Photosynthetica 2012, 50(3):429-436 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-012-0050-6

Water relations and gas exchange in Coespeletia moritziana (Sch. Bip) Cuatrec., a giant rosette species of the high tropical Andes

F. Rada1,*, A. Azócar1, A. Rojas-Altuve2
1 Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela
2 Departamento de Cristalografía y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Química-Física "Rocasolano", CSIC, Madrid, Spain

Giant rosettes are ones of the most striking features of the vegetation in the high tropical Andes, with Coespeletia moritziana reaching the highest altitudes up to 4,600 m a.s.l. Different from other giant rosettes, this species grows on rock outcrops with poorly developed soils and where water availability may be limited. Two questions are addressed in this study: How does this species respond in terms of water relations to maintain favorable gas-exchange conditions? Considering that adult plants rely on a water-reserving central pith, how do early stages respond to this environment's extreme conditions? Water relations and gas-exchange studies were carried out on juveniles, intermediate and adult C. moritziana plants during wet and dry seasons in Páramo de Piedras Blancas at 4,200 m a.s.l. Adult plants maintained higher leaf water potentials (ΨL) during the wet season, however, no differences between stages were found for the dry season. Minimum dry season ΨL were never near the turgor loss point in any of the stages. Juveniles show a more strict stomatal control during the dry season to maintain a favorable water status. Net photosynthesis significantly decreased in intermediate and juvenile stages from wet to dry seasons. Our results suggest that C. moritziana resists more extreme conditions compared to other Andean giant rosettes

Keywords: net photosynthetic rate; osmotic adjustment; plant growth stages; stomatal conductance; tropical mountains

Received: April 28, 2011; Accepted: April 26, 2012; Published: September 1, 2012Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Rada, F., Azócar, A., & Rojas-Altuve, A. (2012). Water relations and gas exchange in Coespeletia moritziana (Sch. Bip) Cuatrec., a giant rosette species of the high tropical Andes. Photosynthetica, 50(3), 429-436. doi: 10.1007/s11099-012-0050-6.
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)

