{ "abstract": "Background and Aims Plant functional traits link environmental conditions to plant performance and adaptation. Growing evidence suggests that intraspecific trait variation can be as important as differences between species, yet large intraspecific studies of in-situ variation remain rare. While most studies have focused on plant morphological traits, the concentrations of elemental nutrients in seeds have received much less attention so far. Methods We conducted a large-scale in-situ study of the widespread annual ruderal grass Hordeum murinum. We sampled 2070 individuals from 207 populations across a large part of its native range in Europe and North Africa. We measured seed ripening phenology and growth-related traits in-situ and analyzed concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seeds. Key results We found that Hordeum murinum grew larger, produced seeds later, and had heavier seeds in colder and wetter regions. Plants growing in denser vegetation were taller and produced heavier seeds but formed fewer spikes. Concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seed generally declined with seed weight and were primarily driven by climatic variables, whereas soil conditions had only minor effects on plant traits and seed nutrients. Population identity explained a substantial proportion of trait variation, indicating a possible genetic component. Conclusions Our findings provide a comprehensive view of how Hordeum murinum responds to environmental gradients across its European distribution. Climatic variables, particularly temperature, are key drivers of reproductive timing and concentrations of elemental nutrients in the seed, whereas local environmental conditions, such as biotic pressures, are more critical for growth-related traits. Together, these patterns indicate that Hordeum murinum modulates its growth and reproductive investment along environmental gradients, balancing phenology, stress tolerance, and limited competitive capacity.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 55, "authors": [ { "name": "Helene Villhauer", "orcid": "0009-0009-8982-5386" }, { "name": "Timo Hellwig", "orcid": "0000-0003-4122-8936" }, { "name": "Anna Elisabeth Backhaus", "orcid": "0000-0001-5202-9372" }, { "name": "Przemyslaw Baranow", "orcid": "0000-0003-1907-7211" }, { "name": "Albane Bignon", "orcid": "0009-0002-5406-7430" }, { "name": "José Manuel Blanco Moreno", "orcid": "0000-0003-1038-3941" }, { "name": "Denise V M Blume", "orcid": "0000-0002-6316-2918" }, { "name": "Anna Bomanowska", "orcid": "0000-0001-5648-2852" }, { "name": "Milan Brankov", "orcid": "0000-0002-5462-6477" }, { "name": "Luís P da Silva", "orcid": "0000-0003-2358-1277" }, { "name": "Andreas D Drouzas", "orcid": "0000-0001-5234-3572" }, { "name": "Walter Durka", "orcid": "0000-0002-6611-2246" }, { "name": "Severin Einspanier", "orcid": "0000-0002-0211-7304" }, { "name": "Arndt Hampe", "orcid": "0000-0003-2551-9784" }, { "name": "Miloš Ilić", "orcid": "0000-0002-7613-7762" }, { "name": "Konrad Kaczmarek", "orcid": "0000-0003-1655-7818" }, { "name": "Abdenour Kheloufi", "orcid": "0000-0002-4928-349X" }, { "name": "Marta Kolanowska", "orcid": "0000-0001-5347-5403" }, { "name": "Kamil Konowalik", "orcid": "0000-0003-4821-0608" }, { "name": "Izabela Krzemińska", "orcid": "0000-0002-0125-717X" }, { "name": "Sandy Jan Labarosa", "orcid": "0000-0002-6906-7727" }, { "name": "Mathieu Leclerc", "orcid": "0000-0002-5096-5295" }, { "name": "Matej Lexa", "orcid": "0000-0002-4213-5259" }, { "name": "Lahouaria Mounia Mansouri", "orcid": "0000-0003-1408-9432" }, { "name": "Víctor Manzanares-Vázquez", "orcid": "0000-0002-0695-4150" }, { "name": "Sabine Metzger", "orcid": "0000-0002-9722-8495" }, { "name": "Nadine Mitschunas", "orcid": "0009-0003-5968-075X" }, { "name": "Jonathan Moore", "orcid": "0000-0002-5486-0407" }, { "name": "Ondřej Mudrák", "orcid": "0000-0001-7775-0414" }, { "name": "Monika Myśliwy", "orcid": "0000-0001-6573-6455" }, { "name": "Pablo Neira", "orcid": "0000-0002-8471-446X" }, { "name": "Nebojša Nikolić", "orcid": "0000-0003-3774-6693" }, { "name": "Agnieszka Nobis", "orcid": "0000-0002-8318-8816" }, { "name": "Marcin Nobis", "orcid": "0000-0002-1594-2418" }, { "name": "Artur Nosalewicz", "orcid": "0000-0001-5864-5619" }, { "name": "Sławomir Nowak", "orcid": "0000-0002-0496-1023" }, { "name": "Sylvain Pincebourde", "orcid": "0000-0001-7964-5861" }, { "name": "Boris Radak", "orcid": "0000-0001-9259-582X" }, { "name": "Agnieszka Rewicz", "orcid": "0000-0002-8228-6406" }, { "name": "Encarna Rodríguez-García", "orcid": "0000-0002-4475-2242" }, { "name": "Carmen Romeralo", "orcid": "0000-0002-8510-9915" }, { "name": "Aritz Royo-Esnal", "orcid": "0000-0003-2534-8372" }, { "name": "Arne Saatkamp", "orcid": "0000-0001-5638-0143" }, { "name": "Ali Sahri", "orcid": "0009-0006-0601-9847" }, { "name": "Francesco Santi", "orcid": "0000-0002-9391-0059" }, { "name": "Henryk Straube", "orcid": "0000-0001-9286-7784" }, { "name": "Jannis Straube", "orcid": "0000-0002-6813-3809" }, { "name": "Katalin Szitár", "orcid": "0000-0002-8810-540X" }, { "name": "Joel Torra", "orcid": "0000-0002-8666-6780" }, { "name": "Markus Wagner", "orcid": "0000-0002-2263-304X" }, { "name": "Adrian Wysocki", "orcid": "0000-0001-6550-1963" }, { "name": "Anis Edena Zarantonello", "orcid": "0009-0004-8437-2561" }, { "name": "Stanislav Kopriva", "orcid": "0000-0002-7416-6551" }, { "name": "Maria von Korff", "orcid": "0000-0002-6816-586X" }, { "name": "Anna Bucharova", "orcid": "0000-0002-5468-5426" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6w00jtzms98cq.bib", "cited_by": 1, "doi": "10.1093/aob/mcag164", "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13715027/", "id": "6w00jtzms98cq", "issns": [ "0305-7364", "1095-8290" ], "landing_url": "https://u-picardie.hal.science/hal-05766737v1", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "hal", "0.sde" ], [ "hal", "1.sde.be" ], [ "heading", "AcademicSubjects/SCI01080" ], [ "heading", "AcademicSubjects/SCI01130" ], [ "heading", "AcademicSubjects/SCI01210" ], [ "heading", "Original Article" ], [ "openalex", "2309|Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies" ] ], "openalex": "W7166339519", "pdf_url": "https://u-picardie.hal.science/hal-05766737/document", "pmcid": "PMC13715027", "pmid": "42364147", "published": "2026-06-27", "publisher": "Oxford University Press (OUP)", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6w00jtzms98cq.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:42Z", "native_id": "hal-05766737", "source": "hal", "url": "https://u-picardie.hal.science/hal-05766737v1" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:25Z", "native_id": "PMC13715027", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag164" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "hal:1.sde.be", "subfield": "ecology" }, { "field": "earth", "origin": "hal:0.sde", "subfield": "environmental-science" } ], "title": "Climate-driven in-situ trait variation in an annual ruderal grass across Europe", "title_text": "Climate-driven in-situ trait variation in an annual ruderal grass across Europe", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:25Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6w00jtzms98cq", "venue": "Annals of Botany", "versions": [] }