1
|
Yang P, Niu M, Fu Q, Qian L, Huang M, Li Z, Sun H, Chen J. Ecosystem engineers can regulate resource allocation strategies in associated plant species. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1387951. [PMID: 38903422 PMCID: PMC11187262 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1387951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Balancing the biomass requirements of different functions for the purpose of population reproduction and persistence can be challenging for alpine plants due to extreme environmental stresses from both above- and below-ground sources. The presence of ecosystem engineers in alpine ecosystems effectively alleviates microenvironmental stresses, hence promoting the survival and growth of other less stress-tolerant species. However, the influence of ecosystem engineers on plant resource allocation strategies remains highly unexplored. In this study, we compared resource allocation strategies, including biomass accumulation, reproductive effort (RE), root fraction (RF), as well as relationships between different functions, among four alpine plant species belonging to Gentianaceae across bare ground, tussock grass-, cushion-, and shrub-engineered microhabitats. Shrub-engineered microhabitats exerted the strongest effects on regulating plant resource allocation patterns, followed by tussock grass- and cushion-engineered microhabitats. Additionally, apart from microhabitats, population background and plant life history also significantly influenced resource allocation strategies. Generally, plants established within engineered microhabitats exhibited higher biomass accumulation, as well as increased flower, leaf and stem production. Furthermore, individuals within engineered microhabitats commonly displayed lower RF, indicating a greater allocation of resources to above-ground functions while reducing allocation to root development. RE of annual plants was significantly higher than that of perennial plants. However, individuals of annual plants within engineered microhabitats showed lower RE compared to their counterparts in bare ground habitats; whereas perennial species demonstrated similar RE between microhabitat types. Moreover, RE was generally independent of plant size in bare-ground habitats but exhibited size-dependency in certain populations for some species within specific engineered microhabitat types. However, size-dependency did exist for absolute reproductive and root biomass allocation in most of the cases examined here. No trade-offs were observed between flower mass and flower number, nor between leaf mass and leaf number. The capacity of ecosystem engineers to regulate resource allocation strategies in associated plants was confirmed. However, the resource allocation patterns resulted synergistically from the ecosystem engineering effects, population environmental backgrounds, and plant life history strategies. In general, such regulations can improve individual survival and reproductive potential, potentially promoting population persistence in challenging alpine environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Yang
- School of Life Science, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Mengqiu Niu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- School of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Quansheng Fu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Lishen Qian
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Meihong Huang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhimin Li
- School of Life Science, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jianguo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen J, Chen X, Qian L, Zhang Y, Li B, Shi H, Sun L, Schöb C, Sun H. Degeneration of foundation cushion species induced by ecological constraints can cause massive changes in alpine plant communities. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:789-802. [PMID: 38057621 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2383-6] [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: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Foundational cushion plants can re-organize community structures and sustain a prominent proportion of alpine biodiversity, but they are sensitive to climate change. The loss of cushion species can have broad consequences for associated biota. The potential plant community changes with the population dynamics of cushion plants remain, however, unclear. Using eight plant communities along a climatic and community successional gradient, we assessed cushion population dynamics, the underlying ecological constraints and hence associated plant community changes in alpine communities dominated by the foundational cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides. The population dynamics of Arenaria are attributed to ecological constraints at a series of life history stages. Reproductive functions are constrained by increasing associated beneficiary plants; subsequent seedling establishment is constrained by temperature, water and light availability, extreme climate events, and interspecific competition; strong competitive exclusion may accelerate mortality and degeneration of cushion populations. Along with cushion dynamics, species composition, abundance and community structure gradually change. Once cushion plants completely degenerate, previously cushion-dominated communities shift to relatively stable communities that are overwhelmingly dominated by sedges. Climate warming may accelerate the degeneration process of A. polytrichoides. Degeneration of this foundational cushion plant will possibly induce massive changes in alpine plant communities and hence ecosystem functions in alpine ecosystems. The assessment of the population dynamics of foundation species is critical for an effective conservation of alpine biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Xufang Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lishen Qian
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yazhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bo Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Honghua Shi
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Christian Schöb
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Spain.
