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Leaf anatomical trends in a temperate evergreen dwarf shrub, Rhododendron myrtifolium (Ericaceae) along elevational and exposure gradients in the northeastern Carpathian Mountains

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Abstract

Species’ responses to climatic gradients are constrained by multiple internal (e.g. trait plasticity and genetics) and external (local habitat) factors and may vary considerably between co-occurring species. This study examines morphological trends associated with elevation and slope aspect (exposure) in the European declining species Rhododendron myrtifolium (Ericaceae) to assess its adaptive responses to spatially changing environment. Measurements of 23 leaf anatomical traits from 40 individuals sampled at 24 locations along a broad elevational range from 1,248 to 2,034 m a.s.l. in the Eastern Carpathians (Ukraine) were analysed using multivariate statistics. Significant intercorrelations between traits indicate a tendency towards leaf xeromorphy with increasing elevation. Trait shifts along a south-to-north aspect gradient parallel those observed with increasing elevation and correspond to presumed differences between the aspects in water availability. Different leaf traits display distinct clinal and non-clinal patterns of variation across elevational strata, with an overall decline in the range of variation at high elevations. Significant effects of growth form, vegetation cover and populational characteristics on leaf traits are also found. The results indicate that despite plastic response of R. myrtifolium to ecological gradients, the species appears well-adapted to a limited range of habitats (north-exposed sites at medium and high elevations) and is likely impacted by abiotic stresses and increased competition for resources at south-facing and low-elevation locations.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Grant No. PNS-010515 to YS and VN and No. N/113-2003 to YS) and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (grant No. 116U001546 to all co-authors). Constructive comments of the anonymous reviewers and editor, which helped to significantly improve the text, are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Botanical Garden of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 44 Cheremshyna str., Lviv, 79014, Ukraine

    Yevhen Sosnovsky, Viktor Nachychko & Andriy Prokopiv

  2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 4 Hrushevsky str., Lviv, 79005, Ukraine

    Andriy Prokopiv & Vitaliy Honcharenko

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  1. Yevhen Sosnovsky
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  2. Viktor Nachychko
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Sosnovsky, Y., Nachychko, V., Prokopiv, A. et al. Leaf anatomical trends in a temperate evergreen dwarf shrub, Rhododendron myrtifolium (Ericaceae) along elevational and exposure gradients in the northeastern Carpathian Mountains. Folia Geobot 56, 27–42 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-021-09387-7

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