Maternal effects of climate warming and nitrogen deposition vary with home and introduced ranges

Maternal effects allow offspring to cope with changing environments. While
the immediate effects of climate warming and nitrogen (N) deposition are
well documented, their maternal effects have been little studied. We
conducted a 6-year maternal experiment with Solidago canadensis, native to
North America and invasive in China, and two offspring experiments to
address how maternal warming, maternal N-addition and population source
interacted to influence offspring performance. Maternal effects of warming
and N-addition on seed traits, leaf dry matter content, and whole-plant
biomass were stronger in S. canadensis offspring from China than in
offspring from North America. Matched maternal-offspring environments
allowed offspring to perform better compared to mismatched environments;
offspring grown under warming flowered and produced seeds within a growing
season only when their maternal plants were previously exposed to warming.
Offspring environments influenced its performance and also modulated
maternal effects. We suggest that the maternal effects of simulated
climate warming and N deposition could vary ranges, and our findings imply
that maternal warming could advance the reproductive phenology of
offspring.