Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism
Abstract Resource allocation theory posits that organisms distribute limited resources across functions to maximize their overall fitness. In plants, the allocation of resources among maintenance, reproduction, and growth influences short‐term economics and long‐term evolutionary processes, especial...
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11552 |
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| author | Jacob S. Suissa Noah Barkoff James E. Watkins |
| author_facet | Jacob S. Suissa Noah Barkoff James E. Watkins |
| author_sort | Jacob S. Suissa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Resource allocation theory posits that organisms distribute limited resources across functions to maximize their overall fitness. In plants, the allocation of resources among maintenance, reproduction, and growth influences short‐term economics and long‐term evolutionary processes, especially during resource scarcity. The evolution of specialized structures to divide labor between reproduction and growth can create a feedback loop where selection can act on individual organs, further increasing specializaton and resource allocation. Ferns exhibit diverse reproductive strategies, including dimorphism, where leaves can either be sterile (only for photosynthesis) or fertile (for spore dispersal). This dimorphism is similar to processes in seed plants (e.g., the production of fertile flowers and sterile leaves), and presents an opportunity to investigate divergent resource allocation between reproductive and vegetative functions in specialized organs. Here, we conducted anatomical and hydraulic analyses on Onoclea sensibilis L., a widespread dimorphic fern species, to reveal significant structural and hydraulic divergences between fertile and sterile leaves. Fertile fronds invest less in hydraulic architecture, with nearly 1.5 times fewer water‐conducting cells and a nearly 0.5 times less drought‐resistant xylem compared to sterile fronds. This comes at the increased relative investment in structural support, which may help facilitate spore dispersal. These findings suggest that specialization in ferns—in the form of reproductive dimorphism—can enable independent selection pressures on each leaf type, potentially optimizing spore dispersal in fertile fronds and photosynthetic efficiency in sterile fronds. Overall, our study sheds light on the evolutionary implications of functional specialization and highlights the importance of reproductive strategies in shaping plant fitness and evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2b98804435a4791afec9ec8b489b22d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2b98804435a4791afec9ec8b489b22d2025-08-20T03:30:55ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-07-01147n/an/a10.1002/ece3.11552Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphismJacob S. Suissa0Noah Barkoff1James E. Watkins2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Knoxville Tennessee USADepartment of Biological Sciences University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USADepartment of Biology Colgate University Hamilton New York USAAbstract Resource allocation theory posits that organisms distribute limited resources across functions to maximize their overall fitness. In plants, the allocation of resources among maintenance, reproduction, and growth influences short‐term economics and long‐term evolutionary processes, especially during resource scarcity. The evolution of specialized structures to divide labor between reproduction and growth can create a feedback loop where selection can act on individual organs, further increasing specializaton and resource allocation. Ferns exhibit diverse reproductive strategies, including dimorphism, where leaves can either be sterile (only for photosynthesis) or fertile (for spore dispersal). This dimorphism is similar to processes in seed plants (e.g., the production of fertile flowers and sterile leaves), and presents an opportunity to investigate divergent resource allocation between reproductive and vegetative functions in specialized organs. Here, we conducted anatomical and hydraulic analyses on Onoclea sensibilis L., a widespread dimorphic fern species, to reveal significant structural and hydraulic divergences between fertile and sterile leaves. Fertile fronds invest less in hydraulic architecture, with nearly 1.5 times fewer water‐conducting cells and a nearly 0.5 times less drought‐resistant xylem compared to sterile fronds. This comes at the increased relative investment in structural support, which may help facilitate spore dispersal. These findings suggest that specialization in ferns—in the form of reproductive dimorphism—can enable independent selection pressures on each leaf type, potentially optimizing spore dispersal in fertile fronds and photosynthetic efficiency in sterile fronds. Overall, our study sheds light on the evolutionary implications of functional specialization and highlights the importance of reproductive strategies in shaping plant fitness and evolution.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11552cavitationdimorphismembolismhydraulicsreproductionresource allocation |
| spellingShingle | Jacob S. Suissa Noah Barkoff James E. Watkins Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism Ecology and Evolution cavitation dimorphism embolism hydraulics reproduction resource allocation |
| title | Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| title_full | Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| title_fullStr | Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| title_short | Extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| title_sort | extreme functional specialization of fertile leaves in a widespread fern species and its implications on the evolution of reproductive dimorphism |
| topic | cavitation dimorphism embolism hydraulics reproduction resource allocation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11552 |
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