Physiological ecology of vascular plants

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The Yucatán Peninsula has opposing gradients of precipitation and evaporation from north to south: as precipitation increases, evaporation rates decrease. Also, due to bedrock composed primarily of limestone, the area presents high porosity and rainfall infiltrates quickly, resulting in no superficial runoff. Natural disturbances such as hurricanes and fires are also common. The interaction of these factors has created a mosaic of environmental conditions that has given rise to a series of physiological adaptations in the plant species of the area. This chapter focuses mainly on the morphophysiological responses and adaptations of native plant species of the Yucatán to natural conditions, and on how plants respond to environmental factors at the level of the individual, species, population and/or functional groups. In this chapter, species were grouped according to their metabolic pathway (C3 species or crassulacean acid metabolism species (CAM)), and discussed based on adaptations to limiting resources: water, nutrients, temperature, and light. For C3 species only trees were included, and studies incorporated in this section spanned from plant establishment, growth, water use and water relations, alternative water sources, and carbon and nutrient flow. For the section on CAM the focus was on the factors that affect CAM plants in the microenvironments in which they occur. Other issues analyzed include plant physiological responses to natural disturbances, the potential impact of climate change on plant populations, and gaps in information as well as additional perspectives of study. eng