Do clonal and bud bank traits vary in correspondence with soil properties and resource acquisition strategies? Patterns in alpine communities in the Scandian mountains

0369748 - BÚ 2012 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Rusch, G. M. - Wilmann, B. - Klimešová, Jitka - Evju, M.
Do clonal and bud bank traits vary in correspondence with soil properties and resource acquisition strategies? Patterns in alpine communities in the Scandian mountains.
Folia Geobotanica. Roč. 46, 2-3 (2011), 237-254. ISSN 1211-9520. E-ISSN 1874-9348
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA526/07/0808
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516
Keywords : clonal traits * bud bank * SLA
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 1.500, year: 2011

Plant traits associated with resource acquisition strategies (e.g.specific leaf area) change along gradients of soil properties, being the most conservative in resource poor environment and the most dynamic in resource rich environment. Analysis of clonal and bud bank traits for species of alpine communities revield that with decreasing soil quality the most common clonal growth organs were rhizomes, and there was a predominance of perennial bud banks located at the soil surface or below-ground, low rates of lateral spread and long persistence of plant- offspring connections. Further, at the level of the plant assemblage, these clonal and bud bank traits were positively associated with LDMC, and negatively with leaf size and plant height. These observations reinforce the hypotheses about trade-offs between acquisition and retention strategies in plants.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0006755