Waiting on a mule deer crossing…
Climate change is causing more extreme temperature and precipitation fluctuations in alpine and subalpine ecosystems, including more frequent periods of drought, which can place significant stress on plant populations. An understanding of how different traits can influence fitness in plant species is key to plan for the future of these ecosystems. This study focuses on vegetative traits of Ipomopsis (aggregata and hybrids with tenuituba) in Gunnison county. Leaf traits of trichome density, specific leaf area (SLA), and leaflet density were analyzed for their impact on plant growth over the summer. At the lower aggregata site ("agg") a negative relationship was found between trichome density and growth, and a positive relationship was found between leaflet density and growth. SLA was also analyzed for change over the past 17 years. A positive relationship was found between SLA and year, independently of the positive relationship found between SLA and melt day.
Items connected by shared entities, co-authorship, citations, or semantic similarity.