Leaf Functional Traits and Strategies of Plants in Subalpine Calamagrostis Meadows of the North-Western Caucasus

Abstract

The analysis of plants’ functional traits and strategies is the main direction to study the formation mechanisms of the composition and structure of plant communities. Comparison of the mean species trait values with a random sample of a local flora allows one to determine the importance of the trait for the plant community’s formation. Comparison of mean and weighted mean shows the role of the trait in dominance. The aim of this work was to study the role of leaf functional traits and the contribution of Grime’s CSR strategies in the formation of Calamagrostis subalpine meadows, which are the most widespread in the north-western Caucasus. The aboveground biomass in these communities is 384 ± 21 g/m² (mean and standard error of the mean), the mass of litter of previous years is 393 ± 40 g/m². The share of grasses in the community is 57.1 ± 2.9%, forbs is 32.9 ± 2.6%, legumes is 8.9 ± 1.4%, and sedges and rushes are 1 ± 0.3%. Three species can be considered as dominants: Calamagrostis arundinacea (26.5% of the total phytomass), Festuca varia (23.3%), and Hedysarum caucasicum (8%). The dominants of community have a higher leaf dry mass, lower leaf water content, and a smaller specific leaf area. The community’s components are characterized by a lower mass of the water-saturated leaf and dry matter content, and a higher specific leaf area. Dominants and components in the community are characterized by a greater contribution of the stress-tolerant strategy.