Reproductive effort in cotton grass tussock tundra

Eriophorum vaginatum ssp. spissum is a dominant plant species of undisturbed cotton grass tussock tundra in Alaska. It also quickly invades and dominates recently disturbed sites. The hypothesis tested in this research was that the success of E. vaginatum on disturbed sites might be achieved through a higher allocation of biomass to reproductive structures relative to other tundra species. Reproductive allocation of tundra plants in general also was compared with plants of the temperate zone. The results indicate that E. vaginatum is about average among the common tundra species in terms of total reproductive allocation, allocation to seeds, and the proportion of total reproductive allocation that is accounted for by viable seeds. Tundra species, on a relative basis, allocate less biomass to all reproductive structures than temperate species but not necessarily less biomass to the output of viable seeds.     

Evolution in Spartina (Gramineae): III. Species chromosome numbers and their taxonomic significance

The chromosome numbers of nine species of the genus Spartina have been determined and their meiotio pairing has been examined. All numbers are referable to either 2 n = 40 ( S. pectinata, S. patens, S. cynosuroides, S. gracilis, S. bakeri and S. arundinacea ), 2 n =60 ( S. maritima ) or 2 n =62 ( S. alternifiora and 8. glabra ). No intraspeoifio polyploids have been found. Supernumerary or B -chromosomes occur rarely in S. pectinata . Hence the basio chromosome number is deduced as being x = 10 for these speoies in contrast to former reports of x = 7. The implications of the new basic number with respect to taxonomic position are pointed out.     

Seedling density and seedling survival in Alaskan cotton grass tussock tundra

Previous workers have suggested that reproduction by seedling establishment is less important in the maintenance of tundra vegetation than in temperate areas, but few quantitative data are available. Seedling densities were studied at 11 tundra sites in or near disturbed and undisturbed cotton grass tussock tundra in Alaska, and numerous seedlings were found. Examination of seedling age structures suggests that at least Ledum palustre and probably also Empetrum nigrum do replace themselves by seed in undisturbed tundra. Seedling densities vary greatly depending on the substrate available for establishment.     

Roots affect the response of heterotrophic soil respiration to temperature in tussock grass microcosms

Aims and Background

While the temperature response of soil respiration (R_S) has been well studied, the partitioning of heterotrophic respiration (R_H) by soil microbes from autotrophic respiration (R_A) by roots, known to have distinct temperature sensitivities, has been problematic. Further complexity stems from the presence of roots affecting R_H, the rhizosphere priming effect. In this study the short-term temperature responses of R_A and R_H in relation to rhizosphere priming are investigated.

Methods

Temperature responses of R_A, R_H and rhizosphere priming were assessed in microcosms of Poa cita using a natural abundance δ¹³C discrimination approach.

Results

The temperature response of R_S was found to be regulated primarily by R_A, which accounted for 70 % of total soil respiration. Heterotrophic respiration was less sensitive to temperature in the presence of plant roots, resulting in negative priming effects with increasing temperature.

Conclusions

The results emphasize the importance of roots in regulating the temperature response of R_S, and a framework is presented for further investigation into temperature effects on heterotrophic respiration and rhizosphere priming, which could be applied to other soil and vegetation types to improve models of soil carbon turnover.     

Abscission of leaf laminas - An unnoticed factor in tussock grass formation

Drop of leaves at structurally defined abscission zones is a typical feature of dicotyledonous angiosperms. It is rare in monocots including the grass family (Poaceae). Some grass species have an odd, yet poorly studied pattern of leaves disarticulating regularly between the leaf sheath and the leaf lamina. Using species of three distantly related genera, such disarticulation zones were anatomically studied for the first time to clarify the structural background of shedding. The abscission zones of the three species turned out strongly different from each other in position, spatial arrangement and cellular architecture of different tissues, which is described and illustrated in detail. Breakpoints of the lamina were consistently defined by a sharp delineation of parenchymatous against sclerenchymatous tissue, irrespective of how these tissue types were arranged, e.g., sclerenchyma on the top of the sheath (Danthoniastrum), at the base of the lamina (Macrochloa), or alternating longitudinally with parenchyma (Aristida). The tussock grasses Danthoniastrum and Macrochloa had the most complicated and elaborately structured abscission zones. The results suggest that precise and efficient shedding of leaf laminas is an important factor enabling grasses to form tussocks as implicitly addressed already in 1890 by the agrostologist E. Hackel. Tussocks are a habitually conspicuous and ecologically important growth form of grasses in arid and/or alpine vegetation zones across the world. Judging from our exemplary results it must be expected that even further structural and mechanic patterns of precise leaf blade abscission will be found in tussock grasses of other grass subfamilies, such as the panicoids, chloridoids or arundinoids.     

