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Foliar C:N Ratio of Ferns along an Andean Elevational Gradient 1
Author(s) -
Wegner Caroline,
Wunderlich Meike,
Kessler Michael,
Schawe Marcus
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2003.tb00605.x
Subject(s) - fern , epiphyte , montane ecology , elevation (ballistics) , rainforest , altitude (triangle) , biology , ecology , botany , mathematics , geometry
We studied the concentration of leaf N and C among 183 fern species along an elevational gradient at 1700 to 3400 m in humid montane forest in the Bolivian Andes at different levels of taxonomic resolution. For two species of Elaphoglossum sampled 8 and 14 times, respectively, there were no elevational trends. Similarly, a contrast of 22 species with wide elevational amplitudes sampled at their highest and lowest locations did not show any change in C or N contents, or in C:N ratios with elevation. At the community level, however, the mean values of C:N ratios for (a) all species found at a given elevation showed a significant decline with increasing elevation and (b) among epiphytic species, higher ratios ( i.e., lower relative N content) than among terrestrial species at the same elevation. These trends were opposite to those of the upper soil layer, in which C:N ratios increased with elevation.