Shifting effects of physiological integration on performance of a clonal plant during submergence and de-submergence

Background and Aims

Submergence and de-submergence are common phenomena encountered by riparian plants due to water level fluctuations, but little is known about the role of physiological integration in clonal plants (resource sharing between interconnected ramets) in their adaptation to such events. Using Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligator weed) as an example, this study tested the hypotheses that physiological integration will improve growth and photosynthetic capacity of submerged ramets during submergence and will promote their recovery following de-submergence.

Methods

Connected clones of A. philoxeroides, each consisting of two ramet systems and a stolon internode connecting them, were grown under control (both ramet systems untreated), half-submerged (one ramet system submerged and the other not submerged), fully submerged (both ramet systems submerged), half-shaded (one ramet system shaded and the other not shaded) and full-shaded (both ramet systems shaded) conditions for 30 d and then de-submerged/de-shaded for 20 d. The submerged plants were also shaded to very low light intensities, mimicking typical conditions in turbid floodwater.

Key Results

After 30 d of submergence, connections between submerged and non-submerged ramets significantly increased growth and carbohydrate accumulation of the submerged ramets, but decreased the growth of the non-submerged ramets. After 20 d of de-submergence, connections did not significantly affect the growth of either de-submerged or non-submerged ramets, but de-submerged ramets had high soluble sugar concentrations, suggesting high metabolic activities. The shift from significant effects of integration on both submerged and non-submerged ramets during the submergence period to little effect during the de-submergence period was due to the quick recovery of growth and photosynthesis. The effects of physiological integration were not found to be any stronger under submergence/de-submergence than under shading/de-shading.

Conclusions

The results indicate that it is not just the beneficial effects of physiological integration that are crucial to the survival of riparian clonal plants during periods of submergence, but also the ability to recover growth and photosynthesis rapidly after de-submergence, which thus allows them to spread.     

三种增温情景对入侵植物空心莲子草形态可塑性的影响

虽然国内外已对克隆植物的表型可塑性开展了大量研究,但是气候变暖对克隆植物,尤其是入侵性克隆植物形态可塑性的影响及其可能的生态学意义研究仍然有限。通过设置白天增温、夜间增温和全天增温3种方式,通过切断或不切断匍匐茎处理,探讨入侵植物空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)形态特征对不同气候变暖情景的响应。研究发现:夜间增温2℃条件下,切断匍匐茎连接显著降低空心莲子草匍匐茎总长度和平均分株长度;白天增温和全天增温2℃对匍匐茎切断和连接组的空心莲子草的匍匐茎总长和平均分株长影响不显著;3种增温方式对空心莲子草的分蘖数均无显著影响。这些结果表明:空心莲子草对增温具有较高的耐受性,并对不同增温方式采取不同的响应策略;夜间增温可能通过光合补偿效应增加其匍匐茎的长度和平均分株长从而促进其水平方向的扩展以占据更加有利的生境,增强其入侵能力;白天和全天增温对整个克隆片段匍匐茎形态几乎无影响。     

短时高温暴露对莲草直胸跳甲生殖特性的影响

以莲草直胸跳甲Agasicles hygrophila Selman & Vogt为对象, 测定了在不同高温（37, 39, 41, 43, 45±0.5℃）下暴露1 h后, 莲草直胸跳甲成虫寿命、产卵前期、产卵量及后代存活力等生殖适应性指标的差异。结果表明: （1）莲草直胸跳甲成虫寿命随暴露温度的升高而降低, 25℃恒温条件下, 雌成虫寿命平均为37.4 d, 而45℃高温暴露1 h后, 雌虫寿命仅为20.0 d; （2）莲草直胸跳甲雌虫的产卵前期随暴露温度升高而显著延长, 25℃恒温条件下雌虫产卵前期平均为4.1 d; 39℃高温暴露1 h后产卵前期延长至4.8 d, 45℃高温暴露1 h后延长至7.3 d; （3）短时高温暴露显著降低莲草直胸跳甲的单雌产卵量, 25℃恒温条件下单雌产卵量平均为965.1粒, 39℃暴露1 h后, 其产卵量为638.7粒, 45℃暴露1 h后低于260粒; （4）短时高温暴露对莲草直胸跳甲后代存活能力有显著的影响, 随着温度的升高, F1代卵的孵化率从95.4%降低至89.2%, F1代成虫的羽化率从87.0%下降到71.3%。以上结果表明, 短时高温暴露导致莲草直胸跳甲生殖适应性下降。     

