Classification and evaluation of some endemic plants from Turkey ...

INTRODUCTION
EurAsian Journal of BioSciences
Eurasia J Biosci 6, 97-104 (2012)
DOI:10.5053/ejobios.2012.6.0.12
Classification and evaluation of some endemic
plants from Turkey using Grime’s CSR strategies
Cengiz Yıldırım 1, Neslihan Karavin 2*, Arzu Cansaran 1
1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Amasya University 05000, Amasya, Turkey
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Amasya University 05000, Amasya, Turkey
*Corresponding author: nnecli@gmail.com
Research Note
Abstract
Background: Functional traits play important roles in plant growth and survival. According to
functional traits, there are several classification types for plants such as adaptive and demographic
strategies.
Materials and Methods: In this study, eight endemic taxa were collected from the Amasya Kirklar
Mountain in Turkey and were classified and evaluated by Grime’s CSR (Competitive, Stress tolerant,
Ruderal) strategy scheme.
Results: These plants are in the LR(lc) (Lower risk/least concern) red list category and they are
hemicryptophytes according to Raunkiaer’s life forms. The CSR strategies of Asyneuma limonifolium
subsp. pestalozzae, Digitalis lamarckii, and Paracaryum ancyritanum were CR, Linaria corifolia and
Scutellaria salviifolia were CR/CSR, Phlomis armeniaca was C/CR, and Sideritis dichotoma and Jurinea
pontica were SC.
Conclusions: CR, CR/CSR, and C/CR plants are resistant to competition and disturbance such as
grazing, trampling, mowing, soil erosion, and fire, whereas, SC are resistant to competition and
stress, for example drought.
Keywords: CSR, endemic, functional trait, Grime, plant strategy.
Yildirim C, Karavin N, Cansaran A (2012) Classification and evaluation of some endemic plants from
Turkey using Grime’s CSR strategies. Eurasia J Biosci 6: 97-104.
DOI:10.5053/ejobios.2012.6.0.12
Plant species vary in functional traits due to their
genetic features and environmental factors. An
adaptation of plants to different environments is
related to the construction of plants. Functional
features determine survival and competitive
abilities of plants and thus are bound to the
distribution of species across the world. Ecologists
use functional traits to understand adaptation and
distribution of plant species to different
environments and gain information about habitat
status and succession. There are several
classification types for plants according to
functional traits such as adaptive and demographic
strategies (Grime 1974, Tilman 1988, Westoby 1998)
and these are sometimes labelled as plant-ecologystrategy
schemes (Decocq and Hermy 2008, Kılınç et
al. 2010). Grime (1977) defined plant strategy as a
grouping of similar or analogous genetic
characteristics recurring widely among species or
populations, which leads to similarities in ecology.
Studies were carried out on Grime’s strategies in
determining the strategies of different plant species
(Grime et al. 1988, Turkington et al. 1993, Kılınç et al.
© EurAsian Journal of BioSciences
2010), in different habitats or various conditions
(Murphy et al. 1990, White et al. 1997, Fraser and
Grime 1999, Pierce et al. 2012), along with the
explanation of the succession or structure of
vegetation (Ecke and Rydin 2000, Massant et al.
2009, Navas et al. 2010).
Grime (1974) describes a triangular model that
takes shape from three basic conditions
competition, stress, and disturbance. Related to
various equilibriums that are possible among
competition, stress, and disturbance, he recognized
3 primary, 4 secondary and 12 intermediate
strategies. Each strategy has a position in the CSR
triangle. Low stress and low disturbance generate
competitor, high stress and low disturbance
generate stress toleration, and low stress and high
disturbance generate ruderal strategies. To allocate
plant strategies, some functional traits were used as
predictor variables. Those include canopy height,
leaf dry matter content, leaf dry weight, specific leaf
area (SLA), flowering period, flowering start, and
Received: February 2012
Received in revised form: August 2012
Accepted: September 2012
Printed: November 2012
97

EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 6: 97-104 (2012)
lateral spread.