盐胁迫对互花米草种子萌发及胚生长的影响

以1/2Hoagland溶液为基础培养液,研究了1×104-6×104mg/L NaCl对互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)种子萌发的影响.结果表明,互花米草种子在萌发阶段胚芽鞘和胚轴生长先于胚根和胚芽;当盐浓度不超过3×104mg/L时,互花米草种子的萌发率未受到影响,种子萌发及胚生长的适宜盐浓度为1 x104mg/L,盐浓度对胚的不同部位生长的抑制程度不同,随着盐浓度的升高,胚根、胚芽的长度旱明显下降趋势,但盐浓度对胚轴、胚芽鞘生长的抑制作用较小,有利于已萌发的互花米草幼苗快速出土,迅速适应多变的潮间带环境.     

缙云山2种禾草种群生殖配置的比较研究

利用样方法对生长于重庆缙云山不同生境条件下的2种禾草--白茅[Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.]和淡竹叶(Lophatherum gracile Brongn.)的生物量配置格局进行了研究.结果表明,白茅种群在整个生长期内各构件生物量配置格局变化不大,其中对根状茎的配置比例最高,达到70.18%,有性生殖的生物量分配比例为4.51%,没有秆构件;淡竹叶种群在生长季内生物量配置格局发生较大变化,营养生长期、花期和黄熟期根构件的生物量分别占总生物量的77.33%、36.39%和48.66%,叶构件则为19.35%、45.42%和27.17%,有性生殖的生物量分配比例为11.11%.与白茅相比,淡竹叶种群秆构件明显.二者在生物量配置格局上存在显著差异,反映了二者对各自生活环境的适应特征.     

Interactions between tussock grass (Poa spp.) and Eucalyptus pauciflora seedlings near treeline in South-Eastern Australia

Summary Observations of tussock grasses (mainly Poa species) and tree seedlings (Eucalyptus pauciflora) growing near treeline suggested that the tussocks may physically protect and compete with the tree seedlings. An analysis of nearest neighbour data from sites burnt in 1972–3 showed the there is a minimum separation between seedlings and tussocks, indicating that competition is taking place. Correlation and principal components analyses show that seedlings growing close to tussocks tend to be taller, with fewer stems and leaves than those growing further away. This same trend from tall, few-stemmed individuals to shorter multistemmed individuals also occurs with an increase in altitude. It is concluded that the trend in habit is related to exposure to environmental extremes. The concept of the regeneration niche and its application to E. pauciflora seedlings is discussed.     

Evolution in Spartina (Gramineae) IV. The cytology of S. alterniflora Loisel. in North America

A cytological survey of Spartina alterniflora Loisel. populations in Canada and north-eastern U.S.A. establishes the widespread and seemingly exclusive occurrence of the 2 n = 62 chromosome number in that region. The data indicate that the introduced and relict populations of S. alterniflora in Southampton Water, Britain (whence arose S. × townsendii ) are not cyto-logically atypical of the main body of this species in North America, and there is therefore no reason to doubt, on the grounds of aberrant chromosome number, the role of S. alterniflora as a parent of S. × townsendii.
2 n = 62 is anomalous with respect to the basic number of x = 10 generally found in the genus. The present results indicate that 2 n = 62 is widespread in north-eastern North American S. alterniflora , and no other chromosome number has been found in a survey of the region. But the species is wide-ranging and the possibility of 2 n = 60 occurring in other areas, especially in the south of its range, cannot be ruled out. However, the only chromosome number so far confirmed in southern populations is a count of 2 n = 62 from Texas.     

Behavioral thermoregulation in the grass shrimp Palaemonetes vulgaris (Say).

Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes vulgaris) tested in a horizontal linear gradient trough exhibited a modal final thermal preferendum of 27 degrees C, and voluntarily occupied a 24-31 degrees C range.     

Environmental control of canopy dynamics and photosynthetic rate in the evergreen tussock grass Stipa tenacissima

