Abstract

Summary Angiosperm genome sizes (GS) range c. 2400‐fold, and as nucleic acids are amongst the most phosphorus‐ (P) and nitrogen (N)‐demanding cellular biomolecules, we test the hypothesis that a key influence on plant biomass and species composition is the interaction between N and P availability and plant GS.We analysed the impact of different nutrient regimes on above‐ground biomass of angiosperm species with different GS, ploidy level and Grime's C‐S‐R (competitive, stress‐tolerant, ruderal) plant strategies growing at the Park Grass Experiment (Rothamsted, UK), established in 1856.The biomass‐weighted mean GS of species growing on plots with the addition of both N and P fertilizer were significantly higher than that of plants growing on control plots and plots with either N or P. The plants on these N + P plots are dominated by polyploids with large GS and a competitive plant strategy.The results are consistent with our hypothesis that large genomes are costly to build and maintain under N and P limitation. Hence GS and ploidy are significant traits affecting biomass growth under different nutrient regimes, influencing plant community composition and ecosystem dynamics. We propose that GS is a critical factor needed in models that bridge the knowledge gap between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Highlights

  • The huge diversity of genome sizes (GS) encountered in plants has the potential to influence a plant’s nutrient demands and its ability to grow in different environments varying in nutrient availability

  • In this paper we ask if species with large GS and/or high ploidy level are limited in their productivity by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)

  • GS and ploidy diversity of species growing at Park Grass

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Summary

Introduction

The huge diversity of genome sizes (GS) encountered in plants has the potential to influence a plant’s nutrient demands and its ability to grow in different environments varying in nutrient availability. 2400-fold, from 1C = 0.06 pg in Genlisia tuberosa (Fleischmann et al, 2014) to 1C = 152.2 pg in Paris japonica (Pellicer et al, 2010) (1 pg = 978 Mbp; the distribution of GS across > 7000 angiosperm species is shown in Supporting Information Fig. S1a). Angiosperm genomic diversity is marked by the prevalence of polyploidy in the ancestry of most, perhaps all lineages. Whilst much has been written on the role of nutrients on plant distribution (Aerts & Chapin, 1999; Craine et al, 2002; Harpole et al, 2011), the impact of GS has received little attention. In this paper we ask if species with large GS and/or high ploidy level are limited in their productivity by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)

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