    • Open full article

    References

    1. Azócar, A., Rada, F., García-Núñez, C.: [Ecophysiological aspects for the conservation of contrasting tropical ecosystems.] - B. Soc. Bot. Mex. 65: 89-94, 2000. [In Span.]
    2. Baruch, Z.: Elevation differentiation in Espeletia schultzii (Compositae), a giant rosette plant of the Venezuelan paramos. - Ecology 60: 85-98, 1979 Go to original source...
    3. Baruch, Z., Smith, A.P.: Morphological and physiological correlates of niche breadth in two species of Espeletia (Compositae) in the Venezuelan Andes. - Oecologia 38: 71-82, 1979 Go to original source...
    4. Beck, E., Schulze, E.D., Senser, M., Scheibe, R.: Equilibrium freezing of leaf water and extracellular ice formation in Afroalpine 'giant rosette' plants. - Planta 162: 276-282, 1984 Go to original source...
    5. Bussmann, R.W.: Vegetation zonation and nomenclature of African mountains - An overview. - Lyonia 11: 41-66, 2006
    6. Cui, X., Tang, Y., Gu, S., Shi, S., Nishimura, S., Zhao, X.: Leaf orientation, incident sunlight and photosynthesis in the alpine species Suassurea superba and Gentiana straminea on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. - Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res. 36: 219-228, 2004 Go to original source...
    7. Estrada, C., Monasterio, M.: [Population Ecology of a giant rosette, Espeletia spicata Sch. Bip. (Compositae), from the Desert Páramo.] - Ecotrópicos 1: 25-39, 1988. [In Span.]
    8. Estrada, C., Goldstein, G., Monasterio, M.: Leaf dynamics and water relations of Espeletia spicata and E. timotensis, two giant rosettes of the desert Paramo in the tropical Andes. - Acta Oecol. 12: 603-616, 1991
    9. Fetene, M., Nauke, P., Lüttge, U., Beck, E.: Photosynthesis and photoinhibition in a tropical alpine giant rosette plant, Lobelia rhynchopetalum. - New Phytol. 137: 453-461, 1997 Go to original source...
    10. Fetene, M., Gashaw, M., Hauke, P., Beck, E.: Microclimate and ecophysiological significance of the tree-like life-form of Lobelia rhynchopetalum in a tropical alpine environment. - Oecologia 113: 332-340, 1998 Go to original source...
    11. Field, C., Ball, J.T., Berry, J.A.: Photosynthesis: principles and field techniques. - In: Piercy, R.W., Ehleringer, J., Mooney, H.A., Rundel, P.W. (ed.): Plant Physiological Ecology. Field Methods and Instrumentation. Pp. 209-253. Chapman & Hall, London 1989 Go to original source...
    12. Goldstein, G., Meinzer, F., Monasterio, M.: The role of capacitance in the water balance of Andean giant rosette species. - Plant Cell Environ. 7: 179-186, 1984
    13. Goldstein, G., Meinzer, F., Monasterio, M.: Physiological and mechanical factors in relation to size-dependent mortality in an Andean giant rosette species. - Acta Oecol.-Oec. Plant. 6: 263-275, 1985a
    14. Goldstein, G., Rada, F., Azócar, A.: Cold hardiness and supercooling along an actitudinal gradient in Andean giant rosette species. - Oecologia 68: 147-152, 1985b Go to original source...
    15. Goldstein, G., Rada, F., Canales, M.O., Zabala, O.: Leaf gas exchange of two giant caulescent rosette species. - Acta Oecol. 10: 358-370, 1989
    16. Guariguata, M.T., Azócar, A.: Seed bank dynamics and germination ecology in Espeletia timotensis (Compositae), an Andean giant rosette. - Biotropica 20: 54-59, 1998
    17. Halloy, S.: The use of convergence and divergente in the interpretation of adaptation in high mountain biota. - Evol Theor. 6: 232-255, 1983
    18. Hedberg, O.: Features of afro-alpine plant ecology. - Acta Phytogeogr. Suecica 49: 1-144, 1964
    19. Hedberg, I., Hedberg, O.: Tropical alpine life forms of vascular plants. - Oikos 33: 297-307, 1979 Go to original source...
    20. Monasterio, M.: [Vegetation formations of the Venezuelan Páramos.] - In: Monasterio, M. (ed.): [Ecological Studies of the Andean Páramos.] Pp. 93-158. Ediciones Univ Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela, Mérida 1989. [In Span.]
    21. Rada, F., Goldstein, G., Azócar, A., Meinzer, F.: Freezing avoidance in Andean giant rosette plants. - Plant Cell Environ. 8: 501-507, 1985 Go to original source...
    22. Rada, F., Goldstein, G., Azócar, A., Torres, F.: Supercooling along an altitudinal gradient in Espeletia schultzii, a caulescent giant rosette species. - J. Exp. Bot. 188: 491-497, 1987 Go to original source...
    23. Rada, F., González, J., Azócar, A., Briceño, B., Jaimez, R.: Net photosynthesis-leaf temperature relations in plant species with different height along an altitudinal gradient. - Acta Oecol. 13: 535-542, 1992
    24. Rada, F., Azócar, A., González, J., Briceño, B.: Leaf gas exchange in Espeletia schultzii Wedd, a giant caulescent rosette species, along an actitudinal gradient in the Venezuelan Andes. - Acta Oecol. 19: 73-79, 1998 Go to original source...
    25. Schulze, E.D., Beck, E., Scheibe, R., Ziegler, P.: Carbon dioxide assimilation and stomatal response of afroalpine giant rosette plants. - Oecologia 65: 207-213, 1985 Go to original source...
    26. Smith, A.P., Young, T.P.: Tropical alpine plant ecology. - Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 18: 137-158, 1987 Go to original source...
    27. Terashima, I., Masuzawa, T., Ohba, H.: Photosynthetic characteristics of a giant alpine plant, Rheum nobile Hood. f. et Thoms. and of some other alpine species measured at 4300 m, in the Eastern Himalaya, Nepal. - Oecologia 95: 194-201, 1993 Go to original source...
    28. Tyree, M.T., Hammel, H.T.: The measurement of the turgor pressure and the water relations of plants by the pressurebomb technique. - J. Exp. Bot. 23: 267-282, 1972 Go to original source...
    29. von Caemmerer, S., Farquhar, G.D.: Some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves. - Planta 153: 376-387, 1981 Go to original source...

    Return to the content