Developmental adaptation of leaves in Podophyllum hexandrum for effective pollination and dispersal

摘要

In alpine ecosystem, reproductive behaviour such as seed production and new plant establishment may be ineffective due to infrequent germination and low seedling survival1–3. On the other hand, clonal plants from alpine habitats reveal similar genetic variation as lowland species, suggesting that at least occasionally there is recruitment from seeds. Plant phenology can be a useful tool in describing micro-environmental differences between various habitats. Bliss4 reported that many species in a specific habitat break dormancy, flower and fruit together, whereas the same species exhibits different cycles of development in other habitats. This shows the control of local micro-environmental factors on the pattern of plant development. Plants growing in alpine regions show unique phenology due to extreme environmental conditions. Temporal differences in snow disappearance determine the time of flower initiation and available growth period which affect reproductive success through the pollination process and the season length for fruit development5–8. Because air temperature changes as the season progresses, plants exposed by melting of snow at different times of the season experience different temperature regimes through the life cycle.