Ecomorphology of Stomata in Temperate Ferns Under Contrasting Environments

Galán, José María Gabriel y; Seral, Andrea; Murciano, Antonio; Anjos, Rosário; Cuevas-Fernández, Francisco B.; Fernández, Pablo José Hidalgo; Pinto, Teresa

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75103-0_22

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

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“…Our results support these observations, showing that stomatal size is mostly determined by inter-specific differences ( Table 2 ) and that variation in stomatal traits associated with environmental changes appears to be almost limited to adjustments in stomatal density. In addition, a low correlation between stomatal size and density, also observed in temperate ferns [ 87 ], suggested that these two traits are not controlled by the same mechanisms in ferns. However, this result was influenced by how we estimated stomatal size, as stomatal density was correlated with stomatal length (r = -0.261, p < 0.001) and stomatal width (r = 0.358, p < 0.001), indicating that the degree of interdependence of these stomatal traits may vary among fern species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and morphological variation of tree ferns (Cyatheaceae) along an elevation gradient

Merino,

Ramírez-Barahona,

Olson

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Knowing how species and communities respond to environmental change is fundamental in the context of climate change. The search for patterns of abundance and phenotypic variation along altitudinal gradients can provide evidence on adaptive limits. We evaluated the species abundance and the variation in morphometric and stomatal characters in five tree ferns species (Cyathea fulva, C. divergens, C. myosuroides, Alsophila firma and Gymnosphaera salvinii) distributed along an elevation gradient in a well-preserved Mexican cloud forest. Variation at the community and species level was assessed using exploratory and multivariate data analysis methods. We wanted to explore if the species abundance is environmentally determined, to determine the degree of variation along the elevation gradient, to test for differences between zones and associations with elevation, humidity and soil nutrients, and to assess contribution of the intra- and interspecific variation to the community response to elevation and soil nutrients. The studied fern community showed strong species turnover along the elevation gradient, with some influence of soil nutrient concentration, supporting environmental determinism. All measured characters displayed variation along the gradient. Stomatal characters (size and density) had significantly less variation than morphometric characters (trunk diameter, stipe length and blade length), but stomatal density also shows interesting intraspecific patterns. In general, patterns within the fern community suggest a strong influence of species identity, especially of species inhabiting the lower edge of the cloud forest, which showed the clearest morphometric and stomatal patterns, associated to contrasting environments rather than to changes in elevation. The coincidence between morphometric and stomatal patterns in this area suggest hydraulic adjustments in response to contrasting environments. Our results provide evidence that tree ferns species respond to environmental changes through adjustments of morphometric plasticity and stomatal density, which is relevant to predict possible responses to variation in environmental conditions resulting from climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%