Abstract

The range of ecological CSR strategies for subalpine tall-herb communities of the northwestern Caucasus (Teberda state natural biosphere reserve) has been studied by the measurement of leaves’ functional traits. These communities are developed in swales, river valleys, and runoff depressions of the subalpine belt and represent a typical element of the Caucasian flora. The dominating species are represented by tall forbs, such as Rumex alpinus, Senecio platyphylloides, Cephalaria gigantea, Ligusticum alatum, etc. To evaluate ecological strategies of plants, three functional traits, including leaf area and the weights of wet and dry leaves, have been measured. Based on these measurements, the strategy parameters have been calculated for 42 vascular plant species. The majority of plants of the subalpine tall-grass community manifest traits typical for the competitive (C) and competitive-ruderal (CR) strategies. According to the calculation algorithm, 11 species (Angelica purpurascens, A. tatianae, Cirsium chlorocomos, Heracleum asperum, H. leskovii, H. sosnowskyi, etc.) are referred to the C-strategy. The CR strategy is observed for Aconitum nasutum, Cirsium simplex, Geranium sylvaticum, Hesperis voronovii, Rumex alpestris, and some other species. Two species (Achillea millefolium and Dactylis glomerata) are characterized by the competitive and stress-tolerant (CS) strategy. The stress-tolerant (S) strategy is observed for three species (Veronica filiformis, Lilium monadelphum, and Millium effusum). Finally, the mixed CSR strategy is typical for two species (Trifolium pratense and Astrantia maxima). The majority (93%) of the species studied is characterized by clear competitive traits; the contribution of this strategy type positively correlates with the average vegetative height of a species. In addition, many of the studied species (26% on average) are also characterized by some R-strategy traits. In our opinion, this fact results from a long-term grazing history of alpine plant communities in this region. The obtained results contradict the common opinion about the domination of stress-tolerant species in highlands. This contradiction may be explained by the fact that the studied subalpine meadows are located in the most favorable habitats providing competitive advantages for rapidly-growing tall-herb species. The study confirms the hypothesis that the dominated species of the subalpine tall-grass community of the northwest Caucasus are characterized by significantly (up to 95%) manifested traits of C strategy.

中文翻译：

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西北高加索地区亚高山高草种的竞争策略

摘要

通过测量叶片的功能性状，研究了西北高加索地区（特伯达州自然生物圈保护区）的亚高山高草群落的生态CSR策略范围。这些群落分布在亚高山带的沼泽，河谷和径流洼地，是高加索植物区系的典型组成部分。占优势的物种以高叉为代表，例如Rumex alpinus，Senecio platyphylloides，Cephalaria gigantea，Ligusticum alatum为了评估植物的生态策略，已经测量了三个功能性状，包括叶面积和干湿叶的重量。基于这些测量，已为42种维管植物物种计算了策略参数。亚高山高草群落的大多数植物都表现出典型的竞争（C）和竞争竞争（CR）策略特征。根据计算算法，将11种物种（当归紫杉，塔塔农杆菌，Cirsium chlorocomos，Heracleum asperum，H。leskovii，H。sosnowskyi等）称为C策略。观察到了对乌头，Cirsium simplex，天竺葵，Hersperis voronovii，Rumex alpestris和其他一些物种的CR策略。两种（Achillea millefolium和Dactylis glomerata的特征在于竞争和耐压力（CS）策略。观察到了三种物种的胁迫耐受性（S）策略（Veronica filiformis，Lilium monadelphum和Millium effusum）。最后，混合企业社会责任策略是两种物种的典型做法（白三叶和最大Astrantia）。研究的大多数物种（93％）具有明显的竞争特征。这种策略类型的贡献与物种的平均营养高度呈正相关。此外，许多研究物种（平均占26％）还具有一些R策略特征。我们认为，这一事实源于该地区高山植物群落的长期放牧历史。获得的结果与关于高地耐压物种的统治的普遍观点相矛盾。这种矛盾可以通过以下事实来解释，即所研究的亚高山草甸位于最有利的生境中，为快速生长的高草种提供竞争优势。。