Defoliation and woody plant (shape Prosopis glandulosa) seedling regeneration: potential vs realized herbivory tolerance

Herbivory by rodents, lagomorphs and insects may locally constrain woody plant seedling establishment and stand development. Recruitment may therefore depend either upon plant tolerance of herbivory, or low herbivore abundance, during seedling establishment. We tested potential herbivory tolerance by quantifying growth, biomass allocation, and survival of defoliated Prosopis glandulosa seedlings under optimal abiotic conditions in the absence of competition. Realized tolerance was assessed by clipping seedlings of known age grown in the field with and without herbaceous competition.At 18-d (= 'young') or 33-d (= 'old') of age, seedlings in the growth chamber were clipped just above the first (cotyledonary) node, above the fourth node, or were retained as non-clipped controls. Potential tolerance to defoliation was high and neither cohort showed evidence of meristematic limitations to regeneration. Clipping markedly reduced biomass production relative to controls, especially belowground, but survival of seedlings defoliated 5 times was still 75%. Contrary to expectations, survival of seedlings defoliated above the cotyledonary node 10 times was greater (P<0.10) for 'young' (75%) than 'old' (38%) seedlings. Under field conditions, survival of defoliated 11-month-old P. glandulosa seedlings was 59% after one defoliation and only 13% after six defoliations.Results indicate P. glandulosa is potentially tolerant of repeated shoot removal early in its life cycle. Seedling tolerance to defoliation under field conditions therefore appears dependent upon abiotic stresses or resource limitations rather than a lack of intrinsic adaptations for shoot replacement or a depletion of the seedlings' bud bank. Curtailment of root growth, a consequence of top removal observed in the growth chamber experiment, may reduce the capacity of P. glandulosa seedlings to acquire soil resources needed for meristem activation and shoot growth under field conditions. The importance of resource availability to post-defoliation regeneration was implicated in the field experiment, where survival, shoot elongation, and aboveground productivity of clipped seedlings was greatest in plots without herbaceous interference.In light of the marked increases in P. glandulosa abundance in grasslands in recent history, our results suggest that (1) utilization of Prosopis seedlings by herbivores may be infrequent or sporadic, (2) periodic episodes of seed production and germination may satiate herbivore populations, and/or (3) Prosopis seedling establishment occurs during periods of low herbivore density.     

Regrowth and tannin production in woody and succulent karoo shrubs in response to simulated browsing

Allocation of carbon to chemical defences has often been suggested to be a direct response to browsing or grazing by herbivores. This study quantitatively compares total polyphenol and tannin production in response to simulated browsing of three karoo shrubs in order to test this induced defence hypothesis. The three species studied responded to browsing either by rapid regrowth or by increasing polyphenol production in the remaining tissues. The patterns did not follow any phylogenetic relationships but were weakly associated with the palatability of each species. The highly palatable deciduous species Osteospermum sinuatum, which is capable of rapid regrowth, showed no or very low levels of constitutive and browsing-induced total polyphenols, condensed tannins and protein-precipitating tannins. The evergreen sclerophyllous species Pteronia pallens showed a limited regrowth capacity and had intermediate levels of polyphenols, while the evergreen succulent species Ruschia spinosa showed almost no regrowth over the study period. R. spinosa contained the highest constitutive and browsing-induced levels of polyphenols, condensed tannins and protein-precipitating tannins. In two of the species more than one anti-herbivore defence feature co-occur. P. pallens foliage contains both hepatotoxins and polyphenols while R. spinosa has both structural (spines) and chemical defences. Responses of karoo shrubs to simulated browsing are interpreted as the result of passive alterations in plant chemistry rather than as an active defence response to herbivores.     

