Stress tolerance in the marsh plant Spartina patens: Impact of NaCl on growth and root plasma membrane lipid composition

The C‐4 salt marsh grass, Spartina patens , thrives in the upper portion of the marsh where soil salinities may be equal to coastal seawater. Spartina patens was grown in hydroponic culture in a greenhouse at 0, 340, and 510 m M NaCl, and measured for growth, tissue cation content, and root plasma membrane (PM) lipid composition. From 0 to 340 and 510 m M , the shoot growth decreased, but root growth was not affected. The Na⁺ content increased in both shoots and roots when plants were grown in salt, while the shoots had a decreased K⁺ content and the roots had a decreased Ca²⁺ content. Spartina patens root plasma membrane was isolated with an aqueous polymer two‐phase system. The purity of the plasma membrane was verified with cytochemical tests on membrane enzyme markers. Plasma membrane lipids were stable relative to the membrane protein content. Molar percentages of sterols (including free sterols) and phospholipid decreased with increasing salinity. However, glycolipid showed a statistically significant increase in the total lipid as salinity in the medium was increased from 0 to 510 m M . Even at a salinity of 510 m M , the plasma membrane sterol/phospholipid ratio was unaffected by NaCl. When the plants were grown in NaCl media, the plasma membrane had a decreased phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) content, but the PC/PE ratios were not affected. The plasma membrane molar percentage of sitosterol in total free sterol increased when plants were grown in salt media. The predominant membrane fatty acids were C11 and C14, and the major unsaturated one was C14:1. An increase in growth medium salinity resulted in a decreased root plasma membrane fluidity.     

Seasonal and vertical demography of dead portions of shoots of smooth cordgrass in a south-temperate saltmarsh

Knowledge of the crop-size and vertical profile with respect to sea level of dead leaf blades and other shoot parts of saltmarsh grasses is a prerequisite for projections of seawater impact upon saltmarsh grass-shoot decomposers. We measured seasonal changes in quantities of leaf blade and leaf sheath+stem of smooth cordgrass in southern temperate saltmarshes of three types: low- (LD), mid- (MD), and high-drainage (HD) marshes (i.e., with low to high densities of drainage creeks). In each type of marsh, we took samples in the three characteristic subsites, short-shoot, intermediate-height, and tall-shoot. Wholly dead (brown) and living (some green) shoots were counted and their canopy heights measured, and the mass of all shoots was measured in 10-cm height increments (above sediment), with separation of living and dead parts. Detached material was also quantified, separated into that trapped in the canopy, and that prostrate on the sediment. Extent of marsh drainage did not affect the density of wholly dead shoots, which ranged from an average of 51 m⁻² in autumn to 103 m⁻² in spring, and 57 m⁻² in tall subsites to 89–96 m⁻² in short and intermediate subsites. The top of the dead-shoot canopy was about 20 cm taller than the living-shoot canopy in winter/spring, but was below it ( ≈50 cm) in summer/autumn. The mass of standing-dead leaf blades was 4- to 5-fold greater in winter than in summer, and it was about 2.5-fold greater at tall than at short sites. Detached litter trapped among shoots above the sediment averaged 26% of total dead-shoot mass, but litter lying on the sediment averaged only 6% of total dead-shoot mass. Since export of macrodetritus from marshgrass stands is inconsequential, the small prostrate-litter mass implies that breakdown of shoots to small particles takes place within the vegetated marsh, and that standing decay predisposes fallen material to rapid disintegration. Comparison of heights of usual tidal contact on shoots at the short- and tall-shoot subsites showed that projected impacts of seawater upon leaf-blade decay would be greater at short-shoot subsites (high marsh) than at tall-shoot subsites (low marsh). This was because the vertical profile of dead-blade mass resulted in more of the short-shoot dead-blade mass residing within the vertical span most regularly contacted by flooding tides.     

