Photosynthetica X:X | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2026.021

Functional variation in PSII traits along post-disturbance successional gradient in montane springs

G. JAMNICKÁ1, H. HÚDOKOVÁ1, 2, P. FLEISCHER Jr.1, 2, A. RAZZAK1, 2, Ľ. DITMAROVÁ1, M. SLEZÁK1
1 Department of Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 96001 Zvolen, Slovakia
2 Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 96001 Zvolen, Slovakia

The effects of post-windstorm succession on mountain spring vegetation were studied in the High Tatra Mountains (Slovakia, Central Europe) through field sampling conducted over the 2020-2025 period, assessing chlorophyll a fluorescence to compare windthrow-affected and unaffected plots. Variance partitioning revealed that structural PSII parameters (absorption flux per RC, relative variable fluorescence at the J step) are primarily species-dependent, whereas maximum quantum yield is environment-driven. Within-site analyses validated that species-specific PSII architecture persists under uniform conditions. The invasive Impatiens parviflora displayed the largest antenna size per reaction center (RC) but the lowest performance index and the highest dissipation flux per active RC. Community-weighted mean analysis revealed a successional trade-off: shaded, closed-canopy sites exhibited high photosynthetic performance but low species richness, whereas open sites prioritized biodiversity over photosynthetic optimization. These results suggest a shift in the balance between community-level physiological efficiency and species diversity in mountain spring habitats, with significant implications for the conservation of these sensitive ecosystems.

Additional key words: chlorophyll fluorescence; community-weighted mean; functional diversity; mountain spring; post-disturbance succession; species diversity.

Received: May 6, 2026; Revised: July 22, 2026; Accepted: July 28, 2026; Prepublished online: August 20, 2026 

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