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Díaz FP, Dussarrat T, Carrasco-Puga G, Colombié S, Prigent S, Decros G, Bernillon S, Cassan C, Flandin A, Guerrero PC, Gibon Y, Rolin D, Cavieres LA, Pétriacq P, Latorre C, Gutiérrez RA. Ecological and metabolic implications of the nurse effect of Maihueniopsis camachoi in the Atacama Desert. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1074-1087. [PMID: 37984856 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Plant-plant positive interactions are key drivers of community structure. Yet, the underlying molecular mechanisms of facilitation processes remain unexplored. We investigated the 'nursing' effect of Maihueniopsis camachoi, a cactus that thrives in the Atacama Desert between c. 2800 and 3800 m above sea level. We hypothesised that an important protective factor is thermal amelioration of less cold-tolerant species with a corresponding impact on molecular phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we compared plant cover and temperatures within the cactus foliage with open areas and modelled the effect of temperatures on plant distribution. We combined eco-metabolomics and machine learning to test the molecular consequences of this association. Multiple species benefited from the interaction with M. camachoi. A conspicuous example was the extended distribution of Atriplex imbricata to colder elevations in association with M. camachoi (400 m higher as compared to plants in open areas). Metabolomics identified 93 biochemical markers predicting the interaction status of A. imbricata with 79% accuracy, independently of year. These findings place M. camachoi as a key species in Atacama plant communities, driving local biodiversity with an impact on molecular phenotypes of nursed species. Our results support the stress-gradient hypothesis and provide pioneer insights into the metabolic consequences of facilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca P Díaz
- Instituto de Geografía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, 2362807, Valparaíso, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Chile (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, Chile
- ANID Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation and ANID Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
| | - Thomas Dussarrat
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Gabriela Carrasco-Puga
- ANID Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation and ANID Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sophie Colombié
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Sylvain Prigent
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Guillaume Decros
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Stéphane Bernillon
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Cédric Cassan
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Amélie Flandin
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Pablo C Guerrero
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Chile (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, 7800003, Concepción, Chile
- Instituto Milenio Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Antárticos y Subantárticos, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
| | - Yves Gibon
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Dominique Rolin
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Lohengrin A Cavieres
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Chile (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, 7800003, Concepción, Chile
| | - Pierre Pétriacq
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, UMR1332 BFP, 33882, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Bordeaux Metabolome, MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Claudio Latorre
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Chile (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo A Gutiérrez
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Chile (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, 7800003, Santiago, Chile
- ANID Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation and ANID Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, 8331150, Santiago, Chile
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Ale R, Zhang L, Bahadur Raskoti B, Cui G, Pugnaire FI, Luo T. Leaf carbon isotope tracks the facilitation pattern of legume shrubs shaped by water availability and species replacement along a large elevation gradient in Trans-Himalayas. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:429-442. [PMID: 37632795 PMCID: PMC10667008 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Understanding patterns and mechanisms of nurse plant facilitation is important to predict the resilience of arid/semi-arid ecosystems to climate change. We investigate whether water availability and nurse species turnover interact to shape the facilitation pattern of widespread legume shrubs along a large elevation gradient. We also investigate whether leaf δ13C of nurse plants can track the facilitation pattern. METHODS We measured the relative interaction index (RII) of the number of species within and outside the canopy of two widespread legume shrub species (Caragana gerardiana and Caragana versicolor) alternatively distributed along a large elevation gradient in the Trans-Himalayas. We also assessed the proportional increase of species richness (ISR) at the community level using the paired plot data. To determine site-specific water availability, we measured the leaf δ13C of nurse shrubs and calculated the Thornthwaite moisture index (MI) for each elevation site. KEY RESULTS Elevational variations in RII, ISR and δ13C were mainly explained by the MI when the effects of soil nitrogen and plant traits (leaf nitrogen and shrub size) were controlled. Variations in RII and ISR across the two nurse species were explained better by δ13C than by smoothly changing climatic factors along elevation. At the transition zone between the upper limit of C. gerardiana (4100 m) and the lower limit of C. versicolor (4200 m), RII and ISR were much higher in C. versicolor than in C. gerardiana under a similar MI. Such an abrupt increase in facilitation induced by nurse species replacement was well tracked by the variation of δ13C. CONCLUSIONS Water availability and nurse species replacement are crucial to shaping facilitation patterns by legume shrubs along a large elevation gradient in dry mountainous regions, such as the Trans-Himalayas. Turnover in nurse species under global change might significantly alter the pattern of nurse plant facilitation associated with water availability, which can be well tracked by leaf δ13C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Ale
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | | | - Guangshuai Cui
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Francisco I Pugnaire
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Almería, Spain
| | - Tianxiang Luo
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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3
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Körner C. Concepts in Alpine Plant Ecology. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2666. [PMID: 37514280 PMCID: PMC10386573 DOI: 10.3390/plants12142666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The alpine life zone is perhaps the only biome that occurs globally where mountains are high enough. At latitudinally varying elevation, the alpine belt hosts small stature plants that vary greatly in morphology, anatomy and physiology. In this contribution, I summarize a number of principles that govern life in what is often considered a cold and hostile environment. The 12 conceptual frameworks depicted include the key role of aerodynamic decoupling from free atmospheric climatic conditions, the problematic concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the role of developmental flexibility and functional diversity. With its topography driven habitat diversity, alpine plant diversity is buffered against environmental change, and the multitude of microclimatic gradients offers 'experiments by nature', the power of which awaits multidisciplinary exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Körner
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Botany, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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4
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Liu Z, Michalet R, Wang C, Wang Y, Chen J, Cui H, Song H, Wang J, Yang Z, An L, Xiao S, Chen S. Contrasting effects of two phenotypes of an alpine cushion plant on understory species drive community assembly. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160154. [PMID: 36375548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In alpine systems, cushion plants act as foundation species by ameliorating local environmental conditions. Empirical studies indicate that contrasting phenotypes of alpine cushion species have different effects on understory plant species, either facilitative or competitive. Furthermore, dependent species within each community type might also exhibit different responses to each cushion phenotype, which can be clustered into several "response groups". Additionally, these species-groups specific responses to alpine cushion species phenotypes could alter community assembly. However, very few studies have assessed responses of dependent communities at species-group levels, in particular for both above- and below-ground communities. Here, we selected a loose and a tight phenotype of the alpine cushion species Thylacospermum caespitosum in two sites of northwest China, and use the relative intensity of interactions index to quantify cushion plant effects on subordinate communities of plants and soil fungi and bacteria. We assessed variations in responses of both above- and below-ground organisms to cushion plant effects at species-group level. Species-group level analyses showed that the effects of the phenotype varied among groups of each of the three community types, and different species-groups were composed by unique taxa. Additionally, we found that loose cushions enhanced stochastic processes in community assembly, for plants and soil fungi but not for soil bacteria. These variations of phenotypic effects on different species-group induced contrasting taxonomic composition between groups, and alter community assembly thereby. Our study highlights the occurrence of contrasting effects of two phenotypes of a foundation cushion plant on understory plants, soil fungi and bacteria community composition, but not necessarily on their richness. We also showed that assessing responses of understory species at the species-group level allows a more realistic and mechanistic understanding of biotic interactions both for above- and below-ground communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Richard Michalet
- Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Chenyue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yajun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanwen Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongxian Song
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Lizhe An
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Yin D, Meiners SJ, Ni M, Ye Q, He F, Cadotte MW. Positive interactions of native species melt invasional meltdown over
long‐term
plant succession. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2584-2596. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.14127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deyi Yin
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
- South China National Botanical Garden Guangzhou China
| | - Scott J. Meiners
- Department of Biological Sciences Eastern Illinois University Charleston Illinois USA
| | - Ming Ni
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Quebec Canada
| | - Qing Ye
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China
- South China National Botanical Garden Guangzhou China
| | - Fangliang He
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- ECNU‐Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences East China Normal University Shanghai China
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Toronto‐Scarborough Toronto Ontario Canada
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
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6
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Tanner KE, Wasson K, Parker IM. Competition rather than facilitation affects plant performance across an abiotic stress gradient in a restored California salt marsh. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen E. Tanner
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA USA 95064
| | - Kerstin Wasson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA USA 95064
- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road Watsonville CA USA 95076
| | - Ingrid M. Parker
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street Santa Cruz CA USA 95064
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7
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Barzegaran F, Erfanzadah R, Saber Amoli S. The effect of woody plants on the understory soil parameters is different between grazed and ungrazed areas. COMMUNITY ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-022-00090-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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8
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Sumner EE, Morgan JW, Venn SE, Camac JS. Survival and growth of a high-mountain daisy transplanted outside its local range, and implications for climate-induced distribution shifts. AOB PLANTS 2022; 14:plac014. [PMID: 35498909 PMCID: PMC9049260 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plac014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Field transplant experiments can improve our understanding of the effects of climate on distributions of plants versus a milieu of biotic factors which may be mediated by climate. We use a transplant experiment to test how survival and growth of a mountain-top daisy (Podolepis robusta), when planted within and outside its current local range, varies as a function of individual plant size, elevation, aspect and the presence of other vegetation. We expected a home-site advantage for the species, with highest survival and growth within the species' current elevational limits, and a decline in vital rates above (due to physiological limitations) and below (due to competition with near-neighbours) these limits. Transplant survival during the beginning of the census was high (89 %), though by the third growing season, 36 % of initial transplants were remaining. Elevation had a significant negative effect on individual mortality rates; plants growing at higher elevations had a lower estimated hazard rate and thus, higher survival relative to those planted at elevations below the current lower limit of the distribution. By contrast, we detected no significant effect of elevation on growth rates. Small vegetation gaps had no effect on growth rates, though we found a negative, but non-significant, effect on mortality rates. Aspect had a very strong impact on growth. Plants transplanted to cool aspects had a significantly lower growth rate relative to transplants growing on a warm aspect. Conversely, aspect was not a significant predictor of individual mortality rates. Restrictions on the local distribution of P. robusta appear to be governed by mortality drivers at lower elevation and by growth drivers associated with aspect. We highlight that our ability to understand the drivers of distributions in current and future climates will be limited if contextual- and individual-level plant responses remain understudied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Sumner
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
| | - John W Morgan
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Susanna E Venn
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
| | - James S Camac
- Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
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9
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Erfanzadah R, Barzegaran F, Saber Amoli S, Pétillon J. The effect of shrub community on understory soil seed bank with and without livestock grazing. COMMUNITY ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42974-021-00074-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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The Current Scenario of the Distribution, Functionality, and Ecosystemic Role of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Chile. Fungal Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12994-0_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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11
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Wang Y, Sun J, Liu B, Wang J, Zeng T. Cushion plants as critical pioneers and engineers in alpine ecosystems across the Tibetan Plateau. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11554-11558. [PMID: 34522323 PMCID: PMC8427563 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Cushion plants are widely representative species in the alpine ecosystem due to their vital roles in influencing abiotic and biotic environments, ecological succession processes, and ecosystem engineering. Importantly, cushion plants, such as Androsace L. and Arenaria L., are considered to be critical pioneers of ecosystem health, restoration, and sustainability across the Tibetan Plateau. This is because cushion plants (a) show tenacious vitality and can modify regional climates, substrates, and soil nutrients in extreme environments; (b) facilitate relationships with the surroundings and maintain the diversity of aboveground and belowground communities; and (c) are highly sensitive to environmental changes and thus can indicate grassland ecosystem health and resilience in the context of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wang
- School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology State Key Lab of Biological Control Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou China
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science (LATPES) Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- College of Earth Sciences Chengdu University of Technology Chengdu China
| | - Jian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science (LATPES) Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Synthesis Research Centre of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Biying Liu
- School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology State Key Lab of Biological Control Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Jinniu Wang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Tao Zeng
- College of Earth Sciences Chengdu University of Technology Chengdu China
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12
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Pérez-Hernández J, Gavilán RG. Impacts of Land-Use Changes on Vegetation and Ecosystem Functioning: Old-Field Secondary Succession. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10050990. [PMID: 34065656 PMCID: PMC8156868 DOI: 10.3390/plants10050990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The study of ecological succession to determine how plant communities re-assemble after a natural or anthropogenic disturbance has always been an important topic in ecology. The understanding of these processes forms part of the new theories of community assembly and species coexistence, and is attracting attention in a context of expanding human impacts. Specifically, new successional studies provide answers to different mechanisms of community assemblage, and aim to define the importance of deterministic or stochastic processes in the succession dynamic. Biotic limits, which depend directly on biodiversity (i.e., species competition), and abiotic filtering, which depends on the environment, become particularly important when they are exceeded, making the succession process more complicated to reach the previous disturbance stage. Plant functional traits (PFTs) are used in secondary succession studies to establish differences between abandonment stages or to compare types of vegetation or flora, and are more closely related to the functioning of plant communities. Dispersal limitation is a PFT considered an important process from a stochastic point of view because it is related to the establishing of plants. Related to it the soil seed bank plays an important role in secondary succession because it is essential for ecosystem functioning. Soil compounds and microbial community are important variables to take into account when studying any succession stage. Chronosequence is the best way to study the whole process at different time scales. Finally, our objective in this review is to show how past studies and new insights are being incorporated into the basis of classic succession. To further explore this subject we have chosen old-field recovery as an example of how a number of different plant communities, including annual and perennial grasslands and shrublands, play an important role in secondary succession.
