Establishment of Plantago lanceolata L. and Plantago major L. among grass |
| |
Authors: | Jan van der Toorn Thijs L Pons |
| |
Institution: | (1) Institute for Ecological Research, P.O. Box 40, 6666 ZG Heteren, The Netherlands;(2) Department of Plant Ecology, University of Utrecht, Lange Nieuwstraat 106, 3512 PN, The Netherlands |
| |
Abstract: | Summary Establishment of Plantago lanceolata and P. major ssp major among grass was studied in a field experiment in which survival and selection on date of seedling emergence and plant size was investigated in relation to the vegetation structure. P. major — in contrast to P. lanceolata — was not able to establish itself in grass because of its lower competitive ability caused by later germination, smaller seedling size, and shorter leaves. In both species there was selection for early germination. For P. lanceolata a significant correlation was found between the strength of selection and the light climate, determined by the structure of the grass sward. Plants that germinated early were at an advantage because they were larger, especially the leaves, when compared with plants that germinated late. It seems likely that selection was mainly by competition for light. Contrary to expectation P. major-seedlings had a higher shade tolerance than those of P. lanceolata. The performance of both species is discussed in relation to their different life strategies.Grassland species research group publication no 142 |
| |
Keywords: | Germination Plantago Selection Shade tolerance Vegetation structure |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|