Open AccessLeaf δ 13 C reflects ecosystem patterns and responses of alpine plants to the environments on the Tibetan Plateau
Author(s) -
Song Minghua,
Duan Deyu,
Chen Hui,
Hu Qiwu,
Zhang Feng,
Xu Xingliang,
Tian Yuqiang,
Ouyang Hua,
Peng Changhui
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.05331.x
Subject(s) - evergreen , plateau (mathematics) , ecosystem , shrub , vegetation (pathology) , ecology , herbaceous plant , transect , environmental gradient , biology , graminoid , plant community , habitat , botany , environmental science , ecological succession , medicine , pathology , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Leaf δ 13 C is an indicator of water‐use efficiency and provides useful information on the carbon and water balance of plants over longer periods. Variation in leaf δ 13 C between or within species is determined by plant physiological characteristics and environmental factors. We hypothesized that variation in leaf δ 13 C values among dominant species reflected ecosystem patterns controlled by large‐scale environmental gradients, and that within‐species variation indicates plant adaptability to environmental conditions. To test these hypotheses, we collected leaves of dominant species from six ecosystems across a horizontal vegetation transect on the Tibetan Plateau, as well as leaves of Kobresia pygmaea (herbaceous) throughout its distribution and leaves of two coniferous tree species ( Picea crassifolia, Abies fabri ) along an elevation gradient throughout their distribution in the Qilian Mountains and Gongga Mountains, respectively. Leaf δ 13 C of dominant species in the six ecosystems differed significantly, with values for evergreen coniferous