Leaf gas exchange and water relations in Polylepis tarapacana at extreme altitudes in the Bolivian Andes

This research paper examines the gas exchange and water relations of Polylepis tarapacana at an altitude of 4,300 m in the Bolivian Andes, analyzing how the species manages carbon balance and water stress across dry-cold and wet-warm seasons.

• At an altitude of 4,300 m, Polylepis tarapacana exhibits distinct seasonal variations in leaf water potentials and leaf conductances. The dry-cold season showed a mean leaf water potential of -1.67 MPa and a mean leaf conductance of 33.5 mmol m-2 s-1, while the wet-warm season showed a mean leaf water potential of -1.02 MPa and a mean leaf conductance of 58.9 mmol m-2 s-1.
• Differences in the mean net photosynthetic rate (PN) between the dry-cold and wet-warm seasons were less pronounced, measuring 2.5 and 2.8 &mumol m-2 s-1 respectively. This stability may be due to the combined effects of water deficit during the dry season and lower photon flux densities during the wet season.
• The species Polylepis tarapacana has adapted its gas exchange characteristics to align with the extreme daily and seasonal fluctuations in water availability and temperature found at high elevations.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Leaf gas exchange and water relations in Polylepis tarapacana at extreme altitudes in the Bolivian Andes. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/leaf-gas-exchange-and-water-relations-in-polylepis-tarapacana-at-extreme-altitudes-in-the-bolivian-andes/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Leaf gas exchange and water relations in Polylepis tarapacana at extreme altitudes in the Bolivian Andes. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/leaf-gas-exchange-and-water-relations-in-polylepis-tarapacana-at-extreme-altitudes-in-the-bolivian-andes/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Leaf gas exchange and water relations in Polylepis tarapacana at extreme altitudes in the Bolivian Andes |date=17 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/leaf-gas-exchange-and-water-relations-in-polylepis-tarapacana-at-extreme-altitudes-in-the-bolivian-andes/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025leaf, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Leaf gas exchange and water relations in Polylepis tarapacana at extreme altitudes in the Bolivian Andes}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/leaf-gas-exchange-and-water-relations-in-polylepis-tarapacana-at-extreme-altitudes-in-the-bolivian-andes/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }