Abstract Mycorrhizal symbiosis is generally advantageous for plants in nutrient-poor soils. Arcto-alpine areas are relatively nutrient-poor, but abundantly inhabited by non-mycorrhizal species. Possibly, mycorrhizal symbiosis is not favoured due to the harsh climatic conditions and the short growing season, which constrain the photosynthetic gain and growth of the arcto-alpine plants. This hypothesis was theoretically evaluated by assuming that optimal mycorrhizal colonization maximizes the net carbon gain of the host plant. In addition, the prevalence of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi along an altitudinal gradient was studied in the field, and their effects on the plant performance were tested in the laboratory. In the model, the photosynthetic nutrient use efficiency (PNUE) had a key role in determining whether mycorrhizal strategy would be optimal for the plant net carbon gain. The model generated several colonization patterns depending on possible changes in PNUE and soil nutrient concentrations along altitudinal gradients. Field studies indicated that species-level colonizations do not yield a consistent pattern along the altitude except for fine endophyte, which increased along an altitudinal gradient. In a high-alpine field site root fungal colonizations were rare. Seasonal shifts in colonizations in low-alpine conditions were not found. DSE fungi were common root-associates in the field. In the laboratory, AM had a positive impact on the performance of Gnaphalium norvegicum at 15°C, but not at 8°C. DSE-inoculation did not colonize the roots, but it had a positive impact on seedling performance, which may be due to the saprophytic activity of the fungus in the substrate. Additionally, mycorrhizal inoculum was found to decrease the performance of a non-mycorrhizal plant in a competition experiment. Species-level mycorrhizal colonization patterns may differ from community-level pattern along altitudinal gradients and the relative abundance of different fungal symbionts may change along with the altitude. The performance of mycorrhizal plants in high-alpine conditions may be decreased due to several factors e.g. low temperature constraints on plant and fungal physiology and allocation, soil disturbances and low availability of inoculum. Climatic constraints for plant photosynthesis may thus affect the mycorrhizal colonization patterns in arcto-alpine conditions, but are not necessarily the primary cause for lower performance of mycorrhizal plants at higher altitudes.

Polyploidization is a key mechanism of rapid speciation, with many phenotypic consequences which extent, however, is poorly understood. A deeper understanding of the evolutionary implications of genome duplication is limited due to lack of knowledge of the links between changes in genome, the phenotype of the individual and environmental constraints. Natural lineages closely related to model species represent the ideal systems for addressing such questions. The thesis is thus focuses on highly promising yet overlooked di-polyploid system within Arabidopsis genus. In the western Carpathians morphologically distinct populations of diploid and tetraploid plants of Arabidopsis arenosa grow along a marked altitudinal gradient. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, measuring morphological characteristics and collecting ecological data of high alpine and foothill populations I try to reveal main trends of genetic and morphological variability of these populations. Additionaly, using morphometrics of natural and experimentally planted populations we want to test the hypothesis whether morphological divergence of alpine and foothill populations has a genetic basis or is driven by phenotypic plasticity. The presented thesis is an important multidisciplinary combination of genetic research on natural related of model...

Understanding biological responses to climate change is a primary concern in conservation biology. Of the ecosystems being rapidly impacted by climate change, those in the high-elevation tropics are among the most poorly studied. The tropical Andean biosphere includes record elevations above 5000 meters, where extreme environmental conditions challenge many organisms. In the Cordillera Vilcanota of southern Peru, frogs including Pleurodema marmoratum and Telmatobius marmoratus have expanded their ranges to 5244 – 5400 m into habitats created by glacial recession, making them among the highest recorded amphibians on Earth. To understand how hydrologic alterations from loss of glacial meltwater and climatic fluctuations affect these amphibians, I conduct a 36-month field study of reproductive phenology and develop a method to distinguish glacial meltwater-fed ponds and precipitation-fed ponds utilizing natural variation in stable isotopes of water (18O, 2H, and d-excess). My results suggest that some ponds critical for breeding populations may have lost their connection to glacial runoff. Ongoing deglaciation may transform these ponds from permanent to ephemeral habitats, leading to the extirpation of the fully aquatic species, T. marmoratus. The 2015/2016 El Niño delayed the onset of the 2015 wet season and shortened the P. marmoratum breeding and tadpole development period in ephemeral ponds. I examine regional patterns of amphibian occupancy and prevalence of the deadly amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobaditis in unexplored high-elevation zones that were until recent decades covered by permanent ice. Next, I examine adaptive strategies that allow these two frog species to persist in the harsh high-elevation environment. Pleurodema marmoratum withstands the daily freeze-thaw cycle by utilizing a wide thermal tolerance range (from below 0ºC to CTmax > 32ºC) and I report the first evidence of frost tolerance in a tropical frog. My research compares divergent strategies allowing two anuran species to persist through disease and variable, extreme conditions in high-mountain environments, providing a better understanding of responses to and consequences of climate change for some of the world's highest life forms.

La dispersion des animaux est un processus clé pour le maintien des populations et métapopulations. En particulier, les amphibiens se déplacent beaucoup durant leur cycle de vie fait de migrations saisonnières. Ceci les rend sensibles à la structure du paysage. En effet, les modifications anthropiques comme l’aménagement d’infrastructures linéaires peuvent constituer des barrières écologiques pour les animaux et limiter le flux de gènes dans le paysage. Si les effets des routes et des lignes chemins de fer sur les déplacements des animaux ont été largement étudiés, les effets des infrastructures liées aux activités de sport d’hiver comme les pistes de ski et les remontées mécaniques sont moins bien connus. Ainsi, la perméabilité des milieux de montagne anthropisés est peu connue. Cette thèse vise à quantifier la perméabilité écologique (ou connectivité fonctionnelle), des domaines skiables pour un amphibien de montagne largement répandu : la Grenouille rousse (Rana temporaria Linnaeus 1758). Pour ce faire, nous combinons un suivi individuel de déplacements et une étude de génétique du paysage pour mieux comprendre les facteurs influençant les déplacements de grenouilles et les flux de gènes dans le paysage. Le suivi individuel est réalisé au moyen de balises GPS et d’analyses de sélection de pas (step selection analysis). L’étude de génétique du paysage est réalisée en prélevant des échantillons d’ADN dans trois domaines skiables de Savoie ainsi que dans une zone témoin située dans le Parc national de la Vanoise. Nous avons testé l’influence de plusieurs variables paysagères liées à la topographie (pente, altitude…), les habitats (réseau de zones humides, couverture du sol…) ou les activités humaines (présence de routes, de pistes de ski) sur le flux de gènes. En utilisant une nouvelle méthode d’optimisation de surface de résistance, nous montrons l’importance du réseau de zones humides pour les amphibiens de montagne. D’une part, elles servent d’habitat préférentiel et d’autre part, un réseau dense de zones humides permet d’assurer une bonne connectivité des paysages pour la Grenouille rousse. Nous mettons également en évidence que l’hétérogénéité des tailles efficaces de populations dans un paysage peut fausser les distances génétiques mesurées entre populations et nous recommandons l’utilisation de techniques pour s’affranchir de tels problèmes. Nos travaux sont importants dans une perspective de gestion durable des domaines skiables, l’aménagement de pistes de ski ou autres infrastructures de loisir pouvant être accompagnée de destructions de zones humides. / Animal disperal is a key process for maintaining populations and metapopulations. In particular, amphibians move a lot during their life cycle made of seasonal migrations. This makes them sensitive to the structure of the landscape. Indeed, anthropogenic changes such as linear infrastructure can act as ecological barriers for animals and limit gene flow within the landscape. While the effects of roads and railways on animal movements have been widely studied, the effects of infrastructure related to winter sports activities such as ski slopes and lifts are less well known. Thus, the permeability of anthropized mountain environments is little known. This thesis aims to quantify the ecological permeability (or functional connectivity) of ski areas for a widely distributed mountain amphibian: the European common frog (Rana temporaria Linnaeus 1758). To do this, we combine individual movement tracking and landscape genetics studies to better understand the factors influencing frog movements and gene flow within the landscape. Individual tracking is carried out by means of GPS tags and step selection analysis. The landscape genetics study is carried out by gathering DNA samples from three ski areas in Savoie and a control area located in the Vanoise National Park. We tested the influence of several landscape variables related to topography (slope, altitude...), habitats (wetland network, land cover...) or human activities (presence of roads, ski slopes) on gene flow. By using a new method of resistance surface optimization, we show the importance of the wetland network for mountain amphibians. On the one hand, they serve as preferential habitat and, on the other hand, a dense network of wetlands ensures good landscape connectivity for the Common frog. We also highlight that the heterogeneity in effective population sizes in a landscape can distort the genetic distances measured between populations and we recommend the use of techniques to overcome such problems. Our work is important for the sustainable management of ski areas, the development of ski slopes or other recreational infrastructure that can be accompanied by the destruction of wetlands.

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