Reconstructing geographical parthenogenesis: effects of niche differentiation and reproductive mode on Holocene range expansion of an alpine plant

• DOI: 10.1111/ele.12908
• Publication Date: 2018-01-19T02:02:40Z
• Authors: Bernhard Kirchheimer; Johannes Wessely; Andreas Gattringer; Karl Hülber; Dietmar Moser; Christoph C. F. S...; Marc Appelhans; Simone Klatt; Marco Caccianiga; Agnes Dellinger; Antoine Guisan; Michael Kuttner; Jonathan Lenoir; Luigi Maiorano; Diego Nieto‐Lugilde; Christoph Plutzar; Jens‐Christian Sv...; Wolfgang Willner; Elvira Hörandl; Stefan Dullinger
• Keywords: Polyploidization; Ranunculus; 0106 biological sciences; 570; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Parthenogenesis; CLIMATIC NICHES; [SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity; Altitude; Ecosystem; Geography; Parthenogenesis; Plants; Ranunculus; Ranunculus kuepferi; Apomictic plants; European Alps; geographical range; minority cytotype disadvantage; niche shift; polyploidization; Apomictic plants; European Alps; geographical range; minority cytotype disadvantage; niche shift; polyploidization; Ranunculus kuepferi; Ecosystem; Plants; Altitude; Geography; Parthenogenesis; Ranunculus; GENETIC-STRUCTURE; minority cytotype disadvantage; 01 natural sciences; APOMIXIS; geographical range; Apomictic plants; European Alps; geographical range; minority cytotype disadvantage; niche shift; polyploidization; Ranunculus kuepferi; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; DISTANCE SEED DISPERSAL; DISTRIBUTIONS; Apomictic plants; RANUNCULUS-KUEPFERI RANUNCULACEAE; BAKERS LAW; Letters; Ecosystem; Ranunculus kuepferi; [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment; Geography; 106003 Biodiversity research; Altitude; 106008 Botanik; Plants; 15. Life on land; polyploidization; EVOLUTION; 106008 Botany; Minority cytotype disadvantage; 106003 Biodiversitätsforschung; Niche shift; Geographical range; APOMICTIC PLANTS; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; European Alps; BIOGEOGRAPHY; niche shift

AbstractAsexual taxa often have larger ranges than their sexual progenitors, particularly in areas affected by Pleistocene glaciations. The reasons given for this ‘geographical parthenogenesis’ are contentious, with expansion of the ecological niche or colonisation advantages of uniparental reproduction assumed most important in case of plants. Here, we parameterized a spread model for the alpine buttercup Ranunculus kuepferi and reconstructed the joint Holocene range expansion of its sexual and apomictic cytotype across the European Alps under different simulation settings. We found that, rather than niche broadening or a higher migration rate, a shift of the apomict's niche towards colder conditions per se was crucial as it facilitated overcoming of topographical barriers, a factor likely relevant for many alpine apomicts. More generally, our simulations suggest potentially strong interacting effects of niche differentiation and reproductive modes on range formation of related sexual and asexual taxa arising from their differential sensitivity to minority cytotype disadvantage.