Nutrient Enrichment Alters Phenotypic Selection on Plant Traits in an Annual Herb on the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Nutrient enrichment is an increasingly important consequence of anthropogenic activities. Nutrient enrichment can alter the composition, diversity, and functioning of terrestrial plant communities, yet its effect on evolutionary processes in plant populations has been less well studied. To understand the evolutionary consequence of long-term soil nutrient enrichment, we examine the effects of nutrient addition (N or P) on plant traits, female reproductive success, and pattern of phenotypic selection in the annual plant Pedicularis szetschuanica M. in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Nutrient addition generally increased plant height and reduced tube length and nectar production per flower. Surprisingly, the effects of N and P addition on seed number per plant were reversed between years. Despite variation in traits, mean fitness, and opportunity for selection among nutrient treatments, patterns of selection changed only for nectar production, where we detected N-mediated selection favoring greater nectar production. This study suggests that nutrient enrichment can alter patterns of phenotypic selection, potentially influencing the evolution of floral traits even if pollinators play a limited role in selection.

Keywords: Pedicularis szetschuanica; alpine meadow; floral traits; nutrient addition; phenotypic selection.

FIGURE 1

Selection differentials for floral and plant‐level traits of Pedicularis szetschuanica across experimental treatments. Treatments include control (C), P addition (+P), and N addition (+N). Asterisks (*) indicate a statistically detectable difference.

FIGURE 2

Selection gradients for floral and plant‐level traits of Pedicularis szetschuanica across experimental treatments. Treatments include control (C), P addition (+P), and N addition (+N). Asterisks (*) indicate a statistically detectable difference.