Commercial Harvesting Has Driven the Evolution of Camouflage in an Alpine Plant.

Color in nature mediates numerous among and within species interactions,1 and anthropogenic impacts have long had major influences on the color evolution of wild animals.2 An under-explored area is commercial harvesting, which in animals can exert a strong selection pressure on various traits, sometimes greater even than natural selection or other human activities.3,4 Natural populations of plants that are used by humans have likely also suffered strong pressure from harvesting, yet the potential for evolutionary change induced by humans has received surprisingly little attention.5 Here, we show that the leaf coloration of a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine (Fritillaria delavayi) varies among populations, with leaves matching their local backgrounds most closely. The degree of background matching correlates with estimates of harvest pressure, with plants being more cryptic in heavily collected populations. In a human search experiment, the time it took participants to find plants was greatly influenced by target concealment. These results point to humans as driving the evolution of camouflage in populations of this species through commercial harvesting, changing the phenotype of wild plants in an unexpected and dramatic way.

Multidimensional plasticity in the Glanville fritillary butterfly: larval performance is temperature, host and family specific.

Variation in environmental conditions during development can lead to changes in life-history traits with long-lasting effects. Here, we study how variation in temperature and host plant (i.e. the consequences of potential maternal oviposition choices) affects a suite of life-history traits in pre-diapause larvae of the Glanville fritillary butterfly. We focus on offspring survival, larval growth rates and relative fat reserves, and pay specific attention to intraspecific variation in the responses (G × E × E). Globally, thermal performance and survival curves varied between diets of two host plants, suggesting that host modifies the temperature impact, or vice versa. Additionally, we show that the relative fat content has a host-dependent, discontinuous response to developmental temperature. This implies that a potential switch in resource allocation, from more investment in growth at lower temperatures to storage at higher temperatures, is dependent on the larval diet. Interestingly, a large proportion of the variance in larval performance is explained by differences among families, or interactions with this variable. Finally, we demonstrate that these family-specific responses to the host plant remain largely consistent across thermal environments. Together, the results of our study underscore the importance of paying attention to intraspecific trait variation in the field of evolutionary ecology.

Diversity of nectar amino acids in the Fritillaria (Liliaceae) genus: ecological and evolutionary implications.

Nectar is considered to be a primary food reward for most pollinators. It mostly contains sugars, but also has amino acids. The significance of the concentration and composition of amino acids in nectar is often less understood than that of its volume, sugar concentration and composition. However, there is a trend towards a broader approach in ecological research, which helps to understand nectar properties in an ecological context. The genus Fritillaria, exhibiting great diversity in flower morphology, nectar composition, and dominant pollinators, allows for the possibility to study some of the above. We studied the concentration and composition of amino acids in the nectar of 38 Fritillaria species attracting different groups of pollen vectors (bees, flies, passerines, and hummingbirds). The flowers of fritillaries produced nectar with a varying composition and concentration of amino acids. These differences were mostly associated with the pollinator type. The nectar of passerine bird-pollinated species was rich in amino acids, whereas humming bird-pollinated produced low amino acid nectar. Contrary to previous reports nectar of the insect-pollinated species did not contain a higher amount of proline. Two non-protein amino acids, sarcosine and norvaline, were detected in the floral nectar for the first time.

Ecological and genetic basis of metapopulation persistence of the Glanville fritillary butterfly in fragmented landscapes.

Ecologists are challenged to construct models of the biological consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation. Here, we use a metapopulation model to predict the distribution of the Glanville fritillary butterfly during 22 years across a large heterogeneous landscape with 4,415 small dry meadows. The majority (74%) of the 125 networks into which the meadows were clustered are below the extinction threshold for long-term persistence. Among the 33 networks above the threshold, spatial configuration and habitat quality rather than the pooled habitat area predict metapopulation size and persistence, but additionally allelic variation in a SNP in the gene Phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) explains 30% of variation in metapopulation size. The Pgi genotypes are associated with dispersal rate and hence with colonizations and extinctions. Associations between Pgi genotypes, population turnover and metapopulation size reflect eco-evolutionary dynamics, which may be a common feature in species inhabiting patch networks with unstable local dynamics.

[In vitro Regeneration from Bulbous Scales of Fritillaria sonnikovae, an Endemic Species].

