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Clonal splitters and integrators in harsh environments of the Trans-Himalaya

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Abstract

Individuals of clonal plants consist of physically and physiologically connected ramets. In splitters, they are integrated for a time shorter than ramet generation time (i.e. the time it takes to produce the first offspring ramet), whereas in integrators connections between ramets persist for a longer time. It has been predicted that integrators should prevail in stressful environments, such as habitats poor in nutrients, whereas splitters are expected to dominate in benign habitats, such as fertile areas with a moderate climate. I tested these predictions in four dry mountain areas of the Trans-Himalaya, in high altitudes subjected to multiple stresses. In accordance with the expectations I found that clonal plants with integrated ramets reach higher mean and maximum altitudes than splitters. Integrators were over-represented in nutrient-poor habitats, such as dry semi-deserts, sandy steppes and in subnival habitats, whereas splitters preferentially colonised mesic habitats, saline sites and wetlands. While there was no difference in the representation of splitters and integrators in habitats with an unstable surface, such as screes, dunes and water bodies, fully integrated clonal plants preferred very stable environments, such as banks of streams covered by closed-canopy vegetation. Most relationships between clonal integration and environmental factors were explainable by the phylogenetic relationship between the species, only the significant preference of splitters for shaded environments persisted in phylogenetically corrected analysis. The results indicate that clonal integration belongs to a set of evolutionarily conservative plant traits, usually shared by related species. Consequently, the adaptive value of clonal integration in individual habitats remains questionable.

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Acknowledgments

Jitka Klimešová made useful comments on a draft of this paper, Jan W. Jongepier improved my English. The work was financially supported by project no. 206/03/1219 of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic.

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  1. Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 01, Trebon, Czech Republic

    Leoš Klimeš

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Klimeš, L. Clonal splitters and integrators in harsh environments of the Trans-Himalaya. Evol Ecol 22, 351–367 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-007-9195-3

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