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Summer Freezing Resistance: A Critical Filter for Plant Community Assemblies in Mediterranean High Mountains

dc.contributor.authorPescador, David S.
dc.contributor.authorSierra-Almeida, Ángela
dc.contributor.authorTorres, Pablo J.
dc.contributor.authorEscudero, Adrián
dc.date.accessioned2023-12-27T15:36:05Z
dc.date.available2023-12-27T15:36:05Z
dc.date.issued2016-02-22
dc.identifier.citationPescador DS, Sierra-Almeida Á, Torres PJ & Escudero A. 2016. Summer freezing resistance: a critical filter for plant community assemblies in Mediterranean High Mountains. Frontiers in plant science. 7: 194.es
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10115/27939
dc.descriptionWe thank Carlos Díaz Palomo and Rodrigo Hasbún for their technical assistance, Frida Piper for her comments, and Duncan E. Jackson for English language revision, which improved the manuscript. We also thank the staff of the Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama for permission to access and work in the field area. This research was supported by the Comunidad de Madrid under the project REMEDINAL 3 [S-2013/MAE-2719] and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the project MOUNTAINS [CGL2012-38427]. AS thanks F ICM [P05-002], CONICYT [PFB-023], and PAI-CONICYT [791100040].es
dc.description.abstractAssessing freezing community response and whether freezing resistance is related to other functional traits is essential for understanding alpine community assemblages, particularly in Mediterranean environments where plants are exposed to freezing temperatures and summer droughts. Thus, we characterized the leaf freezing resistance of 42 plant species in 38 plots at Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain) by measuring their ice nucleation temperature, freezing point (FP), and low-temperature damage (LT50), as well as determining their freezing resistance mechanisms (i.e., tolerance or avoidance). The community response to freezing was estimated for each plot as community weighted means (CWMs) and functional diversity (FD), and we assessed their relative importance with altitude. We established the relationships between freezing resistance, growth forms, and four key plant functional traits (i.e., plant height, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and seed mass). There was a wide range of freezing resistance responses and more than in other alpine habitats. At the community level, the CWMs of FP and LT50 responded negatively to altitude, whereas the FD of both traits increased with altitude. The proportion of freezing-tolerant species also increased with altitude. The ranges of FP and LT50 varied among growth forms, and only leaf dry matter content was negatively correlated with freezing-resistance traits. Summer freezing events represent important abiotic filters for assemblies of Mediterranean high mountain communities, as suggested by the CWMs. However, a concomitant summer drought constraint may also explain the high freezing resistance of species that thrive in these areas and the lower FD of freezing resistance traits at lower altitudes. Leaves with high dry matter contents may maintain turgor at lower water potential and enhance drought tolerance in parallel to freezing resistance. This adaptation to drought seems to be a general prerequisite for plants found in xeric mountains.es
dc.language.isoenges
dc.publisherFrontierses
dc.rightsAtribución 4.0 Internacional*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.titleSummer Freezing Resistance: A Critical Filter for Plant Community Assemblies in Mediterranean High Mountainses
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlees
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fpls.2016.00194es
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccesses


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Atribución 4.0 InternacionalExcept where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Atribución 4.0 Internacional