Paper| Year: | 2018 |
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| Author(s): | J. Seguí, A. Lázaro, A. Traveset, C. Salgado-Luarte, E. Gianoli |
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| Title: | Phenotypic and reproductive responses of an Andean violet to environmental variation across an elevational gradient |
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| Journal: | Alpine Botany |
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| ISSN: | 1664-2201 |
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| JCR Impact Factor: | 2.719 |
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| Volume: | 128 |
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| Pages: | 59-69 |
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| D.O.I.: | 10.1007/s00035-017-0195-9 |
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| Web: | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00035-017-0195-9 |
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| Abstract: | Environmental gradients in alpine systems may lead to differences in
both abiotic conditions and species interactions in very short
distances. This may lead to reproductive and phenotypic changes in
plants to enhance fitness in each environment. In this study, we
explored how the Central Andean Viola maculata
responds to the elevation gradient, where it is distributed, with an
expected increase in water availability and a decrease in pollinator
availability with elevation. We hypothesized that: (1) plants would be
more water-stressed at low elevations; (2) investment in and success of
cleistogamous flowers (closed, self-pollinated) would increase with
elevation; and (3) correlation patterns between floral and vegetative
traits would vary along the gradient according to changes in
biotic/abiotic selection pressures across sites. We partially confirmed
the inverse gradient of water stress with elevation, with V. maculata
populations in the lowest site experiencing lower soil moisture and
showing thicker leaves and lower stomatal conductance. Cleistogamy was
more prevalent and successful at the highest site, thus confirming the
hypothesis of maintenance of a mixed-mating system as reproductive
assurance. Correlation patterns between flower and leaf size differed
across sites, with stronger vegetative–floral correlation at the lower
sites and a weak correlation at the highest site. This finding disagrees
with the notion of pollinators as drivers of correlation between floral
and vegetative traits. Our study shows how a narrow gradient in an
alpine system may affect not only reproductive and physiological
responses in plants, but also floral and vegetative covariances. |
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Related staffAnna Traveset VilaginesAmparo Lazaro CastilloRelated departmentsOceanography and Global ChangeRelated research groupsGlobal Change Research
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