1 - Pajoro, Alice A1 - Geuten, Koen A1 - Vingron, Martin A1 - Angenent, Gerco C. A1 - Kaufmann, Kerstin T1 - Evolution of DNA-Binding Sites of a Floral Master Regulatory Transcription Factor JF - Molecular biology and evolution : MBE N2 - lower development is controlled by the action of key regulatory transcription factors of the MADS-domain family. The function of these factors appears to be highly conserved among species based on mutant phenotypes. However, the conservation of their downstream processes is much less well understood, mostly because the evolutionary turnover and variation of their DNA-binding sites (BSs) among plant species have not yet been experimentally determined. Here, we performed comparative ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation)-seq experiments of the MADS-domain transcription factor SEPALLATA3 (SEP3) in two closely related Arabidopsis species: Arabidopsis thaliana and A. lyrata which have very similar floral organ morphology. We found that BS conservation is associated with DNA sequence conservation, the presence of the CArG-box BS motif and on the relative position of the BS to its potential target gene. Differences in genome size and structure can explain that SEP3 BSs in A. lyrata can be located more distantly to their potential target genes than their counterparts in A. thaliana. In A. lyrata, we identified transposition as a mechanism to generate novel SEP3 binding locations in the genome. Comparative gene expression analysis shows that the loss/gain of BSs is associated with a change in gene expression. In summary, this study investigates the evolutionary dynamics of DNA BSs of a floral key-regulatory transcription factor and explores factors affecting this phenomenon. KW - MADS-domain transcription factor KW - plant development KW - cis-regulatory evolution Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msv210 SN - 1537-1719 SN - 0737-4038 VL - 33 IS - 1 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - GEN A1 - Muiño, Jose M. A1 - de Bruijn, Suzanne A1 - Pajoro, Alice A1 - Geuten, Koen A1 - Vingron, Martin A1 - Angenent, Gerco C. A1 - Kaufmann, Kerstin T1 - Evolution of DNA-Binding Sites of a Floral Master Regulatory Transcription Factor N2 - Flower development is controlled by the action of key regulatory transcription factors of the MADS-domain family. The function of these factors appears to be highly conserved among species based on mutant phenotypes. However, the conservation of their downstream processes is much less well understood, mostly because the evolutionary turnover and variation of their DNA-binding sites (BSs) among plant species have not yet been experimentally determined. Here, we performed comparative ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation)-seq experiments of the MADS-domain transcription factor SEPALLATA3 (SEP3) in two closely related Arabidopsis species: Arabidopsis thaliana and A. lyrata which have very similar floral organ morphology. We found that BS conservation is associated with DNA sequence conservation, the presence of the CArG-box BS motif and on the relative position of the BS to its potential target gene. Differences in genome size and structure can explain that SEP3 BSs in A. lyrata can be located more distantly to their potential target genes than their counterparts in A. thaliana. In A. lyrata, we identified transposition as a mechanism to generate novel SEP3 binding locations in the genome. Comparative gene expression analysis shows that the loss/gain of BSs is associated with a change in gene expression. In summary, this study investigates the evolutionary dynamics of DNA BSs of a floral key-regulatory transcription factor and explores factors affecting this phenomenon. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 261 KW - MADS-domain transcription factor KW - cis-regulatory evolution KW - plant development Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-96580 SP - 1225 EP - 1245 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Horn, Sebastian A1 - Hempel, Stefan A1 - Ristow, Michael A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Kowarik, Ingo A1 - Caruso, Tancredi T1 - Plant community assembly at small scales: Spatial vs. environmental factors in a European grassland JF - Acta oecologica : international journal of ecology N2 - Dispersal limitation and environmental conditions are crucial drivers of plant species distribution and establishment. As these factors operate at different spatial scales, we asked: Do the environmental factors known to determine community assembly at broad scales operate at fine scales (few meters)? How much do these factors account for community variation at fine scales? In which way do biotic and abiotic interactions drive changes in species composition? We surveyed the plant community within a dry grassland along a very steep gradient of soil characteristics like pH and nutrients. We used a spatially explicit sampling design, based on three replicated macroplots of 15 x 15, 12 x 12 and 12 x 12 m in extent. Soil samples were taken to quantify several soil properties (carbon, nitrogen, plant available phosphorus, pH, water content and dehydrogenase activity as a proxy for overall microbial activity). We performed variance partitioning to assess the effect of these variables on plant composition and statistically controlled for spatial