Plant dispersal strategies of high tropical alpine communities across the Andes
Authors/Creators
- 1. Royal Botanic Gardens
- 2. University of Amsterdam
- 3. University of the Ryukyus
- 4. Universidad de las Américas
- 5. Catholic University of the North
- 6. Ministry for Primary Industries
- 7. Universidad de Los Andes
- 8. Higher University of San Andrés
- 9. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
- 10. Pontifical Xavierian University
- 11. National University of Tucumán
Description
• Dispersal is a key ecological process that influences plant community assembly. Therefore, understanding whether dispersal strategies are associated with climate is of utmost importance, particularly in areas greatly exposed to climate change. We examined alpine plant communities located in the mountain summits of the tropical Andes across a 4000 km latitudinal gradient. We investigated species dispersal strategies and tested their association with climatic conditions and their evolutionary history.
• We used dispersal-related traits (dispersal mode and growth form) to characterize dispersal strategies for 486 species recorded on 49 mountain summits. Then we analysed the phylogenetic signal of traits and investigated the association between dispersal traits, phylogeny, climate and space using structural equation modelling and fourth-corner analysis together with RLQ ordination.
• A median of 36% species in the communities were anemochorous (wind-dispersed) and herbaceous. This dispersal strategy was followed by the barochory-herb combination (herbaceous with unspecialised seeds, dispersed by gravity) with a median of 26.3% species in the communities. The latter strategy was common among species with distributions restricted to alpine environments.
• While trait states were phylogenetically conserved, they were significantly associated with a temperature gradient. Low minimum air temperatures, found at higher latitudes/elevations, were correlated with the prevalence of barochory and the herb growth form, traits that are common among Caryophyllales, Brassicaceae and Poaceae. Milder temperatures, found at lower latitudes/elevations, were associated with endozoochorous, shrub species mostly from the Ericaceae family. Anemochorous species were found all along the temperature gradient, possibly due to the success of anemochorous Compositae species in alpine regions. We also found that trait state dominance was more associated with the climatic conditions of the summit than with community phylogenetic structure. Although the evolutionary history of the tropical Andean flora has also shaped dispersal strategies, our results suggest that the environment had a more predominant role.
• Synthesis: We showed that dispersal related traits are strongly associated with a gradient of minimum air temperatures in the Andes. Global warming may weaken this key filter at tropical alpine summits, potentially altering community dispersal strategies in this region and thus, plant community structure and composition.
Notes
Description of the fields
family: species' family
sp_name_BIEN2017: species name used in this study
taxon_name_as_in_reference: taxon name for which trait data was collected as in the reference
trait: trait name
value_as_in_reference: trait data as in the reference
standardised_trait_value: categories of trait values defined for this study
main_reference: main reference from where the trait data was extracted.
Notes about data "in embargo"
Dispersal mode for 49 species is not give and is stated as "in embargo" in the field "standardised_trait_value" because the information is part of an unpublished on-going work (Melcher in prep.).
Notes about references
Only the main reference is provided in this dataset, secondary references (that include examination of herbarium specimens have not been provided).
Notes about missing values
We couldn't assign dispersal mode with certainty for 15 species. Given that they lack apparent morphological adaptations, or their congeneric species were mostly barochorous we assumed these species were barochorous as well. For 8 species (Bulbostylis juncoides, Oreobolopsis inversa, Oreobolus ecuadorensis, Oreobolus goeppingeri, Plantago orbignyana, Sisyrinchium hypsophilum, Sisyrinchium jamesonii, Trichophorum rigidum) no apparent morphological adaptation was found in their diaspore description. However, detailed microscopic studies of congeneric species show adaptations to other dispersal modes. A few Cyperaceae congeneric species have thick parenchymatous mesocarp layer that allows them to float (hydrochory) (Melcher et al. 2000). A few congenerics of P. orbignyana produce mucilage which indicates epizoochory (Melcher, personal observations), but this remains to be tested for P. orbignyana. A few species of Sisyrinchium have umbilicus forming an air bubble that helps them to float (Goldblatt, Henrich, & Keating, 1989). In the absence of such details studies for our species we consider it was safer to assume barochory for these species. For the other 7 species (Draba discoidea, Draba obovata, Draba pulvinata, Lachemilla moritziana, Poa glaberrima, Poa lepidula, Silene mandonii) there was a predominant lack of diaspore morphological adaptations among their congenerics, therefore we assigned them as barochorous as well.
Funding provided by: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: 81028631
Funding provided by: Global Environment Fund, Award
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014574
Award Number: 4750
Funding provided by: Bentham-Moxon Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: BMT-sn-2015 / BMT74-2018
Funding provided by: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: 81028631
Funding provided by: Bentham-Moxon Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: BMT-sn-2015 / BMT74-2018
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Additional details
Related works
- Is cited by
- 10.1111/jbi.13759 (DOI)
- 10.1111/ecog.02567 (DOI)
- Is supplemented by
- 10.5061/dryad.3r2280gbv (DOI)