Plant physical and chemical defence variation along elevation gradients: a functional trait-based approach

Alan Kergunteuil, Patrice Descombes, Gaetan Glauser, Loïc Pellissier, Sergio Rasmann

Predicting variation in plant functional traits related to anti-herbivore defences remains a major challenge in ecological research, considering that multiple traits have evolved in response to both abiotic and biotic conditions. Therefore, understanding variation in plant anti-herbivore defence traits requires studying their expression along steep environmental gradients, such as along elevation, where multiple biotic and abiotic factors co-vary. We expand on plant defence theory and propose a novel conceptual framework to address the sources of variations of plant resistance traits at the community level. We analysed elevation patterns of within-community trait dissimilarity using the RaoQ index, and the community-weighted-mean (CWM) index, on several plant functional traits: plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf-dry-matter-content (LDMC), silicium content, presence of trichomes, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (CN) and total secondary metabolite richness. We found that at high elevation, where harsh environmental conditions persist, community functional convergence is dictated by traits relating to plant growth (plant height and SLA), while divergence arises for traits relating resource-use (LDMC). At low elevation, where greater biotic pressure occurs, we found a combination of random (plant height), convergence (metabolite richness) and divergence patterns (silicium content). This framework thus combines community assembly rules of ecological filtering and niche partition with plant defence hypotheses to unravel the relationship between environmental variations, biotic pressure and the average phenotype of plants within a community.