Plants from Beneath Equatorial Andean Peaks 4. Functional Ecology of Páramo Plants

Sklenář P. a kolektiv autorů

The páramo environment is characterized by a permanent growing season, pronounced daily fluctuation of temperature, regular occurrence of night frosts, and limited availability of moisture. Páramo plants present a number of physiological and mor­phological adaptations to resist the night-time freezing temperatures and occassional water shortages. Some of these adaptations evolved in response to the selective pressu­re of the páramo environment while other adapta­tions were already present in the an­cestors of the páramo species before their migration to the equatorial Andes.

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