Abstract
Background and AimsThe impact of global warming on life cycle timing is uncertain. We investigated changes in life cycle timing in a global warming scenario. We compared Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes adapted to the warm/dry Cape Verdi Islands (Cvi), Macaronesia, and the cool/wet climate of the Burren (Bur), Ireland, Northern Europe. These are obligate winter and summer annuals, respectively.MethodsUsing a global warming scenario predicting a 4 °C temperature rise from 2011 to approx. 2080, we produced F1 seeds at each end of a thermogradient tunnel. Each F1 cohort (cool and warm) then produced F2 seeds at both ends of the thermal gradient in winter and summer annual life cycles. F2 seeds from the winter life cycle were buried at three positions along the gradient to determine the impact of temperature on seedling emergence in a simulated winter life cycle.Key ResultsIn a winter life cycle, increasing temperatures advanced flowering time by 10.1 d °C–1 in the winter annual and 4.9 d °C–1 in the summer annual. Plant size and seed yield responded positively to global warming in both ecotypes. In a winter life cycle, the impact of increasing temperature on seedling emergence timing was positive in the winter annual, but negative in the summer annual. Global warming reduced summer annual plant size and seed yield in a summer life cycle.ConclusionsSeedling emergence timing observed in the north European summer annual ecotype may exacerbate the negative impact of predicted increased spring and summer temperatures on their establishment and reproductive performance. In contrast, seedling establishment of the Macaronesian winter annual may benefit from higher soil temperatures that will delay emergence until autumn, but which also facilitates earlier spring flowering and consequent avoidance of high summer temperatures. Such plasticity gives winter annual arabidopsis ecotypes a distinct advantage over summer annuals in expected global warming scenarios. This highlights the importance of variation in the timing of seedling establishment in understanding plant species responses to anthropogenic climate change.
Highlights
Plants synchronise their life cycles with changes in the seasonal environment (Phenology) (Donohue, 2014)
F2 seeds from the winter life cycle s were buried at three positions along the gradient to determine the impact of u temperature on seedling emergence in a simulated winter life cycle. n Key Results In a winter life cycle, increasing temperatures advanced flowering time a by 10.1 days °C-1 in the winter annual and 4.9 days °C-1 in the summer annual
In this study we investigated the impact of global warming on the life cycles of obligate winter (Cvi) and summer (Bur) annual ecotypes of Arabidopsis ecotypes during winter and summer annual life cycles using a realistic global warming scenario in a common garden
Summary
Plants synchronise their life cycles with changes in the seasonal environment (Phenology) (Donohue, 2014). The major phase changes in plant life cycles are flowering and germination, which mark the transitions to the reproductive and the vegetative phases respectively These phenological events are linked and both are known to be temperature driven (Burghardt et al, 2016; Springthorpe and Penfield 2015; Finch-Savage and Footitt, t 2017; Penfield and MacGregor, 2017). Ip Meta-analysis of 20-50 years of multi-species flowering time data found it to have cr advanced by 1 day decade-1 in species responding to warming spring temperatures (Cook et s al., 2012) This makes understanding the impact of global warming on plant phenology u crucially important as we address the resilience of both agricultural systems and native flora. We compared Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes adapted to the warm/dry Cape Verdi Islands (Cvi), Macaronesia, and the cool/wet climate of the Burren (Bur), Ireland, Northern Europe These are obligate winter and summer annuals respectively
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