Food, density, and microhabitat: factors affecting growth and recruitment potential of juvenile saltmarsh fishes

The relationships among microhabitat use, food habits, conspecific density and recent growth rate for estuarine-dependent juvenile spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, and red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, were studied to determine how nursery habitat influences early growth. Juvenile spotted seatrout and red drum were quantified along the marsh-edge ecotone from multiple drop samples, and their immediate environments characterized by a suite of physical and chemical variables along with substrate type and Spartina stem density. Recent daily growth of individual fish was modeled in a series of multiple regression analyses that considered the relative contributions of food, microhabitat, and conspecific density. The spotted seatrout model (p < 0.0001) included four independent variables, otolith radius, prey diversity, salinity, and a salinity-DO interaction term, and explained 67.9% of the variation in daily growth. All variables were significant (p < 0.05), and regression slopes were positive for all variables except salinity. The red drum model (p > 0.0001) included five independent variables, otolith radius, temperature, salinity, depth and substrate, and explained 63.3% of the variation in daily growth. All variables were significant (p > 0.05), and all regression slopes were positive. Fish size (as estimated by otolith radius) accounted for most of the variance in the spotted seatrout (60.2%) and red drum (44.8%) models, while the remaining environmental variables were significant and responsible for 7.7 and 18.5%, respectively. Density variables were not selected for either model, suggesting that density-dependence was not an important influence on recent daily growth. Generally, physico-chemical variables such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen contributed more to growth than diet or extrinsic factors such as grass stem density.     

Effects of drainage and soil organic content on growth of Spartina alterniflora (Poaceae) in an artificial salt marsh mesocosm

An artificial salt marsh mesocosm was constructed using 680-L polypropylene tanks to determine the effect of soil drainage depth and organic content on growth and rhizome proliferation of the salt marsh smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. Soil drainage depth had no effect on accumulation of aerial or subsurface plant tissue, but tanks that had 2.5% soil organic content supported enhanced aerial tissue and rhizome growth compared to tanks that contained sand alone. We propose a mathematical model for predicting the mass of photosynthetically significant leaf tissue without cutting and drying leaves. Implications of these findings for salt marsh creation projects are discussed.     

闽江河口红树林土壤微生物群落对互花米草入侵的响应

采用磷脂脂肪酸标记法(PLFA)研究外来入侵植物互花米草对闽江河口湿地红树林土壤微生物群落结构的影响,并探讨其主要影响因素。结果表明:从3种不同植被群落土壤(红树林群落MC、红树林-互花米草混生群落MS、互花米草群落SC)共检测到22种PLFA生物标记,MS土壤微生物PLFA生物标记总量明显高于其他植被群落,3种植被群落土壤理化性质和酶活性的变化趋势为:MCMSSC,表明互花米草入侵后土壤微生物量增加,而理化性质和酶活性均有明显下降,红树林湿地土壤质量发生了明显退化。3种植被群落土壤中含量最高的PLFA生物标记是16:0,16:1w7c,9Me15:0w,18:1w12c。土壤中特征微生物相对生物量存在明显差异,细菌分布量最大,其次是真菌和放线菌,原生动物分布量最小。群落多样性指数呈相似规律,MS土壤微生物类群多样性指数均小于MC,表明互花米草入侵后土壤微生物群落多样性指数均有下降。通过主成分分析,基本能区分出3种不同植被群落微生物群落的特征。土壤理化性质、酶活性间存在相关性,有机碳、全氮、蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶与革兰氏阴性菌、放线菌呈显著或极显著正相关。研究结果表明互花米草入侵在一定程度上具有影响红树林群落土壤营养代谢循环的潜力,特别是关于碳、氮、磷等的循环及酶活性,改变部分有利于自身生长的土壤环境相关的微生物类群含量,竞争有利环境,迅速扩张实现入侵。     

Submerged versus air-exposed intertidal macrophyte productivity: from physiological to community-level assessments

