%0 Journal Article
%A Moreira, X
%A Hervella, P.
%A Lago-Núñez, B.
%A Galmán, A.
%A de la Fuente, M.
%A Covelo Núñez, Felisa
%A Marquis, R.J.
%A Vázquez-González, C.
%A Abdala-Roberts, L.
%T Biotic and abiotic factors associated with genome size evolution in oaks
%D 2024
%U https://hdl.handle.net/10433/21821
%X The evolutionary processes that underlie variation in plant genome size have been much debated. Abiotic factors are thought to have played an importantrole, with negative and positive correlations between genome size and seasonal or stressful climatic conditions being reported in several systems. In turn, variation in genome size may influence plant traits which affect interactions with other organisms, such as herbivores. The mechanisms underlying evolutionarylinkages between plant genome size and biotic and abiotic factors nonetheless remain poorly understod. To address this gap, we conducted phylogeneticallycontrolled analyses testing for associations between genome size, climatic variables, plant traits (defenses and nutrients), and herbivory across 29 oak(Quercus) species. Genome size is significantly associated with both temperature and precipitation seasonality, whereby oak species growing in climateswith lower and less variable temperatures but more variable rainfall had larger genomes. In addition, we found a negative association between genome sizeand leaf nutrient concentration (found to be the main predictor of herbivory), which in turn led to an indirect effect on herbivory. A follow-up test suggestedthat the association between genome size and leaf nutrients influencing herbivory was mediated by variation in plant growth, whereby species with largergenomes have slower growth rates, which in turn are correlated with lower nutrients. Collectively, these findings reveal novel associations between plantgenome size and biotic and abiotic factors that may influence life history evolution and ecological dynamics in this widespread tree genus.
%K Climatic Seasonality
%K Herbivory
%K Life History Traits
%K Nutrients
%K Phenolics
%K Plant Growth Rate,
%K Quercus
%~