Alpine Botany最新文献

{"title":"High mountains of central Europe as a refuge of surprising cytotype diversity of Huperzia selago (Lycopodiaceae)","authors":"Kateřina Vejvodová, Joel Krejčí, Petr Koutecký, Magdalena Lučanová, Ondřej Hornych, Libor Ekrt","doi":"10.1007/s00035-024-00312-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00312-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polyploidization is pivotal in plant speciation, affecting adaptability, ecological tolerance and specific geographical distribution patterns. While cytotype diversity has been extensively studied in angiosperms and ferns, knowledge in homosporous lycophytes remains very limited. Our study addresses this gap, focusing on the homosporous lycophyte <i>Huperzia selago</i> in Central Europe. The genome size of 1330 individuals from 208 populations were assessed via flow cytometry, revealing five distinct cytotypes (2<i>x</i>, 3<i>x</i>, 4<i>x</i>, 5<i>x</i>, 6<i>x</i>). Challenging chromosome counting using gemmae roots yielded average counts of 140 (2<i>x</i>), 204 (3<i>x</i>), and 262 (4<i>x</i>) chromosomes. The hexaploid genome size (29 pg) approached the upper limits reported for lycophytes. Tetraploids were the most abundant (72.7%), while triploids (21.3%) were less common, while the remaining cytotypes comprised less than 5% of the dataset. Geographical separation of cytotypes was not observed. However, uncommon cytotypes were associated with the Alps and triploids also occured in the highest parts of Western Carpathians. Around 27.3% of populations exhibited multiple cytotypes. Except for atypical diploids, spore abortion differed between even (21.8%) and odd ploidies (65.2%). Microcharacter (stoma, spore) proportions did not linearly correspond with increasing ploidy levels. The high ploidy-level diversity and cytotype coexistence in Central European <i>H. selago</i> match the well documented patterns in ferns and angiosperms. These findings provide valuable insights into lycophyte polyploidy, underscoring the necessity for broader geographical sampling and application of molecular studies to elucidate phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic classifications within the genus <i>Huperzia</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140934386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glacier retreat triggers changes in biodiversity and plant–pollinator interaction diversity","authors":"Bao Ngan Tu, Nora Khelidj, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Natasha de Vere, Andrea Ferrari, Francesco Paone, Carlo Polidori, Jürg Schmid, Daniele Sommaggio, Gianalberto Losapio","doi":"10.1007/s00035-024-00309-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00309-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Due to global warming, the worldwide retreat of glaciers is causing changes in species diversity, community composition, and species interactions. However, the impact of glacier retreat on interaction diversity and ecological networks remains poorly understood. An integrative understanding of network dynamics may inform conservation actions that support biodiversity and ecosystem functioning after glacier extinction. Here, we address how glacier retreat affects the frequency, diversity, and complexity of plant–pollinator interactions, both directly and indirectly through biodiversity change. We surveyed flower visitors (pollinators) and analyzed pollination networks across a gradient of 170 years of glacier retreat (Mont Miné glacier, Valais, Switzerland) which ranges from patchy grasslands to closed forests. We reported a strong impact of glacier retreat on both plant and pollinator communities. Notably, the diversity of plant–pollinator interactions was sharply affected by glacier retreat: interaction diversity increased few years after glacier retreat, but it ultimately decreased in late stages dominated by forests. In contrast, we found that plant–pollinator network complexity did not change with glacier retreat. Our results indicate that the development of plant–pollinator networks is a two-phases process. In the first phase, glacier retreat makes space to plant colonization. This initial increase in plant diversity drives the increase in pollinator and interaction diversity. The second phase is characterized by turnover as woody species encroaches and dominates the community, decreasing the diversity of plant species in ultimate instance. The local decrease of plant diversity leads to a local decrease in pollinator and interaction diversity. Slowing down woody encroachment and enhancing flower diversity, which is initially supported by the glacial landscape, may be key strategies for halting the erosion of ecological networks while increasing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Our research thus can help resolve the overarching question of how to conserve ecosystems once glaciers are extinct, pointing toward a composite role of both habitat structure and biological functions.