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Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 17036

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Prof. Dr. Gregor Kozlowski

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1. Department of Biology and Botanic Garden, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
2. Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China
Interests: arctic–alpine disjunctions; conservation biology; biogeography; biodiversity; dendrology; relicts; endemics; threatened species; phylogenetics; phylogeography
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Dear Colleagues,

Conditions in arctic and alpine ecosystems impose great challenges to the plants and other organisms that live there. Despite this, thousands of plant species worldwide survive or even prosper under the extreme climatic, edaphic and ecological conditions in the High North (or South) and in the high mountains. Despite the long tradition of alpine and arctic research, there is still much to be discovered. Arctic and alpine plants continue to surprise researchers with their ingenious strategies and adaptations. Today, global warming, the ever-increasing demand for resources, and the development of tourism are growing threats to arctic and alpine plant life, even in the most remote regions of the world. The future of these highly specialized organisms is uncertain. This applies not only to glacial relics and endemics in isolated mountain refugia, but also to tundra areas that were intact until recently and are now under increasing pressure from man-made global changes.

This Special Issue welcomes all types of research articles that explore historical biogeography, ecology, adaptations, impacts of global change and conservation issues related to alpine and arctic plants, using a variety of ecological, biogeographical, evolutionary, physiological, and genetic approaches.

Prof. Dr. Gregor Kozlowski
Guest Editor

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Keywords

arctic and alpine ecosystems
arctic and alpine endemics
biogeography
climate change
conservation of arctic and alpine plants
disjunctions
genetic diversity
glacial relicts
high altitude and arctic adaptations
life under snow
life at the edge
phylogeography
reproduction
species and habitat diversity
woody arctic-alpine plants
species distribution modeling
ecological niche modeling
definitions of niches
definitions of biogeographic boundaries
concepts in alpine and arctic biogeography

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3091 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome Size in the Arenaria ciliata Species Complex (Caryophyllaceae), with Special Focus on Northern Europe and the Arctic

by Gregor Kozlowski, Yann Fragnière, Benoît Clément, Olivier Gilg, Benoît Sittler, Johannes Lang, Pernille Bronken Eidesen, Simone I. Lang, Pawel Wasowicz and Conor Meade

Plants 2024, 13(5), 635; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13050635 - 26 Feb 2024

Viewed by 777

Abstract

The main aim of the present study has been the completion of genome size data for the diverse arctic-alpine A. ciliata species complex, with special focus on the unexplored arctic taxon A. pseudofrigida, the north-European A. norvegica, and A. gothica from Gotland (Sweden). Altogether, 46 individuals of these three Nordic taxa have been sampled from seven different regions and their genome size estimated using flow cytometry. Three other alpine taxa in the A. ciliata complex (A. multicaulis, A. ciliata subsp. ciliata, and A. ciliata subsp. bernensis) were also collected and analyzed for standardization purposes, comprising 20 individuals from six regions. A mean 2c value of 1.65 pg of DNA was recorded for A. pseudofrigida, 2.80 pg for A. norvegica, and 4.14 pg for A. gothica, as against the reconfirmed 2c value of 1.63 pg DNA for the type taxon A. ciliata subsp. ciliata. Our results presenting the first estimations of genome sizes for the newly sampled taxa, corroborate ploidy levels described in the available literature, with A. pseudofrigida being tetraploid (2n = 4x = 40), A. norvegica possessing predominantly 2n = 8x = 80, and A. gothica with 2n = 10x = 100. The present study also reconfirms genome size and ploidy level estimations published previously for the alpine members of this species complex. Reflecting a likely complex recent biogeographic history, the A. ciliata species group comprises a polyploid arctic-alpine species complex characterized by reticulate evolution, polyploidizations and hybridizations, probably associated with rapid latitudinal and altitudinal migrations in the Pleistocene–Holocene period. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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19 pages, 10698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Perspective of Arctic–Alpine Species in Southernmost Localities: The Example of Kalmia procumbens in the Pyrenees and Carpathians

by Łukasz Walas, Marcin Pietras, Małgorzata Mazur, Ángel Romo, Lydia Tasenkevich, Yakiv Didukh and Adam Boratyński

Plants 2023, 12(19), 3399; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193399 - 26 Sep 2023

