The bud and root sprouting capacity of Alternanthera philoxeroides after over-wintering on sediments of a drained canal

Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. is one of many aggressive invasive plants that can grow in diverse habitats. Aquatic A. philoxeroides forms dense floating mats over the water surface. However, when water levels decrease during winter, some mats become stranded on exposed sediments and are thus exposed to air. Do the stems of these mats possess the capacity to develop new shoots during the next growing season? In this study, we examined the sprouting of sediment-stranded over-wintering mats of A. philoxeroides. Stems of the over-wintering mats were divided into three types (dry, withered, and fresh stems) depending on moisture content and were immersed in water for 4 weeks to observe the sprouting of axillary buds and roots. The results showed that withered stems yielded much more biomass than dry or fresh stems. Stem moisture content significantly affected the sprouting rate and the length growth rate of buds and roots. Dry stems lacked reproductive capacity. The sprouting rate and length growth rate of the buds and roots were higher in fresh stems than in withered stems. Furthermore, the mean values of the bud sprouting rate and the bud length growth rate were highest during the first week, i.e., most of buds sprouted within 1 week or less. Our results suggest that more than 70% (on a dry weight basis) of the stems in stranded mats possessed rapid sprouting capacity even after over-wintering on the sediment for more than 2 months. This strategy may be an adaptation to the fluctuations inherent in many aquatic habitats, and it possibly explains why A. philoxeroides can flourish even after a dry winter. Handling editor: S. M. Thomaz     

Sex ratio effects on copulation,fecundity and progeny fitness for Agasicles hygrophila,a biological control agent of alligator weed

Determining the best ratio of females to males of an insect's natural enemy is important for maximising population increase and promoting population establishment of a natural enemy. In this study, copulation behaviour, fecundity, progeny fitness and rate of population increase for the flea beetle, Agasicles hygrophila Selman & Vogt (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were compared at different female percentage treatments (i.e., 80%, 66.7%, 50%, 33.3% and 20% females). The results showed that the copulation frequency and duration in males decreased, whereas those in females increased as the number of males increased. At 20%, 33.3% and 66.7% females, the rates of population increase were 3.4-, 2.17- and 0.79-fold higher than that at 50% females. Females at 20% and 33.3% were found to be optimal for mass rearing of the beetle.     

空心莲子草、大豆和向日葵叶组织K~+(~(86)Rb~+)的吸收和通量分析

空心莲子草叶片K~+吸收的K_m比大豆和向日葵的要高,但I_m都相近。空心莲子草根系的溢泌速率及溢泌液中K~+浓度都比大豆和向日葵的高。后两者的溢泌速率相近,但向日葵根系溢泌液中K~+浓度却高于大豆。 这三种植物叶组织K~+含量因液泡的含K~+量不同而有明显差别。而液泡含K~+量和K_cv/K_cv的比值相一致。     

Control and spread of Alligator Weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb., in Australia: lessons for other regions

Biological control of alligator weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. has been successful in limiting growth in water in areas with mild or warm winters, but not on land. Until recently, herbicides have had very limited short term and no long term effectiveness. Several herbicides that now provide better control include: glyphosate over water, and metsulfuron and dichlobenil on land and in shallow water. The latter two are limited by lack of selectivity, contamination of water, and cost. Mechanical or manual control has provided local eradication of the weed at a few locations where infestations were small. Alligator weed is still spreading with new outbreaks on New South Wales, Australia (NSW) coastal beach areas and coastal river systems, and on inland waterbodies. Its use as a cultivated vegetable by some ethnic communities has resulted in many new locations in all eastern Australia states: Queensland to Tasmania. It is predicted that it will spread throughout much of coastal and inland southern Australia. The difficulties with management of this weed indicate that every effort should be made to prevent further invasion of wetlands and, in particular, its introduction to Africa, where it is predicted that all wetlands could support destructive levels of alligator weed growth.     

不同生态型的喜旱莲子草对莲草直胸跳甲化蛹能力的影响

 喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)是一种水陆两栖的外来杂草,我国1986年从美国引进了该草的专食性天敌莲草直胸跳甲(Agasicles hygrophila)进行生物防治。该天敌的化蛹能力受喜旱莲子草不同生态型的影响,从而影响到其生物防治的效果。从形态解剖的角度结合天敌和寄主植物的田间生理生态学研究了其机理。结果表明：水生型喜旱莲子草无次生结构,而陆生型则具紧密的次生结构和丰富的晶体;不同生态型的喜旱莲子草茎秆形态和结构特征有显著差异,同一生态型草不同位置结构特征也存在显著差异。主成分分析和聚类分析结果表明当λ=3.56时,不同生态型不同节间位置可分为3类,这3类正好可解释田间喜旱莲子草受控制的情况。相关分析表明莲草直胸跳甲的化蛹率与茎秆节间长、茎秆外直径、髓腔成简单正相关,与皮层薄壁细胞厚度和密度、维管束厚度及髓腔薄壁细胞的厚度成简单负相关;用逐步回归建立了化蛹率与形态和解剖结构特性的模型（y=1.533　2-0.248　3x3-0.051　2x4-1.634　9x5-0.957　7x6R2=0.999　9）,表明茎秆直径大小不是影响莲草直胸跳甲化蛹能力的最重要因子,主要原因为维管柱的厚度,其次髓部薄壁细胞厚度、皮层密度和皮层厚度也不同程度影响了莲草直胸跳甲的化蛹能力。从解剖学角度解释了莲草直胸跳甲对不同生态型喜旱莲子草控制作用的机理：对水生型喜旱莲子草有良好控制效果,而对陆生的中间型能起到一定抑制作用,对陆生的旱生型基本无控制作用。     

