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Reduction of pollen flow can affect plant abundance and population viability and cause selection on plant mating system and floral traits. Little is known on the effect of this phenomenon in species naturally restricted to small and isolated habitats, that may have developed strategies to cope with long-term isolation and small population size. We investigated the pollination ecology of the endemic distylous winter-flowering P. allionii to verify the possible limitation of female fitness due to reduced pollinator visits. We recorded a higher production of pollen grains in long-styled morph, and a higher seed set in short-styled morph. The high intra-morph variability of sexual organ position may explain the hybridization phenomena allowing and easier intra-morph pollination. The fruit set is constant, although its winter-flowering period might decrease pollen transfer. Nevertheless, the lower competition for pollinators with neighbouring plants and the long-lasting anthesis may offset its reproductive success. Even if our results show no evidence of imminent threats, changes in plant-pollinator interactions might increase inbreeding, resulting in an increased extinction risk.

Primula sieboldii E. Morren is a clonal herbaceous species with a short foliar period from spring to early summer. We have studied the temperature-dependence of the rate of respiration at the whole-ramet level throughout the phenological stages of P. sieboldii to reveal its photosynthate-utilization strategy. P. sieboldii ramets were grown in a chamber enabling simulation of seasonal changes in temperature. Rates of respiration were measured at three phenological stages--the foliar period, the before-chilling defoliated (BCD) period, and the after--chilling defoliated (ACD) period. In the foliar period the rate of respiration, on a biomass basis at 20 degrees C (R (20)), of the above-ground plant parts was 2.5 times that of the below-ground parts. The R (20) of the below-ground parts in the foliar period was 6.5 times that in the BCD period and 1.6 times that in the ACD period. Estimation of the ramet carbon balance under these growth conditions showed that ramets respired 87% of total photosynthate production during the experimental period (8.5 months). Respiratory consumption in the foliar period accounted for 70% of the yearly total, whereas 24 and 6% were consumed in the BCD and ACD periods, respectively. An extremely low rate of respiration during the long defoliated period led to a positive net annual carbon balance for P. sieboldii ramets.

Hummock-and-hollow microtopography is common in wetlands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The physical environment of hummocks contrasts strongly with that of hollows. To address how Primula nutans Georgi, a herbaceous species broadly distributed on the plateau, can inhabit both hummocks and hollows, we investigated the plasticity of its morphology and biomass growth in relation to the environmental variables during the growing season. The results are as follows: (1) total daily photosynthetic photon flux density, maximum soil temperature, and diurnal soil temperature range were significantly larger on the hummocks than in the hollows; (2) individual ramets had smaller leaves, higher leaf mass per unit area, and shorter petiole and peduncle length on the hummocks, but leaf and root dry weights per ramet differed little between microsites; (3) P. nutans allocated most of its dry mass to peduncles and flowers and the proportion of reproductive mass was significantly higher for plants in the hollows than on the hummocks; (4) the coefficients of variation of most morphological and biometric parameters was higher on hummocks than in hollows. The results suggest that P. nutans favors hummocks but can tolerate hollows through morphological adjustments in that the mass investment to peduncles and flowers is much larger in plants in the hollows than hummocks.