Viewed by 758

Abstract

High-mountain and arctic plants are considered especially sensitive to climate change because of their close adaptation to the cold environment. Kalmia procumbens, a typical arctic–alpine species, reaches southernmost European localities in the Pyrenees and Carpathians. The aim of this study was the assessment and comparison of the current potential niche areas of K. procumbens in the Pyrenees and Carpathians and their possible reduction due to climate change, depending on the scenario. The realized niches of K. procumbens in the Pyrenees are compact, while those in the Carpathians are dispersed. In both mountain chains, the species occurs in the alpine and subalpine vegetation belts, going down to elevations of about 1500–1600 m, while the most elevated localities in the Pyrenees are at ca. 3000 m, about 500 m higher than those in the Carpathians. The localities of K. procumbens in the Carpathians have a more continental climate than those in the Pyrenees, with lower precipitation and temperatures but higher seasonality of temperature and precipitation. The species covered a larger area of geographic range during the Last Glacial Maximum, but its geographic range was reduced during the mid-Holocene. Due to climate warming, a reduction in the potential area of occurrence could be expected in 2100; this reduction is expected to be strong in the Carpathians and moderate in the Pyrenees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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15 pages, 1755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Species-Specific Responses to Human Trampling Indicate Alpine Plant Size Is More Sensitive than Reproduction to Disturbance

by Nathalie Isabelle Chardon, Philippa Stone, Carly Hilbert, Teagan Maclachlan, Brianna Ragsdale, Allen Zhao, Katie Goodwin, Courtney G. Collins, Nina Hewitt and Cassandra Elphinstone

Plants 2023, 12(17), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173040 - 24 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2179

Abstract

Human disturbance, such as trampling, is an integral component of global change, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of its effects on alpine ecosystems. Many alpine systems are seeing a rapid increase in recreation and in understudied regions, such as the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, yet disturbance impacts on alpine plants remain unclear. We surveyed disturbed (trail-side) and undisturbed (off-trail) transects along elevational gradients of popular hiking trails in the T’ak’t’ak’múy’in tl’a In’inyáxa7n region (Garibaldi Provincial Park), Canada, focusing on dominant shrubs (Phyllodoce empetriformis, Cassiope mertensiana, Vaccinium ovalifolium) and graminoids (Carex spp). We used a hierarchical Bayesian framework to test for disturbance by elevation effects on total plant percent cover, maximum plant height and diameter (growth proxies), and buds, flowers, and fruits (reproduction proxies). We found that trampling reduces plant cover and impacts all species, but that effects vary by species and trait, and disturbance effects only vary with elevation for one species’ trait. Growth traits are more sensitive to trampling than reproductive traits, which may lead to differential impacts on population persistence and species-level fitness outcomes. Our study highlights that disturbance responses are species-specific, and this knowledge can help land managers minimize disturbance impacts on sensitive vegetation types. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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18 pages, 7666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Polylepis tarapacana Life Forms in the Highest-Elevation Altiplano in South America: Influence of the Topography, Climate and Human Uses

by Victoria Lien López, Lucia Bottan, Guillermo Martínez Pastur, María Vanessa Lencinas, Griet An Erica Cuyckens and Juan Manuel Cellini

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1806; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091806 - 28 Apr 2023

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Abstract

In the upper vegetation limit of the Andes, trees change to shrub forms or other life forms, such as low scrubs. The diversity of life forms decreases with elevation; tree life forms generally decrease, and communities of shrubs and herbs increase in the Andean highlands. Most of treeline populations in the northwestern Argentina Altiplano are monospecific stands of Polylepis tarapacana, a cold-tolerant evergreen species that is able to withstand harsh climatic conditions under different life forms. There are no studies for P. tarapacana that analyze life forms across environmental and human impact gradients relating them with environmental factors. This study aims to determine the influence of topographic, climatic, geographic and proxies to human uses on the occurrence of life forms in P. tarapacana trees. We worked with 70 plots, and a new proposal of tree life form classification was presented for P. tarapacana (arborescent, dwarf trees, shrubs and brousse tigrée). We describe the forest biometry of each life form and evaluate the frequency of these life forms in relation to the environmental factors and human uses. The results show a consistency in the changes in the different life forms across the studied environmental gradients, where the main changes were related to elevation, slope and temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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17 pages, 6417 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Overrides the Influence of Microsite Conditions on Radial Growth of the Tall Multi-Stemmed Shrub Alnus alnobetula at Treeline

by Walter Oberhuber, Anna-Lena Dobler, Tamara Heinzle, Francesca Scandurra, Andreas Gruber and Gerhard Wieser