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140565822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Floral and pollinator functional diversity mediate network structure along an elevational gradient","authors":"Luis A. Aguirre, Robert R. Junker","doi":"10.1007/s00035-024-00308-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00308-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Elevational gradients in alpine ecosystems are well suited to study how plant and pollinator communities respond to climate change. In the Austrian Alps, we tested how the taxonomic and functional diversity of plants and their pollinators change with increasing elevation and how this affects plant–pollinator network structure. We measured the phenotypes of flowering plants and their pollinators and observed their interactions in 24 communities along an elevational gradient. To assess variation in floral and pollinator traits, we then quantified trait spaces (<i>n</i>-dimensional hypervolumes) occupied by flowers and pollinators in each community. To assess plant–pollinator network structure, we quantified the levels of complementary specialization (H₂’), modularity and nestedness (weighted NODF) for each community. As elevation increased, most measures of diversity and network specialization either declined linearly or in an oscillating manner. Communities that exhibited higher pollinator functional diversity exhibited larger degrees of complementary specialization and modularity; and communities with greater floral and pollinator functional diversity and higher phylogenetic diversity were less nested. Altogether, the degree to which elevation, species diversity, functional diversity and network structure changed in conjunction suggests environmental effects on the functional and phylogenetic diversity of plants and pollinators and consequently network structure. Our results suggest that the effects of climate change on plant and pollinator community composition will impact plant–pollinator network structure and potentially pollination services at the community scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140146339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impacts of interannual climate variation on pollination network structure of a sub-alpine meadow: from 2008 to 2021","authors":"Qiang Fang, Tao Zhang, Zhiyun Fang, Yage Li","doi":"10.1007/s00035-024-00307-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00307-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding how climate conditions variation influences the pollination network structure is important for predicting the response of the plant and the pollinator communities, especially for alpine ecosystems, which are sensitive to climate change. Here, we investigated the pollination network of a sub-alpine meadow community by separating the pollinators into categories for ten years, from 2008 to 2010 and 2015 to 2021, and examined the relationships between precipitation or temperature and network metrics at the network, group and species-level. The results showed that the plant-pollinator networks were relatively stable across years, and the variation of network structure metrics were larger than that of growing-season and annual precipitation or temperature. The precipitation and temperature have different effects on the network metrics. Reduced precipitations increase competition among pollinator categories, leading to higher niche overlap of pollinator categories. While increased temperatures resulted in less pollinator sharing, leading to a more specialized network with decreased nestedness. This study contributes to the understanding of how interannual climate change affect plant-pollinator network, and emphasizes the importance of predicting the impact of climate change on ecosystem services.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140154809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The uneven distribution of refugial endemics across the European Alps suggests a threefold role of climate in speciation of refugial populations","authors":"Joachim W. Kadereit","doi":"10.1007/s00035-024-00306-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-024-00306-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A little more than 10% of the vascular plant flora native to the European Alps is endemic to this area. It has long been noticed that the distribution of endemics across the Alps is very uneven. While most endemics are found along the southern edge of the Alps, with some also on its western, eastern, and northeastern edges, the northern edge of the Alps more or less between Lake Geneva in the west and Lake Traun in the east harbours almost no endemics. The distribution of endemics in the Alps has often been related to the location of glacial refugia. Accordingly, the virtual absence of endemics from the northern edge of the Alps has been explained with the unsuitability of climatic conditions for glacial survival of alpine plants there. After discussing evidence for the existence of glacial refugia for alpine species along the northern edge of the Alps and north of the Alps, I will examine how these refugia differed from refugia along the southern edge of the Alps. I conclude that the uneven distribution of endemics in the Alps is best explained by the different climate through time north and south of the Alps. These climatic differences affected the spatial structure and extent of refugia, the length of isolation of refugial populations, and selective conditions in refugia.