Bush Encroachment of Forest-steppe Landscapes in the Mongolian Part of the Lake Baikal Basin

The character of competitive relationships between woody and shrub vegetation in the southern (Mongolian) part of the Lake Baikal basin was studied via model polygons. Depending on the environmental conditions, native forests are being replaced by different types of shrubs. The main factors contributing to these changesare the aridization of the climate and human activity. It is shown that the current state of shrub communities and their progressive dynamics along the southern border of boreal forests in Mongolia allow us to consider them stable cenoses, which prevent a natural renewal of coniferous (pine, larch) forests in this region. However, some shrub species may be considered indicators of ecotopes’ suitability for natural or artificial reforestation because their ecological requirements are similar to those of forest trees. Keywords: Lake Baikal basin, ecotone area, destruction of forests, bush encroachmen

CHANGES IN THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS CONTENT IN PLANTS ALONG GEOGRAPHICAL GRADIENTS

The content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids) in plants along latitudinal and altitudinal profiles has been studied. The pigment composition in plant leaves regularly changed with the latitude / altitude. In general, the observed changes concerned the chlorophyll b and carotenoids, which represent the components of light-harvesting complexes. It was assumed that the ratio of pigment forms is one of the important indicators of plant response to environment and predict the latitude and altitude ranges of plant species.Работа выполнена при поддержке РФФИ (грант № 17–29–05019) и программы АААА–А17–117072810011–1

Leaf traits of C3- and C4-plants indicating climatic adaptation along a latitudinal gradient in Southern Siberia and Mongolia

Increasing aridity is one of the most important trends of current climate change. Leaf functional traits suggest a substantial basis for assessing the aridity effects on vegetation. However, since plants possess diverse leaf morphology and anatomy due to different evolutionary history of taxa, the effect of aridity can hardly be revealed in a multi-species analysis. We studied leaf functional traits for 317 samples of 193 plant species in steppe and desert communities along a 1600-km latitudinal gradient in Southern Siberia (Transbaikalia, Russia) and Mongolia. We determined morphological leaf traits, quantitative anatomical parameters, physiological parameters, and photosynthetic pigments content. Different relevance of leaf traits for indication of plant response to climate has been demonstrated. The clearest changes in site-mean values along the aridity gradient were shown for leaf thickness, total chloroplast number per leaf area (Nchl/A) and total surface area of chloroplasts (Achl/A) and cells (Ames/A) per leaf area. Unlike leaf size and leaf mass per area, these quantitative mesophyll parameters related to plant photosynthetic capacity were strongly correlated with climate. We found no evidence for a decrease in sizes of mesophyll cells with aridity, but cell volume as well as chloroplast number per cell were linked with plant functional type (PFT). We revealed an increase in Nchl/A and Achl/A in desert-steppe species in comparison to steppe and forest-steppe vegetation types within each PFT of C3-plants (C3-dicot herbs, C3-dicot shrubs, C3-monocots and C3-succulents). C4-plants were generally characterized by low Achl/A and Ames/A, but had higher rate of CO2-transfer through mesophyll and chloroplast surfaces. C3- and C4-plants differed in response to aridity and showed opposite trends in changes of leaf traits along the aridity gradient. We conclude that leaf mesophyll traits contribute to important mechanism of climatic adaptation in different PFTs along a large latitudinal gradient. © 2018 Elsevier GmbHRussian Foundation for Basic Research, RFBR: АААА-А17-117072810011-1, 17-29-05019, АААА-А17-117011810036-3The authors are deeply indebted Joint Russian-Mongolian Complex Biological Expedition RAS and MAS, who supported the field observation and data collection used in this study. The analytical part of this research has been partially supported by RFBR grant 17-29-05019 , and partly by project №АААА-А17-117072810011-1 of Russian Federal Budget . The research of O.A. Anenkhonov was carried out using the framework of project № АААА-А17-117011810036-3 supported by the Russian Federal Budget

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

This article has 730 authors, of which I have only listed the lead author and myself as a representative of University of HelsinkiPlant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.Peer reviewe

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

SHIFTS IN LEAF PARAMETERS OF BIRCHES IN NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ON ASHES OF POWER STATIONS

Leaf parameters of Betula pendula Roth and B. pubescens Ehrh. (leaf area, leaf shape coefficient, thickness and LMA) were studied in natural phytocoenosises at ashes of power stations, located in different forest zones. It was shown that in two birch species leaf thickness was largely determined by the edaphic conditions of growth and was higher at the ashes. Leaf area and leaf shape coefficient were species specific and did not vary under the influence of environmental factors. The LMA varying was influenced by the geographical location of the ashes. It was concluded that shifts in leaf thickness reflects the adaptive response of B. pendula and B. pubescens to the growth on the ash substrates.Работа выполнена в рамках бюджетной темы № АААА-А17-117072810009-8

SHIFTS IN LEAF PARAMETERS SPECTRUM OF TWO BIRCH SPECIES ALONG THE GLOBAL CLIMATE GRADIENT IN NORTH EURASIA

Leaf parameters have been studied in Betula pendula and B. pubescens populations from different vegetation zones in North Eurasia. Shifts in morphological leaf parameters depend on ecological properties of species. Leaf size and venation density differed between populations with these parameters in the two species changing in opposite directions along the transect. Two species had similar changes in the mesophyll structural parameters in the gradient of climatic conditions. A linear increase in palisade and spongy cell sizes was found in both species along the transect in the direction from the south to the north. The number of mesophyll cells per unit leaf area decreased along the transect in the northern direction and was strongly influenced by weather conditions in the current year. Changes in three-dimensional organization of mesophyll were also observed in populations from different vegetation zones. In northern populations an increase in the density of cell packing, the total mesophyll surface and the percentage of intercellular contacts was associated with a decrease in the surface-volume ratios of assimilating tissues. The conclusion is drawn that shifts in leaf parameters provide the optimum gas diffusion rate inside the leaf for different climate.Работа выполнена в рамках госзадания по теме № АААА-А17-117072810009-8