Collaborative: BEE: Ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the co-existence of close relatives

Kent State University, Kent OH

Investigators

Abstract

When communities are more biodiverse, they tend to be more stable and more productive. A key factor affecting biodiversity is the number of species that can live in the same place at the same time. However, not all species can co-exist, and the rules regulating co-existence are not completely understood. This project investigates the factors governing the co-occurrence of closely related wildflower species in habitats throughout eastern North America. Closely related species are likely to have similar traits and similar ecological needs. On one hand, similarities may result in close relatives being more likely to live in the same environments. On the other hand, similarities may cause close relatives to compete or interfere with one another during growth and reproduction, making it difficult for close relatives to co-occur in the long term. The long-term view is important. Relatively recently, glaciers in eastern North America forced species to migrate southward. This migration changed species’ geographic distributions after glaciation and likely increased co-occurrence. This research will improve our understanding of how ecological and evolutionary processes affect co-existence and biodiversity. The project will provide broad training for students. Public outreach will include creation of a museum display on biodiversity and species co-existence. The research team will locate and sample from multiple populations and herbaria records of 24 native Lobelia species across their ranges in eastern North America to document where they live and how often they co-occur. The study will determine how present-day patterns of co-occurrence are affected by both ecological and evolutionary processes, such as degree of relatedness, trait similarity, habitat characteristics, or historical migration. Investigations will include determination of species relationships via phylogenomics, key components of each species’ niche via microsite and trait characterization, and the degree to which species interfere with one another’s growth or reproduction. Whether interference affects their likelihood of co-existing will be determined using field measurements of reproductive traits, experimental crosses, and transplant experiments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.