autocorrelation via eigenvector mapping. We also applied null model analysis to test for non-random patterns in species co-occurrence using randomization schemes that account for patterns expected under species interactions. At a fine spatial scale, environmental factors explained 18% of variation when controlling for spatial autocorrelation in the distribution of plant species, whereas purely spatial processes accounted for 14% variation. Null model analysis showed that species spatially segregated in a non-random way and these spatial patterns could be due to a combination of environmental filtering and biotic interactions. Our grassland study suggests that environmental factors found to be directly relevant in broad scale studies are present also at small scales, but are supplemented by spatial processes and more direct interactions like competition. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. KW - Assembly pattern KW - Dispersal limitation KW - Festuca brevipila KW - Niche partitioning KW - Null model KW - Plant community ecology KW - Variance partitioning Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2015.01.004 SN - 1146-609X SN - 1873-6238 VL - 63 SP - 56 EP - 62 PB - Elsevier CY - Paris ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Lachmann, Sabrina C. A1 - Spijkerman, Elly A1 - Maberly, Stephen C. T1 - Ecology matters: linking inorganic carbon acquisition to ecological preference in four species of microalgae (Chlorophyceae) T2 - European journal of phycology Y1 - 2015 SN - 0967-0262 SN - 1469-4433 VL - 50 SP - 98 EP - 98 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Allhoff, Korinna Theresa A1 - Ritterskamp, Daniel A1 - Rall, Björn C. A1 - Drossel, Barbara A1 - Guill, Christian T1 - Evolutionary food web model based on body masses gives realistic networks with permanent species turnover JF - Scientific reports N2 - The networks of predator-prey interactions in ecological systems are remarkably complex, but nevertheless surprisingly stable in terms of long term persistence of the system as a whole. In order to understand the mechanism driving the complexity and stability of such food webs, we developed an eco-evolutionary model in which new species emerge as modifications of existing ones and dynamic ecological interactions determine which species are viable. The food-web structure thereby emerges from the dynamical interplay between speciation and trophic interactions. The proposed model is less abstract than earlier evolutionary food web models in the sense that all three evolving traits have a clear biological meaning, namely the average body mass of the individuals, the preferred prey body mass, and the width of their potential prey body mass spectrum. We observed networks with a wide range of sizes and structures and high similarity to natural food webs. The model networks exhibit a continuous species turnover, but massive extinction waves that affect more than 50% of the network are not observed. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep10955 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 5 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinze, Johannes A1 - Werner, Tony A1 - Weber, Ewald A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Joshi, Jasmin Radha T1 - Soil biota effects on local abundances of three grass species along a land-use gradient JF - Oecologia N2 - Biotic plant-soil interactions and land-use intensity are known to affect plant individual fitness as well as competitiveness and therefore plant-species abundances in communities. Therefore, a link between soil biota and land-use intensity on local abundance of plant species in grasslands can be expected. In two greenhouse experiments, we investigated the effects of soil biota from grassland sites differing in land-use intensity on three grass species that vary in local abundances along this land-use gradient. We were interested in those soil-biota effects that are associated with land-use intensity, and whether these effects act directly or indirectly. Therefore, we grew the three plant species in two separate experiments as single individuals and in mixtures and compared their performance. As single plants, all three grasses showed a similar performance with and without soil biota. In contrast, in mixtures growth of the species in response to the presence or absence of soil biota differed. This resulted in different soil-biota effects that tend to correspond with patterns of species-specific abundances in the field for two of the three species tested. Our results highlight the importance of indirect interactions between plants and soil microorganisms and suggest that combined effects of soil biota and plant-plant interactions are involved in structuring plant communities. In conclusion, our experiments suggest that soil biota may have the potential to alter effects of plant-plant interactions and therefore influence plant-species abundances and diversity in grasslands. KW - Biodiversity KW - Grassland KW - Land-use intensity KW - Community composition KW - Plant-soil feedback Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3336-0 SN - 0029-8549 SN - 1432-1939 VL - 179 IS - 1 SP - 249 EP - 259 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Allan, Eric A1 - Manning, Pete A1 - Alt, Fabian A1 - Binkenstein, Julia A1 - Blaser, Stefan