Against all intuition, alpine plant tissues are not depleted in nutrients. In fact, young pioneer communities in glacier forefields are particularly rich in nutrients.

When samples of related species from low and high altitude are compared, the alpine relative is commonly richer in nutrients.

1 - Nitrogen concentrations (% dry matter) in leaves of comparable plant species from low and high altitude in the northern Scandes (3.18 ± 0.51 % versus 2.80 ± 0.58 %, n = 22/25, p = 0.02). The treeline in this area is at 650 m.

In late successional communities we often find species which are inherently low in nutrients (e.g. some sedges), but this is also true for the low elevation relatives of these species.

2 - Old and stable nutrient depleted alpine sedge communities (Valais, Swiss Alps).

3 - Old N-depleted pastures near the treeline (here of the Nardetum type with Arnica montana, Asteraceae) can be very rich in species (W-Tyrol, Austrian Alps).

The shorter the growing season the higher the leaf nitrogen concentration per unit dry matter.

4 - The latitudinal variation of mean leaf nitrogen concentration in herbaceous plant species close to the regional upper limits of higher plant distribution. Numbers indicate the number of species sampled in each region. Note the inverse relationship with length of season (shaded).

29 August 2011
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