In the present study, the plant life strategies of
some endemic taxa from Turkey were assessed
according to Grime’s CSR strategy scheme. The aim
of the study was to use Grime’s CSR strategy to
characterize plants. This way, we may gain
knowledge about their life features and evaluate
habitat conditions. The plant life strategies of plants
reflect their functional traits, growth, and
adaptation to the environment. In this context,
assessing the plant life strategies of species,
especially those of endemics, rare or threatened
species is important and useful in sustainability and
conservation of plant species and ecosystems. For
this purpose, eight endemic plant taxa were
collected from the Amasya Kırklar Mountain in
Turkey; Asyneuma limonifolium (L.), Janchen subsp.
pestalozzae (Boiss.), Damboldt, Linaria corifolia
Desf., Scutellaria salviifolia Benth., Sideritis
dichotoma Huter, Paracaryum ancyritanum Boiss.,
Phlomis armeniaca Willd., Jurinea pontica Hausskn
and Freyn ex Hausskn., and Digitalis lamarckii Ivan..
Some of these plant taxa are medicinal herbs and
especially A. limonifolium subsp. pestalozzae, S.
dichotoma, and D. lamarckii are economically
important. L. corifolia, S. dichotoma, P. ancyritanum,
P. armeniaca, J. pontica, and D. lamarckii are Irano-
Turanian elements and the phytogeographical
regions of A. limonifolium subsp. pestalozzae and S.
salviifolia are unknown.
Plant samples were collected from the Kırklar
Mountain in Amasya, Turkey (Fig. 1). Amasya is on
the border of Northern and Central Anatolia and
situated between the Irano-Turanian and Euro-
Siberian phytogeographical regions. Because of this,
the diversity of plant species is high. The altitude of
the study area is between 450-650 masl. Bedrock is
limestone and the soil type is red-brown. The annual
mean temperature is 13.6°C, the maximum
temperature is 43.2°C, the minimum temperature is -
20.4°C, and the annual precipitation is 421.1 mm. The
dominant climate in the study area is Mediterranean
(Cansaran and Aydoğdu 1998).
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
Yildirim et al.
Asyneuma limonifolium (L.) Janchen subsp.,
pestalozzae (Boiss.) Damboldt, Linaria corifolia Desf.,
Scutellaria salviifolia Benth., Sideritis dichotoma
Huter, Paracaryum ancyritanum Boiss., Phlomis
armeniaca Willd., Jurinea pontica Hausskn. and Freyn
ex Hausskn., and Digitalis lamarckii Ivan. were the
study materials. These are endemic species for
Turkey. The defining properties of these plant taxa,
containing family, life form, and habitat distribution,
are given in Table 1. Because Grime’s CSR system
requires the adult phase of plants, 20 mature
individuals were collected from the Kırklar Mountain
for each taxa in June 2011. Plant individuals were
collected from steppe and rocky habitats,
quintessentially. The taxonomic nomenclature
followed that of Davis (1965-1985) and Davis et al.
(1988). The CSR strategies of the taxa were assessed
according to Hodgson et al. (1999). A customised
spreadsheet, developed to perform all of the
necessary calculations by Hodgson et al. (1999)
(written in Microsoft Excel for Windows TM, Version
5.0), was used to classify the CSR strategies of the
plant taxa. This spreadsheet calculates plant
strategies automatically in five steps: data assembly,
regression, transformation, adjustment, and
identification of the CSR type. Seven predictor
variables, required for calculation of plant
strategies, like canopy height, leaf dry matter
content, leaf dry weight, specific leaf area (SLA),
flowering period, flowering start, and lateral spread
were calculated for each taxa. The measurements of
the predictor variables were based on 20 of the
largest and fully expanded leaves of the adult
individuals. Data for canopy height, flowering start,
flowering period, and lateral spread were obtained
from literature and field observations. Canopy
height, flowering start, and lateral spread of each
taxa were determined according to the 6-point
classification of Hodgson et al. (1999) (Table 2).
