Genetic differences influence community structure
Individual genetic differences can help build, change and increase interaction of ecological communities over time, new research from the UK shows. Presented in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, the study suggests that individuals can deal with myriad issues by understanding how society interacts and establishes sustainable communities. Disease prevention, food security and how individuals co-exist with nature in an ever-ballooning globe are just some of the issues that weigh heavily on our minds. Scientists from the UK-based Universities of Manchester, York and St Andrews have edited a themed issue of the journal that pays special attention to how genetic interactions among individuals shape animal and plant communities. In total, 13 research articles and commentaries are presented in 'Community Genetics: at the cross-roads of ecology and evolutionary genetics'. In these, experts from Spain, the UK and the US investigate how changes within species affect interactions among species. 'The research featured in this special issue of the journal reveals how genetic differences within species affect the wildlife communities of the whole local ecosystem,' explains Dr Richard Preziosi of Manchester's Faculty of Life Science, who is co-editor of the special issue. Dr Preziosi's study probed how the community of associated species in a varied and complex tropical rainforest ecosystem is influenced by the core genetic make-up of a single tree. Dr Preziosi and colleagues put the spotlight on the plant and invertebrate communities currently living on Breadnut trees (Brosimum alicastrum) found in the tropical forests of Belize in Central America. They aimed to find out the extent to which a single tree determines what species live on and around it. 'We found that more genetically similar trees were host to more similar communities of epiphytic plants, leaf litter invertebrates and trunk invertebrates,' Dr Preziosi says. 'The discovery was surprising given the diversity of the rainforest system and the numerous interactions between species that occur within it,' he adds. 'Our work shows that there may be structuring within these ecosystems at the level of the trees, which has high biological significance in terms of rainforest conservation and restoration.' Using ropes and harnesses, the researchers climbed into the forest canopy and counted each bromeliad and orchid plant growing on a total of 53 Breadnut trees. Part of their study included assessing the invertebrates on each tree by using pitfall traps, leaf litter collections and trunk traps. 'In total, more than 2,100 individual plants were counted from 46 orchid and 17 bromeliad species, and 1,900 invertebrates from more than 80 species were also recorded,' says lead author Dr Sharon Zytynska, also from the University of Manchester. 'The trees were all genotyped to tell us how genetically similar each one was to another and then the associated communities of each tree compared. The findings we observed suggest that a population of genetically similar trees would host a reduced diversity of plants and animals. 'This would have a knock-on effect for higher organisms too, such as the pollinators associated with the orchids or the amphibians that feed on the invertebrates, so have important implications for conservation efforts in these forests.'For more information, please visit: University of Manchester: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/(opens in new window) Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/(opens in new window)
Countries
United Kingdom