陆生生境中喜旱莲子草的生长模式

喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)原产南美洲, 后被引入到北美洲、大洋洲、东南亚和中国等地, 成为一个世界性的外来入侵种。对喜旱莲子草陆生种群的有效控制一直是一个难题。本文中通过种植实验建立了陆生生境中喜旱莲子草主枝长、生物量、叶面积和斑块面积等的生长模型。结果表明: (1)喜旱莲子草的主枝长、生物量、叶面积和斑块面积等均表现为指数式生长, 其日增长率(%)分别为4.28、11.27、11.59和8.67。(2)喜旱莲子草的地上重(x)－地下根茎重(y)的异速生长指数b约为3/4(01), 即总重和叶面积相对于主枝长呈二次幂增长, 由此可进一步推出总重和叶面积与斑块面积成正比; 生物量－叶面积的异速生长指数b约为1, 为等速生长(b＝1), 即单位生物量所支持的叶面积不随植株大小的变化而变化(冠层恒定性)。其叶面积比为88.24 cm²/g, 比叶面积为287.97 cm²/g。通过本研究期望对喜旱莲子草陆生局域斑块的生长进行预测, 同时为进一步建立其控制模型提供基础数据, 为制定经济有效的控制对策提供科学依据。     

几种高等水生植物的克藻效应

研究了水花生、水浮莲、满江红、紫萍、浮萍和西洋菜对雷氏衣藻的相生相克关系,并和水葫芦的作用进行了比较。试验指出前五种水生植物对雷氏衣藻表现了克制作用,但它们的克藻效能不如水葫芦强。西洋菜没有克制作用,甚至稍有促进效应。从水花生、水浮莲、水葫芦的种植水中得到的分泌物粗提物,都显示了对雷氏衣藻的抑制效应,进一步证实了有相生相克关系的存在。试验结果说明高等水生植物对藻类的克制作用似有一定的普遍性,在水生生态系统的形成和演替过程中可能起着重要的作用。     

凤眼莲、水花生若干光合作用参数与酶类的研究

在正常的生长条件下,凤眼莲有较高的叶面系数、叶绿素含量和光合强度。叶片可溶性糖含量也高。在低温胁迫下,凤眼莲和水花生根系活力和过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶、细胞色素氧化酶、淀粉酶等酶活性均明显下降。试验结果表明,凤眼莲对低温胁迫较水花生更为敏感。     

空心莲子草K~+吸收的动力学研究

溶液培养120～180天的空心莲子草的最大吸K_+速率为1.8～2.1μmol·g~(-1) FW·h~(-1);K_m值8.0～14.0μM,比一般农作物的都小;开始在体内累积K~+的外液K~+浓度小于0.2μM。空心莲子草在自然土壤和水体环境中能较快地富集钾素。 NH_4~+浓度100μM以上对K~+吸收有显著抑制作用,和对照相比抑制达50％以上,而Na~+则需大于500μM时才对K~+吸收有显著影响。     