Effects of herbivory and herb interference on oak establishment in a semi-arid temperate savanna

Abstract. Early establishment of Quercus emoryi seedlings in the grassland phase of a semi-arid temperate savanna was evaluated in southern Arizona, USA. Controlled-environment experiments indicated that Quercus seedlings are tolerant of frequent clipping, but undipped seedlings produce more biomass than clipped seedlings. Seedlings were much less tolerant of clipping or defoliation in the field than in the growth chamber, and most seedlings died after being clipped or defoliated by herbivores. Invertebrate herbivory, which is rarely mentioned as an important factor limiting seedling establishment, was the leading cause of seedling mortality in the field study. Below-ground interference from herbs had a greater impact on seedling survival and growth than above-ground interference.     

不同光照质量和刈割强度对小糠草无性繁殖特性的影响

本实验于1996年在美国德克萨斯理工大学草原,野生动物和渔类系的温室和实验室中进行,实验材料均为盆栽糠草,实验设计为在自然光照下（R／FR＝1．1）,以不同留茬高度（10,15,20cm和不刈割）作为不同刈割强度,用不同红光／远红光比例（R／FR＝1．3和0．7）处理不同刈割强度的小糠草,观测不同处理对小糠草无性繁殖特性的影响,结果表明,小糠草净增蘖数随刈割强度增加而减少,除不刈割处理外,光照质量变化（R／FR的比例）对分蘖性能影响不大,所有刈割强度下都不存在分蘖的补偿性生长效应,但幼叶伸长速度随刈割强度的增大而加快,可以认为小糠草应适度利用,强度利用或不利均不利于该草生长发育。     

苗期刈割伤害对春小麦生长及产量的影响

通过1996年大田试验研究了黄土高原半干旱区春小麦苗期（三叶－心期）受到不同强度刈割伤害（模拟动物的采食）后的补偿作用,结果,在大田试验条件下,受轻度刈割（刈割一半叶面积,H0,H1）,春小麦的补偿效应大于受重度刈割（刈割全部叶面积T0,T1）春小麦的补偿效应,且都低于未受刈割处理（对照,CK0,CK1）,即CK0＞H0＞T0;CK1＞H1＞T1,刈割处理后,灌溉一次水（CK1,H1,T1）虽可增强其补偿能力,促进小麦的生长,但仍为低补偿。     

刈割后两种不同体型植物的补偿式样对比研究

对比了两种不同体型植物燕麦(Avena sativa)和油菜(Brassica campestris)在不同施肥水平下的刈割反应特点。结果表明:对于燕麦而言,在不施肥条件下,3个时期的轻度刈割处理与对照相比,其生物量、总生物量、果重、果数等都有增加,但只有某些指标出现超补偿;在施肥条件下,各种刈割处理后均没有发生超补偿。并且无论施肥与否,分蘖期与拔节期的补偿指数均高于抽穗期的补偿指数。可以认为,不施肥条件下营养期轻度刈割处理较有利于燕麦的补偿生长。对于油菜而言,花蕾期轻度刈割处理后植物补偿指数最大,且施肥条件下的补偿指数高于不施肥条件下的补偿指数。比较两种植物在不同资源下补偿反应的特点,可认为因休眠芽位置及其活动方式不同而所造成的体型差异对植物的补偿反应式样有很大影响。     

手术夹闭与介入栓塞治疗对前交通动脉瘤患者认知功能的影响

目的:探讨前交通动脉瘤手术夹闭与介入栓塞两种治疗方法对前交通动脉瘤患者认知功能的影响。方法:采用简易精神状态量表(MMSE)对206例前交通动脉瘤患者进行分析对照,其中开颅动脉瘤夹闭患者125例,介入栓塞患者81例,另取正常组40例作为对照组。结果:前交通动脉瘤患者术前即有认知功能障碍发生,术后患者认知功能障碍发生率增高(P<0.01)。患者组的术后认知功能障碍发生率明显高于对照组,而患者组中的介入组的术后认知功能障碍发生率明显小于手术夹闭组(P<0.05)。结论:前交通动脉瘤患者术前既有认知功能障碍发生,两种治疗手段对术前即出现的认知功能障碍无改善作用,并且可能增加认知功能障碍的发生率及加重认知功能障碍的程度,而介入栓塞术在认知障碍的发生率及出现认知功能障碍的程度方面都优于开颅动脉瘤夹闭术。     