Features of in vitro regeneration of Fritillaria sonnikovae from bulb scales were studied. The initiation of shoot formation was obtained on a nutrient medium BDS, supplemented with 5 µM 6-benzylaminopurine and 2 µM α-naphthaleneacetic acid. Optimization of propagation stage was carried out using obtained microbulbs as explants. High regenerative response of explants and shoot multiplication rate were observed on both media supplemented with growth regulators (up to 47% and 4.2 ± 0.6 pcs./explant, respectively) and hormone-free medium (48% and 4.1 ± 0.2 shoots per explant, respectively). It has been established that the ad- dition of growth regulators on the stage of cultivation does not cause increased morphogenic response but contributes to the accelerated initiation and development of microbulbs. Morphological and histological analysis revealed the dynamics of the formation of shoots de novo. In vitro development of F. sonnikovae follows the path of direct organogenesis from the epidermal tissue of the explant.

[Pollination biology of Fritillaria delavayi].

In this study, the processes of pollination ecology of Fritillaria delavayi were investigated to document its reproductive characteristics. Some individuals of F. delavayi could produce seeds under bagging without emasculation (11%), but the rate was significantly lower than that of the natural control (87%). It is suggesting that pollination of F. delavayi largely depends on pollen vectors. Bombus sushikini was the only effective pollinator of F. delavayi and the visitation frequency was 0.003 time xXflower(-1) x min(-1). Flowering of F. delavayi in whole population lasted for 35 d and single flower for 11 d. Pollen viability and stigma receptivity lasted for 9 d and were relatively long compared with other Fritillaria genus plants. Consequently, bumblebee pollination and long floral longevity seem to be important for reproductive assurance of F. delavayi in harsh alpine environments.

Neither protogynous nor obligatory out-crossed: pollination biology and breeding system of the European Red List Fritillaria meleagris L. (Liliaceae).

For 4 years we studied pollination biology and breeding system of the critically endangered, Red List plant Fritillaria meleagris L. (Liliaceae), in the larger of the two remaining populations of the plant in SE Poland. Our observations indicated that, contrary to literature data, the species is not dichogamous nor is it obligatorily out-crossing. Selfing, although rare in natural populations, results in fully developed seeds. Flowers are visited by several insect species, mostly social and solitary bees. In spite of extremely low visitation rates to this early spring-flowering plant, the species is not pollen limited. Although the largest pollen loads are transferred by solitary bees, the key pollinators are bumblebees (mostly the most common species, Bombus terrestris and B. lapidarius) due to their seasonal and floral constancy, and tolerance of bad weather conditions. The current decline of the studied population seems not to be related to the species' pollination or breeding systems but to plant habitat loss. It is suggested, however, that in smaller populations, the species' dependence on generally rare pollinators and largely out-crossed breeding system may accelerate local extinction.

[Floral dynamic and pollination habit of Fritillaria cirrhosa].

OBJECTIVE: To find the sexual reproduction characteristics and improve the seed propagation and new variety breeding of Fritillaria cirrhosa. METHOD: Flower, anther and pistil development were observed. Pollinating in different development period and bagging were used to measure stigma maturity situation and natural outcrossing rate. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: It took 12 days from floral bud emergency to finished flowering. It was observed that anther opened in longitudinal direction and pollen was ejected for 2-4 days continuously. Pistil matured earlier, and chapiter could be fertilized from middle bud stage the third day after flowering, but the most suitable time was 2-3 day after the corolla opening. The natural outcrossing rate was 81.9%. F. cirrhosa is a typical xenial plant.

[Study on the Fritillaria cirrhosa seed germination and polyploid induction].

OBJECTIVE: In order to improving the existent breeds of Fritillaria cirrhosa, increasing its medicinal ingredients and enriching the resources of heredity breeding. METHODS: By using of low-temperature stratification treatment, the seed of Fritillaria cirrhosa completed its after-ripening of physiology and morphology. The induction treatment by different concentrations of colchicine solution and different treatment times for Fritillaria cirrhosa seeds were compared. RESULT: Detected the plant morphology and chromosome number, it is shown that the induced material obviously possessed the characteristics of polyploid. CONCLUSION: With the treatment of 30 mg/L GA3 for 32 h and stratification for 70 d, the seed germination rate of Fritillaria cirrhosa reached 67.0%. After treated with 0.1% colchicine solution for 48 h, the stratificationed mature seed showed polyploid inductivity of 85.7%.