Aboveground-trait variations in 11 (sub)alpine plants along a 1000-m elevation gradient in tropical Mexico

Abstract

With the aim to explore how plants acclimate to elevation changes in the understudied (sub)alpine tropics we tested two hypotheses along a 1000-m elevation gradient in Mexico: (H1) due to a severe increase in abiotic constraints at higher elevations, the functional traits of the plant species will converge toward more resource conservation, and (H2) the specific growth forms and biogeographic origins present in the (sub)alpine tropics may influence the interspecific trait variation along the gradient. We measured five aboveground functional traits: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry-matter content (LDMC), leaf thickness, leaf area and plant height, of 11 species representing four growth forms: rosette, tussock grass, shrub and tree the soil microclimate. Microclimatic data revealed a steep decrease in soil water content at higher elevations. Across all species and all individuals, SLA, plant height and leaf area decreased with elevation, whereas LDMC and leaf thickness increased, all of which revealing adjustments towards resource conservation in line with H1. Consistently with H2, the functional traits of the growth forms that were characteristic of tropical alpine regions (tussock grasses and erect shrubs) were less sensitive to changes in elevation compared to more generalist growth forms such as forbs. In addition, within the growth form “rosette” the functional traits of species of tropical biogeographic origin changed with elevation, whereas those of Holarctic origin did not. Our data indicate a convergence of plant traits toward improved resource conservation at higher elevations, which may be influenced partially by the growth form and the biogeographical origin of plant species.