Populus angustifolia leaves, and Solidago sp. flowers with associated arthropods. Members of these two plant genera are model systems in community genetics research.

Community genetics is a recently emerged field in biology that fuses elements of community ecology, evolutionary biology, and molecular and quantitative genetics. Antonovics[1] first articulated the vision for such a field, and Whitham et al.[2] formalized its definition as "The study of the genetic interactions that occur between species and their abiotic environment in complex communities." The field aims to bridge the gaps in the study of evolution and ecology, within the multivariate community context in which ecological and evolutionary features are embedded. The documentary movie A Thousand Invisible Cords[3] provides an introduction to the field and its implications.

To date, the primary focus of most community genetics studies has been on the influences of genetic variation in plants on foliar arthropod communities. In a wide variety of ecosystems, different plant genotypes often support different compositions of associated foliar arthropod communities.[4] Such community phenotypes have been observed in natural hybrid complexes,[5] among genotypes and sibling families within a single species[6][7][8] and among different plant populations.[9] To understand the broader impacts of differences among plant genotypes on biodiversity as a whole, researchers have begun to examine the response of other organisms, such as foliar endophytes,[10] mycorrhizal fungi,[11] soil microbes,[12] litter-dwelling arthropods,[13] herbaceous plants[14][15] and epiphytes.[13] These effects are frequently examined with foundation species[16][17] in temperate ecosystems, who structure ecosystems by modulating and stabilizing resources and ecosystem processes. The emphasis on foundation species allows researchers to focus on the likely most important players in a system without becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of all the genetically variable interactions occurring at the same time. However, unique effects of plant genotypes have also been found with non-foundation species,[7][9] and can occur in tropical, boreal and alpine systems.[10][13][15]

The vision for the field of community genetics extends beyond documentation of different communities on different genotypes of a focal species. Other aspects of this field include

  • understanding how species interactions within a community are modulated by host genotype,[18][19]
  • implications of host genotype on the fitness and evolution of community members,[19][20] and
  • selection on hosts influencing associated communities.[21][22]

Future progress in the field of community genetics is strongly dependent on breakthroughs in modern molecular DNA-based technology, such as genome sequencing.[23] The application of a community genetics approach to understanding how species and communities of interacting organisms are reacting to rapid changes in climate, as well as informing restoration, are two important applied aspects of community genetics.

References

  1. ↑ Antonovics, J. 1992. Toward community genetics. Pages 426-449 in R. S. Fritz and E. L. Simms, editors. Plant resistance to herbivores and pathogens: ecology, evolution, and genetics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA.
  2. ↑ Whitham, T.G., J.K. Bailey, J.A. Schweitzer, S.M. Shuster, R.K. Bangert, C.J. LeRoy, E.V. Lonsdorf, G.J. Allan, S.P. DiFazio, B.M. Potts, D.G. Fischer, C.A. Gehring, R.L. Lindroth, J.C. Marks, S.C. Hart, G.M. Wimp, S.C. Wooley. 2006. A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. Nature Reviews Genetics 7:510-523.
  3. ↑ Nau Idea Lab. "Home | A Thousand Invisible Cords | Connecting Genes to Ecosystems". A Thousand Invisible Cords. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
  4. ↑ Whitham, T.G., C.A. Gehring, L.J. Lamit, T. Wojtowicz, L.M. Evans, A.R. Keith, D.S. Smith. 2012. Community specificity: life and afterlife effects of genes. Trends in Plant Sciences 17:271-281.
  5. ↑ Wimp, G.M., S. Wooley, R.K. Bangert, W.P. Young, G.D. Martinsen, P. Keim, B. Rehill, R.L. Lindroth, T.G. Whitham. 2007. Plant genetics predicts intra-annual variation in phytochemistry and arthropod community structure. Molecular Ecology 16:5057-5069.
  6. ↑ Maddox, G.D., R.B. Root. 1987. Resistance to 16 diverse species of herbivorous insects within a population of goldenrod, Solidago altissima: Genetic variation and heritability. Oecologia 72:8-14.
  7. 1 2 Johnson, M.T.J., A.A. Agrawal. 2005. Plant genotype and environment interact to shape a diverse arthropod community on evening primrose ("Oenothera biennis"). Ecology 86: 874-885.
  8. ↑ Keith, A.R., J.K. Bailey, T.G. Whitham. 2010. A genetic basis to community repeatability and stability. Ecology 91:3398-3406.
  9. 1 2 Wise, M.J. 2007. Evolutionary ecology of resistance to herbivory: an investigation of potential genetic constraints in the multiple-herbivore community of Solanum carolinense. New Phytologist 175:773-784.
  10. 1 2 Elamo, P., M.L. Helander, I. Saloniemi, S. Neuvonen. 1999. Birch family and environmental conditions affect endophytic fungi in leaves. Oecologia 118:151-156.
  11. ↑ Sthultz, C.M., T.G. Whitham, K. Kennedy, R. Deckert, C.A. Gehring. 2009. Genetically based susceptibility to herbivory influences the ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of a foundation tree species. New Phytologist 184:657-667.
  12. ↑ Schweitzer, J.A., J.K. Bailey, D.G. Fischer, C.J. Leroy, E.V. Lonsdorf, T.G. Whitham, S.C. Hart. 2008. Plant-soil-microorganism interactions: Heritable relationship between plant genotype and associated soil microorganisms. Ecology 89:773-781.
  13. 1 2 3 Zytynska, S.E., M.F. Fay, D. Penny, R.F. Preziosi. 2011. Genetic variation in a tropical tree species influences the associated epiphytic plant and invertebrate communities in a complex forest ecosystem. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 366:1329–1336.
  14. ↑ Lamit, L.J., T. Wojtowicz, Z. Kovacs, S.C. Wooley, M. Zinkgraf, T.G. Whitham, R.L. Lindroth, C.A. Gehring. 2011. Hybridization among foundation tree species influences the structure of associated understory plant communities. Botany 89:165-174.
  15. 1 2 Michalet, R., S. Xiao, B. Touzard, D.S. Smith, L.A. Cavieres, R.M. Callaway, T.G. Whitham. 2011. Phenotypic variation in nurse traits and community feedbacks define an alpine community. Ecology Letters 14:433-443.
  16. ↑ Dayton PK 1972. Toward an understanding of community resilience and the potential effects of enrichments to the benthos at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. In Parker BC. Proceedings of the Colloquium on Conservation Problems Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas. 81-96.
  17. ↑ Ellison, A.M., M.S. Bank, B.D. Clinton, E.A. Colburn, K. Elliott, C.R. Ford, D.R. Foster, B.D Kloeppel, J.D. Knoepp, G.M. Lovett, J. Mohan, D.A Orwig, N.L. Rodenhouse, W.V. Sobczak, K.A. Stinson, J.K. Stone, C.M. Swan, J. Thompson, B. Von Holle, J.R. Webster. 2005. Loss of foundation species: consequences for the structure and dynamics of forested ecosystems. Frontiers In Ecology And The Environment 3:479-486.
  18. ↑ Johnson, M.T. 2008. Bottom-up effects of plant genotype on aphids, ants and predators. Ecology 89:145-154.
  19. 1 2 Smith, D.S., J.K. Bailey, S.M. Shuster, T.G. Whitham. 2011. A geographic mosaic of trophic interactions and selection: trees, aphids and birds. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24:422-429.
  20. ↑ Evans, L.M., G.J. Allan, S.M. Shuster, S.A. Woolbright, T.G. Whitham. 2008. Tree hybridization and genotypic variation drive cryptic speciation of a specialist mite herbivore. Evolution 62:3027-3040.
  21. ↑ Lankau, R.A., S.Y. Strauss 2007. Mutual feedbacks maintain both genetic and species diversity in a plant community. Science 317:1561-1563.
  22. ↑ Johnson, M.T.J., M. Vellend, J.R. Stinchcombe. 2009. Evolution in plant populations as a driver of ecological changes in arthropod communities. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 364:1593-1605.
  23. ↑ Whitham, T.G., S.P. DiFazio, J.A. Schweitzer, S.M. Shuster, G.J. Allan, J.K. Bailey, S.A. Woolbright. 2008. Extending genomics to natural communities and ecosystems. Science 320:492-495.
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