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13
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Okano K, Bret‐Harte MS, Mulder CPH, Juday GP. Resource availability drives plant–plant interactions of conifer seedlings across elevations under warming in Alaska. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kyoko Okano
- Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona86011USA
| | - M. Syndonia Bret‐Harte
- Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
| | - Christa P. H. Mulder
- Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
| | - Glenn P. Juday
- School of Natural Resources and Extension University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska99775USA
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14
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Reyes-Bahamonde C, Piper FI, Cavieres LA. Carbon allocation to growth and storage depends on elevation provenance in an herbaceous alpine plant of Mediterranean climate. Oecologia 2021; 195:299-312. [PMID: 33459865 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04839-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It is unclear whether the frequently observed increase in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in plants exposed to low temperatures or drought reflects a higher sensitivity of growth than photosynthesis in such conditions (i.e. sink limitation), or a prioritization of carbon (C) allocation to storage. Alpine areas in Mediterranean-type climate regions are characterized by precipitation increases and temperature decreases with elevation. Thus, alpine plants with wide elevational ranges in Mediterranean regions may be good models to examine these alternative hypotheses. We evaluated storage and growth during experimental darkness and re-illumination in individuals of the alpine plant Phacelia secunda from three elevations in the Andes of central Chile. We hypothesized that storage is prioritized regarding growth in plants of both low- and high elevations where drought and cold stress are greatest, respectively. We expected that decreases in NSC concentrations during darkness should be minimal and, more importantly, increases in NSC after re-illumination should be higher than increases in biomass. We found that darkness caused a significant decrease in NSC concentrations of both low- and high-elevation plants, but the magnitude of the decrease was lower in the latter. Re-illumination caused higher increase in NSC concentration than in biomass in both low- and high-elevation plants (1.5- and 1.9-fold, respectively). Our study shows that C allocation in Phacelia secunda reflects ecotypic differences among elevation provenances and suggests that low temperature, but not drought, favours C allocation to storage over growth after severe C limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Reyes-Bahamonde
- ECOBIOSIS, Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile. .,Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Frida I Piper
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP), Moraleda 16, Coyhaique, Chile
| | - Lohengrin A Cavieres
- ECOBIOSIS, Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile.,Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
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15
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Verrall B, Pickering CM. Alpine vegetation in the context of climate change: A global review of past research and future directions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 748:141344. [PMID: 32814293 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is causing extensive alterations to ecosystems globally, with some more vulnerable than others. Alpine ecosystems, characterised by low-temperatures and cryophilic vegetation, provide ecosystems services for billions of people but are considered among the most susceptible to climate change. Therefore, it is timely to review research on climate change on alpine vegetation including assessing trends, topics, themes and gaps. Using a multicomponent bibliometric approach, we extracted bibliometric metadata from 3143 publications identified by searching titles, keywords and abstracts for research on 'climate change' and 'alpine vegetation' from Scopus and Web of Science. While primarily focusing on 'alpine vegetation', some literature that also assessed vegetation below the treeline was captured. There has been an exponential increase in research over 50 years, greater engagement and diversification in who does research, and where it is published and conducted, with increasing focus beyond Europe, particularly in China. Content analysis of titles, keywords and abstracts revealed that most of the research has focused on alpine grasslands but there have been relatively few publications that examine specialist vegetation communities such as snowbeds, subnival vegetation and fellfields. Important themes emerged from analysis of keywords, including treelines and vegetation dynamics, biodiversity, the Tibetan Plateau as well as grasslands and meadows. Traditional ecological monitoring techniques were important early on, but remote sensing has become the primary method for assessment. A key book on alpine plants, the IPCC reports and a few papers in leading journals underpin much of the research. Overall, research on this topic is increasing, with new methods and directions but thematic and geographical gaps remain particularly for research on extreme climatic events, and research in South America, in part due to limited capacity for research on these rare but valuable ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brodie Verrall
- Environment Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Sciences, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Catherine Marina Pickering
- Environment Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Sciences, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
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Arroyo MTK, Robles V, Tamburrino Í, Martínez-Harms J, Garreaud RD, Jara-Arancio P, Pliscoff P, Copier A, Arenas J, Keymer J, Castro K. Extreme Drought Affects Visitation and Seed Set in a Plant Species in the Central Chilean Andes Heavily Dependent on Hummingbird Pollination. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9111553. [PMID: 33198222 PMCID: PMC7697181 DOI: 10.3390/plants9111553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Rising temperatures and increasing drought in Mediterranean-type climate areas are expected to affect plant–pollinator interactions, especially in plant species with specialised pollination. Central Chile experienced a mega drought between 2010 and 2020 which reached an extreme in the austral summer of 2019–2020. Based on intensive pollinator sampling and floral studies we show that the subalpine form of Mutisia subulata (Asteraceae) is a specialised hummingbird-pollinated species. In a two-year study which included the severest drought year, we quantified visitation frequency, flower-head density, flower-head visitation rates, two measures of floral longevity, nectar characteristics and seed set and monitored climatic variables to detect direct and indirect climate-related effects on pollinator visitation. Flower-head density, nectar standing crop and seed set were significantly reduced in the severest drought year while nectar concentration increased. The best model to explain visitation frequency included flower-head density, relative humidity, temperature, and nectar standing crop with highly significant effects of the first three variables. Results for flower-head density suggest hummingbirds were able to associate visual signals with reduced resource availability and/or were less abundant. The negative effect of lower relative humidity suggests the birds were able to perceive differences in nectar concentration. Reduced seed set per flower-head together with the availability of far fewer ovules in the 2019–2020 austral summer would have resulted in a major reduction in seed set. Longer and more intense droughts in this century could threaten local population persistence in M. subulata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary T. K. Arroyo
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-9-622-4194
| | - Valeria Robles
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile;
| | - Ítalo Tamburrino
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile;
| | - Jaime Martínez-Harms
- INIA, La Cruz, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Chorrillos 86, 2280454 La Cruz, Chile;
| | - René D. Garreaud
- Departamento de Geofísica, Universidad de Chile, Avenida Blanco Encalada 2002, 8370449 Santiago, Chile;
- Centro de Ciencia del Clima y la Resiliencia (CR2), Avenida Blanco Encalada 2002, Universidad de Chile, 8370449 Santiago, Chile
| | - Paola Jara-Arancio
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile;
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Republica 252, 8370134 Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricio Pliscoff
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, 8331150 Santiago, Chile;
- Instituto de Geografía, Facultad de Historia, Geografía y Ciencia Política, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Macul, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ana Copier
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
| | - Jonás Arenas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
| | - Joaquín Keymer
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
| | - Kiara Castro
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 7800003 Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile; (V.R.); (Í.T.); (A.C.); (J.A.); (J.K.); (K.C.)
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Stanisci A, Bricca A, Calabrese V, Cutini M, Pauli H, Steinbauer K, Carranza ML. Functional composition and diversity of leaf traits in subalpine versus alpine vegetation in the Apennines. AOB PLANTS 2020; 12:plaa004. [PMID: 32257089 PMCID: PMC7098876 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean high mountain grasslands are shaped by climatic stress and understanding their functional adaptations can contribute to better understanding ecosystems' response to global change. The present work analyses the plant functional traits of high-elevation grasslands growing in Mediterranean limestone mountains to explore, at the community level, the presence of different plant strategies for resource use (conservative vs. acquisitive) and functional diversity syndromes (convergent or divergent). Thus, we compared the functional composition and diversity of the above-ground traits related to resource acquisition strategies of subalpine and alpine calcareous grasslands in the central Apennines, a mountain region characterized by a dry-summer Mediterranean climate. We used georeferenced vegetation plots and field-measured plant functional traits (plant maximum height, specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content) for the dominant species of two characteristic vegetation types: the subalpine Sesleria juncifolia community and the alpine Silene acaulis community. Both communities are of particular conservation concern and are rich in endemic species for which plant functional traits are measured here for the first time. We analysed the functional composition and diversity using the community-weighted mean trait index and the functional diversity using Rao's function, and we assessed how much the observed pattern deviated from a random distribution by calculating the respective standardized effect sizes. The results highlighted that an acquisitive resource use strategy and relatively higher functional diversity of leaf traits prevail in the alpine S. acaulis community, optimizing a rapid carbon gain, which would help overcome the constraints exerted by the short growing season. The divergent functional strategy underlines the co-occurrence of different leaf traits in the alpine grasslands, which shows good adaptation to a microhabitat-rich environment. Conversely, in the subalpine S. juncifolia grassland, a conservative resource use strategy and relatively lower functional diversity of the leaf traits are likely related to a high level resistance to aridity over a longer growing season. Our outcomes indicate the preadaptation strategy of the subalpine S. juncifolia grassland to shift upwards to the alpine zone that will become warmer and drier as a result of anthropogenic climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Stanisci
- EnvixLab, Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Termoli, Italy
| | | | - Valentina Calabrese
- EnvixLab, Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Termoli, Italy
| | | | - Harald Pauli
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research & University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Silbergasse, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Steinbauer
- Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research & University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Silbergasse, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Laura Carranza
- EnvixLab, Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Termoli, Italy
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18
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Fernández-Marín B, Gulías J, Figueroa CM, Iñiguez C, Clemente-Moreno MJ, Nunes-Nesi A, Fernie AR, Cavieres LA, Bravo LA, García-Plazaola JI, Gago J. How do vascular plants perform photosynthesis in extreme environments? An integrative ecophysiological and biochemical story. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 101:979-1000. [PMID: 31953876 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we review the physiological and molecular mechanisms that allow vascular plants to perform photosynthesis in extreme environments, such as deserts, polar and alpine ecosystems. Specifically, we discuss the morpho/anatomical, photochemical and metabolic adaptive processes that enable a positive carbon balance in photosynthetic tissues under extreme temperatures and/or severe water-limiting conditions in C3 species. Nevertheless, only a few studies have described the in situ functioning of photoprotection in plants from extreme environments, given the intrinsic difficulties of fieldwork in remote places. However, they cover a substantial geographical and functional range, which allowed us to describe some general trends. In general, photoprotection relies on the same mechanisms as those operating in the remaining plant species, ranging from enhanced morphological photoprotection to increased scavenging of oxidative products such as reactive oxygen species. Much less information is available about the main physiological and biochemical drivers of photosynthesis: stomatal conductance (gs ), mesophyll conductance (gm ) and carbon fixation, mostly driven by RuBisCO carboxylation. Extreme environments shape adaptations in structures, such as cell wall and membrane composition, the concentration and activation state of Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes, and RuBisCO evolution, optimizing kinetic traits to ensure functionality. Altogether, these species display a combination of rearrangements, from the whole-plant level to the molecular scale, to sustain a positive carbon balance in some of the most hostile environments on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Fernández-Marín
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, 38200, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Javier Gulías
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain
| | - Carlos M Figueroa
- UNL, CONICET, FBCB, Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Concepción Iñiguez
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain
| | - María J Clemente-Moreno
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain
| | - Adriano Nunes-Nesi
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Central Metabolism Group, Molecular Physiology Department, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Golm, Germany
| | - Lohengrin A Cavieres
- ECOBIOSIS, Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - León A Bravo
- Lab. de Fisiología y Biología Molecular Vegetal, Dpt. de Cs. Agronómicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Cs. Agropecuarias y Forestales, Instituto de Agroindustria, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Center of Plant, Soil Interaction and Natural Resources Biotechnology, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - José I García-Plazaola
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Spain
| | - Jorge Gago
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), Instituto de Investigaciones Agroambientales y de Economía del Agua (INAGEA), Ctra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Spain
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19
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Leon-Garcia IV, Lasso E. High heat tolerance in plants from the Andean highlands: Implications for paramos in a warmer world. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224218. [PMID: 31693675 PMCID: PMC6834248 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical plant species are expected to have high heat tolerance reflecting phenotypic adjustments to warm regions or their evolutionary adaptation history. However, tropical highland specialists adapted to the colder temperatures found in the highlands, where short and prostrated vegetation decouples plants from ambient conditions, could exhibit different upper thermal limits than those of their lowland counterparts. Here we evaluated leaf heat tolerance of 21 tropical alpine paramo species to determine: 1) whether species with restricted distribution (i.e., highland specialists) have lower heat tolerance and are more vulnerable to warming than species with widespread distribution; 2) whether different growth forms have different heat tolerance; and 3) whether species height (i.e., microhabitat) influences its heat tolerance. We quantified heat tolerance by evaluating T50, which is the temperature that causes a reduction in 50% of initial Fv/Fm values and reflects an irreversible damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Additionally, we estimated the thermal safety margins as the difference between T50 and the maximum leaf temperature registered for the species. All species presented high T50 values ranging between 45.4°C and 53.9°C, similar to those found for tropical lowland species. Heat tolerance was not correlated with species distributions or plant height, but showed a strong relationship with growth form, with rosettes having the highest heat tolerance. Thermal safety margins ranged from 12.1 to 31.0°C. High heat tolerance and broad thermal safety margins suggest low vulnerability of paramo species to warming as long as plants are capable of regulating the leaf temperature within this threshold. Whether paramo plants would be able to regulate leaf temperature if drought episodes become more frequent and transpirational cooling is compromised is the next question that needs to be answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indira V. Leon-Garcia
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - Eloisa Lasso
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá
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20
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Winkler DE, Lin MYC, Delgadillo J, Chapin KJ, Huxman TE. Early life history responses and phenotypic shifts in a rare endemic plant responding to climate change. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz076. [PMID: 31687148 PMCID: PMC6822542 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 08/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Changes in species ranges are anticipated with climate change, where in alpine settings, fragmentation and contraction are likely. This is especially true in high altitude biodiversity hotspots, where warmer growing seasons and increased drought events may negatively impact populations by limiting regeneration. Here, we test for high-altitude species responses to the interactive effects of warming and drought in Heterotheca brandegeei, a perennial cushion plant endemic to alpine outcroppings in Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park, Baja California, México. We exposed H. brandegeei seedlings to experimental warming and drought conditions to document early life history responses and the species ability to tolerate climate change. Drought negatively influenced seedling growth, with overall reductions in above- and belowground biomass. Warming and drought each led to substantial reductions in leaf development. At the same time, individuals maintained high specific leaf area and carbon investment in leaves across treatments, suggesting that existing phenotypic variation within populations may be high enough to withstand climate change. However, warming and drought interacted to negatively influence leaf-level water-use efficiency (WUE). Seedling mortality rates were nearly three times higher in warming and drought treatments, suggesting bleak prospects for H. brandegeei populations in future climate conditions. Overall, our results suggest H. brandegeei populations may experience substantial declines under future warmer and drier conditions. Some individuals may be able to establish, albeit, as smaller, more stressed plants. These results further suggest that warming alone may not be as consequential to populations as drought will be in this already water-limited system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Winkler
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
- United States Geological Survey, 2290 S West Resource Boulevard, Southwest Biological Science Center, UT, 84532, USA
| | | | - José Delgadillo
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Baja California, 22800, México
| | - Kenneth J Chapin
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210088, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Travis E Huxman
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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21
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Wang X, Yang B, Ljungqvist FC. The Vulnerability of Qilian Juniper to Extreme Drought Events. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1191. [PMID: 31611900 PMCID: PMC6777612 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Identifying which trees are more vulnerable to extreme climatic events is a challenging problem in our understanding of forest and even ecosystem dynamics under climate change scenarios. As one of the most widely distributed tree species across the arid and semi-arid northeastern Tibetan Plateau, Qilian juniper (Juniperus przewalskii Kom.), is the main component of the local forest ecosystem, providing critical insurance for the ecological security of the surrounding areas. However, this species's ability to cope with climate extremes (especially drought) has not been adequately assessed. Here, we apply a dendroecological approach that considers indices of resistance and resilience to quantify the vulnerability of Qilian junipers to the extreme drought events of 1957, 1966, 1979, and 1995. A total of 532 Qilian juniper trees from different age stages (100-1,100 years) and altitudes [3,500-4,000 m above sea level (a.s.l.)] were studied to assess their response characteristics during these four drought extremes. We conclude that drought extremes have a significant negative impact on the growth of Qilian juniper. The oldest Qilian junipers at the lower altitudes constituted the most vulnerable populations across the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and were characterized by the lowest resistance values, the narrowest annual rings, and the highest proportion of missing rings during the four drought years. Tree resilience after droughts was strongly related to the intensity of the drought event and did not change with tree age or elevation. A threshold of tree tolerance to drought may exist, with the more vulnerable tree individuals (e.g., the oldest Qilian junipers from lower altitudes) being exposed to the highest mortality risk when drought intensity exceeds the threshold value. Such a threshold needs further consideration, through the study of trees that have died (or are about to die) due to extreme droughts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bao Yang
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist
- Department of History, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Urza AK, Weisberg PJ, Chambers JC, Sullivan BW. Shrub facilitation of tree establishment varies with ontogenetic stage across environmental gradients. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1795-1808. [PMID: 31125432 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plant-plant interactions are important drivers of ecosystem structure and function, yet predicting interaction outcomes across environmental gradients remains challenging. Understanding how interactions are affected by ontogenetic shifts in plant characteristics can provide insight into the drivers of interactions and improve our ability to anticipate ecosystem responses to environmental change. We developed a conceptual framework of nurse shrub facilitation of tree establishment. We used a combination of field experiments and environmental measurements to test the framework with a shrub (Artemisia tridentata) and a tree (Pinus monophylla), two foundation species in a semiarid environment. Shrub microsites allowed trees to overcome an early population bottleneck and successfully establish in areas without tree cover. Shrubs facilitated trees at multiple ontogenetic stages, but the net outcome of the interaction shifted from strongly positive to neutral after the transition of P. monophylla from juvenile to adult foliage. Microhabitat conditions varied across a broad elevational gradient, but interaction outcomes were not strongly related to elevation. Favorable microsites provided by A. tridentata cover are crucial for P. monophylla recovery after stand-replacing disturbance. Models of vegetation response to rapid global environmental change should incorporate the critically important role of nurse shrub interactions for ameliorating population bottlenecks in tree establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra K Urza
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 920 Valley Rd, Reno, NV, 89512, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Peter J Weisberg
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Jeanne C Chambers
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 920 Valley Rd, Reno, NV, 89512, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Benjamin W Sullivan
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 89557, USA
- Global Water Center, University of Nevada-Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
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23
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Orellana JI, Valdivia CE. Putative local adaptations modulate the interactions of the carnivorous plant Drosera uniflora
Willd (1809) (Droseraceae) with cushion and shrub nurse plants. AUSTRAL ECOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José I. Orellana
- Laboratorio de Vida Silvestre; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad; Universidad de Los Lagos; Avenida Fuchslocher 1305 Osorno Chile
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias, mención Conservación y Manejo de Recursos Naturales; Universidad de Los Lagos; Puerto Montt Chile
| | - Carlos E. Valdivia
- Laboratorio de Vida Silvestre; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad; Universidad de Los Lagos; Avenida Fuchslocher 1305 Osorno Chile
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Positive interactions among native and invasive vascular plants in Antarctica: assessing the “nurse effect” at different spatial scales. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02016-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Dolezal J, Dvorsky M, Kopecky M, Altman J, Mudrak O, Capkova K, Rehakova K, Macek M, Liancourt P. Functionally distinct assembly of vascular plants colonizing alpine cushions suggests their vulnerability to climate change. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:569-578. [PMID: 30541052 PMCID: PMC6417476 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Alpine cushion plants can initially facilitate other species during ecological succession, but later on can be negatively affected by their development, especially when beneficiaries possess traits allowing them to overrun their host. This can be reinforced by accelerated warming favouring competitively strong species over cold-adapted cushion specialists. However, little empirical research has addressed the trait-based mechanisms of these interactions. The ecological strategies of plants colonizing the cushion plant Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae), a dominant pioneer of subnival zones, were studied in the Western Himalayas. METHODS To assess whether the cushion colonizers are phylogenetically and functionally distinct, 1668 vegetation samples were collected, both in open ground outside the cushions and inside their live and dead canopies, in two mountain ranges, Karakoram and Little Tibet. More than 50 plant traits related to growth, biomass allocation and resource acquisition were measured for target species, and the phylogenetic relationships of these species were studied [or determined]. KEY RESULTS Species-based trait-environment analysis with phylogenetic correction showed that in both mountain ranges Thylacospermum colonizers are phylogenetically diverse but functionally similar and are functionally different from species preferring bare soil outside cushions. Successful colonizers are fast-growing, clonal graminoids and forbs, penetrating the cushion by rhizomes and stolons. They have higher root-to-shoot ratios, leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and soil moisture and nutrient demands, sharing the syndrome of competitive species with broad elevation ranges typical of the late stages of primary succession. In contrast, the species from open ground have traits typical of stress-tolerant specialists from high and dry environments. CONCLUSION Species colonizing tight cushions of T. caespitosum are competitively strong graminoids and herbaceous perennials from alpine grasslands. Since climate change in the Himalayas favours these species, highly specialized subnival cushion plants may face intense competition and a greater risk of decline in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Dolezal
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Dvorsky
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Kopecky
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Altman
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Mudrak
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Katerina Capkova
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Klara Rehakova
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Macek
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Pierre Liancourt
- Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Moustakas A, Daliakopoulos IN, Benton TG. Data-driven competitive facilitative tree interactions and their implications on nature-based solutions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 651:2269-2280. [PMID: 30326457 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Spatio-temporal data are more ubiquitous and richer than even before and the availability of such data poses great challenges in data analytics. Ecological facilitation, the positive effect of density of individuals on the individual's survival across a stress gradient, is a complex phenomenon. A large number of tree individuals coupled with soil moisture, temperature, and water stress data across a long temporal period were followed. Data-driven analysis in the absence of hypothesis was performed. Information theoretic analysis of multiple statistical models was employed in order to quantify the best data-driven index of vegetation density and spatial scale of interactions. Sequentially, tree survival was quantified as a function of the size of the individual, vegetation density, and time at the optimal spatial interaction scale. Land surface temperature and soil moisture were also statistically explained by tree size, density, and time. Results indicated that in space both facilitation and competition co-exist in the same ecosystem and the sign and magnitude of this depend on the spatial scale. Overall, within the optimal data-driven spatial scale, tree survival was best explained by the interaction between density and year, sifting overall from facilitation to competition through time. However, small sized trees were always facilitated by increased densities, while large sized trees had either negative or no density effects. Tree size was more important predictor than density in survival and this has implications for nature-based solutions: maintaining large tree individuals or planting species that can become large-sized can safeguard against tree-less areas by promoting survival at long time periods through harsh environmental conditions. Large trees had also a significant effect in moderating land surface temperature and this effect was higher than the one of vegetation density on temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristides Moustakas
- Institute for Applied Data Analytics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong BE 1410, Brunei.
| | | | - Tim G Benton
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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Foronda A, Ehlers BK, Alados CL, Pueyo Y. Species-specific interference exerted by the shrub Cistus clusii Dunal in a semi-arid Mediterranean gypsum plant community. BMC Ecol 2018; 18:49. [PMID: 30497452 PMCID: PMC6267893 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0204-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The gypsovag shrub Cistus clusii is locally dominant in semi-arid gypsum plant communities of North-Eastern Spain. This species commonly grows in species-poor patches even though it has nurse potential, suggesting interference on neighbouring species. Other Cistus species exert a chemically mediated interference on plant communities, suggesting that it might be a common phenomenon in this genus. This study aimed investigating whether C. clusii exerts chemically mediated interference on neighbouring species in gypsum plant communities. We tested in a greenhouse whether aqueous extracts from C. clusii leaves (L), roots (R) and a mixture of both (RL) affected germination, seedling survival, and growth of nine native species of gypsum communities, including C. clusii itself. We further assessed in the field richness and abundance of plants under the canopy of C. clusii compared to Gypsophila struthium (shrub with a similar architecture having a nurse role) and in open patches. Finally, we specifically assessed in the field the influence of C. clusii on the presence of the species tested in the greenhouse experiment. Results Aqueous extracts from C. clusii (R and RL) negatively affected either germination or survival in four of nine species. In the field, richness and abundance of plants were lower under the canopy of C. clusii than under G. struthium, but higher than in open patches. Specifically, five of nine species were less frequent than expected under the canopy of C. clusii. Conclusions Cistus clusii shows species-specific interference with neighbouring species in the community, which may be at least partially attributable to its phytotoxic activity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of species-specific interference by C. clusii. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12898-018-0204-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Foronda
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, CSIC, Avda. Montañana, 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain.
| | - Bodil K Ehlers
- Institut for Bioscience, Aarhus Universitet, Veljsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Concepción L Alados
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, CSIC, Avda. Montañana, 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain
| | - Yolanda Pueyo
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, CSIC, Avda. Montañana, 1005, 50059, Saragossa, Spain
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López-Angulo J, Pescador DS, Sánchez AM, Mihoč MAK, Cavieres LA, Escudero A. Determinants of high mountain plant diversity in the Chilean Andes: From regional to local spatial scales. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200216. [PMID: 29979767 PMCID: PMC6034847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountains are considered excellent natural laboratories for studying the determinants of plant diversity at contrasting spatial scales. To gain insights into how plant diversity is structured at different spatial scales, we surveyed high mountain plant communities in the Chilean Andes where man-driven perturbations are rare. This was done along elevational gradients located at different latitudes taking into account factors that act at fine scales, including abiotic (potential solar radiation and soil quality) and biotic (species interactions) factors, and considering multiple spatial scales. Species richness, inverse of Simpson's concentration (Dequiv), beta-diversity and plant cover were estimated using the percentage of cover per species recorded in 34 sites in the different regions with contrasted climates. Overall, plant species richness, Dequiv and plant cover were lower in sites located at higher latitudes. We found a unimodal relationship between species richness and elevation and this pattern was constant independently of the regional climatic conditions. Soil quality decreased the beta-diversity among the plots in each massif and increased the richness, the Dequiv and cover. Segregated patterns of species co-occurrence were related to increases in richness, Dequiv and plant cover at finer scales. Our results showed that elevation patterns of alpine plant diversity remained constant along the regions although the mechanisms underlying these diversity patterns may differ among climatic regions. They also suggested that the patterns of plant diversity in alpine ecosystems respond to a series of factors (abiotic and biotic) that act jointly at different spatial scale determining the assemblages of local communities, but their importance can only be assessed using a multi-scale spatial approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús López-Angulo
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - David S. Pescador
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana M. Sánchez
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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Saiz H, Gómez-Gardeñes J, Borda JP, Maestre FT. The structure of plant spatial association networks is linked to plant diversity in global drylands. THE JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018; 106:10.1111/1365-2745.12935. [PMID: 30038449 PMCID: PMC6054793 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
1. Despite commonly used to unveil the complex structure of interactions within ecological communities and their value to assess their resilience against external disturbances, network analyses have seldom been applied in plant communities. We evaluated how plant-plant spatial association networks vary in global drylands, and assessed whether network structure was related to plant diversity in these ecosystems. 2. We surveyed 185 dryland ecosystems from all continents except Antarctica and built networks using the local spatial association between all the perennial plants species present in the communities studied. Then, for each network we calculated four descriptors of network structure (link density, link weight mean and heterogeneity, and structural balance), and evaluated their significance with null models. Finally, we used structural equation models to evaluate how abiotic factors (including geography, topography, climate and soil conditions) and network descriptors influenced plant species richness and evenness. 3. Plant networks were highly variable worldwide, but at most study sites (72%) presented common structures such as a higher link density than expected. We also find evidence of the presence of high structural balance in the networks studied. Moreover, all network descriptors considered had a positive and significant effect on plant diversity, and on species richness in particular. Synthesis. Our results constitute the first empirical evidence showing the existence of common network architectures structuring dryland plant communities at the global scale, and suggest a relationship between the structure of spatial networks and plant diversity. They also highlight the importance of system-level approaches to explain the diversity and structure of interactions in plant communities, two major drivers of terrestrial ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Saiz
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, SPAIN
| | - Jesús Gómez-Gardeñes
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, SPAIN
- Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Mariano Esquillor (Edificio I+D), 50018, Zaragoza, SPAIN
| | - Juan Pablo Borda
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, SPAIN
| | - Fernando T Maestre
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, SPAIN
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Giménez-Benavides L, Escudero A, García-Camacho R, García-Fernández A, Iriondo JM, Lara-Romero C, Morente-López J. How does climate change affect regeneration of Mediterranean high-mountain plants? An integration and synthesis of current knowledge. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20 Suppl 1:50-62. [PMID: 28985449 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean mountains are extraordinarily diverse and hold a high proportion of endemic plants, but they are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and most species distribution models project drastic changes in community composition. Retrospective studies and long-term monitoring also highlight that Mediterranean high-mountain plants are suffering severe range contractions. The aim of this work is to review the current knowledge of climate change impacts on the process of plant regeneration by seed in Mediterranean high-mountain plants, by combining available information from observational and experimental studies. We also discuss some processes that may provide resilience against changing environmental conditions and suggest some research priorities for the future. With some exceptions, there is still little evidence of the direct effects of climate change on pollination and reproductive success of Mediterranean high-mountain plants, and most works are observational and/or centred only in the post-dispersal stages (germination and establishment). The great majority of studies agree that the characteristic summer drought and the extreme heatwaves, which are projected to be more intense in the future, are the most limiting factors for the regeneration process. However, there is an urgent need for studies combining elevational gradient approaches with experimental manipulations of temperature and drought to confirm the magnitude and variability of species' responses. There is also limited knowledge about the ability of Mediterranean high-mountain plants to cope with climate change through phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation processes. This could be achieved by performing common garden and reciprocal translocation experiments with species differing in life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Giménez-Benavides
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Escudero
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - R García-Camacho
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - A García-Fernández
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - J M Iriondo
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Lara-Romero
- Global Change Research Department, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - J Morente-López
- Department Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos-ESCET, C/Tulipán, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
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Molina-Venegas R, Aparicio A, Lavergne S, Arroyo J. Soil conditions drive changes in a key leaf functional trait through environmental filtering and facilitative interactions. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2017.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Filazzola A, Sotomayor DA, Lortie CJ. Modelling the niche space of desert annuals needs to include positive interactions. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Filazzola
- Dept of Biology; York Univ.; 4700 Keele Street Toronto ON, M3J 1P3 Canada
- Dept of Geography; York Univ.; Toronto ON Canada
| | - Diego A. Sotomayor
- Dept of Biology; York Univ.; 4700 Keele Street Toronto ON, M3J 1P3 Canada
- Dept of Geography; York Univ.; Toronto ON Canada
| | - Christopher J. Lortie
- Dept of Biology; York Univ.; 4700 Keele Street Toronto ON, M3J 1P3 Canada
- Dept of Geography; York Univ.; Toronto ON Canada
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Jiang X, Michalet R, Chen S, Zhao L, Wang X, Wang C, An L, Xiao S. Phenotypic effects of the nurseThylacospermum caespitosumon dependent plant species along regional climate stress gradients. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xingpei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou Univ., 222 Tianshuinan Road; CN-730000 Lanzhou PR China
| | - Richard Michalet
- Univ. of Bordeaux, U.M.R. CNRS, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire; Pessac France
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Chongqing Univ.; Chongqing PR China
| | - Liang Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Chongqing Univ.; Chongqing PR China
| | - Xiangtai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou Univ., 222 Tianshuinan Road; CN-730000 Lanzhou PR China
| | - Chenyue Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou Univ., 222 Tianshuinan Road; CN-730000 Lanzhou PR China
| | - Lizhe An
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou Univ., 222 Tianshuinan Road; CN-730000 Lanzhou PR China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou Univ., 222 Tianshuinan Road; CN-730000 Lanzhou PR China
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Liancourt P, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Rixen C, Dolezal J. SGH: stress or strain gradient hypothesis? Insights from an elevation gradient on the roof of the world. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2017; 120:29-38. [PMID: 28444363 PMCID: PMC5737727 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH), the view that competition prevails in undisturbed and productive environments, and shifts to facilitation in disturbed or stressful environments, has become a central paradigm in ecology. However, an alternative view proposes that the relationship between biotic interactions and environmental severity should be unimodal instead of monotonic. Possible causes of discrepancies between these two views were examined in the high elevation desert of the arid Trans-Himalayas. METHODS A putative nurse species and its associated plant community was surveyed over its entire elevation range, spanning from alpine to desert vegetation belts. The results were analysed at the community level (vegetation cover and species richness), considering the distinction between the intensity and the importance of biotic interactions. Interactions at the species level (pairwise interactions) were also considered, i.e. the variation of biotic interactions within the niche of a species, for which the abundance (species cover) and probability of occurrence (presence/absence) for the most widespread species along the gradient were distinguished. KEY RESULTS Overall, facilitation was infrequent in our study system; however, it was observed for the two most widespread species. At the community level, the intensity and importance of biotic interactions showed a unimodal pattern. The departure from the prediction of the SGH happened abruptly where the nurse species entered the desert vegetation belt at the lowest elevation. This abrupt shift was attributed to the turnover of species with contrasting tolerances. At the species level, however, facilitation increased consistently as the level of stress increases and individuals deviate from their optimum (increasing strain). CONCLUSION While the stress gradient hypothesis was not supported along our elevation gradient at the community level, the strain gradient hypothesis, considering how species perceive the ambient level of stress and deviate from their optimum, provided a parsimonious explanation for the outcome of plant-plant interactions at both scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Liancourt
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82 Trebon, Czech Republic
| | - Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Spain
| | - Christian Rixen
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos Dorf, Switzerland
| | - Jiri Dolezal
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 82 Trebon, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlate stoce 1, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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Yang Y, Chen JG, Schöb C, Sun H. Size-Mediated Interaction between a Cushion Species and Other Non-cushion Species at High Elevations of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:465. [PMID: 28424726 PMCID: PMC5380752 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Arenaria polytrichoides (Caryophyllaceae) is a common cushion plant occurring at high elevations in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains, SW China. It frequently has other non-cushion species growing within its canopy, forming a contrast with the surrounding areas because it creates patches of higher diversity and greater biomass. In this study, we examined the relationship between the cushions and associated non-cushion species along a gradient of cushion size. A total of 200 A. polytrichoides individuals were selected to fit four size classes. Field measurements were carried out to assess canopy structure, functional traits relevant to growth and reproduction, and soil quality below cushions along the size gradient. Furthermore, the size effect of cushions on the richness and abundance of species and biomass production was also examined. All the morphological variables examined exhibited a positive correlation with cushion size, as did the nutrients under cushions. Large and compact cushions were associated with higher soil nutrient contents compared with small and loose cushions. As a result of these biogenic environmental changes, there was a stronger facilitation effect performed by large cushions. Data pertaining to functional traits revealed that large cushions benefit from the enhanced resources within their compact structure and exhibit greater fitness and a higher reproductive output than small cushions. Our data indicated that interactions occur between cushion species and other plants depending on the size of the cushions, probably because of the greater heterogeneity of conditions beneath larger cushions. These findings provide a clear demonstration of the generally overlooked importance of the traits of nurse plants, such as size and age, in terms of their facilitative effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunming, China
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunming, China
| | - Christian Schöb
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunming, China
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Carbohydrate reserves in the facilitator cushion plant Laretia acaulis suggest carbon limitation at high elevation and no negative effects of beneficiary plants. Oecologia 2017; 183:997-1006. [PMID: 28233055 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3840-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The elevational range of the alpine cushion plant Laretia acaulis (Apiaceae) comprises a cold upper extreme and a dry lower extreme. For this species, we predict reduced growth and increased non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations (i.e. carbon sink limitation) at both elevational extremes. In a facilitative interaction, these cushions harbor other plant species (beneficiaries). Such interactions appear to reduce reproduction in other cushion species, but not in L. acaulis. However, vegetative effects may be more important in this long-lived species and may be stronger under marginal conditions. We studied growth and NSC concentrations in leaves and stems of L. acaulis collected from cushions along its full elevational range in the Andes of Central Chile. NSC concentrations were lowest and cushions were smaller and much less abundant at the highest elevation. At the lowest elevation, NSC concentrations and cushion sizes were similar to those of intermediate elevations but cushions were somewhat less abundant. NSC concentrations and growth did not change with beneficiary cover at any elevation. Lower NSC concentrations at the upper extreme contradict the sink-limitation hypothesis and may indicate that a lack of warmth is not limiting growth at high-elevation. At the lower extreme, carbon gain and growth do not appear more limiting than at intermediate elevations. The lower population density at both extremes suggests that the regeneration niche exerts important limitations to this species' distribution. The lack of an effect of beneficiaries on reproduction and vegetative performance suggests that the interaction between L. acaulis and its beneficiaries is probably commensalistic.
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Michalet R, Maalouf JP, Hayek PA. Direct litter interference and indirect soil competitive effects of two contrasting phenotypes of a spiny legume shrub drive the forb composition of an oromediterranean community. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Michalet
- Univ. of Bordeaux, UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC, avenue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, FR-33615 Pessac Cedex; France
| | | | - Patrick Al Hayek
- Univ. of Bordeaux, UMR CNRS 5805 EPOC, avenue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, FR-33615 Pessac Cedex; France
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Pacheco DA, Dudley LS, Cabezas J, Cavieres LA, Arroyo MTK. Plastic Responses Contribute to Explaining Altitudinal and Temporal Variation in Potential Flower Longevity in High Andean Rhodolirion montanum. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166350. [PMID: 27861586 PMCID: PMC5115873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The tendency for flower longevity to increase with altitude is believed by many alpine ecologists to play an important role in compensating for low pollination rates at high altitudes due to cold and variable weather conditions. However, current studies documenting an altitudinal increase in flower longevity in the alpine habitat derive principally from studies on open-pollinated flowers where lower pollinator visitation rates at higher altitudes will tend to lead to flower senescence later in the life-span of a flower in comparison with lower altitudes, and thus could confound the real altitudinal pattern in a species´ potential flower longevity. In a two-year study we tested the hypothesis that a plastic effect of temperature on flower longevity could contribute to an altitudinal increase in potential flower longevity measured in pollinator-excluded flowers in high Andean Rhodolirium montanum Phil. (Amaryllidaceae). Using supplemental warming we investigated whether temperature around flowers plastically affects potential flower longevity. We determined tightly temperature-controlled potential flower longevity and flower height for natural populations on three alpine sites spread over an altitudinal transect from 2350 and 3075 m a.s.l. An experimental increase of 3.1°C around flowers significantly decreased flower longevity indicating a plastic response of flowers to temperature. Flower height in natural populations decreased significantly with altitude. Although temperature negatively affects flower longevity under experimental conditions, we found no evidence that temperature around flowers explains site variation in flower longevity over the altitudinal gradient. In a wetter year, despite a 3.5°C temperature difference around flowers at the extremes of the altitudinal range, flower longevity showed no increase with altitude. However, in a drier year, flower longevity increased significantly with altitude. The emerging picture suggests an increase in flower longevity along the altitudinal gradient is less common for potential flower longevity than for open-pollination flower longevity. Independently of any selection that may occur on potential longevity, plastic responses of flowers to environmental conditions are likely to contribute to altitudinal variation in flower longevity, especially in dry alpine areas. Such plastic responses could push flowers of alpine species towards shorter life-lengths under climate change, with uncertain consequences for successful pollination and plant fitness in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Andrés Pacheco
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
| | - Leah S. Dudley
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Josefina Cabezas
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Mary T. K. Arroyo
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Winkler DE, Chapin KJ, Kueppers LM. Soil moisture mediates alpine life form and community productivity responses to warming. Ecology 2016; 97:1553-1563. [DOI: 10.1890/15-1197.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Winkler
- School of Engineering University of California, Merced 5200 North Lake Road Merced CA 95343 USA
| | - Kenneth J. Chapin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California, Los Angeles 612 Charles E. Young Drive East Los Angeles CA 90095‐7246 USA
| | - Lara M. Kueppers
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute University of California, Merced 5200 North Lake Road Merced CA 95343 USA
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory One Cyclotron Road Berkeley CA 94720 USA
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Girón A, Saiz H, Bacelar FS, Andrade RFS, Gómez-Gardeñes J. Synchronization unveils the organization of ecological networks with positive and negative interactions. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2016; 26:065302. [PMID: 27368792 DOI: 10.1063/1.4952960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Network science has helped to understand the organization principles of the interactions among the constituents of large complex systems. However, recently, the high resolution of the data sets collected has allowed to capture the different types of interactions coexisting within the same system. A particularly important example is that of systems with positive and negative interactions, a usual feature appearing in social, neural, and ecological systems. The interplay of links of opposite sign presents natural difficulties for generalizing typical concepts and tools applied to unsigned networks and, moreover, poses some questions intrinsic to the signed nature of the network, such as how are negative interactions balanced by positive ones so to allow the coexistence and survival of competitors/foes within the same system? Here, we show that synchronization phenomenon is an ideal benchmark for uncovering such balance and, as a byproduct, to assess which nodes play a critical role in the overall organization of the system. We illustrate our findings with the analysis of synthetic and real ecological networks in which facilitation and competitive interactions coexist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Girón
