database of 104 species of the Algerian steppe.xlsx

We present here probably the first functional database of feature for the steppe of North Africa (Algeria) of 104 species in terms of underground vegetative features and surface, features floral and flowering period. In this region, the strong seasonality in abiotic harshness and pollinators’ availability shape the reproductive success of plants and the right moment of flowering is essential for reproductive success. However, it is still poorly understood which traits constrain the timing (phenology) of flowering in a given, harsh environments. We hypothesized that phenological differentiation may be controlled by the plants’ tolerance or avoidance of drought stress and the plants’ capacity of attracting particular groups of pollinators (reflected, respectively, by vegetative and floral traits). We also present the novel hypothesis that a plant’s tolerance to drought might either relax or strengthen the effect of pollinator groups on phenology.  This permits to show that flowering phenology is strongly influenced by the plants’ ability to tolerate drought through deep roots (but not leaf traits), and the plant’s ability to attract different pollinators through different floral colours and shapes. Most interestingly, root depth modified the effects of floral characters. In the more tolerant, deep-rooting species flowering phenologies converge among species attracting different pollinators (without becoming less variable overall). Abiotically less tolerant species, in contrast, appear to suffer a double burden from water stress and limited pollinator availability. Global warming might reinforce this double abiotic and biotic burden.