两种践踏胁迫下克隆整合对入侵植物空心莲子草生长的影响

研究了两种践踏胁迫下克隆整合对入侵植物空心莲子草生长的影响.结果表明:(1)切断分株间的匍匐茎连接,会降低先端分株的生物量、分株数、总匍匐茎长度和总叶片数,但会显著增强基端分株的生物量.(2)对先端分株的践踏胁迫会显著降低先端分株叶片的叶绿素相对含量,对基端分株的践踏胁迫会显著降低基端分株的生物量和总匍匐茎长度.(3)对于基端分株的分株数、总匍匐茎长度和总叶片数来说,当进行基端分株践踏胁迫时,匍匐茎连接对其影响不大,而当进行先端分株践踏胁迫时,则明显对其不利.(4)对于整个克隆片段,践踏胁迫的差异和匍匐茎是否切断对其生长没有显著影响.     

Phenotypic plasticity of invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides in relation to different water availability, compared to its native congener

Phenotypic plasticity and genetic differentiation are two possible mechanisms that plants use to cope with varying environments. Although alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) possesses very low genetic diversity, this alien weed has successfully invaded diverse habitats with considerably varying water availability (from swamps to dry lands) in China. In contrast, its native congener (Alternanthera sessilis) has a much narrower ecological breadth, and is usually found in moist habitats. To understand the mechanisms underlying the contrasting pattern, we performed a greenhouse experiment to compare the reaction norms of alligator weed with those of its native congener, in which water availability was manipulated. Our results revealed that the two congeners had similar direction of phenotypic plasticity. However, A. philoxeroides showed greater plasticity in amount than did A. sessilis in many traits examined during the switch from wet to drought treatment. Nearly all of the phenotypic variance in A. philoxeroides could be ascribed to plasticity, while A. sessilis had a much higher fraction of phenotypic variance that could be explained by genotypic variation. These interspecific differences in plastic responses to variable water availability partially explained the difference in spatial distribution of the two congeners.     

喜旱莲子草和接骨草竞争对模拟增温的响应

研究外来入侵植物与本地植物种竞争对气候变暖的响应, 对于预测未来气候变化背景下入侵植物的入侵趋势、理解其入侵机制以及筛选生态替代种具有重要的意义。以入侵我国的外来植物喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)和本地植物种接骨草(Sambucus chinensis)为材料, 通过两种植物单栽、纯栽和混栽, 采用红外辐射加热器模拟增温, 研究了两种植物竞争对模拟增温的响应。结果表明: (1)在模拟增温期间(2013年5-12月), 增温组空气平均温度比不增温组提高了0.47 ℃, 相对湿度降低了1.87%; (2)混栽的喜旱莲子草除根冠比与单栽无显著差异外, 其余各生物量和根系形态指标均显著低于单栽喜旱莲子草; 无竞争、种间竞争和种内竞争三种竞争间, 接骨草除根冠比、细根与总根生物量比、比根长和比根表面积无显著差异外, 其余指标均呈现无竞争>种间竞争>种内竞争的趋势; (3)无竞争、种间竞争和种内竞争三种条件下, 喜旱莲子草各指标在增温和不增温处理间差异均不显著, 而接骨草总生物量和根生物量在无竞争和种间竞争条件下增温处理均显著低于不增温处理, 在种内竞争条件下则相反; (4)增温使接骨草的相对拥挤系数降低, 接骨草对温度升高反应敏感, 而喜旱莲子草则表现出一定的适应性。由此推测, 在中度遮阴陆生生境中, 接骨草有望成为喜旱莲子草生物替代控制的材料。     

Invasion by alligator weed,Alternanthera philoxeroides,is associated with decreased species diversity across the latitudinal gradient in China

Aims Invasive species occurrence and their effects on biodiversity may vary along latitudes. We examined the occurrence (species cover) and relative dominance (importance value) of invasive alligator weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides, in its terrestrial habitat in China through a large-scale latitudinal field investigation.Methods We established 59 plots along the latitudinal transect from 21°N to 37°N. We recorded species name, abundance, height and individual species coverage of plants in every quadrat. We then measured α-species diversity variations associated with the A. philoxeroides community across the latitudinal range. We also analyzed the effect of latitude on plant species' distributions in this community by using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).Important findings We found that species cover and importance value of A. philoxeroides increased in areas <35°N, but decreased at higher latitudes. Lower latitudes supported greater species diversity than higher latitudes. Small-scale invasion of A. philoxeroides was associated with higher species diversity, but community diversity was lower when A. philoxeroides species cover exceeded 36%. Community plant species changed from mesophyte to hygrophyte gradually from low to high latitude. Our research suggests that latitude had significant influences on community diversity which interacted with the biotic resistance of a community and impact of invasion. Consequently, A. philoxeroides may become more invasive and have greater negative impacts on community species diversity in higher latitudes as global climate changes.     

香根草和水花生对垃圾污水中N、P、CI的吸收效果

香根草和水花生对垃圾污水中不同“污物”的吸收能力差别较大。二者对Ｎ的吸收量均超过了各自净化的 总Ｎ量,对Ｐ的吸收率亦较高,但植株体内的Ｐ浓度却随介质Ｐ浓度的升高而下降。和净化量相比,植物对低浓度 污水中ＣＩ的吸收率较高,但对高浓度中的吸收率较低。和原液中的“污物”量相比时,根系对元素的吸收率都明显 降低。这表明,植物净化系统中的去污方式除了根系的吸收外,还有其他方式,即根系是通过根际微生态系统的综 合作用来达到净化目的。总的来说,香根草对“污物”的吸收能力不比水花生强,尽管他比水花生有更强的净化能 力。