Das “Ökosystem Polsterpflanze”: Recycling und Aircondition

Körner, Christian

doi:10.1002/biuz.19930230607

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…E. clavarioides' disproportionate occurrence in areas with high wind exposure (see e.g. Grulke and Bliss 1985;Körner 1993;Molenda, Reid, and Lortie 2012), and its complete absence from wind-sheltered sites in the fine-scale study, are also consistent with Körner's (1993) observation that true cushion plants are absent from areas with low wind exposure. Therefore, low and sparse vegetation, driven potentially by various abiotic mechanisms (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides

Momberg

Greve

Merwe

et al. 2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Cushion plants are a key Arctic, Antarctic, and alpine growth form, with many cushion-forming species strongly affecting community structure in abiotically stressful environments. Despite their ecological importance, there is little information about what drives the distribution of species exhibiting this growth form. This study investigates the determinants of the distribution of a cushion plant species, Euphorbia clavarioides at (1) a fine scale, using field-collected predictors from an alpine landscape; and (2) a broad scale, using distribution records and climate data across the species' distributional range. At the fine scale, the species was locally rare (occurring in about 4 percent of samples) and may be limited to specific microsites by interspecific competition with taller-growing species. Broad-scale species distribution modeling showed that both temperature and rainfall are important in predicting the distribution of E. clavarioides with a higher probability of occurrence in areas with higher annual precipitation and mean annual temperatures < 15°C. Given the species' sensitivity to competition and abiotic conditions (high temperatures and low precipitation), E. clavarioides may be vulnerable to environmental changes. Therefore, assuming that other cushion plant species exhibit similar patterns, species of this growth form may be particularly useful indicators of change in alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic areas.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides

Momberg

Greve

Merwe

et al. 2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…The cushion life‐form is most frequent in nutrient poor and cool environments, particularly on bare soils or in open vegetation in windswept habitats (Körner ). In these environments, the compact and dense canopy of cushions traps and accumulates leaf litter (Körner ), mitigates extreme temperatures inside the cushion and increases soil moisture beneath it (Cavieres et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in functional traits mediates plant interactions along stress gradients

et al. 2013

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Summary1. Environmental gradients may influence a plant's physiological status and morphology, which in turn may affect plant-plant interactions. However, little is known about the relationship between environmental variation, physiological and morphological variability of plants and variation in the balance between competition and facilitation. 2. Mountain ranges in dry environments have opposing altitudinal environmental gradients of temperature and aridity, which limit plant growth at high and low elevations. This makes them particularly suitable for exploring the relationships between environmental conditions, plant phenotype and plant-plant interactions. We hypothesized that different environmental stressors will differently affect the physiological status of a nurse plant. This, then, manifests itself as variation in nurse plant morphological traits, which in turn mediates plant-plant interactions by altering microhabitat conditions for the nurse and associated species. 3. In an observational study, we measured a series of functional traits of Arenaria tetraquetra cushions as indicators of its physiological status (e.g. specific leaf area, relative water content) and morphology (e.g. cushion compactness, size). Measurements were taken along the entire elevation range where A. tetraquetra occurs. Furthermore, we analysed how these functional traits related to soil properties beneath cushions and the number of associated species and individuals compared with open areas. 4. Cushions at high elevation showed good physiological status; they were compact and large, had higher soil water and organic matter content compared with open areas and showed the strongest facilitation effect of the whole elevation gradient -that is, the highest increase in species richness and abundance of beneficiaries compared with open areas. Physiological data at low elevation indicated stressful abiotic conditions for A. tetraquetra, which formed loose and small cushions. These cushions showed less improved soil conditions and had reduced facilitative effects compared with those at high elevation. 5. Synthesis. Functional traits of the nurse species varied distinctively along the two opposing stress gradients, in parallel to the magnitude of differences in microenvironmental conditions between cushions and the surrounding open area, and also to the facilitation effect of cushions. Our data, therefore, provides a strong demonstration of the generally overlooked importance of a nurse plant's vigour and morphology for its facilitative effects.

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The climate plants experience

Körner

2021

Alpine Plant Life

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Das “Ökosystem Polsterpflanze”: Recycling und Aircondition

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides

Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides

Variability in functional traits mediates plant interactions along stress gradients

The climate plants experience

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