Halophytic Clonal Plant Species: Important Functional Aspects for Existence in Heterogeneous Saline Habitats

Abstract

Plant modularity-related traits are important ecological determinants of vegetation composition, dynamics, and resilience. While simple changes in plant biomass resulting from salt treatments are usually considered a sufficient indicator for resistance vs. susceptibility to salinity, plants with a clonal growth pattern show complex responses to changes in environmental conditions. Due to physiological integration, clonal plants often have adaptive advantages in highly heterogeneous or disturbed habitats. Although halophytes native to various heterogeneous habitats have been extensively studied, no special attention has been paid to the peculiarities of salt tolerance mechanisms of clonal halophytes. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to identify probable and possible halophytic plant species belonging to different types of clonal growth and to analyze available scientific information on responses to salinity in these species. Examples, including halophytes with different types of clonal growth, will be analyzed, such as based on differences in the degree of physiological integration, ramet persistence, rate of clonal expansion, salinity-induced clonality, etc.