Biology subjects

Jandova, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Jandova, V..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Shift from acquisitive to conservative plant strategies with increasing drought and temperature extremes in an alpine shrub

Background and AimsTrait-based approaches have advanced our understanding of plant strategies, yet they often focus on leaf-level traits, overlooking the functional roles of stem anatomy and twig characteristics. We investigated intraspecific trait variation in Salix flabellaris, an alpine dwarf shrub, along climatic gradients in the Himalayas. Our goal was to identify distinct axes of trait variation related to stem, twig, and leaf traits, assess their environmental drivers, and evaluate population-specific growth responses to recent climate change. MethodsWe measured anatomical and morphological traits in stem, twig, and leaves across central and marginal populations along three Himalayan transects. Environmental gradients included variation in growing season temperature and soil moisture. Basal area increment from 2000 to 2021 was analyzed to assess long-term growth trends in different areas. ResultsTrait dimensions were largely independent, reflecting distinct ecological strategies: (1) stem anatomical trade-off between hydraulic safety and conductivity; (2) twig dimension balancing construction costs and mechanical strength; and (3) leaf dimension along the exploitative-conservative axis. Higher temperatures enhanced performance manifested as larger twigs and reduced tissue construction costs but only under sufficient soil moisture conditions. Central populations at mid-elevations displayed the favorable trait combinations and highest growth rates. In contrast, marginal populations (higher and lower elevations) showed traits indicating structural reinforcement and conservative resource use. Climate warming over recent decades enhanced stem growth primarily in high-elevation populations, where low-temperature constraints were relaxed. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that stem, twig, and leaf traits represent distinct yet complementary strategies, with environmental filtering shaping their expression along climate gradients. Central populations exhibit highest growth under current conditions, while climate change is shifting growth advantages toward higher elevations. These findings highlight the need for integrated, multi-organ trait assessments to predict species performance, persistence, and potential range shifts under future climatic scenarios.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Sticking around: plant persistence strategies on edaphic islands

O_LISpecies extinction risk at local scales can be partially offset by strategies promoting in-situ persistence. We explored how persistence-related traits of clonal and non-clonal plants in temperate dry grasslands respond intra- and interspecifically to variation in environmental conditions (soil, climate) and insularity. C_LIO_LIWe focused on edaphic island specialist species, hypothesizing that plants experiencing harsh soil environments and strong insularity are distinguished by traits supporting enhanced persistence, such as small stature, long lifespan and resource-conservative strategies. We used linear mixed-effect models and bivariate ordinary least squares linear models to explore the response of species triats to environmental and biogeographic predictors. C_LIO_LIWe found general support for this hypothesis. Soil properties and insularity emerged as the most important drivers of trait patterns. However, clonal species showed more consistent responses to variation in environmental conditions and insularity than non-clonal plants, which were characterized by distinct species-specific responses. C_LIO_LISoil properties and insularity confirmed their major role in shaping the persistence strategies of edaphic island plant species. These drivers may exert their effect on specific functions (e.g. belowground resource conservation captured by BDMC). Additionally, we unambiguously identified that clonal species had different persistence strategies than non-clonal ones. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Climate fluctuations drive the recruitment and growth of temperate grassland plants

Recent climate warming is associated with the increasing magnitude and frequency of extreme events, including heatwaves and drought periods worldwide. Such events can have major effects on the species composition of plant communities, hence on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here we studied responses of Central European dry grassland plants to fluctuating temperature and precipitation over the last thirty years with monthly temporal resolution. We assessed the seasonal and annual dynamics of plant recruitment and growth based on the analysis of annual growth rings from the root collar. Although most studies so far applied such methods to trees and shrubs, we focused on typical grassland plants, two forbs and two chamaephytes. We related the recruitment and annual growth to monthly and annual precipitation, temperature and aridity between 1991 and 2019. We revealed species-specific responses, namely the (i) recruitment of deep-rooted, heavy-seeded species was positively affected by precipitation in both late winter-early spring and summer, whereas recruitment of shallow-rooted, light-seeded species was weakly influenced by climate fluctuations; (ii) growth of shallow-rooted species was more adversely affected by high summer temperature and drought than the growth of deep-rooted species. The population age structure of all the studied species was affected by the climate of the past decades. Most individuals established in the wet period of the 2000s, fewer in the precipitation-poorer 1990s, and the establishment was considerably reduced in the dry and warm period of the 2010s. Our findings indicate that the change towards warmer and drier climate has a profound effect even on drought-adapted ecosystems such as temperate dry grasslands. However, plant responses to various climatic extremes are species-specific, depending on their characteristics, such as life form or rooting depth. Consequently, the ongoing and anticipated climate warming will likely result in complex changes in species composition and other ecosystem properties of temperate grasslands

ecology↗