Functional Adaptations in Plants from the High Himalaya

Thinles CHONDOL

Disertační práce

Impact of climate change on the alpine grassland ecosystem: A study of NW Himalayas-Ladakh

Abstract:

This thesis explores various functional adaptations of plants inhabiting the cold arid high Himalayan mountainous region of Ladakh, which is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Each chapter investigates distinct strategies that enable plants to persist under extreme conditions. This work is novel in a way that it integrates various morphological, anatomical, and physiological functional traits to have a holistic understanding of their functional adaptations. The studies cover the dynamics of plant strategies in both spatial as well as temporal scales, highlighting how plants adjust throughout the growing season, across a huge elevational gradient, and interspecific differences. The findings provide deeper insights into plant life in extreme environments and contribute to broader ecological understanding with potential applications in predicting plant responses to changing climates.

Abstract:

This thesis explores various functional adaptations of plants inhabiting the cold arid high Himalayan mountainous region of Ladakh, which is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Each chapter investigates distinct strategies that enable plants to persist under extreme conditions. This work is novel in a way that it integrates various morphological, anatomical, and physiological functional traits to have a holistic understanding of their functional adaptations. The studies cover the dynamics of plant strategies in both spatial as well as temporal scales, highlighting how plants adjust throughout the growing season, across a huge elevational gradient, and interspecific differences. The findings provide deeper insights into plant life in extreme environments and contribute to broader ecological understanding with potential applications in predicting plant responses to changing climates.

Keywords

Biomass allocation, Conservative-Acquisitive Strategy, Ecophysiology, Extreme environment, Fast-Slow Strategy, Herbochronology, Himalaya, Leaf traits, Plant Functional Adaptations, Plant Functional Traits.

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 22. 9. 2025

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: doc. Mgr. Jiří Doležal, Ph.D.

JIHOČESKÁ UNIVERZITA V ČESKÝCH BUDĚJOVICÍCH

Přírodovědecká fakulta

Doktorský studijní program / obor:
Botany / Botany