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Carbohydrate reserves in the facilitator cushion plant Laretia acaulis suggest carbon limitation at high elevation and no negative effects of beneficiary plants

  • Physiological ecology - original research
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Abstract

The elevational range of the alpine cushion plant Laretia acaulis (Apiaceae) comprises a cold upper extreme and a dry lower extreme. For this species, we predict reduced growth and increased non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations (i.e. carbon sink limitation) at both elevational extremes. In a facilitative interaction, these cushions harbor other plant species (beneficiaries). Such interactions appear to reduce reproduction in other cushion species, but not in L. acaulis. However, vegetative effects may be more important in this long-lived species and may be stronger under marginal conditions. We studied growth and NSC concentrations in leaves and stems of L. acaulis collected from cushions along its full elevational range in the Andes of Central Chile. NSC concentrations were lowest and cushions were smaller and much less abundant at the highest elevation. At the lowest elevation, NSC concentrations and cushion sizes were similar to those of intermediate elevations but cushions were somewhat less abundant. NSC concentrations and growth did not change with beneficiary cover at any elevation. Lower NSC concentrations at the upper extreme contradict the sink-limitation hypothesis and may indicate that a lack of warmth is not limiting growth at high-elevation. At the lower extreme, carbon gain and growth do not appear more limiting than at intermediate elevations. The lower population density at both extremes suggests that the regeneration niche exerts important limitations to this species’ distribution. The lack of an effect of beneficiaries on reproduction and vegetative performance suggests that the interaction between L. acaulis and its beneficiaries is probably commensalistic.

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Acknowledgements

This project was financially supported by MECESUP2, F ICM P05-02 and PFB-023 supporting the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Support from the ECOBIOSIS working group at the University of Concepcion and the Functional Ecology of Plants laboratory at the University of Oldenburg is much appreciated. We thank Ingeborg Eden who conducted the HPLC analysis for helpful recommendations during NSC extractions. Alicia Marticorena helped with the procedure of sample exportation. Frida Piper provided valuable comments on the manuscript. Finally, we thank Simon Pfanzelt, Erika García Lino and Juan Concha for their help in the field.

Author contribution statement

MCGL and MYB conceived and designed the methodology. MCGL performed the data collection and statistical analysis. All the authors discussed the results. MCGL and MYB wrote the manuscript and other authors provided editorial advice.

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  1. Mary Carolina García Lino

    Present address: Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Calle 27 Cota Cota s/n, Casilla 10077, La Paz, Bolivia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Barrio Universitario s/n, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile

    Mary Carolina García Lino & Lohengrin A. Cavieres

  2. Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425 Ñuñoa, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

    Mary Carolina García Lino & Lohengrin A. Cavieres

  3. Functional Ecology, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 9-11, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Gerhard Zotz

  4. Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg, Deutschhausstr. 10, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Maaike Y. Bader

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  1. Mary Carolina García Lino
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Correspondence to Mary Carolina García Lino.

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Communicated by Stephan Hattenschwiler.

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García Lino, M.C., Cavieres, L.A., Zotz, G. et al. Carbohydrate reserves in the facilitator cushion plant Laretia acaulis suggest carbon limitation at high elevation and no negative effects of beneficiary plants. Oecologia 183, 997–1006 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3840-5

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