水生空心莲子草入侵群落数量分类及其物种分布的环境解释

生境异质性在不同生态层次上影响物种分布与扩散,进而可能影响外来植物的入侵态势。该研究通过在中国21°N～31°N范围内设置23个10m×10m的样地,利用双向聚类(TWINSPAN)和除趋势对应分析(DCA)等数量生态学方法,研究水生型空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)入侵群落的结构特征并划分其群丛类型,并采用冗余分析法(RDA)分析空心莲子草种群特征、群落物种分布与环境因子(经度、纬度、海拔、氨态氮、硝态氮、电导率、溶解氧)的关系,以期为生物入侵防治及本土生物多样性保护提供参考。结果显示:(1)23个样地共记录植物48种,隶属于21科42属,空心莲子草优势地位显著,主要伴生种为双穗雀稗(Paspalum paspaloides)、李氏禾(Leersia hexandra)和水蓼(Polygonum hydropiper)。(2)23个样地群落可划分为6组群丛类型,其中空心莲子草+双穗雀稗+水芹(Oenanthe javanica)是最主要的类型。(3)48种植物可划分为4类功能群,分别为先锋种型、优势伴生种型、次要伴生种型和逃避型,功能群的DCA分异性高于群丛类型。(4)群落物种分布状况主要由氨态氮和电导率决定,而物种丰富度及空心莲子草种群特征则受到电导率、经度、海拔和溶解氧等多个环境变量的影响;水生空心莲子草的入侵重要值取决于其无性分枝数和种群盖度。研究表明,水生空心莲子草入侵群落的结构相对简单,应加大对其入侵监测力度并维持较高的生境异质性,以延缓水域生态系统的生物入侵进程。     

Con‐specific neighbours may enhance compensation capacity in an invasive plant

Facilitation, both by inter‐ and intra‐specific neighbours, is known to be an important process in structuring plant communities. However, only a small number of experiments have been reported on facilitation in plant invasions, especially between invasive con‐specific individuals. Here, we focus on how con‐specific neighbours of the invasive alien plant alligator weed affect the tolerance of alligator weed to herbivory by the introduced biological control agent, Agasicles hygrophila. We conducted greenhouse and garden experiments in which invasive plant density and herbivory intensity (artificial clipping and real herbivory) were manipulated. In the greenhouse experiment, artificial clipping significantly reduced plant biomass when plants were grown individually, but when con‐specific neighbours were present in the same pot, biomass was not significantly different from control plants. Similarly, when compared to control plants, plants that were subjected to herbivory by A. hygrophila produced more biomass when grown with two con‐specific neighbours than when grown alone. Real herbivory also resulted in an increased number of vegetative buds, and again when two con‐specific neighbours were present this effect was increased (a 55.3% increase in buds when there was no neighbour, but a 111.6% increase in buds when two con‐specific neighbours were present). In the garden experiment, in which plants were grown at high density (6 plants per pot), alligator weed fully recovered from defoliation caused by insects at levels from 20–30% to 100%. Our results indicate that the con‐specific association may increase the compensatory ability to cope with intense damage in this invasive plant.     

Seasonal Changes in Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance of Five Plant Species from a Semiarid Ecosystem

In order to determine whether stomatal closure alone regulates photosynthesis during drought under natural conditions, seasonal changes in leaf gas exchange were studied in plants of five species differing in life form and carbon fixation pathway growing in a thorn scrub in Venezuela. The species were: Ipomoea carnea, Jatropha gossypifolia, (C3 deciduous shrubs), Alternanthera crucis (C4 deciduous herb), and Prosopis juliflora and Capparis odoratissima (evergreen phreatophytic trees). Xylem water potential () of all species followed very roughly the precipitation pattern, being more closely governed by soil water content in I. carnea and A. crucis. Maximum rate of photosynthesis, Pmax, decreased with in I. carnea, J. gossypifolia, and A. crucis. In I. carnea and J. gossypifolia stomatal closure was responsible for a 90 % decline in net photosynthetic rate (PN) as decreased from -0.3 to -2.0 MPa, since stomatal conductance (gs) was sensitive to water stress, and stomatal limitation on PN increased with drought. In A. crucis, PN decreased by 90 % at a much lower (-9.3 MPa), and gs was relatively less sensitive to . In P. juliflora and C. odoratissima, Pmax, gs, and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) were independent of soil water content. In the C3 shrubs stomatal closure was apparently the main constraint on photosynthesis during drought, Ci declining with in I. carnea. In the C4 herb, Ci was constant along the range of values, which suggested a coordinated decrease in both gs and mesophyll capacity. In P. juliflora Ci showed a slow decrease with which may have been due to seasonal leaf developmental changes, rather than to soil water availability.