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140010923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental evidence, global patterns of treeline position and climate provide no substance for a lignin limitation hypothesis of tree growth","authors":"Christian Körner, Erika Hiltbrunner, Günter Hoch","doi":"10.1007/s00035-023-00305-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-023-00305-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While the position of alpine and arctic treelines can be predicted by climatic data, the underlying biological mechanisms are still unclear. In a recent paper in this journal (Körner C, Lenz A, Hoch G (2023) Chronic in situ tissue cooling does not reduce lignification at the Swiss treeline but enhances the risk of 'blue' frost rings. Alpine Botany https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-023-00293-6) we presented results of an in situ stem-cooling experiment at a Swiss treeline site. The experiment provided answers to two entirely different questions, related to xylogenesis at treeline: (a) the absence of chronic effects of low temperature on lignification, and (b) a high time resolution insight into the rare occurrence of damages in young, still undifferentiated, and thus, non-lignified cells at the occasion of an exceptional early season frost event. In the last issue of Alpine Botany (August 7, 2023), our data had been re-interpreted by (Büntgen, Alpine Botany, 2023) by confusing (b) with (a). Cell death before secondary wall formation interrupts all metabolism, and thus, cannot exert a specific limitation of lignification. For the xylem to lignify, it requires a secondary cell wall in the first place. A frost damage in young tracheid cells is unsuitable for a dendrological treeline hypothesis based on a low-temperature threshold for lignification. Generally, the global pattern of treeline position is not associated with local freezing conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139927409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic underpinning of historical afforestation with allochthonous Pinus cembra in the northwestern Swiss Alps","authors":"Vincent Sonnenwyl, Benjamin Dauphin, Yann Fragnière, Benoît Clément, Sandra Grünig, Sabine Brodbeck, Christian Parisod, Gregor Kozlowski, Felix Gugerli","doi":"10.1007/s00035-023-00304-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-023-00304-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Throughout the last centuries, the structure and genetic composition of forests have been strongly affected by forest management. Over 30% of European forests are artificially regenerated, very often using translocated forest reproductive material, among these species the Swiss stone pine (<i>Pinus cembra</i> L.). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the species was largely used for artificial afforestation in the northern Alps. However, only a few planted trees have survived. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate if the historical afforestation of <i>P. cembra</i> in the northwestern Swiss Alps relied on allochthonous material. We sampled 12 sites, genotyping 11 nuclear microsatellites, to infer the spatial genetic structure of regional populations, to test for genetic differences between natural and planted stands, and to infer potential source regions of planted stands using reference samples covering the entire Alps. Population genetic structure analysis allowed us to distinguish planted from natural stands and to determine that forest reproductive material used for plantations was not of regional origin. We found similar levels of genetic diversity between natural and planted stands. Assignment tests revealed that reproductive material for planting was translocated to the study area from two source regions, i.e., near the border of Switzerland and Austria, and further to the East, between Austria and Italy. Our study shows how genetic tools may inform about historical transfer of forest reproductive material, which still may affect the population genetic make-up of regional occurrences, e.g., because of reduced natural regeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138742284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Floral attractants in an alpine environment: linking floral volatiles, flower size and pollinators","authors":"Yesenia Martínez-Díaz, Francisco J. Espinosa-García, Silvana Martén-Rodríguez, Yolanda M. García-Rodríguez, Eduardo Cuevas","doi":"10.1007/s00035-023-00303-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-023-00303-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In high mountain environments, the availability of pollinators may decrease as elevation increases, affecting plant reproductive success. Floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are relevant to pollinator attraction; however, few studies have explored the variation of floral VOCs at different elevational sites. We analyzed the floral VOCs, flower size and nectar volume in <i>Bidens triplinervia</i> (a species with a generalized pollination system) and <i>Penstemon roseus</i> (with bee and bird pollination system) at three elevations (2800, 3300, and 3700 m) in the Nevado de Colima Volcano in Mexico. We recorded visitation rate and the identity of pollinators and explored the relationships between floral traits and pollinator visitation. The floral scent profile (composition and relative amounts of VOCs) of <i>B. triplinervia</i> and <i>P. roseus</i> differed between the three elevations. The highest number of VOCs and the largest flowers were found at high elevation, which had the lower visitation rate. Nectar volume was higher at low elevation and nectar concentration was lower at middle elevation. In <i>B. triplinervia</i>, <i>Bombus ephippiatus</i> was the main pollinator at low and middle elevation, while <i>Musca domestica</i> predominated at the highest elevation. <i>Penstemon roseus</i> was visited by hummingbirds and bumblebees, which were the most frequent pollinators at all three elevations. The floral traits (i.e.