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1708; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081708 - 20 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 890

Abstract

Green alder (Alnus alnobetula), a tall multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, is widespread at high elevations in the Central European Alps. Its growth form frequently leads to asymmetric radial growth and anomalous growth ring patterns, making development of representative ring-width series a challenge. In order to assess the variability among radii of one shoot, among shoots belonging to one stock and among stocks, 60 stem discs were sampled at treeline on Mt. Patscherkofel (Tyrol, Austria). Annual increments were measured along 188 radii and analyzed in terms of their variability by applying dendrochronological techniques. Results revealed a high agreement in ring-width variation among radii of one shoot, among shoots of one stock and largely among stocks from different sites, confirming the pronounced limitation of radial stem growth by climate forcing at the alpine treeline. In contrast to this, a high variability in both absolute growth rates and long-term growth trends was found, which we attribute to different microsite conditions and disturbances. These factors also override climate control of radial growth under growth-limiting environmental conditions. Based on our findings we provide recommendations for the number of samples needed to carry out inter- and intra-annual studies of radial growth in this multi-stemmed clonal shrub. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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17 pages, 5664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of the Potential Distribution of the Endangered Species Meconopsis punicea Maxim under Future Climate Change Based on Four Species Distribution Models

by Hao-Tian Zhang and Wen-Ting Wang

Plants 2023, 12(6), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061376 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1608

Abstract

Climate change increases the extinction risk of species, and studying the impact of climate change on endangered species is of great significance to biodiversity conservation. In this study, the endangered plant Meconopsis punicea Maxim (M. punicea) was selected as the research object. Four species distribution models (SDMs): the generalized linear model, the generalized boosted regression tree model, random forest and flexible discriminant analysis were applied to predict the potential distribution of M. punicea under current and future climates scenarios. Among them, two emission scenarios of sharing socio-economic pathways (SSPs; i.e., SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) and two global circulation models (GCMs) were considered for future climate conditions. Our results showed that temperature seasonality, mean temperature of coldest quarter, precipitation seasonality and precipitation of warmest quarter were the most important factors shaping the potential distribution of M. punicea. The prediction of the four SDMs consistently indicated that the current potential distribution area of M. punicea is concentrated between 29.02° N–39.06° N and 91.40° E–105.89° E. Under future climate change, the potential distribution of M. punicea will expand from the southeast to the northwest, and the expansion area under SSP5-8.5 would be wider than that under SSP2-4.5. In addition, there were significant differences in the potential distribution of M. punicea predicted by different SDMs, with slight differences caused by GCMs and emission scenarios. Our study suggests using agreement results from different SDMs as the basis for developing conservation strategies to improve reliability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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20 pages, 3084 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Taxonomically Challenging Hexaploid Alpine Shrub Willows of Salix Sections Phylicifoliae and Nigricantes (Salicaceae)

by Natascha D. Wagner, Pia Marinček, Loïc Pittet and Elvira Hörandl

Plants 2023, 12(5), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051144 - 02 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1518

Abstract

The complex genomic composition of allopolyploid plants leads to morphologically diverse species. The traditional taxonomical treatment of the medium-sized, hexaploid shrub willows distributed in the Alps is difficult based on their variable morphological characters. In this study, RAD sequencing data, infrared-spectroscopy, and morphometric data are used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of the hexaploid species of the sections Nigricantes and Phylicifoliae in a phylogenetic framework of 45 Eurasian Salix species. Both sections comprise local endemics as well as widespread species. Based on the molecular data, the described morphological species appeared as monophyletic lineages (except for S. phylicifolia s.str. and S. bicolor, which are intermingled). Both sections Phylicifoliae and Nigricantes are polyphyletic. Infrared-spectroscopy mostly confirmed the differentiation of hexaploid alpine species. The morphometric data confirmed the molecular results and supported the inclusion of S. bicolor into S. phylicifolia s.l., whereas the alpine endemic S. hegetschweileri is distinct and closely related to species of the section Nigricantes. The genomic structure and co-ancestry analyses of the hexaploid species revealed a geographical pattern for widespread S. myrsinifolia, separating the Scandinavian from the alpine populations. The newly described S. kaptarae is tetraploid and is grouped within S. cinerea. Our data reveal that both sections Phylicifoliae and Nigricantes need to be redefined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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11 pages, 1656 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome Size in the Arenaria ciliata Species Complex (Caryophyllaceae), with Special Focus on A. ciliata subsp. bernensis, a Narrow Endemic of the Swiss Northern Alps

by Gregor Kozlowski, Yann Fragnière, Benoît Clément and Conor Meade

Plants 2022, 11(24), 3489; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243489 - 13 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1170

