TY - JOUR T1 - Genetic structure of a foundation species: scaling community phenotypes from the individual to the region. JF - Heredity Y1 - 2008 A1 - RK Bangert A1 - E V Lonsdorf A1 - Wimp,G M A1 - Shuster,S M A1 - Fischer,D A1 - Schweitzer,J A A1 - Allan,G J A1 - JK Bailey A1 - Whitham,T G KW - Animals KW - biodiversity KW - Ecosystem KW - Environment KW - Populus KW - Trees AB -

Understanding the local and regional patterns of species distributions has been a major goal of ecological and evolutionary research. The notion that these patterns can be understood through simple quantitative rules is attractive, but while numerous scaling laws exist (e.g., metabolic, fractals), we are aware of no studies that have placed individual traits and community structure together within a genetics based scaling framework. We document the potential for a genetic basis to the scaling of ecological communities, largely based upon our long-term studies of poplars (Populus spp.). The genetic structure and diversity of these foundation species affects riparian ecosystems and determines a much larger community of dependent organisms. Three examples illustrate these ideas. First, there is a strong genetic basis to phytochemistry and tree architecture (both above- and belowground), which can affect diverse organisms and ecosystem processes. Second, empirical studies in the wild show that the local patterns of genetics based community structure scale up to western North America. At multiple spatial scales the arthropod community phenotype is related to the genetic distance among plants that these arthropods depend upon for survival. Third, we suggest that the familiar species-area curve, in which species richness is a function of area, is also a function of genetic diversity. We find that arthropod species richness is closely correlated with the genetic marker diversity and trait variance suggesting a genetic component to these curves. Finally, we discuss how genetic variation can interact with environmental variation to affect community attributes across geographic scales along with conservation implications.

VL - 100 SN - 0018-067X UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=17047690&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumhttp://www.ncbi. IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Plant genetics predicts intra-annual variation in phytochemistry and arthropod community structure. JF - Molecular ecology Y1 - 2007 A1 - Wimp,G M A1 - Wooley,S A1 - RK Bangert A1 - Young,W P A1 - Martinsen,G D A1 - Keim,P A1 - Rehill,B A1 - R L Lindroth A1 - Whitham,T G KW - Animals KW - Arthropods KW - DNA, Plant KW - Ecosystem KW - Genetics, Population KW - Plant Extracts KW - Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length KW - Population Density KW - Population Dynamics KW - Populus KW - Seasons AB -

With the emerging field of community genetics, it is important to quantify the key mechanisms that link genetics and community structure. We studied cottonwoods in common gardens and in natural stands and examined the potential for plant chemistry to be a primary mechanism linking plant genetics and arthropod communities. If plant chemistry drives the relationship between plant genetics and arthropod community structure, then several predictions followed. We would find (i) the strongest correlation between plant genetic composition and chemical composition; (ii) an intermediate correlation between plant chemical composition and arthropod community composition; and (iii) the weakest relationship between plant genetic composition and arthropod community composition. Our results supported our first prediction: plant genetics and chemistry had the strongest correlation in the common garden and the wild. Our results largely supported our second prediction, but varied across space, seasonally, and according to arthropod feeding group. Plant chemistry played a larger role in structuring common garden arthropod communities relative to wild communities, free-living arthropods relative to leaf and stem modifiers, and early-season relative to late-season arthropods. Our results did not support our last prediction, as host plant genetics was at least as tightly linked to arthropod community structure as plant chemistry, if not more so. Our results demonstrate the consistency of the relationship between plant genetics and biodiversity. Additionally, plant chemistry can be an important mechanism by which plant genetics affects arthropod community composition, but other genetic-based factors are likely involved that remain to be measured.

VL - 16 SN - 0962-1083 UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=17927708&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumhttp://www.ncbi. IS - 23 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. JF - Nature reviews. Genetics Y1 - 2006 A1 - Whitham,Thomas G A1 - JK Bailey A1 - Jennifer A Schweitzer A1 - Shuster,Stephen M A1 - RK Bangert A1 - LeRoy,Carri J A1 - Lonsdorf,Eric V A1 - Allan,Gery J A1 - DiFazio,Stephen P A1 - Potts,Brad M A1 - Fischer,Dylan G A1 - Gehring,Catherine A A1 - Lindroth,Richard L A1 - Jane C Marks A1 - Stephen C Hart A1 - Wimp,Gina M A1 - Wooley,Stuart C KW - Animals KW - Ecosystem KW - Genetics, Population KW - Humans KW - Plants AB -

Can heritable traits in a single species affect an entire ecosystem? Recent studies show that such traits in a common tree have predictable effects on community structure and ecosystem processes. Because these 'community and ecosystem phenotypes' have a genetic basis and are heritable, we can begin to apply the principles of population and quantitative genetics to place the study of complex communities and ecosystems within an evolutionary framework. This framework could allow us to understand, for the first time, the genetic basis of ecosystem processes, and the effect of such phenomena as climate change and introduced transgenic organisms on entire communities.

VL - 7 SN - 1471-0056 UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=16778835&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumhttp://www.ncbi. IS - 7 ER -