Leaf structure and water relations of an allotetraploid Mediterranean fern and its diploid parents

Allopolyploidy is a common speciation mechanism in plants; however, its physiological and ecological consequences in niche partitioning have been scarcely studied. In this sense, leaf traits are good proxies to study the adaptive capacity of allopolyploids and diploid parents to their respective env...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiologia plantarum 2023-09, Vol.175 (5), p.e14043-n/a
Main Authors: Nadal, Miquel, Quintanilla, Luis G., Pons‐Perpinyà, Joan, Lima, Valéria F., Gago, Jorge, Aranda, Ismael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allopolyploidy
Capacitance
Controlled conditions
Diploids
Drought resistance
Dry matter
Ecological effects
Environmental conditions
Ferns
Leaves
Niche overlap
Niches
Osmotic potential
Speciation
Turgor
Water relations
Water stress
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Summary:Allopolyploidy is a common speciation mechanism in plants; however, its physiological and ecological consequences in niche partitioning have been scarcely studied. In this sense, leaf traits are good proxies to study the adaptive capacity of allopolyploids and diploid parents to their respective environmental conditions. In the present work, leaf water relations (assessed through pressure–volume curves) and structural and anatomical traits of the allotetraploid fern Oeosporangium tinaei and its diploid parents, Oeosporangium hispanicum and Oeosporangium pteridioides, were studied under controlled conditions in response to a water stress (WS) cycle. O. hispanicum showed the lowest osmotic potential at turgor loss point (πtlp) and leaf capacitance, together with higher leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf thickness (LT), leaf density (LD), and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), whereas O. pteridioides presented the opposite set of traits (high πtlp and capacitance, and low LMA, LT, LD, and LDMC). O. tinaei showed an intermediate position for most of the studied traits. The responsiveness (osmotic and elastic adjustments) to WS was low, although most of the traits explained the segregation of the three species across a range of drought tolerance according to the rank: O. hispanicum > O. tinaei > O. pteridioides. These trait differences may underlie the niche segregation among coexisting populations of the three species in the Mediterranean basin.
ISSN:0031-9317
1399-3054
DOI:10.1111/ppl.14043