For leaf measurements, 20 fully expanded and
undamaged leaves were selected for each plant
taxa. Any petiole was removed and the leaves were
cleaned. Leaf dry matter contents were calculated
according to Wilson et al. (1999). In order to
calculate the leaf dry weight, the leaves were placed
in a drying oven at 75°C until they reached a constant

EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 6: 97-104 (2012)
Fig. 1. location of the study area (http://maps.google.com/).
Table 1. Defining the properties of plant taxa.
weight. Then they were weighed and the dry weight
of the leaves was determined. In order to determine
leaf area, measurement software, developed by the
University of Sheffield, was used. The SLAs of the
leaf samples were calculated by using the following
Yildirim et al.
equation mm 2 mg -1 :
Mean leaf area (mm 2 )
SLA=
Mean leaf dry weight (mg)
The predictor variables were put into the
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EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 6: 97-104 (2012)
Table 2. Definitions of predictor variables used in CSR classification (Hodgson et al. 1999).
customized spreadsheet program and the CSR
strategies of the plant taxa was calculated
automatically. Additionally, Raunkiaer’s life forms of
these taxa was determined according to Raunkiaer
(1934) and Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois (1967).
IUCN red list categories of plant taxa were obtained
from the web site of IUCN and the Red Data Book of
Turkish Plants (Ekim et al. 2000).
Seven predictor variables for the eight endemic
plant taxa, required for classification of CSR plant
strategies, were determined (Table 3).
According to the predictor variables, the CSR
strategies of A. limonifolium subsp. pestalozzae, D.
lamarckii, and P. ancyritanum were CR, L. corifolia
and S. salviifolia were CR/CSR, P. armeniaca was
C/CR, and S. dichotoma and J. pontica were SC (Table
4). Positions of these species in the CSR triangle are
shown in Fig. 2. Most of the strategies of these plant
taxa were CR (competitor ruderal) and all of them
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Yildirim et al.
exhibited secondary strategies. Since we collected
these eight plant taxa from the same area, they
exhibited similar functional traits and plant
strategies. Plants growing in the same habitat may
have some fundamental features. Plant species,
which can resist pressures and adapt to
environmental conditions of the area, can survive,
grow, and spread.
A. limonifolium subsp. pestalozzae, D. lamarckii
and P. ancyritanum exhibited a CR (competitorruderal)
strategy, where L. corifolia and S. salviifolia
were CR/CSR. It means these taxa were mainly
competitor ruderal but, they also had some features
of stress tolerators. These taxa were closer to CR. P.
armeniaca was C/CR and essentially closer to
competitors. It had more competitor features than
ruderal features. Grime (1977) describes CR as “a
plant species adapted to circumstances in which
there is a low impact of stress and competition is
restricted to a moderate intensity by disturbance”
and SC as “a plant species adapted to undisturbed
conditions experiencing moderate intensities of

EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 6: 97-104 (2012)
Table 3. The predictor variables of plant taxa.
stress”. Low stress low disturbance create
competitor strategy and low stress high disturbance
ruderal strategy. In CR, the strategy impact of stress
is low and that of competition is medium. Each plant
strategy has specific characters. These include, for
competitors, a high maximum potential growth rate,
high dense leaf canopy, a small proportion of annual
Yildirim et al.
*Lateral spread: 2= Compactly tufted about a single axis, no thickened rootstock, 3= Compactly tufted about a single axis and thickened
rootstock present.
Table 4. Raunkiaer’s life forms, Grime’s CSR strategies, and the IUCN red list category of plant taxa.
*LR(lc): Lower risk (least concern).
Fig. 2. location of the study area (http://maps.google.com/).
production devoted to seeds, extensive lateral
spread and relatively short leaf and root longevity.
For ruderal, a high maximum potential growth rate,
variable leaf canopy, high proportion of annual
production devoted to seeds, high flowering, small
stature with limited lateral spread, and short leaf
and root longevity (Grime 1977, 1984, McIvor and
McIntyre 1997). Characteristic features of CR species
are a mixture of competitor and ruderal characters
whereas, CR species may be herbs, scrubs or trees
and usually adapted to disturbed areas with high
productivity such as fertile pastures or grasslands.
