Intraspecific morphological variation ofBellidiastrum michelii(Asteraceae) along a 1,155 m elevation gradient in the Tatra Mountains

Abstract

Plant species that inhabit large elevation gradients in mountain regions are exposed to different environmental conditions. These different conditions may influence plant morphology via plastic responses and/or via genetic adaptation to the local environment. In this study, morphological variation was examined for Bellidiastrum michelii Cass. (Asteraceae) plants growing along a 1,155 m elevation gradient in the Tatra Mountains in Central Europe. The aim was to contribute to gaining a better understanding of within-species morphological variation in a mountain species across elevation gradients. Twelve morphological traits, which were measured for 340 plants collected from 34 sites, were plotted against elevation using Generalised Additive Models. Significant variation in B. michelii morphology was found across the elevation gradient. Plant size, in the form of plant height, total aboveground mass and total leaf mass, decreased significantly with increasing elevation. Similarly, floral traits, such as flower head mass, total flower mass, individual flower mass, flower head diameter and ligulate and tubular flower length, also decreased significantly with increasing elevation. However, the changes in these floral traits were not as large as those observed for plant size traits. Interestingly, the number of flowers produced by the plant, both ligulate and tubular, did not change across the studied elevation gradient. In this study, elevation was found to be an important gradient across which significant intraspecific morphological variation occurred in a mountain plant. These morphological changes may have occurred in response to various abiotic and biotic factors that change along elevation gradients.

The role of floral traits in community assembly processes at high elevations in the Himalayas

“…Floral morphology can also influence plant and pollinator diversity and plant selectivity by pollinators along elevational gradients (Gurevich & Hadany, 2021; Zhao et al, 2016). A larger display area allows plants to increase pollination probability by attracting more pollinators (Fabbro & Körner, 2004; Kiełtyk, 2021; Zhao et al, 2016). Regardless of the main driver of SFA variability at the community level, this trait seems to play an important role in community assembly processes in the study system and potentially in other upland systems.…”

The role of floral traits in community assembly process at high elevations in Lesser Himalaya

“…The larger flower display area might be also adaptive in cold alpine climates as it positively correlated with a flowers' passive heat accumulation (Dietrich and Körner, 2014). As for the plant-pollinator interactions, the decreased SFA CWM and FD values can be also attributed to the increased longevity of single flowers at higher elevations to maximize pollination success under conditions of low pollinator abundancy (Fabbro & Körner 2004;Klatt et al, 2018) a larger display area allows plants from alpine communities to increase pollination probability by attracting more pollinators (Fabbro & Körner 2004;Kiełtyk, 2021;Zhao et al, 2016).…”

“…As for the plant-pollinator interactions, the decreased SFA CWM and FD values can be also attributed to the increased longevity of single flowers at higher elevations to maximize pollination success under conditions of low pollinator abundancy (Fabbro & Körner 2004; Klatt et al, 2018). Similarly, a larger display area allows plants from alpine communities to increase pollination probability by attracting more pollinators (Fabbro & Körner 2004; Kiełtyk, 2021; Zhao et al, 2016). Regardless of the main driver of SFA variability at the community level, this trait seems to play an important role in community assembly process as we observed a significantly higher trait convergence with increasing elevation.…”

“…We conducted regular phenological observations from February to November 2018, we collected data for a total of 10,025 visits to 1 × 1 m quadrats during 401 visits of the 21 permanent plots during the entire study (Appendix 2; Table S2). We recorded floral abundance of each species (if present) in 25 (2016) and Ahmad et al (2021). We also estimated the total flowering duration (TFD) calculated as time span between the end and the onset of flowering (Crimmins et al, 2013).…”