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Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Morris, WF; Ehrlén, J; Dahlgren, JP; Loomis, AK; Louthan, AM
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
January 2020

Multiple, simultaneous environmental changes, in climatic/abiotic factors, interacting species, and direct human influences, are impacting natural populations and thus biodiversity, ecosystem services, and evolutionary trajectories. Determining whether the magnitudes of the population impacts of abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic drivers differ, accounting for their direct effects and effects mediated through other drivers, would allow us to better predict population fates and design mitigation strategies. We compiled 644 paired values of the population growth rate (λ) from high and low levels of an identified driver from demographic studies of terrestrial plants. Among abiotic drivers, natural disturbance (not climate), and among biotic drivers, interactions with neighboring plants had the strongest effects on λ However, when drivers were combined into the 3 main types, their average effects on λ did not differ. For the subset of studies that measured both the average and variability of the driver, λ was marginally more sensitive to 1 SD of change in abiotic drivers relative to biotic drivers, but sensitivity to biotic drivers was still substantial. Similar impact magnitudes for abiotic/biotic/anthropogenic drivers hold for plants of different growth forms, for different latitudinal zones, and for biomes characterized by harsher or milder abiotic conditions, suggesting that all 3 drivers have equivalent impacts across a variety of contexts. Thus, the best available information about the integrated effects of drivers on all demographic rates provides no justification for ignoring drivers of any of these 3 types when projecting ecological and evolutionary responses of populations and of biodiversity to environmental changes.

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Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

January 2020

Volume

117

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1107 / 1112

Related Subject Headings

  • Population Growth
  • Plants
  • Plant Physiological Phenomena
  • Plant Development
  • Humans
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Climate Change
  • Climate
  • Biodiversity
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Morris, W. F., Ehrlén, J., Dahlgren, J. P., Loomis, A. K., & Louthan, A. M. (2020). Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(2), 1107–1112. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1918363117
Morris, William F., Johan Ehrlén, Johan P. Dahlgren, Alexander K. Loomis, and Allison M. Louthan. “Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117, no. 2 (January 2020): 1107–12. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1918363117.
Morris WF, Ehrlén J, Dahlgren JP, Loomis AK, Louthan AM. Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2020 Jan;117(2):1107–12.
Morris, William F., et al. “Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 117, no. 2, Jan. 2020, pp. 1107–12. Epmc, doi:10.1073/pnas.1918363117.
Morris WF, Ehrlén J, Dahlgren JP, Loomis AK, Louthan AM. Biotic and anthropogenic forces rival climatic/abiotic factors in determining global plant population growth and fitness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2020 Jan;117(2):1107–1112.
Journal cover image

Published In

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI

EISSN

1091-6490

ISSN

0027-8424

Publication Date

January 2020

Volume

117

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1107 / 1112

Related Subject Headings

  • Population Growth
  • Plants
  • Plant Physiological Phenomena
  • Plant Development
  • Humans
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Climate Change
  • Climate
  • Biodiversity