S. dichotoma and J. pontica were SC and had both
features of stress-tolerators and competitors. In the
SC strategy, the impact of stress is high and that of
disturbance is low. The specific characters of stresstolerators
are low maximum potential growth rate,
small proportion of annual production devoted to
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EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 6: 97-104 (2012)
seeds, low palatability, and long leaf and root
longevity (Grime 1977, 1984, McIvor and McIntyre
1997).
According to Grime (1977), biennial plant species
exhibit CR, SR, or their intermediate strategies and
perennials exhibit CR, SR, CS, and their intermediate
strategies. In the current study, biennial P.
ancyritanum was CR, perennial A. limonifolium subsp.
pestalozza and D. lamarckii were CR, L. corifolia and
S. salviifolia were CR/CSR, P. armeniaca was C/CR,
and S. dichotoma and J. pontica were SC. Our results
coincide with Grime’s enunciation.
If the intensity of disturbance is immoderate, it
may threaten plant survival. In fertile and
illuminated areas, competition is not necessary to
some degree. If it exceeds the carrying capacity of
the area too much, competition may be destructive.
There are several stress factors in plant communities
such as nutrient, light, water, and salinity. Stress
inhibits plant growth and threatens plant survival.
Responses of plants to different stress factors are
not the same. However, generally stress tolerators
are resistant to stress in the habitat.
According to Raunkiaer’s life forms scheme, all of
102
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Yildirim et al.
the plant taxa were Hemicryptophytes. Their buds
are at or near the soil surface during unfavourable
seasons and protected with plant litter and snow.
The IUCN red list category of these taxa is LR(lc)
(Lower risk/least concern). If a taxon does not satisfy
the criteria for any of the categories critically
endangered, endangered, or vulnerable and do not
qualify for conservation dependent or near
threatened, it is separated into the LR(lc) category.
Because of urbanization, habitats of these taxa are
being destroyed in the study area.
For sustainability of plant species, growth
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environmental factors should be examined. In this
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Additionally, this may help us in land use, for
example, plant life strategies may benefit in the
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planting in an area. It may be useful in the selection
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Yildirim et al.
Türkiye’deki Bazı Endemik Bitkilerin Grime Stratejileri’ne Göre Sınıflandırılması ve
Değerlendirilmesi
Özet:
Giriş: Fonsiyonel özellikler bitkilerin gelişimi ve hayatta kalmalarında önemli rol oynarlar. Bitkiler, fonksiyonel
özelliklerine göre adaptiv ve demografik olarak sınıflandırılabilir.
Materyal ve Metot: Bu çalışmada, Kırklar Dağı’nda (Amasya) bulunan sekiz endemik takson Grime’in CSR strateji
modeline göre sınıflandırılmış ve değerlendirilmiştir.
Bulgular: IUCN LR(Ic) (Lower risk/least concern) kategorisinde bulunan bu bitkiler, Raunkiaer’in yaşam formlarına göre
hemikriptofitdirler. Asyneuma limonifolium subsp. pestalozzae, Digitalis lamarckii ve Paracaryum ancyritanum CR; Linaria
corifolia ve Scutellaria salviifolia CR/CSR; Sideritis dichotoma ve Jurinea pontica SC; Phlomis armeniaca C/CR stratejisinde
sınıflandırılmıştır.
Sonuç: CR, CR/CSR ve C/CR stratejisine sahip taksonlar rekabet, otlatma, ayakla çiğnenme, biçme, toprak erozyonu ve
yangın gibi tahribatlara karşı dayanıklıdır. SC stratejisine sahip türler ise rekabete ve kuraklığın neden olduğu stres
faktörlerine karşı dayanıklıdır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Bitki stratejileri, CSR, endemik, fonksiyonel özellik, Grime.