Abstract

The genus Arenaria (Caryophyllaceae) comprises approximately 300 species worldwide; however, to date, just six of these taxa have been investigated in terms of their genome size. The main subject of the present study is the A. ciliata species complex, with special focus on A. ciliata subsp. bernensis, an endemic plant occurring in the Swiss Northern Alps. Altogether, 16 populations and 77 individuals of the A. ciliata complex have been sampled and their genome sizes were estimated using flow cytometry, including A. ciliata subsp. bernensis, A. ciliata s.str., A. multicaulis, and A. gothica. The Arenaria ciliata subsp. bernensis shows the highest 2c-value of 6.91 pg of DNA, while A. gothica showed 2c = 3.69 pg, A. ciliata s.str. 2c = 1.71 pg, and A. multicaulis 2c = 1.57 pg. These results confirm the very high ploidy level of A. ciliata subsp. bernensis (2n = 20x = 200) compared to other taxa in the complex, as detected by our chromosome counting and previously documented by earlier work. The genome size and, thus, also the ploidy level, is stable across the whole distribution area of this taxon. The present study delivers additional support for the taxonomic distinctiveness of the high alpine endemic A. ciliata subsp. bernensis, which strongly aligns with other differences in morphology, phylogeny, phenology, ecology, and plant communities, described previously. In affirming these differences, further support now exists to re-consider the species status of this taxon. Upgrading to full species rank would significantly improve the conservation prospects for this taxon, as, because of its precise ecological adaptation to alpine summit habitats, the A. ciliata subsp. bernensis faces acute threats from accelerated climate warming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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Review

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19 pages, 568 KiB

Open AccessReview

Geographical Parthenogenesis in Alpine and Arctic Plants

by Elvira Hörandl

Plants 2023, 12(4), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040844 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1896

Abstract

The term “Geographical parthenogenesis” describes the phenomenon that asexual organisms usually occupy larger and more northern distribution areas than their sexual relatives, and tend to colonize previously glaciated areas. Several case studies on alpine and arctic plants confirm the geographical pattern, but the causal factors behind the phenomenon are still unclear. Research of the last decade in several plant families has shed light on the question and evaluated some of the classical evolutionary theories. Results confirmed, in general, that the advantages of uniparental reproduction enable apomictic plants to re-colonize faster in larger and more northern distribution areas. Associated factors like polyploidy seem to contribute mainly to the spatial separation of sexual and asexual cytotypes. Ecological studies suggest a better tolerance of apomicts to colder climates and temperate extremes, whereby epigenetic flexibility and phenotypic plasticity play an important role in occupying ecological niches under harsh conditions. Genotypic diversity appears to be of lesser importance for the distributional success of asexual plants. Classical evolutionary theories like a reduced pressure of biotic interactions in colder climates and hence an advantage to asexuals (Red Queen hypothesis) did not gain support from studies on plants. However, it is also still enigmatic why sexual outcrossing remains the predominant mode of reproduction also in alpine floras. Constraints for the origin of apomixis might play a role. Interestingly, some studies suggest an association of sexuality with abiotic stresses. Light stress in high elevations might explain why most alpine plants retain sexual reproduction despite other environmental factors that would favor apomixis. Directions for future research will be given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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20 pages, 4850 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Concepts in Alpine Plant Ecology

by Christian Körner

Plants 2023, 12(14), 2666; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12142666 - 17 Jul 2023

Viewed by 2654

Abstract

The alpine life zone is perhaps the only biome that occurs globally where mountains are high enough. At latitudinally varying elevation, the alpine belt hosts small stature plants that vary greatly in morphology, anatomy and physiology. In this contribution, I summarize a number of principles that govern life in what is often considered a cold and hostile environment. The 12 conceptual frameworks depicted include the key role of aerodynamic decoupling from free atmospheric climatic conditions, the problematic concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the role of developmental flexibility and functional diversity. With its topography driven habitat diversity, alpine plant diversity is buffered against environmental change, and the multitude of microclimatic gradients offers ‘experiments by nature’, the power of which awaits multidisciplinary exploration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arctic and Alpine Plants: Ecology, Adaptations and Conservation Biology)

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