TableS1_species.list.xlsx from Evolution of competitive traits changes species diversity in a natural field

Studying the interaction between evolutionary and ecological processes (i.e. eco-evolutionary dynamics) has great potential to improve our understanding of biological processes such as species interactions, community assembly and ecosystem functions. However, most experimental studies have been conducted under controlled laboratory or mesocosm conditions, and the importance of these interactions in natural field communities has not been evaluated. In this study, we focused on the contemporary divergence of a competitive trait (the height–width ratio) of an annual grass <i>Eleusine indica</i> between urban and farmland populations and investigated how trait evolution affects ecological processes by transplanting <i>E. indica</i> individuals from lineages with different trait values into semi-natural grassland. The competitive trait of the transplanted individuals not only affected their own growth and fitness, but also affected the vegetative growth of the competing species and the species diversity. These results indicate that the evolution of competitive traits, even in a single species, can influence the community species diversity through changes in interspecific interactions. Eco-evolutionary interactions therefore play a crucial role in natural field environments. Our results suggest that understanding intraspecific variation in competitive traits driven by rapid evolution is essential for understanding interspecific competitive interactions, community assembly and species diversity.

研究进化与生态过程之间的相互作用（即生态进化动力学（eco-evolutionary dynamics）），对于深化我们对物种相互作用、群落装配与生态系统功能等生物学过程的认知具有重要价值。然而，绝大多数相关实验研究均在可控实验室环境或中宇宙（mesocosm）实验条件下开展，这类相互作用在自然野外群落中的重要性尚未得到评估。本研究聚焦于一年生草本植物牛筋草（Eleusine indica）在城市种群与农田种群间的竞争性状（高宽比）的当代分化，通过将携带不同性状值谱系的牛筋草个体移植至半天然草地，探究性状进化如何影响生态过程。移植个体的竞争性状不仅会影响自身的生长与适合度，还会对其竞争物种的营养生长以及物种多样性产生影响。上述结果表明，即便仅针对单一物种，其竞争性状的进化也可通过改变种间相互作用，进而影响群落物种多样性。由此可见，生态进化相互作用（eco-evolutionary interactions）在自然野外环境中扮演着关键角色。本研究结果提示，解析由快速进化驱动的竞争性状种内变异，对于理解种间竞争相互作用、群落装配与物种多样性均至关重要。