Interspecific variation in functional traits in relation to species climatic niche optima in Andean Polylepis (Rosaceae) tree species: evidence for climatic adaptations
Johanna M. Toivonen A E , Viviana Horna B , Michael Kessler C , Kalle Ruokolainen A and Dietrich Hertel D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Biology, 20014 University of Turku, Finland.
B Ecological Botanical Gardens, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
C Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
D Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg August University of Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
E Corresponding author. Email: jomito@utu.fi
Functional Plant Biology 41(3) 301-312 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP13210
Submitted: 21 February 2013 Accepted: 23 September 2013 Published: 31 October 2013
Abstract
Plant functional traits can be genetically determined or phenotypically plastic. We assessed the degree of genetic determinism in the functional traits of Andean Polylepis tree species among 14 important traits that enable the species to withstand cold and dry conditions. We conducted a common garden experiment and related the species-specific means of the functional traits to the variables of climatic niche optima of the species (mean annual temperature and annual precipitation), deducing that if the interspecific variation in the functional trait is related to the species climatic niche optima according to the theoretically-expected pattern of climate-trait relationship, the variation of the trait must be genetically determined. In general, the traits were related either to species temperature or precipitation optima. For example, leaf size, maximum photosynthesis rate and root tip abundance were related to temperature, whereas light compensation and light saturation points were related to precipitation. Only leaf size showed a significant phylogenetic signal, indicating that most of the manifested climate–trait relationships are not caused purely by phylogeny, but are mainly a result of species specialisation along an environmental gradient. However, in many cases the relationships were rather weak. This suggests that important functional traits of Polylepis species involve both genetic and phenotypic components aiming to maximise the overall fitness of the species at high elevations.
Additional keywords: climatic niche, ecophysiology, genetic determinism, phenotypic plasticity, phylogeny, treeline.
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