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Zaragoza, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Hugo Saiz
- UMR CNRS 6553 Ecosystems-Biodiversity-Evolution, University of Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, Bâtiment 14A, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
| | - Flora S Bacelar
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40210-340 Salvador, Brazil
| | - Roberto F S Andrade
- Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40210-340 Salvador, Brazil
| | - Jesús Gómez-Gardeñes
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Zaragoza, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
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41
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Testing alien plant distribution and habitat invasibility in mountain ecosystems: growth form matters. Biol Invasions 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-016-1148-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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42
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Pescador DS, Sierra-Almeida Á, Torres PJ, Escudero A. Summer Freezing Resistance: A Critical Filter for Plant Community Assemblies in Mediterranean High Mountains. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:194. [PMID: 26941761 PMCID: PMC4761790 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Assessing freezing community response and whether freezing resistance is related to other functional traits is essential for understanding alpine community assemblages, particularly in Mediterranean environments where plants are exposed to freezing temperatures and summer droughts. Thus, we characterized the leaf freezing resistance of 42 plant species in 38 plots at Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain) by measuring their ice nucleation temperature, freezing point (FP), and low-temperature damage (LT50), as well as determining their freezing resistance mechanisms (i.e., tolerance or avoidance). The community response to freezing was estimated for each plot as community weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (FD), and we assessed their relative importance with altitude. We established the relationships between freezing resistance, growth forms, and four key plant functional traits (i.e., plant height, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and seed mass). There was a wide range of freezing resistance responses and more than in other alpine habitats. At the community level, the CWMs of FP and LT50 responded negatively to altitude, whereas the FD of both traits increased with altitude. The proportion of freezing-tolerant species also increased with altitude. The ranges of FP and LT50 varied among growth forms, and only leaf dry matter content was negatively correlated with freezing-resistance traits. Summer freezing events represent important abiotic filters for assemblies of Mediterranean high mountain communities, as suggested by the CWMs. However, a concomitant summer drought constraint may also explain the high freezing resistance of species that thrive in these areas and the lower FD of freezing resistance traits at lower altitudes. Leaves with high dry matter contents may maintain turgor at lower water potential and enhance drought tolerance in parallel to freezing resistance. This adaptation to drought seems to be a general prerequisite for plants found in xeric mountains.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Pescador
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMóstoles, Spain
| | - Ángela Sierra-Almeida
- ECOBIOSIS, Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de ConcepciónConcepción, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y BiodiversidadSantiago, Chile
| | - Pablo J. Torres
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMóstoles, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMóstoles, Spain
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Lara-Romero C, de la Cruz M, Escribano-Ávila G, García-Fernández A, Iriondo JM. What causes conspecific plant aggregation? Disentangling the role of dispersal, habitat heterogeneity and plant-plant interactions. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lara-Romero
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | - Marcelino de la Cruz
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | | | - Alfredo García-Fernández
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | - Jose M. Iriondo
- Biodiversity and Conservation Area, ESCET, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos; C/Tulipán s/n ES-28933 Móstoles Madrid Spain
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Bonanomi G, Stinca A, Chirico GB, Ciaschetti G, Saracino A, Incerti G. Cushion plant morphology controls biogenic capability and facilitation effects of
Silene acaulis
along an elevation gradient. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giuliano Bonanomi
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Adriano Stinca
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Giovanni Battista Chirico
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | | | - Antonio Saracino
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
| | - Guido Incerti
- Department of Agriculture University of Naples Federico II via Università 100 80055 Portici (Naples) Italy
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Noumi Z, Chaieb M, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Michalet R. The relative contribution of short-term versus long-term effects in shrub-understory species interactions under arid conditions. Oecologia 2015; 180:529-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3482-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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46
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Cavieres LA, Hernández‐Fuentes C, Sierra‐Almeida A, Kikvidze Z. Facilitation among plants as an insurance policy for diversity in Alpine communities. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- ECOBIOSIS Departamento de Botánica Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas Universidad de Concepción 4070043 Concepción Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad Casilla 653 Santiago Chile
| | - Carolina Hernández‐Fuentes
- ECOBIOSIS Departamento de Botánica Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas Universidad de Concepción 4070043 Concepción Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad Casilla 653 Santiago Chile
| | - Angela Sierra‐Almeida
- ECOBIOSIS Departamento de Botánica Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas Universidad de Concepción 4070043 Concepción Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad Casilla 653 Santiago Chile
| | - Zaal Kikvidze
- 4D Research Institute Ilia State University Room 310 Building E 5 Cholokashvili Ave. Tbilisi 0162 Georgia
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García MC, Bader MY, Cavieres LA. Facilitation consequences for reproduction of the benefactor cushion plantLaretia acaulisalong an elevational gradient: costs or benefits? OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Carolina García
- Depto de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas; Univ. de Concepción; Barrio Universitario s/n Casilla 160-C, Concepción Chile
- Inst. de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB); Las Palmeras 3425 Ñuñoa, Casilla 653, Santiago Chile
| | - Maaike Y. Bader
- Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, Univ. of Marburg; Deutschhausstrasse 10 DE-35032 Marburg Germany
| | - Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- Depto de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas; Univ. de Concepción; Barrio Universitario s/n Casilla 160-C, Concepción Chile
- Inst. de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB); Las Palmeras 3425 Ñuñoa, Casilla 653, Santiago Chile
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48
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Cranston BH, Monks A, Whigham PA, Dickinson KJM. Variation and response to experimental warming in a New Zealand cushion plant species. AUSTRAL ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Adrian Monks
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research; Dunedin New Zealand
| | - Peter A. Whigham
- Department of Information Science; University of Otago; Dunedin New Zealand
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Pescador DS, de Bello F, Valladares F, Escudero A. Plant trait variation along an altitudinal gradient in mediterranean high mountain grasslands: controlling the species turnover effect. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118876. [PMID: 25774532 PMCID: PMC4361585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing changes in plant functional traits along gradients is useful for understanding the assembly of communities and their response to global and local environmental drivers. However, these changes may reflect the effects of species composition (i.e. composition turnover), species abundance (i.e. species interaction), and intra-specific trait variability (i.e. species plasticity). In order to determine the relevance of the latter, trait variation can be assessed under minimal effects of composition turnover. Nine sampling sites were established along an altitudinal gradient in a Mediterranean high mountain grassland community with low composition turnover (Madrid, Spain; 1940 m-2419 m). Nine functional traits were also measured for ten individuals of around ten plant species at each site, for a total of eleven species across all sites. The relative importance of different sources of variability (within/between site and intra-/inter-specific functional diversity) and trait variation at species and community level along the considered gradients were explored. We found a weak individual species response to altitude and other environmental variables although in some cases, individuals were smaller and leaves were thicker at higher elevations. This lack of species response was most likely due to greater within- than between-site species variation. At the community level, inter-specific functional diversity was generally greater than the intra-specific component except for traits linked to leaf element content (leaf carbon content, leaf nitrogen content, δ13C and δ15N). Inter-specific functional diversity decreased with lower altitude for four leaf traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, δ13C and δ15N), suggesting trait convergence between species at lower elevations, where water shortage may have a stronger environmental filtering effect than colder temperatures at higher altitudes. Our results suggest that, within a vegetation type encompassing various environmental gradients, both, changes in species abundance and intra-specific trait variability adjust for the community functional response to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Pescador
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Trebon, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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50
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Modeling rates of life form cover change in burned and unburned alpine heathland subject to experimental warming. Oecologia 2015; 178:615-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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