The photosynthetic productivity of the intertidal communities dominated by the seagrass Zostera noltii and the cordgrass Spartina maritima was assessed in two contrasting situations during a tidal cycle, i.e., air exposure and water immersion. Two complementary methods were used: infra red gas analysis of CO₂ flux measurements in whole communities and chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements of individual plants photosynthetic activity. Higher photosynthetic rates of Z. noltii in air were observed both at the individual plants response level determined by chlorophyll fluorescence and at the community level measured as gas exchange (CO₂ uptake). S. maritima plants consistently showed low photosynthetic response when immersed. Gross community production (GCP) measured as carbon dioxide uptake was always higher in air than in water for both communities. When immersed, the GCP of both communities was similar. However, when exposed to the air, the GCP of the S. maritima community was higher than the one of Z. noltii's. The key factor in CO₂ assimilation by air-exposed Z. noltii was the retention of water in sediment microdepressions. During low tide, depressions in the sediment retain a considerable amount of water, enough to maintain leaf hydration. In these conditions, rapid air-water CO₂ diffusion occurs, making it readily available to plants. The community gas exchange measurements compared well with the fluorescence indications. Both Z. noltii and S. maritima were shown to be responsible for the overall pattern of photosynthetic carbon fixation within their respective communities, both during submersion and emersion periods. The short-term incubations method described in this report proved to be a valuable tool for field measurements of intertidal lagoon productivity. It provides fast and precise values of carbon dioxide fixation, both in submerged and air-exposed communities.     

Habitat modification inhibits conspecific seedling recruitment in populations of an invasive ecosystem engineer

Invasive species that strongly modify their physical habitat are a particular management concern. Theoretical models predict that habitat modification could speed spread rates or allow invasion of sites that would otherwise resist invasion. There are few empirical tests of this hypothesis, however. We tested whether habitat modification by invading Spartina alterniflora populations facilitates conspecific seedling recruitment and spatial spread in Willapa Bay, WA, USA. Established S. alterniflora individuals strongly modified their local physical environment. Hydrologic flow, porewater salinity, and light availability were decreased while sediment NH₄ ⁺ increased with increasing S. alterniflora stem density. The S. alterniflora seed bank was greater and spring seedlings were denser within meadows of S. alterniflora than on unvegetated tideflats. However, almost all seedling recruitment after 1 year occurred on tideflats or on meadow edge plots where the above ground S. alterniflora biomass had been removed. Instead of facilitating invasive spread, ecosystem engineering in this system appears to create conditions that inhibit local seedling recruitment. These results suggest that the influence of ecosystem engineering on invasive spread is highly contingent on the relative spatial scales of habitat modification, environmental heterogeneity, and propagule availability. Control activities could change these spatial relationships, however, inadvertently promoting invasive recruitment.     

灵昆岛围垦区内外滩涂大型底栖动物生物多样性

2006年2月至2006年11月在灵昆岛东滩湿地选择1997年围垦潮沟滩涂以及围垦区外的自然滩涂作为样地,开展了自然滩涂与围垦潮沟滩涂大型底栖动物群落生物多样性比较的调查研究.共发现大型底栖动物36种,隶属7门8纲22科,这些物种中软体动物、节肢动物和环节动物共占物种总数的83.33%.其中在围垦区内的4个样点共发现大型底栖动物27种,在自然滩涂上的4个样点共发现大型底栖动物32种.通过对定量取样获得的各群落大型底栖动物密度数据进行计算,得到了各种大型底栖动物的生态位宽度和围垦区内外不同生境中大型底栖动物群落生物多样性指数(Shannon-Weiner指数 H'、Pielou指数 J、Simpson指数 D),结果显示围垦滩涂潮沟上的光滩和边滩以及自然滩涂上的高潮带和中潮带滩涂的Shannon-Weiner多样性指数 H'较高,Simpson优势度指数D则相对较低,表明了这些位点的大型底栖动物的多样性程度较高,而长满互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)位点的Shannon-Weiner多样性指数 H'和Pielou均匀度指数 J都要小于受潮水作用相似的邻近滩涂,但Simpson优势度指数D却相对较高,这表明互花米草入侵已改变了原来的大型底栖动物群落结构.运用相似度指数Jc、成对t检验以及聚类和排序等多种统计学方法对围垦滩涂潮沟和自然滩涂上的各个位点进行了群落相似性分析,结果表明潮位是影响自然滩涂上大型底栖动物分布的一个重要因素,不同潮位之间的大型底栖动物群落差异比较明显.相对而言,围垦区内各生境之间的大型底栖动物群落分化程度较低,即围垦导致潮位因素对大型底栖动物的分布的影响降低.