Seasonal changes in leaf demography and gas exchange physiology in the tall evergreen tussock grass Stipa tenacissima, one of the few dominant plant species in the driest vegetation of Europe, were monitored over a period of two years at a field site in semi-arid south-eastern Spain. Three age-classes of leaves – young, mature and senescent – were distinguished in the green canopy. Production of new leaves and extension growth of older leaves occurred exclusively from October–November to May–June. The rate of extension was significantly correlated with gravimetric soil water content. Leaf growth ceased after gravimetric soil water content fell below 0.015 g g^–1 at the beginning of the dry season which corresponded to pre-dawn leaf water potentials of -3.0 MPa. Leaf senescence and desiccation reduced green leaf area by 43–49% during the dry season. Diurnal changes in the net photosynthetic rate of all three cohorts of leaves were bimodal with an early morning maximum, a pronounced midday depression and a small recovery late in the afternoon. Maximum photosynthetic rates of 10–16 mol CO₂ m^–2 s^–1 were attained from November 1993 to early May 1994 in young and mature leaves. Photosynthetic rate declined strongly during the dry season and was at or below compensation in September 1994. Gas exchange variables of young and mature leaves were not significantly different, but photosynthetic rate and diffusive conductance to water vapour of senescing leaves were significantly lower than in the two younger cohorts. Leaf nitrogen content of mature leaves varied seasonally between 2.9 and 5.2 g m^–2 (based on projected area of folded leaves), but was poorly correlated with maxima of the photosynthetic rate. There was a stronger linear relationship between the daily maxima of leaf conductance and pre-dawn leaf water potential than with atmospheric water vapour saturation deficit. Seasonal and between-year variation in daily carbon assimilation were caused mainly by differences in climatic conditions and canopy size whereas the effect of age structure of canopies was negligible. Since water is the most important limiting factor for growth and reproduction of S. tenacissima, any future rise in mean temperature, which might increase evapotranspiration, or decrease in rainfall, may considerably reduce the productivity of the grasslands, particularly at the drier end of their geographical distribution.     

The effects of the spatial pattern of defoliation on regrowth of a tussock grass

Summary The spatial pattern of foliage removal from a tussock grass can influence regrowth through effects on daily carbon gain (CER_d). This field study examined the extent to which tussock photosynthetic responses to different defoliation patterns were associated with changes in whole-canopy attributes (e.g., foliage age structure, canopy light microclimate). During the spring growing season, 60% of the green foliage area was removed from individual Agropyron desertorum tussocks with scissors in different spatial patterns. These patterns represented extremes of defoliation patterns that might be inflicted by natural herbivores. Tussock photosynthesis (per unit foliage area) at high light (2000 mol photons m^–2 s^–1 between 400 and 700 nm; P₂₀₀₀) increased following clipping with all defoliation patterns. The increases in P₂₀₀₀ were greater when leaves were removed from low in the tussock (older leaves) than if leaves high in the canopy (younger leaves) were removed. These relative changes of P₂₀₀₀ among clipping patterns paralleled the responses of CER_d and regrowth from an earlier study. Furthermore, the changes in P₂₀₀₀ corresponded with increases in the proportion of foliage within the tussocks that was directly illuminated at midday. The greater photosynthesis of tussocks after lower-leaf removal was directly related to a higher proportion of younger foliage and a smaller fraction of foliage shaded within the tussock. In a dense canopy, such as these grass tussocks, the influence of defoliation on whole-canopy attributes may be of primary importance to whole-plant photosynthetic responses.     

The evolution of Spartina anglica C.E. Hubbard (Gramineae): origin and genetic variability

An extensive survey of isozyme phenotypes in British populations of the amphidiploid salt marsh grass Spartina anglica and its putative parents has confirmed that the species arose by chromosome doubling in S. × townsendii , a sterile hybrid between S. maritima and S. alterniflora. Isozyme phenotypes and seed protein profiles indicate that S. anglica is almost totally lacking in genetic variation. Isozyme evidence also indicates that the parental species are characterized by low levels of genetic variation. The lack of variation in S. anglica is proposed as being due to a narrow genetic base resulting from a single origin, or a multiple origin from uniform parents; the fact that many populations are derived from very small founder populations; and because preferential pairing between identical homologous chromosomes prevents recombination between the divergent component genomes of the species. The low levels of isozyme variation that occur appear to be due to chromosome loss.
The consequences for the future evolution of S. anglica , given its lack of genetic variation, are discussed.     

Survivorship and Spatial Development of Spartina alterniflora Loisel. (Gramineae) Seedlings in a New England Salt Marsh

Patterns of survival and spatial arrangement of tillers of Spartinaalterniflora were examined in natural and in artificially producedbare areas, and in pure stands of adult S. alterniflora in aNew England salt marsh. Seedling growth and survival were highin naturally occurring bare patches and in artificial patches,whether created by continual clipping of adult plants to groundlevel throughout the growing season or by providing bare substrateafter removal of adult plants. Seedling growth and survivorshipincreased with increasing size of bare area. S. alternifloraseedlings were also common in areas dominated by adult plants,but no seedlings survived a whole first growing season underthe mature canopy, probably because of competition from adultplants. In large bare areas, S. alterniflora seedlings grew non-directionally,reaching heights of 0.5 m, and producing as many as 36 tillersin one growing season. Examination of leaf area ratios suggestedthat the production of tillers increased photosynthetic capacityin seedlings with several tillers in contrast to seedlings withouttillers. Thus, seedlings can apparently tiller and colonizefree space radially without a loss of photosynthetic capacity. These results suggest that while seedling success is generallylimited by adult plants in monocultures of S. alterniflora,in disturbed spaces seedling success is high and results ina rapid non-directional proliferation of sexually generatedclones that ultimately preclude the successful invasion of futureseedlings. Clones, directional growth, leaf area ratio, salt marsh cordgrass, seedling survivorship, Spartina alterniflora Loisel     

Storage carbohydrate production and overwintering strategy in a winter-green tussock grass on South Georgia (Sub Antarctic)

Summary Water-soluble and ethanol-soluble carbohydrates were extracted from leaves, shoots, roots, rhizomes and flowers ofParodiochloa flabellata (Lam.) Rasp. (=Poa flabellata (Lam.) Hook f.) throughout a growing season. Very high levels of soluble carbohydrates were found in the shoot, comprising up to 71% of the shoot dry weight. There was no significant storage in the rhizome. It is suggested that the production of storage fructans with a degree of polymerization greater than 14, rather than oligosaccharides or starch, may be related to the cold environment. Relationships between the onset of senescence and levels of fructans suggest that recovery of sugars from dying tissue is high. The sugar reserves together with preformation of the flowers should ensure production of seed however poor the summer or long the winter might be. The high levels of fructans may partly inhibit growth but may also offer some degree of freezing resistance.     

Lacunal allocation and gas transport capacity in the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora

Summary Lacunal allocation as the fraction of the total cross sectional area of leaves, stem bases, rhizomes, and roots was determined in both tall and short growth forms of Spartina alterniflora collected from natural monospecific stands. The results indicate that in both growth forms lacunal allocation is greater in stem bases and rhizomes than in leaves and roots and that tall form plants allocate more of their stem and rhizome to lacunae than short form plants.Measurements made in natural stands of Spartina alterniflora suggest that total lacunal area of the stem base increases with increasing stem diameter and that stem diameter increases with increasing plant height and above-ground biomass. However, the fraction of cross section allocated to lacunae was relatively constant and increased only with the formation of a central lacuna.Experimental manipulations of surface and subsurface water exchange were carried out to test the influence of flooding regime on aerenchyma formation. No significant differences in lacunal allocation were detected between plants grown in flooded (reduced) and drained (oxidized) sediments in either laboratory or field experiments. While aerenchyma formation in Spartina alterniflora may be an adaptation to soil waterlogging/anoxia, our results suggest that lacunal formation is maximized as a normal part of development with allocation constrained structurally by the size of plants in highly organic New England and Mid-Atlantic marshes.The cross sectional area of aerenchyma for gas transport was found to be related to the growth of Spartina alterniflora with stands of short form Spartina alterniflora exhibiting a lower specific gas transport capacity (lacunal area per unit below ground biomass) than tall form plants despite having a similar below-ground biomass supported by a 10 fold higher culm density. The increased specific gas transport capacity in tall vs. short plants may provide a new mechanism to explain the better aeration, higher nutrient uptake rates and lower frequency of anaerobic respiration in roots of tall vs. short Spartina alterniflora.     

Breakdown of tussock grass in streams along a gradient of agricultural development in New Zealand

Summary 1. We measured the breakdown rate of tussock grass in 12 New Zealand streams in catchments that provided a gradient of agricultural development. We also examined the microbial and invertebrate communities associated with decomposing tussock litter.
2. Pristine streams in the study had low concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (<10  μ g L⁻¹) and dissolved reactive phosphate (<3  μ g L⁻¹), whereas streams in the most developed catchments had high concentrations of nitrate (>2500  μ g L⁻¹) and phosphate (35  μ g L⁻¹), as well as greater amounts of suspended sediment and fine sediment covering the streambed.
3. Breakdown rate and microbial respiration were significantly related across the sites, and both were positively related to concentrations of nitrate and phosphate. Fungal biomass, measured as ergosterol, was positively related to microbial respiration and was also higher at sites with higher concentrations of nutrients. Total and shredding invertebrates were most abundant at the sites with high nutrient concentrations, but abundance of shredding invertebrates was not significantly related to breakdown rate. Amphipods were the most common shredding invertebrate at most sites, but probably did not contribute greatly to high rates of breakdown in streams in agricultural catchments.
4. With the exception of one site, nutrients from agricultural development appeared to have larger positive effects on litter breakdown than negative effects from sedimentation. Litter breakdown can serve as a functional measure of ecosystem health in streams, but caution should be exercised when a stress, such as land use, can have both positive (nutrients) and negative (sedimentation) effects.