<i>,</i> flower size, floral VOCs and nectar) were significantly associated with pollinator visitation. This study provides evidence of floral VOCs variation at different elevations, which was correlated with the visitation rate of local pollinators. The larger flowers at higher elevations may increase the attraction of pollinators where the environment is more extreme and erratic.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138538502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Positive and negative plant−plant interactions influence seedling establishment at both high and low elevations","authors":"Chantal M. Hischier, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Evelin Iseli, Jake M. Alexander","doi":"10.1007/s00035-023-00302-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-023-00302-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Deciphering how plants interact with each other across environmental gradients is important to understand plant community assembly, as well as potential future plant responses to environmental change. Plant<b>−</b>plant interactions are expected to shift from predominantly negative (i.e. competition) to predominantly positive (i.e. facilitation) along gradients of environmental severity. However, most experiments examine the net effects of interactions by growing plants in either the presence or absence of neighbours, thereby neglecting the interplay of both negative and positive effects acting simultaneously within communities. To partially unravel these effects, we tested how the seedling establishment of 10 mountain grassland plants varied in the presence versus absence of plant communities at two sites along an elevation gradient. We created a third experimental treatment (using plastic plant mats to mimic surrounding vegetation) that retained the main hypothesised benefits of plant neighbours (microsite amelioration), while reducing a key negative effect (competition for soil resources). In contrast to our expectations, we found evidence for net positive effects of vegetation at the low elevation site, and net negative effects at the high elevation site. Interestingly, the negative effects of plant neighbours at high elevation were driven by high establishment rates of low elevation grasses in bare soil plots. At both sites, establishment rates were highest in artificial vegetation (after excluding two low elevation grasses at the high elevation site), indicating that positive effects of above-ground vegetation are partially offset by their negative effects. Our results demonstrate that both competition and facilitation act jointly to affect community structure across environmental gradients, while emphasising that competition can be strong also at higher elevations in temperate mountain regions. Consequently, plant<b>−</b>plant interactions are likely to influence the establishment of new, and persistence of resident, species in mountain plant communities as environments change.</p>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138538530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular evidence and environmental niche evolution at the origin of the disjunct distribution in three mountain endemic Tephroseris (Asteraceae) of the Mediterranean basin","authors":"Martino Adamo,&nbsp;Katarina Skokanová,&nbsp;Javier Bobo-Pinilla,&nbsp;Elisa Giaccone,&nbsp;Julio Peñas de Giles,&nbsp;Marco Mucciarelli","doi":"10.1007/s00035-023-00300-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00035-023-00300-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Studies on the origin and evolutionary history of closely related plants help to understand patterns of diversity of the mountain flora in addition to providing the basis for their identification. The genus <i>Tephroseris</i> includes three endemic taxa with small and disjoint distributions in the high mountains of the Iberian Peninsula and on the Maritime Alps. <i>Tephroseris balbisiana</i> is native to the Southwestern Alps, <i>Tephroseris elodes</i> to Sierra Nevada, and <i>Tephroseris coincyi</i> to Sierra de Gredos. These taxa have been treated under different combinations of species or subspecies due to limited morphological differentiation, but comprehensive studies have not been published so far. By combining information from phylogeny, molecular dating and genome size, we demonstrated the taxonomic distinctiveness between <i>T. balbisiana</i> and the two Iberian taxa. Although the lack of variability in plastid DNA hampered the precise estimation of the diversification events, some of the recovered patterns suggested a recent divergence of <i>T. balbisiana</i>, <i>T. elodes</i> and <i>T. coincyi</i> dating back to the Pleistocene (0.5–2.8 Mya). However, niche modeling supported a geographical overlap between the three taxa during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Moreover, the fragmentation of their ancient larger distribution range, particularly in the lower elevations of the Iberian Peninsula, and migration to glacial refuges in the south-western Alps, provide the most plausible explanations for the current disjoint distribution within the Mediterranean mountains. Furthermore, based on the evidence we gathered, we inferred that the alpine <i>T. balbisiana</i>, as well as the Iberian taxa, should be considered as three distinct subspecies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51238,"journal":{"name":"Alpine Botany","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00035-023-00300-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50463453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}