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liancourt P, Doležal J. Overgrowth competition or facilitation from cushion plants: Implication for the role of plant-plant interactions. Ecology 2023; 104:e3989. [PMID: 36756970 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Liancourt
- Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.,Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jiri Doležal
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Pruhonice, Czech Republic.,Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Raath‐Krüger MJ, Schöb C, McGeoch MA, Burger DA, Strydom T, le Roux PC. Long‐term spatially‐replicated data show no physical cost to a benefactor species in a facilitative plant–plant interaction. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J. Raath‐Krüger
- Dept of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Univ. of Johannesburg Auckland Park South Africa
| | - Christian Schöb
- Inst. of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles Madrid Spain
| | - Melodie A. McGeoch
- Dept of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe Univ. Bundoora Victoria Australia
| | - Divan A. Burger
- Dept of Statistics, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
- Cytel Inc. Waltham MA USA
| | - Tanya Strydom
- Dept of Plant and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Peter C. le Roux
- Dept of Plant and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang X, Michalet R, Meng L, Zhou X, Chen S, Du G, Xiao S. Direct and indirect facilitation affect community productivity through changes in functional diversity in an alpine system. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:241-249. [PMID: 32940643 PMCID: PMC7789107 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Facilitation is an important ecological process for plant community structure and functional composition. Although direct facilitation has accrued most of the evidence so far, indirect facilitation is ubiquitous in nature and it has an enormous potential to explain community structuring. In this study, we assess the effect of direct and indirect facilitation on community productivity via taxonomic and functional diversity. METHODS In an alpine community on the Tibetan Plateau, we manipulated the presence of the shrub Dasiphora fruticosa and graminoids in a fenced meadow and a grazed meadow to quantify the effects of direct and indirect facilitation. We measured four plant traits: height, lateral spread, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) of forbs; calculated two metrics of functional diversity [range of trait and community-weighted mean (CWM) of trait]; and assessed the responses of functional diversity to shrub facilitation. We used structural equation modelling to explore how shrubs directly and indirectly drove community productivity via taxonomic diversity and functional diversity. KEY RESULTS We found stronger effects from herbivore-mediated indirect facilitation than direct facilitation on productivity and taxonomic diversity, regardless of the presence of graminoids. For functional diversity, the range and CWM of height and SLA, rather than lateral spread and LDMC, generally increased due to direct and indirect facilitation. Moreover, we found that the range of traits played a primary role over taxonomic diversity and CWM of traits in terms of shrub effects on community productivity. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals that the mechanism of shrub direct and indirect facilitation of community productivity in this alpine community is expanding the realized niche (i.e. expanding range of traits). Our findings indicate that facilitators might increase trait dispersion in the local community, which could alleviate the effect of environmental filters on trait values in harsh environments, thereby contributing to ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiangtai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | | | - Lihua Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xianhui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Guozhen Du
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Navarro‐Cano JA, Goberna M, Valiente‐Banuet A, Verdú M. Phenotypic structure of plant facilitation networks. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:509-519. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Antonio Navarro‐Cano
- Departamento de Ecología Vegetal Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC‐UVEG‐GV) Carretera Moncada ‐ Náquera km 4.5 Moncada Valencia46113Spain
- Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Agronomía Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria INIA Ctra. de la Coruña, km 7.5 Madrid28040
| | - Marta Goberna
- Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Agronomía Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria INIA Ctra. de la Coruña, km 7.5 Madrid28040
| | - Alfonso Valiente‐Banuet
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad Instituto de Ecología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México A.P. 70‐275 México D.FC.P. 04510México
- Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad UniversitariaMéxico D.F04510México
| | - Miguel Verdú
- Departamento de Ecología Vegetal Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC‐UVEG‐GV) Carretera Moncada ‐ Náquera km 4.5 Moncada Valencia46113Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wang C, Michalet R, Liu Z, Jiang X, Wang X, Zhang G, An L, Chen S, Xiao S. Disentangling Large- and Small-Scale Abiotic and Biotic Factors Shaping Soil Microbial Communities in an Alpine Cushion Plant System. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:925. [PMID: 32528430 PMCID: PMC7262953 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes, but the key factors driving microbial community structure are poorly understood, particularly in alpine environments. In this study, we aim to disentangle the relative contribution of abiotic and biotic factors shaping bacterial and fungal community structure at large and small spatial and integration scales in an alpine system dominated by a stress-tolerant cushion species Thylacospermum ceaspitosum. These effects were assessed in two mountain ranges of northwest China and for two contrasting phenotypes of the cushion species inhabiting two different microtopographic positions. The large- and small-scale abiotic effects include the site and microhabitat effects, respectively, while the large- and small-scale biotic effects include the effects of cushion presence and cushion phenotype, respectively. Soil microbial communities were characterized by Illumina Miseq sequencing. Uni- and multivariate statistics were used to test the effects of abiotic and biotic factors at both scales. Results indicated that the site effect representing the soil pH and abiotic hydrothermal conditions mainly affected bacterial community structure, whereas fungal community structure was mainly affected by biotic factors with an equal contribution of cushion presence and cushion phenotype effects. Future studies should analyze the direct factors contributing to shaping microbial community structure in particular of the cushion phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenyue Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Richard Michalet
- Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Ziyang Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xingpei Jiang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiangtai Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Gaosen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lizhe An
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sa Xiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pistón N, Michalet R, Schöb C, Macek P, Armas C, Pugnaire FI. The balance of canopy and soil effects determines intraspecific differences in foundation species’ effects on associated plants. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Pistón
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA‐CSIC) Almería Spain
- Nuria Pistón, Departamento de EcologíaInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | | | - Christian Schöb
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA‐CSIC) Almería Spain
- Christian Schöb, Department of Environmental System ScienceSwiss Federal Institute of TechnologyETH Zurich Tannenstrasse 1 8092 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Petr Macek
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA‐CSIC) Almería Spain
- Petr Macek, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South Bohemia Branišovská 1760 CZ‐370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Cristina Armas
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA‐CSIC) Almería Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|