Factors Affecting Revegetation of Carex lacustris and Carex stricta from Rhizomes

The revegetation of sedge meadows has been problematic because natural recolonization does not occur under many circumstances and because planted propagules often fail to reestablish successfully. In this study, detached rhizomes of Carex lacustris Willd. and Carex stricta Lam. were transplanted in both fall (September) and spring (May) into three experimental wetlands to determine the effects of both planting season and hydrology on survival and establishment. Each experimental wetland had the same mean water depth across 5% slopes, but one had a constant water depth (0.5 m) throughout the growing season, another fell from a mean depth of 0.75 m to 0.25 m, and a third rose from a mean depth of 0.25 m to 0.75 m. Initial rhizome survival, shoot growth, and soil characteristics were recorded over 2 years. Neither planting proved successful (6.9% versus 0.5%) for C. stricta, a tussock-forming sedge. For C. lacustris, a sedge with spreading rhizomes, spring planting had greater rhizome survival (53.2% survival) than fall planting (0.7%). Since both species initiate new shoots in the fall, they are susceptible to transplant failure during this season. The highest survival rates (71–100%) and plant production (736.0 and 494.5 g/m²) for C. lacustris occurred near the water’s edge in both the constant and falling basins. In the rising basin, establishment and growth of this species was high at all water depths (71–96%; 399 g/m²). C. lacustris grew optimally at the same elevations where rhizome survival was greatest, suggesting that shoots are more sensitive to early-season than late-season water levels.     

Carex pseundo-Buxbaumit Winkler

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Carex tetrastachya Traunsteiner

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Variation in morphological characters and habitat requirements in Carex capitata and Carex arctogena (Cyperaceae) in Norway and Sweden

Norwegian and Swedish populations of Carex capitata s. lat. were studied for variation in morphological characters. Canonical variates analysis (CVA) arranges populations in two discrete groups, corresponding to C. capitata s. str. and C. arctogena , respectively. In principal components analysis (PCA) of the total material a small overlap could be seen. However, separate PCA: s for the two regions in Scandinavia where the two taxa are sympatric show perfect separation. Student's t-test revealed significant differences in all morphological characters studied. Studies of companion plants, analysed with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), indicate that the taxa have rather similar habitat demands in Oppland, Central Norway, although C. capitata s. str. seems to prefer wetter, and C. arctogena drier sites, respectively. Since the two taxa are distinct in morphology, they are best treated as separate species. The name Carex capitata is lectotypified.     

Allozyme differentiation between the lowland Carex capitata and the alpine Carex arctogena (Cyperaceae) in Scandinavia

Within Scandinavia, Carex capitata s.l, is usually divided into two taxa: the lowland to lowalpine C. capitata s.s., and the alpine C. arctogena. The systematic status of these taxa is uncertain, reflected by their taxonomic treatment in different floras. In this study, allozymes were used to assess the degree of genetic differentiation between and within taxa. Ten populations of Carex capitata s.s. and eight of C. arctogena, from Norway and Sweden, were included in the study. Sixteen loci in eleven different enzyme systems were analysed: five were variable within or between taxa, three could be interpreted in all plants. In all, 20 different alleles were found. Four of these alleles were confined to C. capitata s.s., and two to C. arctogena. In C. capitata s.s., three loci (18%) were polymorphic, while all loci were monomorphic in C. arctogena. The number of alleles per polymorphic locus was 2.2 in C. capitata s.l. The taxa had completely different alleles at two loci {Pgi-2, Pgm-1). Nei's genetic identity was 0.86 between taxa, and ranged between 0.95 and 1 in pairwise comparisons of populations of Carex capitata s.s., while it was 1 in all comparisons between populations of C. arctogena. The distinction of C. capitata s.s. and C. arctogena as separate species agrees well with the amount of differentiation found between other congeneric species. It is suggested that the low genetic variation observed in both taxa is due to ancient founder events. The difference in genetic variability between taxa may be due to differences in immigration history: whereas C. capitata s.s. may have colonized Scandinavia from several close refugia after the last glaciation, C. arctogena may have reached Scandinavia after long-distance dispersal of a limited number of propagules.     

雪里绿引种驯化试验研究

通过对雪里绿的引种驯化试验(对温度、水分、土壤、光照条件的适应性及耐践踏性、抗贫瘠性),得出雪里绿在试验地能够完成发芽、展叶、开花、结实的年生长发育过程;能通过播种及分株方法繁殖;能忍耐的土壤最低含水量为4.1%;耐42.2℃的极端高温及-16.4℃的极端低温;能够在全光照及郁闭度为0.8的林下正常生长;能够在黄土、细沙土及建筑渣土上生长良好;叶片寿命长达18个月,全年常绿;不耐践踏,适于作观赏性草坪,不适于作运动草坪.雪里绿是北京地区园林绿化中优良的野生乡土草种.     

Gerbstoffidioblasten in der Scheide von Carex

Zusammenfassung In dem zweischichtigen Scheidenteil vielerCarex-Arten befinden sich dioblasten, die besondere, stark lichtbrechende Gerbstoffvakuolen neben kleinen, normalen, schwach lichtbrechenden Vakuolen führen. In getrocknetem Material geben die Inhaltskörper der Idioblasten die gleichen Reaktionen auf Gerbstoffe wie in vivo. In wässerigen Lösungen können die toten Idioblasten wieder turgeszent werden. Sie speichern basische Farbstoffe in lebendem und in getrocknetem Zustand in dem für volle Zellsäfte typischen Farbton; Fluorochromierung mit Acridinorange ergibt in beiden Fällen anfangs grüne Fluoreszenz der tannoiden Substanz. Diese Inhaltskörper scheinen den Myriophyllinkugeln vonMyriophyllum spicatum und vielen anderen Wasserpflanzen nahe zu stehen und sind auch mit den Gerbstoffvakuolen in den Blattgelenken vonMimosa pudica undRobinia pseudacacia zu vergleichen.Frau Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Schiemann zum 75. Geburtstag in Verehrung zugeeignet.     

Development of the Inflorescence in Carex

In Britain the transition from the vegetative to the floweringphase in species of Carex occurs in July or August. The younginflorescence becomes dormant in October or November and floweringoccurs the following spring. During the transition the apexenlarges both vertically and transversely, and bract primordiaare initiated low on the flanks of the meristem. Each bractprimordium subtends an axillary growth centre. Depending onthe species, the primordia which arise from the first-formedgrowth centres may develop into either lateral spikes or femaleflowers; chose formed later may develop into either male orfemale flowers. The three types of axillary structure: lateralspike, female flower, and male flower, arise from only two typesof primordia: a male flower primordium, which develops onlyas a male flower; and a ‘spikelet primordium’, whichcan develop either as a lateral spike or as a female flower,according to which of the two meristems present within it aborts.When the development of the inflorescence is interpreted interms of these two types of primordia the fundamental similaritybetween the different inflorescence types occurring in the genusbecomes evident.     

Shoot and leaf demography of Carex curvula ssp. Curvula and Carex curvula ssp. rosae in the Central Alps

Abstract. Populations of Carex curvula ssp. curvula, C. curvula ssp. rosae and their intermediate form were investigated in the Central Alps over a three-year period. The closely related taxa showed a different dominance behaviour in their respective communities. This may be caused by different growth strategies and a different reproduction biology. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to compare the demography of the three taxa. Shoot and leaf turnover, flower and seed production and population half-lives were determined. Differences in growth dynamics were less pronounced between the two species of Carex curvula than between these taxa and their intermediate form which showed the highest shoot turnover, highest number of fertile inflorescences and highest number of seeds per inflorescence. Carex curvula ssp. rosae showed a slightly higher shoot and leaf production but a lower reproduction capacity than Carex curvula ssp. curvula. Recruitment of populations of the three Carex-forms was only by vegetative shoots. Flowering had a striking effect on the shoot dynamics of the species grown in the grassland sites: up to about 70 % of all dead shoots could be identified as dead flowering shoots from the previous year. The different dominance behaviour of the three taxa could not be explained by their demographical features. Interspecific interactions and the occurrence of microniches might affect the growth and reproduction processes of the taxa.     

Carex, subgenus Carex (Cyperaceae) – A phylogenetic approach using ITS sequences

To evaluate the sectional classification in Carex, subgenus Carex, the ITS region of 117 species belonging to 32 sections was analyzed with Neighbor Joining (NJ) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. In our analyses (1) species of subgenus Indocarex appear as a statistically well supported group within subgenus Carex. (2) The representatives of sections Vesicariae, Hirtae, Pseudocypereae, Ceratocystis, Spirostachyae, Bicolores, Paniceae, Trachychlaenae, Scirpinae, Atratae and Albae group in statistically supported clades with higher support in MCMC than in NJ. (3) C. rariflora clusters with representatives of section Limosae, however only weakly supported. (4) Taxa of section Phacocystis are divided in two statistically supported subclusters that are closely related to a core group of section Hymenochlaenae. (5) Species of sections Montanae, Pachystylae, Digitatae, Phacocystis, Rhomboidales, Careyanae and Frigidae are segregated into two or more clusters each. (6) Five species of section Frigidae cluster together, whereas the seven others are in scattered positions. Based on these results, delimitation of sections is discussed.     

Disjunct performance and distribution in the sedge Carex prasina

Efforts to understand species distributions and predict responses to environmental changes depend on specifying how the abiotic environment determines distributions. At landscape scales, it is critical to distinguish effects of environmental factors from other mechanisms such as competition and dispersal limitation. We examined how environmental factors affect the distribution and performance of the sedge Carex prasina across a 10-km² old-growth forest in southern Québec. We isolated the effects of soil characteristics by conducting a greenhouse experiment that assessed the performance of C. prasina on soils from a range of wetland habitats where it could potentially occur. This allowed us to compare how the species’ performance and its distribution across the landscape relate to the same soil characteristics. In the experiment, the biomass and leaf chlorophyll content of C. prasina increased with increasing soil organic matter (OM). Across the landscape, however, the species’ probability of occurrence and abundance decreased with increasing soil OM. C. prasina had similar biomass on soils from sites where it did and did not occur, but it had higher leaf chlorophyll content on soils from sites where it did not occur. We found no evidence that differential performance across environments determines the distribution of this species, as C. prasina tended to occur on soils where it showed reduced performance. Rather, other processes such as competition or dispersal limitation likely override any direct effects of the soil environment on distribution. Our results caution against the common assumption that the environments where a species tends to occur or be most abundant are the environments where it performs best. C. prasina presents a clear example of a species whose performance, at least along edaphic gradients, cannot explain its distribution. This example highlights the importance of distinguishing the relative roles of biotic and abiotic factors that shape species distributions across landscapes.     

Carex filiformis ×vesicaria Kohts

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The Experimental Control of Inflorescence Development in Carex

In an attempt to elucidate the factors controlling the developmentof the inflorescence of Carex various substances were appliedto plants of several species during and after the transitionto the flowering phase. The main effects of the treatments onthe inflorescence were that indole-3–acetic acid and i-naphtha-leneaceticacid caused the induction of female spikelets on the sites ofpotential male flowers, 2, 3, 5-triiodobenzoic acid caused suppressionof branching and kinetin an increase in branching. All threesubstances resulted in a decrease in the flowering response,as expressed by the number of inflorescences produced. On thebasis of these results it is suggested that normal developmentof the inflorescence can be explained on a hypothesis involvingtwo substances, one probably an auxin and the other replaceablein experiments by kinetin. The possibility is considered thatthis second substance may be a kinetin-like factor producedby the roots.     

Respiratory energy costs for the maintenance of biomass, for growth and for ion uptake in roots of Carex diandra and Carex acudformis

van der Werf, A., Kooijman, A., Welschen, R. and Lambers, H. 1988. Respiratory energy costs for the maintenance of biomass, for growth and for ion uptake in roots of Carex diandra and Carex acutiformis. - Physiol. Plant. 72: 483–491. The respiratory characteristics of the roots of Carex diandra Schrank and Carex acutiformis Ehrh. were investigated. The aims were, firstly to determine the respiratory energy costs for the maintenance of root biomass, for root growth and for ion uptake, and secondly to explain the higher rate of root respiration and ATP production in C. diandra. The three respiratory energy components were derived from a multiple regression analysis, using the relative growth rate and the net rate of nitrate uptake as independent variables and the rate of ATP production as a dependent variable. Although the rate of root respiration and ATP production was significantly higher in C. diandra than in C. acutiformis, the two species showed no significant difference in their rate of ATP production for the maintenance of biomass, in the respiratory energy coefficient for growth (the amount of ATP production per unit of biomass produced) and the respiratory energy coefficient for ion uptake (amount of ATP production per unit of ions absorbed). It is concluded that the higher rate of root respiration of C. diandra is caused by a higher rate of nitrate uptake. At relatively high rates of growth and nitrate uptake, the contribution of the rate of ATP production for ion uptake to the total rate of ATP production amounted to 38 and 25% for C. diandra and C. acutiformis, respectively. At this growth rate, the respiratory energy production for growth contributed 37 and 50%, respectively, to the total rate of ATP production. The relative contribution of the rate of ATP production for the maintenance of biomass increased from 25 to 70% with increasing plant age for both species. The results suggest that ion uptake is one of the major sinks for respiratory energy in roots. These experimentally derived values for the rate of ATP production for the maintenance of biomass, the respiratory energy coefficient for growth and the respiratory energy coefficient for ion uptake are discussed in relation to other experimentally and theoretically derived values.