Habitat preferences and functional traits drive longevity in Himalayan high-mountain plants

Abstract

Plant lifespan has important evolutionary, physiological, and ecological implications related to population persistence, community stability, and resilience to ongoing environmental change impacts. Although biologists have long been puzzled over the extraordinary variation in plant lifespan and its causes, our understanding of interspecific variability in plant lifespan and the key internal and external factors influencing longevity remains limited. Here, we demonstrate the concurrent impacts of environmental, morphological, physiological, and anatomical constraints on interspecific variation in longevity among > 300 vascular dicot plant species naturally occurring at an elevation gradient (2800–6150 m) in the western Himalayas. First, we show that plant longevity (ranging from 1 to 100 years) is largely related to species' habitat preferences. Ecologically stressful habitats such as alpine and subnival host long-lived species, while productive ruderal and wetland habitats contain a higher proportion of shorter-lived species. Second, longevity is influenced by growth form with monocarpic forbs having the shortest lifespan and woody shrubs having the highest. Small-statured cushion plants with compact canopies and deep roots, most found on cold and infertile alpine and subnival soils, had a higher chance of achieving longevity. Third, plant traits reflecting plant adaptations to stress and disturbance affect interspecific differences in plant longevity. We show that longevity and growth are negatively correlated. Slow-growing species are those that have a higher chance of reaching a high age. Finally, higher longevity was associated with high leaf carbon and phosphorus, low root phosphorus and nitrogen, and with large bark-xylem ratio. Our findings suggest that plant longevity in high elevation is intricately determined by a combination of habitat preferences and growth form, as well as the plant growth rate and physiological processes.