The Afterlife of Interspecific Indirect Genetic Effects: Genotype Interactions Alter Litter Quality with Consequences for Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics
Figure 4
Indirect genetic effects and afterlife effects on ecosystem processes.
Interspecific indirect genetic effects (IIGEs) alter focal plant biomass traits, and afterlife effects cross the “living-dead” barrier to influence ecosystem processes. IIGE data is modified from [30], and are not the result of analyses done here. IIGEs show the partial r2 values of neighbor genotype on focal plant biomass traits. Ecosystem processes abbreviations represent nitrogen (N) uptake and release, decomposition rate (k), and phosphorous (P) uptake and release. “Afterlife effects” arrows show the partial r2 value of plant biomass traits together in a single model that also contained species identity, and genotype nested within species. Arrows are only present for significant relationships. Combined, afterlife effects explained 24% of the variation in N uptake and release.