Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China

doi:10.1016/j.pld.2020.06.006

Plant Diversity ›› 2020, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (05): 386-392.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2020.06.006

Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China

Yongqian Gao^a,b, Jinxuan Zheng^c, Xiangqun Lin^b, Fan Du^a

a Faculty of Forestry, Southwest Forestry University, 300 Bailong Road, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, PR China;
b Yunnan Forestry Technological College, 1 Jindian, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, PR China;
c Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650051, Yunnan, China

收稿日期:2020-02-18 修回日期:2020-06-27 出版日期:2020-10-25 发布日期:2020-10-28
通讯作者: Xiangqun Lin, Fan Du
基金资助:
This work was supported by the Science Research Foundation of Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2019J0551 to Y. Q. Gao).

Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China

Yongqian Gao^a,b, Jinxuan Zheng^c, Xiangqun Lin^b, Fan Du^a

a Faculty of Forestry, Southwest Forestry University, 300 Bailong Road, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, PR China;
b Yunnan Forestry Technological College, 1 Jindian, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, PR China;
c Forest Inventory and Planning Institute of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650051, Yunnan, China

Received:2020-02-18 Revised:2020-06-27 Online:2020-10-25 Published:2020-10-28
Contact: Xiangqun Lin, Fan Du
Supported by:
This work was supported by the Science Research Foundation of Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2019J0551 to Y. Q. Gao).

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Clonal reproduction (i.e., production of potentially independent offspring by vegetative growth) is thought to provide plants with reproductive assurance. Thus, studying the evolution of clonal reproduction in local floras is crucial for our understanding of the adaptive mechanisms plants deploy in stressful environments such as alpine regions. In this study, we characterized clonal plant species in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains (a global biodiversity hotspot with extreme environmental conditions in southwest China), in order to determine the effects of sex system, growth form, and elevational distribution on clonality. We compiled clonality data of angiosperm species belonging to 41 families in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains using published information. Of the 793 species recorded in the region, 47.92% (380 species) are clonal species. Both sex system and growth form had significant effects on the occurrence of clonal reproduction: unisexual species (79.79%) were more likely to be clonal than bisexual species (43.63%), and herbaceous species (51.04%) were more likely to be clonal than woody species (16.67%). Compared with non-alpine-endemic species (44.60%), alpine-endemic species (58.33%) showed a significantly higher proportion of clonal reproduction. Further logistic regression analysis showed a positive association between incidence of clonality and elevational range, indicating that species distributed at high elevations are more likely to be clonal. Furthermore, the elevational gradients in clonality were contingent on sex system or growth form. This study reveals that plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains might optimize their probability of reproduction through clonal reproduction, a finding that adds to our growing understanding of plant's adaptations to harsh alpine environments.

关键词: Alpine, Clonal reproduction, Hengduan mountains, Sexual reproduction, Subnival belt

Abstract: Clonal reproduction (i.e., production of potentially independent offspring by vegetative growth) is thought to provide plants with reproductive assurance. Thus, studying the evolution of clonal reproduction in local floras is crucial for our understanding of the adaptive mechanisms plants deploy in stressful environments such as alpine regions. In this study, we characterized clonal plant species in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains (a global biodiversity hotspot with extreme environmental conditions in southwest China), in order to determine the effects of sex system, growth form, and elevational distribution on clonality. We compiled clonality data of angiosperm species belonging to 41 families in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains using published information. Of the 793 species recorded in the region, 47.92% (380 species) are clonal species. Both sex system and growth form had significant effects on the occurrence of clonal reproduction: unisexual species (79.79%) were more likely to be clonal than bisexual species (43.63%), and herbaceous species (51.04%) were more likely to be clonal than woody species (16.67%). Compared with non-alpine-endemic species (44.60%), alpine-endemic species (58.33%) showed a significantly higher proportion of clonal reproduction. Further logistic regression analysis showed a positive association between incidence of clonality and elevational range, indicating that species distributed at high elevations are more likely to be clonal. Furthermore, the elevational gradients in clonality were contingent on sex system or growth form. This study reveals that plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains might optimize their probability of reproduction through clonal reproduction, a finding that adds to our growing understanding of plant's adaptations to harsh alpine environments.

Key words: Alpine, Clonal reproduction, Hengduan mountains, Sexual reproduction, Subnival belt

Yongqian Gao, Jinxuan Zheng, Xiangqun Lin, Fan Du. Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China[J]. Plant Diversity, 2020, 42(05): 386-392.

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Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China

Distribution patterns of clonal plants in the subnival belt of the Hengduan Mountains, SW China

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