Resource allocation in high-arctic vascular plants of differing growth form

Abstract

Resource allocation strategies are described for a range of vascular plant species of a high-arctic lowland oasis, located adjacent to Alexandra Fjord, Ellesmere Island, N.W.T. The patterns of allocation of biomass and major nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) differed greatly among the 16 species, which represented six growth forms (biennial herbs, perennial herbs, graminoids, cushion plants, deciduous dwarf shrubs, and evergreen dwarf shrubs). The dominant growth strategy was that of the stress tolerator, well adapted to cold, dry, and exposed situations. This strategy is characterized by low annual net production, a small proportion of resources allocated belowground, a large proportion of resources allocated to the attached litter compartment, and internal nutrient cycling. Ruderal growth strategies were evident in such species as Cochlearia fenestrata and Draba groenlandica, which occupied disturbed habitats. These species had a large proportion of resources allocated to sexual reproductive tissues. Perennial herbs exhibited intermediate strategies, and they occupied a wide range of habitats.