Asymmetrical local adaptation of maize landraces along an altitudinal gradient

Asymmetrical local adaptation of maize landraces along an altitudinal gradient

Crop landraces are managed populations that evolve in response to gene flow and selection. Cross-pollination among fields, seed sharing by farmers, and selection by management and environmental conditions play roles in shaping crop characteristics. We used common gardens to explore the local adaptation of maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) landrace populations from Chiapas, Mexico to altitude. We sowed...

Local adaptation enhances seedling recruitment along an altitudinal gradient in a high mountain mediterranean plant.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Germination and seedling establishment, which are critical stages in the regeneration process of plant populations, may be subjected to natural selection and adaptive evolution. The aims of this work were to assess the main limitations on offspring performance of Silene ciliata, a high mountain Mediterranean plant, and to test whether local adaptation at small spatial scales...

Leaf litter decomposition and microarthropod abundance along an altitudinal gradient

Mass loss rates of three types of leaf litter were measured along an altitudinal gradient at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Macon County, North Carolina. Litterbags containing air dried litter from Quercus prinus L., Liriodendron tulipifera L., and Rhododendron maximum L. were placed in five plots along the gradient and sampled monthly. Microarthropods were extracted and sorted, and litter ...

Behavioural tuning in a tropical amphibian along an altitudinal gradient.

Males of the coqui treefrog, Eleutherodactylus coqui, produce a distinct two-note 'co-qui' advertisement call from sunset to midnight throughout most of the year. Previous work established that both the spectrotemporal aspects of the call and the frequency of highest inner-ear sensitivity change with altitude above sea level. These variations are such that the frequency of the emitted co-note c...

Phenotypic Variation Inmorus Alba L. along Altitudinal Gradient