SUPPLEMENT – ESM 2
Article Title: Intraspecific phenotypic variability of plant functional traits in contrasting mountain
grasslands habitats
Journal Name: Biodiversity and Conservation
Authors: Camilla Wellstein, Stefano Chelli, Giandiego Campetella, Sandor Bartha, Marco Galiè,
Francesco Spada & Roberto Canullo
Corresponding author: Wellstein, Camilla
E-mail: camilla.wellstein@uni-bayreuth.de
Affiliation: Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, D-95440
Bayreuth, Germany & Bayreuth Centre for Ecology and Environmental research BayCEER,
Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, D-95448 Bayreuth, Germany
Online resource ESM 2
Variation (coefficient of variation – CV) of plant traits of each species within a site and of
environmental factors at the place of growth of individuals of each species within a site.
Place of growth of
individuals of
respective species
at both sites (N+S)
Sesleria nitida
Lotus
corniculatus
Astragalus
sempervirens
Thymus
longicaulis
CV
CV
CV
CV
site N
0.54
0.34
0.30
0.08
site S
0.17
0.11
0.08
0.07
site N
0.02
0.04
0.05
0.04
site S
0.05
0.07
0.08
0.08
site N
0.33
0.29
0.14
0.37
site S
0.24
0.28
0.30
0.27
site N
0.05
0.12
0.05
0.05
site S
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.01
site N
0.29
0.31
0.23
0.27
site S
0.29
0.26
0.29
0.17
site N
0.34
0.40
0.41
0.42
site S
0.45
0.48
0.39
0.53
site N
0.12
0.32
0.21
0.28
site S
0.21
0.24
0.33
0.26
site N
0.52
0.81
0.50
0.53
site S
2.43
2.21
2.33
3.44
site N
0.46
0.52
0.47
0.37
site S
0.31
0.29
0.55
0.32
site N
0.67
0.75
0.63
0.69
site S
0.73
0.50
0.64
0.54
site N
0.03
0.04
0.04
0.05
site S
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.07
site N
0.23
0.32
0.14
0.37
site S
0.15
0.49
0.14
0.27
site N
0.08
0.12
0.07
0.14
site S
0.06
0.12
0.05
0.12
site N
0.17
0.25
0.26
0.27
site S
0.17
0.27
0.29
0.25
site N
0,29
0,39
site S
0,56
0,41
N. of bifurcations / site N
nodes per cm
site S
0,76
1,17
0,56
0,92
Distance between
bifurcations /
nodes
site N
0,72
0,41
site S
0,61
0,70
site N
0,32
site S
0,19
Environmental
variables
Light - PAR
Soil temperature
Soil moisture
pH
Conductivity
K
Mg
P
NH4
NO3
C/N
Traits
SLA
LDMC
Height
0,52
No data
Stem lenght
0,49
0,50
non clonal
0,83
0,59
non clonal
0,84
0,15
0,25
0,08
0,27
No data
Seed mass
Description of the results displayed in the Table ESM 2
The heterogeneity of the light availability for foliar photosynthesis was higher in the habitat N (very
high variability, 0.53<CV<3.44 for S. nitida; high variability, 0.32<CV<0.53 for L. corniculatus;
intermediate variability, 0.12<CV<0.32 for A. sempervirens)) respect to the site S (intermediate
variability, 0.12<CV<0.32 for S. nitida; low variability, 0.01<CV<0.12 for L. corniculatus and A.
sempervirens). The variability of light availability for T. longicaulis is low in both habitats. For the
soil temperature, in both habitats, the variability is low (0.01<CV<0.12).
Differences were obtained in the available phosphorous with very high variation in the habitat S
(0.53<CV<3.44) compared to high variation in the habitat N (0.32<CV<0.53), with the exception of
L. corniculatus. This pronounced variation indicates a particularly high heterogeneity in the
availability of phosphorous resources in the eroded south-exposed habitat and a tendency toward
homogenization of the resource in the north-exposed habitat with dense vegetation cover.
For the soil moisture of S. nitida and T. longicaulis the variability is higher (0.32<CV<0.53) in the
habitat N compared to the habitat S (0.12<CV<0.32), while no between-habitat differences were
registered for A. sempervirens and L. corniculatus. In both habitats, we obtained low variability of
the pH and the C/N ratio, intermediate variability of the soil conductivity and the content of
magnesium, high variability of the soil potassium. Higher variability in the habitat N
(0.32<CV<0.53) compared to the habitat S (0.12<CV<0.32) occur for ammonium in L. corniculatus
and S. nitida; while nitrate variability is in general very high in both habitats (0.53<CV<3.44), but
for L. corniculatus in the habitat S it is lower (0.32<CV<0.53).
With respect to differences in functional traits attributes of species between the habitat N and S
(ESM 2), the analyses confirm a low variability (CV<0.15) for both habitats of LDMC (for all
species) as well as for SLA and seed mass of A. sempervirens. High (0.27<CV<0.51) and very high
variability (0.51<CV<1.17) was obtained for clonal traits and horizontal stem length in all tested
species in both habitats. For horizontal stem length of S. nitida, distance between nodes of L.
corniculatus, number of nodes per cm of T. longicaulis, a very high variability in the habitat S was
obtained compared to the high variability in the habitat N. The variability of height was similar in
the habitat S and N (CV between 0.17 and 0.29) for all species.