Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1093/aob/mcag164
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Climate-driven in-situ trait variation in an annual ruderal grass across Europe
Autor Villhauer, H.; Hellwig, T.; Labarosa, S.J.; Metzger, S.; Moore, J.; Wysocki, A.; Straube, H.; Blume, D.V.M.; Straube, J.; Durka, W. ORCID logo ; Brankov, M.; Konowalik, K.; Lexa, M.; Kheloufi, A.; Mansouri, M.L.; Blanco Moreno, J.M.; Neira, P.; Torra, J.; Royo-Esnal, A.; da Silva, L.P.; Santi, F.; Zarantonello, A.E.; Rodríguez-García, E.; Romeralo, C.; Hampe, A.; Manzanares-Vázquez, V.; Myśliwy, M.; Bomanowska, A.; Kaczmarek, K.; Kolanowska, M.; Rewicz, A.; Nikolić, N.; Mudrák, O.; Nobis, M.; Nobis, A.; Radak, B.; Ilić, M.; Baranow, P.; Nowak, S.; Nosalewicz, A.; Krzemińska, I.; Backhaus, A.E.; Szitár, K.; Einspanier, S.; Pincebourde, S.; Leclerc, M.; Wagner, M.; Mitschunas, N.; Bignon, A.; Sahri, A.; Saatkamp, A.; Drouzas, A.D.; Kopriva, S.; von Korff, M.; Bucharova, A.
Quelle Annals of Botany
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
Department BZF; iDiv
Seite von mcag164
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements Supplement 1
Keywords climate, environment, grasses, Hordeum murinum, in-situ sampling, intraspecific trait variability, ruderals, seed elemental nutrients
Abstract Background and Aims
Plant functional traits link environmental conditions to plant performance and adaptation. Growing evidence suggests that intraspecific trait variation can be as important as differences between species, yet large intraspecific studies of in-situ variation remain rare. While most studies have focused on plant morphological traits, the concentrations of elemental nutrients in seeds have received much less attention so far.
Methods
We conducted a large-scale in-situ study of the widespread annual ruderal grass Hordeum murinum. We sampled 2070 individuals from 207 populations across a large part of its native range in Europe and North Africa. We measured seed ripening phenology and growth-related traits in-situ and analyzed concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seeds.
Key results
We found that Hordeum murinum grew larger, produced seeds later, and had heavier seeds in colder and wetter regions. Plants growing in denser vegetation were taller and produced heavier seeds but formed fewer spikes. Concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seed generally declined with seed weight and were primarily driven by climatic variables, whereas soil conditions had only minor effects on plant traits and seed nutrients. Population identity explained a substantial proportion of trait variation, indicating a possible genetic component.
Conclusions
Our findings provide a comprehensive view of how Hordeum murinum responds to environmental gradients across its European distribution. Climatic variables, particularly temperature, are key drivers of reproductive timing and concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seed, whereas local environmental conditions, such as biotic pressures, are more critical for growth-related traits. Together, these patterns indicate that Hordeum murinum modulates its growth and reproductive investment along environmental gradients, balancing phenology, stress tolerance, and limited competitive capacity.
Villhauer, H., Hellwig, T., Labarosa, S.J., Metzger, S., Moore, J., Wysocki, A., Straube, H., Blume, D.V.M., Straube, J., Durka, W., Brankov, M., Konowalik, K., Lexa, M., Kheloufi, A., Mansouri, M.L., Blanco Moreno, J.M., Neira, P., Torra, J., Royo-Esnal, A., da Silva, L.P., Santi, F., Zarantonello, A.E., Rodríguez-García, E., Romeralo, C., Hampe, A., Manzanares-Vázquez, V., Myśliwy, M., Bomanowska, A., Kaczmarek, K., Kolanowska, M., Rewicz, A., Nikolić, N., Mudrák, O., Nobis, M., Nobis, A., Radak, B., Ilić, M., Baranow, P., Nowak, S., Nosalewicz, A., Krzemińska, I., Backhaus, A.E., Szitár, K., Einspanier, S., Pincebourde, S., Leclerc, M., Wagner, M., Mitschunas, N., Bignon, A., Sahri, A., Saatkamp, A., Drouzas, A.D., Kopriva, S., von Korff, M., Bucharova, A. (2026):
Climate-driven in-situ trait variation in an annual ruderal grass across Europe
Ann. Bot. , mcag164
10.1093/aob/mcag164