Botanica Pacifica. A journal of plant science and conservation 2023. 12(2):172-180
Article first published online: 16 JUN 2023 | DOI: 10.17581/bp.2023.12201
Do afroalpine plants differ from other alpine plants by their leaf functional traits?
Vladimir G. Onipchenko 1,5
,
Aliy M. Kipkeev 1 ,
Natalia A. Kopylova 1 ,
Justine M. Nyaga 2 ,
Tatiana G. Elumeeva 1 ,
Ksenia V. Dudova 1 ,
Asem A. Akhmetzhanova 1 ,
Alexei V. Tiunov 3 ,
Mikhail M. Karpukhin 4 &
Mikhail I. Makarov 4 1 Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Dept. Ecology and Plant Geography, Moscow, Russia
2 University of Embu, Dept. Biological Sciences, Embu, Kenya
3 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Moscow, Russia
4 Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow, Russia
5 U.D. Aliyev Karachay-Cherkess State University, Karachaevsk, Russia
Afroalpine plants develop under specific climate with great daily fluctuations and weak seasonal dynamics of temperature. Do leaf functional traits of the plants in Mt. Kenya differ from those of temperate plants in NW Caucasus? To answer this question, we conducted a comparative study at the Teleki valley (4000–4500 m a.s.l.), Mt. Kenya, Kenya, and Teberda national park (2600–2900 m a.s.l.), the Caucasus, Russia. We measured leaf area, fresh and dry mass, C, N, P, δ13C, δ15N and derivative traits (specific leaf area – SLA, leaf dry matter content – LDMC, C:N and N:P ratios) for 48 species at the Teleki valley, and the same traits, except for the δ13C and δ15N, for 141 species in the Teberda national park. The CSR-strategies scores were calculated. We applied the Principal Component Analysis to reveal the main patterns of trait variation. Leaf dry mass of Mt. Kenya alpine plants ranged from 0.27 mg (Sagina afroalpina) to 14.0 g (Dendrosenecio keniodendron). Leaf area, mass and LDMC of alpine plants in both regions did not differ significantly. The SLA of Mt. Kenya’s plants varied about 20-fold: from 2.6 mm2 mg-1 (Festuca pilgeri) to 39.8 mm2 mg-1 (Cineraria deltoidea), and Caucasian plants had higher SLA. N and P leaf concentrations were higher, but C lower in Caucasian plants than in Kenyan. Leaf N:P ratio was similar for both regions, while C:N ratio was higher in Kenyan plants. Species of “rosette” trees (Dendrosenecio spp.) differed from other species by size characteristics (maximal leaf dry mass and area were in Dendrosenecio keniodendron), as well as correspondingly higher investment to mechanical tissues (high C:N ratio, low SLA). By the other functional traits, “rosette” trees were similar to many other alpine plants. Thus, afroalpine plants of Mt. Kenya are close to temperate alpine plants by some leaf functional traits, but possess higher stress-tolerance.
Онипченко В.Г., Кипкеев А.М., Копылова Н.А., Ниага Дж.М., Елумеева Т.Г., Дудова К.В., Ахметжанова А.А., Тиунов А.В., Карпухин М.М., Макаров М.И. Отличаются ли афро-альпийские растения по своим функциональным признакам от других альпийских растений? Афро-альпийские растения развиваются в условиях специфического климата с большими суточными флуктуациями и слабой сезонной динамикой температуры. Отличаются ли функциональные признаки листьев растений с горы Кения от признаков растений умеренного климата на северо-западном Кавказе? Чтобы ответить на этот вопрос, мы провели сравнительное исследование в долине Телеки (4000–4500 м н.у.м.), гора Кения, Кения, и в Тебердинском национальном парке (2600–2900 м н.у.м.), Кавказ, Россия. Мы измерили площадь листа, влажную и сухую массу, C, N, P, δ13C, δ15N и расчетные величины (удельная листовая поверхность – УЛП, содержание сухого вещества – ССВ, отношения C:N и N:P) для 48 видов в долине Телеки и те же самые признаки, кроме δ13C и δ15N, для 141 вида в Тебердинском национальном парке. Также были рассчитан вклад CSR-стратегий. Чтобы выявить основные закономерности изменчивости признаков, мы провели анализ главных компонент. Масса сухого листа альпийских растений с горы Кения варьировалась от 0,27 мг (Sagina afroalpina) до 14,0 г (Dendrosenecio keniodendron). Площадь листа, масса и ССВ альпийских растений в обоих регионах значимо не различались. У растений с г. Кения УЛП варьировалось почти в 20 раз: от 2.6 мм2 мг-1 (Festuca pilgeri) до 39.8 мм2 мг-1 (Cineraria deltoidea), при этом у растений Кавказа УЛП была выше. У кавказский растений содержание N и P в листьях было выше, а содержание C ниже, чем в кенийских. Отношение N:P было сходно в обоих регионах, тогда как отношение C:N было выше у растений из Кении. Виды «розеточных деревьев» (Dendrosenecio spp.) отличались от других видов размерными характеристиками (максимальная площадь и масса сухого листа отмечены у Dendrosenecio keniodendron), а также соответствующим высоким вкладом в механические ткани (высокое отношение C:N, низкая УЛП). По остальным функциональным признакам «розеточные деревья» были схожи со многими другими альпийскими растениями. Таким образом, по ряду функциональных признаков листьев афро-альпийские растения с г. Кения близки ко многим другим альпийским растениям умеренной зоны, но обладают большей стресс-толерантностью.
Keywords: afroalpine, plant functional traits, CSR-strategies, Kenya, Caucasus, leaf area, specific leaf area, plant nutrient content, афро-альпийские растения, функциональные признаки, CSR-стратегии, Кения, Кавказ, площадь листа, удельная листовая поверхность, содержание элементов минерального питания
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