A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Böhm, Stefan A1 - Grassein, Fabrice A1 - Hölzel, Norbert A1 - Klaus, Valentin H. A1 - Kleinebecker, Till A1 - Morris, E. Kathryn A1 - Oelmann, Yvonne A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Rillig, Matthias C. A1 - Schaefer, Martin A1 - Schloter, Michael A1 - Schmitt, Barbara A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Schrumpf, Marion A1 - Solly, Emily A1 - Sorkau, Elisabeth A1 - Steckel, Juliane A1 - Steffen-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Stempfhuber, Barbara A1 - Tschapka, Marco A1 - Weiner, Christiane N. A1 - Weisser, Wolfgang W. A1 - Werner, Michael A1 - Westphal, Catrin A1 - Wilcke, Wolfgang A1 - Fischer, Markus T1 - Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition JF - Ecology letters N2 - Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average. Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services. In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species, strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive grasslands. KW - Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning KW - ecosystem services KW - global change KW - land use KW - multifunctionality Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12469 SN - 1461-023X SN - 1461-0248 VL - 18 IS - 8 SP - 834 EP - 843 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stanislas, Thomas A1 - Huser, Anke A1 - Barbosa, Ines C. R. A1 - Kiefer, Christian S. A1 - Brackmann, Klaus A1 - Pietra, Stefano A1 - Gustavsson, Anna A1 - Zourelidou, Melina A1 - Schwechheimer, Claus A1 - Grebe, Markus T1 - Arabidopsis D6PK is a lipid domain-dependent mediator of root epidermal planar polarity JF - Nature plants N2 - Development of diverse multicellular organisms relies on coordination of single-cell polarities within the plane of the tissue layer (planar polarity). Cell polarity often involves plasma membrane heterogeneity generated by accumulation of specific lipids and proteins into membrane subdomains. Coordinated hair positioning along Arabidopsis root epidermal cells provides a planar polarity model in plants, but knowledge about the functions of proteo-lipid domains in planar polarity signalling remains limited. Here we show that Rho-of-plant (ROP) 2 and 6, phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase 3 (PIP5K3), DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN (DRP) 1A and DRP2B accumulate in a sterol-enriched, polar membrane domain during root hair initiation. DRP1A, DRP2B, PIP5K3 and sterols are required for planar polarity and the AGCVIII kinase D6 PROTEIN KINASE (D6PK) is a modulator of this process. D6PK undergoes phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate- and sterol-dependent basal-to-planar polarity switching into the polar, lipid-enriched domain just before hair formation, unravelling lipid-dependent D6PK localization during late planar polarity signalling. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/NPLANTS.2015.162 SN - 2055-026X SN - 2055-0278 VL - 1 IS - 11 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alter, S. Elizabeth A1 - Meyer, Matthias A1 - Post, Klaas A1 - Czechowski, Paul A1 - Gravlund, Peter A1 - Gaines, Cork A1 - Rosenbaum, Howard C. A1 - Kaschner, Kristin A1 - Turvey, Samuel T. A1 - van der Plicht, Johannes A1 - Shapiro, Beth A1 - Hofreiter, Michael T1 - Climate impacts on transocean dispersal and habitat in gray whales from the Pleistocene to 2100 JF - Molecular ecology N2 - Arctic animals face dramatic habitat alteration due to ongoing climate change. Understanding how such species have responded to past glacial cycles can help us forecast their response to today's changing climate. Gray whales are among those marine species likely to be strongly affected by Arctic climate change, but a thorough analysis of past climate impacts on this species has been complicated by lack of information about an extinct population in the Atlantic. While little is known about the history of Atlantic gray whales or their relationship to the extant Pacific population, the extirpation of the Atlantic population during historical times has been attributed to whaling. We used a combination of ancient and modern DNA, radiocarbon dating and predictive habitat modelling to better understand the distribution of gray whales during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Our results reveal that dispersal between the Pacific and Atlantic was climate dependent and occurred both during the Pleistocene prior to the last glacial period and the early Holocene immediately following the opening of the Bering Strait. Genetic diversity in the Atlantic declined over an extended interval that predates the period of intensive commercial whaling, indicating this decline may have been precipitated by Holocene climate or other ecological causes. These first genetic data for Atlantic gray whales, particularly when combined with predictive habitat models for the year 2100, suggest that two recent sightings of gray whales in the Atlantic may represent the beginning of the expansion of this species' habitat beyond its currently realized range. KW - ancient DNA KW - climate change KW - last glacial maximum KW - marine mammal Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13121 SN - 0962-1083 SN - 1365-294X VL - 24 IS - 7 SP - 1510 EP - 1522 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -