Correlational selection and genetic architecture shape the evolution of the leaf economics spectrum in a perennial grass

Abstract

The generality of the worldwide leaf economics spectrum (LES) has made it a pillar of trait-based ecological research. Yet, few studies have examined the processes shaping the evolution of the LES within species, in part, because most species occupy only a small portion of the LES. To address this gap, we took advantage of the distinct leaf economics strategies present in different ecotypes of the phenotypically diverse perennial grass Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) to generate a genetic mapping population, which we planted in common gardens at three sites spanning 12 degrees of latitude in the central United States. With this genetic mapping population, we evaluated two potentially interacting causes of LES evolution: 1) genetic architecture, where multiple traits are influenced by either the same gene (pleiotropy) or by genes in close physical proximity (genetic linkage), and 2) correlational selection, where selection acts on traits in combination rather than in isolation. We found that shared genetic architecture influenced covariation between photosynthetic rate (AMASS) and leaf nitrogen (NMASS) and between AMASS and leaf mass per area (LMA). We also found that correlational selection favored the trait combinations predicted by the LES (e.g., high LMA with low NMASS or low LMA with high NMASS) and disfavored other, mismatched trait combinations at two of the three sites. Together, these results demonstrate how the evolution of an integrated LES within species can arise from multiple evolutionary causes.

Citation

Heckman, Robert W.; John, Grace P.; Bonnette, Jason E.; Juenger, Thomas E. 2026. Correlational selection and genetic architecture shape the evolution of the leaf economics spectrum in a perennial grass. PNAS - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 123(8): e2515134123.