Compensatory response of two dune annuals to simulated browsing and fruit predation

Abstract. Greenhouse and field studies were conducted to determine the effects of artificial fruit removal and clipping (simulated deer browsing) on components of reproduction of two indeterminate dune annuals: Cakile edentula var. lacustris (Bigel.) Hook and Corispermum hyssopifolium L. The results showed that both species were able to partially or completely compensate or even overcompensate for low to moderate levels of clipping or fruit removal only if the damage occurred in the early stages of fruit development. The indeterminate habit of growth of both species facilitated their compensatory ability. The removal of fruits and clipping of plants which mimick browsing by white tailed deer along Lake Huron resulted in a significant increase in their period of flowering and fruiting, especially in the early stages of fruit development. The plants compensated for fruit loss by increasing the number of fruits per plant. A delay in fruit removal or clipping to later stages of fruit maturation of both species drastically reduced reproduction. Similar experiments in the field revealed that, although the critical periods during which the plants were most susceptible were the same, the plants had lower compensatory ability. Fruit damage and clipping generally did not affect the seed mass of both species.     

A test for a cost of opportunism in invasive species in the Commelinaceae

Many invasive species can respond opportunistically to favorable growing conditions. In a previous work, we found that invasive species in the family Commelinaceae were more opportunistic than their noninvasive congeners and could therefore outperform noninvasive relatives in an environment with abundant resources and no competition. Contrary to the expectation that superior performance under favorable conditions comes at the cost of reduced performance under stressful conditions, invasive species did not perform more poorly relative to noninvasive congeners under any conditions we examined. Here we expand our search for potential costs of opportunism in invasive species to additional environmental conditions in which invasive taxa have been shown or predicted to perform poorly. We grew four invasive and four noninvasive species in environments consisting of all possible combinations of high and low soil resources and presence and absence of clipping (removal of aboveground biomass). We also fed leaves of each species to a generalist herbivore to assess resistance to herbivory. We found that the advantage of invasive species is reduced but not eliminated by low soil resources and clipping. At low soil resources, invasive species produced softer leaves than noninvasive species and might therefore be less resistant to generalist herbivory than noninvasive species, although a direct comparison of resistance in a no-choice bioassay revealed no difference. The invasive species outperformed noninvasive species only under the most favorable conditions, and the noninvasive species did not outperform the invasive species in any environment.     

Using three pairs of competitive indices to test for changes in plant competition under different resource and disturbance levels

Questions: How do different resource and disturbance levels interact to affect competition? How do different indices of competition change the interpretation of how competition changes under different resource and disturbance conditions? Location: Greenhouse, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Methods: Three pairs of indices that have been used to differentiate the predictions of Grime (CSR) and Tilman's (R^*) theories were used to assess competition on two species of temperate bunchgrass, (Pseudorogeneria spicata and Festuca campestris) grown in a greenhouse on stress and disturbance gradients. Stress was created by manipulating the amount of water (high, low) and concentration of nutrient solution (high, low) added to pots, while disturbance was created by clipping (clipped, unclipped) in a fully factorial design. Plants were grown individually or with a single neighbour. The three pairs of indices were: (1) absolute and relative competition; (2) competitive effect and response; and, (3) competitive importance and intensity. Results: Absolute competition and competitive importance were the only indices responsive to the resource gradient, which supports CSR theory, and also the only ones to record an effect of disturbance on the strength of competition – under high resource conditions. The other indices showed few responses along the gradients, which supports R^* theory. Measures of competitive effect and response did not differentiate the two theories. Conclusion: We show that some indices of competition show a decline with increased stress and disturbance, while other indices do not. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a competition index appropriate to the question being asked. Competitive importance and absolute competition were responsive to changes in stress and disturbance, while the other indices were not.