EDI Staging Environment
Genome size varies widely across angiosperms, impacting the nitrogen and phosphate demands of nuclei, the scaling effects on minimum cell size, and plant metabolic processes. To determine the ecological consequences of these nutrient and scaling effects, we combined genome size and species abundance data from replicated nutrient addition experiments in the Nutrient Network, encompassing 27 grassland communities distributed across a range of climates in the Northern hemisphere. We found that larger genome species (mostly C3 grasses and perennial forbs) became more abundant and decreased less in richness under combined nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisation, potentially indicating a release from nuclei nutrient constraints. Responses did not depend upon temperature or seasonal attributes but were strongest at sites with low precipitation, indicating that GS effects on water-use-efficiency modulates GS-nutrient interactions. Cumulatively our data indicate that genome size is a globally important predictor of a species success and grassland community structures.
EDI is a collaboration between the University of New Mexico and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Center for Limnology:
