Length of the Spacer Rather than its Plasticity Relates to Species Distribution in Various Natural Habitats

Much evidence from laboratory experiments and theoretical studies show that plasticity of clonal growth traits like lateral spread provides advantage in heterogeneous conditions. However, few tests of whether species with plastic clonal growth have an advantage over non-plastic species in natural conditions exist. I analyzed whether spacer length (i.e., length of a stolon or a rhizome branch between two ramets) and the variation of it (as a surrogate to its plasticity) relate to species presence and abundance in open meadow, wooded meadow and forest habitats with varying environmental conditions at Laelatu wooded meadow, Estonia. In fertilized, compared to unfertilized conditions, a weak and non-conclusive advantage of both long spacers and high variability of spacer length was detected. Abandonment in open meadows lead to a prevalence of species with shorter spacers, while on abandoned wooded meadows the species with longer spacers dominated. There was no difference in variability of spacer length between managed and abandoned meadows. In more heterogeneous forest habitats high variability of spacer length was more common, but the effect of lengthy spacers was more pronounced. The results suggest that while the variability of spacer length indeed corresponds with larger abundance in some conditions, the actual length of spacers has a more pronounced relationship with abundance of plants in natural vegetation.     

On plastic and non-plastic variation in clonal plant morphology and its ecological significance

Morphological plasticity in clonal plants has received wide attention because localized plastic changes in spacer length, branching intensity and branching angle may enable clonal plants to place ramets selectively in the more favourable microhabitats within a heterogeneous environment. These responses have been interpreted in terms of foraging behaviour. Studies of morphological plasticity in clonal plants are usually carried out with one or two genotypes of a species, or with material of unknown genetic origin. Based on the concept of phenotypic plasticity, it is argued that such studies do not reveal whether plasticity in a population can be modified by natural selection. In addition, responses are often evaluated at two environmental conditions only, which may underestimate plasticity. Hence, our information on the ecological and evolutionary significance of morphological plasticity in clonal plants is still very incomplete. Two examples are given to show that stolon internode and rhizome lengths may vary considerably within an individual plant. Only a minor part of this variation may be plastic, i.e. the variation is hardly changed by the environmental conditions to which the plants are subjected. Hence, non-plastic variation in clonal morphology may exceed the degree of morphological plasticity. The non-plastic variation seems to originate from species-specific patterns of stolon and rhizome development. Marked non-plastic variation may obscure the effects of morphological plasticity on the placement pattern of ramets in the field, suggesting that plasticity in clonal morphology may not be very effective in terms of foraging for favourable patches. Possible reasons for the low levels of plasticity of clonal spacers are discussed.     

Clonal plant allocation to daughter ramets is a simple function of parent size across species and nutrient levels

The evolution of clonal growth is a widespread phenomenon among plant species, characterized by the production of genetically identical clonal fragments (ramets) via rhizomes or stolons that form an interconnected clonal organism (genet). Clonal plant species are known to differ in their investment into ramet production, and exhibit considerable variation in ramet morphology both within and among species. While patterns of resource allocation are thought to be linked to a number of plant characteristics, many analyses are limited by uncertainty in how clonal plants determine the morphology and resources allocated to new ramets. In this study, we attempted to discern what aspects of parent ramets best predicted resource allocation to new daughter ramets, and the relationship between resource allocation and daughter ramet rhizome morphology. We grew two sedge species, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani and Eleocharis elliptica, in a greenhouse under two levels of fertilizer addition. By harvesting daughter ramets that had initiated stem production, yet remained aphotosynthetic, we were able to isolate parental investment into non-independent daughter ramets at a point where daughter ramet spacer length became fixed. Our results indicate that parent ramets allocated a non-linear proportion of parent rhizome biomass to the production of daughter ramets. Moreover, this relationship was unaffected by environmental nutrient availability. Daughter ramet biomass, in turn, was strongly correlated with daughter ramet spacer length. These observations shed light on key processes governing clonal growth in plants, and their potential application in unifying allocational and morphological perspectives to explore the fitness implications of variability in clonal growth.     

Distribution of clonal growth forms in wetlands

Clonal multiplication is a predominant type of reproduction in wetland species. However, both wetlands and plant organs of clonal growth are diverse, thus due to different stress factors operating in various wetlands preponderance of plants with specific clonal growth organs (CGOs) can be expected. To test this hypothesis the CGO spectra of wetland communities of the Netherlands were analysed, including a bog, a fen, heathland, a floodplain, river beds, fresh water pools, open salt water and a salt marsh. Moreover, it was evaluated whether different CGOs are characterised by different functional traits (shoot cyclicity, persistence of connections between ramets, number of offspring produced per year and lateral spread per year) in wetland species. Data on types of CGO, i.e., epigeogenous and hypogeogenous rhizomes, fragments and budding plants, stolons, tubers and bulbs, root-splitters, root-sprouters and special adaptations (turions) as well as their functional traits, were taken from the CLO-PLA 3 database. CGO spectra of wetland communities were analysed using two methods: comparison of observed vs. expected CGO spectra based on the presence/absence data and multivariate analysis (CCA) for inter-community differences considering species frequency. Moreover, relationships between CGOs and their functional traits were tested using multidimensional contingency tables. Apart from 26% of non-clonal species, the majority of wetland species was rhizomatous (51%). Other types of CGO were represented in less than 10% of species and root-derived CGOs were underrepresented (<2%) in comparison with terrestrial habitats. Among communities, fresh water pools and open salt water hosted higher proportion of species with fragments (∼10%) and turions (∼30%). Multivariate analysis divided wetland communities along the disturbance and hydric (water) gradients. Highly disturbed communities (salt marshes) were characterised by non-clonal species and species with root-derived CGOs. Aquatic communities (fresh water pools and open salt water) hosted species with the ability to spread by fragmentation and turions, contrary to permanently wet communities (bog and wet heathland) with the prevalence of species with epigeogenous rhizomes. It was also confirmed that the CGOs of wetland species differed in their traits. The most important functional trait characterising individual CGOs in the wetland flora was the degree of lateral spread (explained variability: 53%) followed by duration of persistence of connections between ramets (explained variability: 74%), which is in accordance with earlier distinguished strategies of clonal growth: integrator/splitter and spreading/non-spreading clones.     

不同生境中淫羊藿克隆构型和分株种群特征

为探求淫羊藿资源的保护策略,通过野外样地调查、室内测定和统计分析等方法,对林缘旷地、林缘和林下三种不同生境中淫羊藿(Epimedium brevicornum)克隆构型及其分株种群特征进行了研究,并初步分析环境因子对淫羊藿克隆构型和分株种群特征的影响.结果表明:分枝强度、间隔子长度、分枝高度、根状茎长度及分株种群密度在3种生境中差异显著,且与生境相对光强和土壤含水量有较强的回归关系.群落相对光强、土壤含水量在淫羊藿的克隆生长过程中起着重要作用.淫羊藿以地下根茎为克隆器官进行克隆生长,有着较强的克隆构型可塑性.结合克隆植物对资源的利用策略,讨论不同生境中淫羊藿克隆构型和分株种群特征可塑性的生态适应意义及淫羊藿保护机制.     

Effects of Severing Rhizome on Clonal Growth in Rhizomatous Grass Species Psammochloa villosa and Leymus secalinus

A field experiment was conducted in Inner Mongolian dune to investigate the contribution of clonal integration to genet expansion and ramet establishment in clonal plants in semi-arid inland dune. In the experiment, the developing parts (plant observing unit) of two rhizomatous grass species Psammochloa villosa (Trin.) Bor and Leymus secalinus (Georgi.) Tzvel. were subjected to the treatment of severing rhizomes. The 7 characters relevant to the elonal growth of the plant observing units were investigated such as total length of shoots, number of shoots, number of rhizomes, length of main rhizome, total length of rhizomes, number of main rhizome nodes and total number of rhizome nodes. The results showed that the increments in those plant characters were reduced by the treatment in P. villosa, while no effect of the treatment was observed in L. secalinus. The results suggest an interspecific difference in clonal integration and in its contribution to clonal growth. In P. villosa, clonal integration and clonal growth offer great contributions to the survival of the plants in the sandy grassland characterized where water shortage, strong transevaporation, infertility, habitat patchiness and frequent disturbance were most characteristic.     

No evidence for nutrient foraging in root-sprouting clonal plants

Clonality is defined as vegetative reproduction via the production of ramets, which are, at least initially, connected by spacers. In general, there are three types of spacers of two origins. Whereas stolons are aboveground spacers, rhizomes are belowground spacers; however, both of stem origin. The third type of spacers are roots in root-sprouting plants. The possibility of foraging in clonal plants has attracted broad interest among ecologists but has been experimentally documented only for stoloniferous clonal plants foraging for light. Foraging for belowground resources has yet to be demonstrated, perhaps because tests of foraging have focused on clonal plants that spread laterally via stolons or rhizomes, i.e. stem organs. Lateral spread based on sprouting roots has not been considered even though, in addition to functioning as conduits between ramets, root spacers are able to sense and take up nutrients. We therefore hypothesized that root-sprouting clonal plants may be able to directly react to environmental heterogeneity and exhibit nutrient foraging. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments with root-sprouters in nutrient-heterogeneous and -homogeneous environments. We found that plants produced more biomass when growing in a heterogeneous environment than in a homogeneous environment and that root biomass was greater in the nutrient-rich patches than in nutrient-poor patches. However, the number of ramets did not differ between patches in the heterogeneous environment. We conclude that plants whose clonality is based on roots, similarly as plants whose clonality is based on stolons or rhizomes, do not exhibit accumulation of ramets in nutrient-rich patches. Foraging at the organ level, i.e. by roots, seems to be more probable in this clonal group. To analyse how clonal plants with different clonal strategies perceive and react to environmental heterogeneity, researchers must account for the high variability in clonal growth forms and in scales of environmental heterogeneity.     

自然条件下风箱果的克隆构型

在自然条件下,风箱果(Physocarpus amurensis)主要靠克隆繁殖维持种群。植物克隆构型的可塑性变化对于其适应环境异质性具有重要意义。为探求风箱果的克隆构型及根茎生长动态,研究了其地下根茎的构筑型、形态特征、根茎的直径随长度变化的规律和地下根茎间的夹角。结果表明:风箱果的地下根茎的构筑型基本上属于游击型;风箱果无性系平均含有(6±2)个分株和(9.33±3.48)个根茎;根茎的直径随长度变化的曲线为抛物线型;分枝夹角较为稳定,多为30°和70°。风箱果生产大量的根茎系统,每一个克隆片段能够占据一定的空间,以保证自身生存和维持种群繁衍。     

根茎型植物扁秆荆三棱对光照强度和养分水平的生长响应及资源分配策略

自然界中光照和养分因子常存在时空变化,对植物造成选择压力。克隆植物可通过克隆生长和生物量分配的可塑性来适应环境变化。尽管一些研究关注了克隆植物对光照和养分因子的生长响应,但尚未深入全面了解克隆植物对光照和养分资源投资的分配策略。以根茎型草本克隆植物扁秆荆三棱(Bolboschoenus planiculmis)为研究对象,在温室实验中,将其独立分株种植于由2种光照强度(光照和遮阴)和4种养分水平(对照、低养分、中养分和高养分)交叉组成的8种处理组合中,研究了光照和养分对其生长繁殖及资源贮存策略的影响。结果表明,扁秆荆三棱的生长、无性繁殖及资源贮存性状均受到光照强度的显著影响,在遮阴条件下各生长繁殖性状指标被抑制。且构件的数目、长度等特征对养分差异的可塑性响应先于其生物量积累特征。在光照条件下,高养分处理的总生物量、叶片数、总根茎分株数、长根茎分株数、总根茎长、芽长度、芽数量等指标大于其他养分处理,而在遮阴条件下,其在不同养分处理间无显著差异,表明光照条件可影响养分对扁秆荆三棱可塑性的作用,且高营养水平不能补偿由于光照不足而导致的生长能力下降。光照强度显著影响了总根茎、总球茎及大、中、小球茎的生物量分配,遮阴条件下,总生物量减少了对地下部分根茎和球茎的分配,并将有限的生物量优先分配给小球茎。总根茎的生物量分配未对养分发生可塑性反应,而随着养分增加,总球茎分配下降,说明在养分受限的环境中球茎的贮存功能可缓冲资源缺乏对植物生长的影响。在相同条件下,根茎生物量对长根茎的分配显著大于短根茎,以保持较高的繁殖能力;而总球茎对有分株球茎的生物量分配小于无分株球茎,表明扁秆荆三棱总球茎对贮存功能的分配优先于繁殖功能。研究为进一步理解根茎型克隆植物对光强及基质养分环境变化的生态适应提供了依据。     

川西北高寒沙区切断根茎对赖草和沙生苔草克隆生长的影响

为了研究高原亚寒带沙化生境中切断根茎对克隆植物基株扩展能力和分株定居能力的影响,在川西北若尔盖高原沙化区内,对根茎禾草赖草和沙生苔草进行了以切断根茎为处理的野外实验。结果表明,赖草和沙生苔草基株的幼小部分(观测单元)地上枝总长度增量、主根茎长度增量和根茎总长度增量显著减少,而对根茎数增量、主根茎节增量和根茎节总数增量影响不显著;赖草观测单元地上枝数增量显著减少,而对沙生苔草地上枝数增量无影响;赖草地上枝与根茎的相关性质发生逆转。这表明．在高原亚寒带半湿润沙化生境中．克隆整合效应显著促进基株幼小部分地上枝和根茎的伸长生长,但对新生根茎的产生和根茎节分化没有影响;切断根茎处理导致赖草、沙生苔草生殖生长与营养生长间竞争加剧,同时使赖草地上部分与地下部分间竞争加剧;观测单元在缺少与基株(或上级株系)的克隆整合作用时,赖草受到的影响大于沙生苔草。     

Below-ground spatial pattern of rhizomes in a grassland community and its relevance to above-ground spatial pattern

Studies of spatial patterns in grassland plant communities have focused on above-ground patterns, ignoring the fact that in clonal plant communities, such as those found in grasslands, above-ground spatial structure must reflect below-ground horizontal growth. The present study examines, at both a fine and a coarse spatial scale, relationships between rhizome and ramet distribution. At the coarse scale, the dominance of species differed between above- and below-ground; some species dominated only above- or below-ground, and others dominated in both layers. At the fine scale, a single species' ramet aggregation above-ground significantly differed from its rhizome aggregation below-ground, for many species. Even for a given species, quantitative relationships between above- and below-ground dominance varied among localities. The variation in spatial pattern among species can be explained by attributes of clonal growth form, including rhizome size, rhizome origin and pattern of above-ground ramet aggregation. Using these parameters of clonal growth, four major space occupation patterns were described for mountain grassland species. For species with a high abundance of evenly distributed rhizomes, ramets either i) reflect rhizome distribution, or ii) do not fully reflect rhizome distribution, but rather are spatially aggregated, and rhizomes are typically developed below-ground. For species with a low abundance of rhizomes, ramets either iii) reflect rhizome distribution and rhizomes are typically of above-ground origin, or iv) do not reflect rhizome distribution and are aggregated only at the growing tips of rhizomes. Spatial correlation above-ground among species was the same as below-ground for some pairs of species but was significantly different for other pairs. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

海草克隆性及其种群遗传效应

海草是适应在海洋环境中生存和繁殖的单子叶植物,由于所处环境常存在潮汐、风暴等的干扰,海草形成了一系列适应特征,克隆性是其中突出的一个.所有的海草都具有水平根状茎,许多海草也具有垂直根状茎,在一些海草中,也观察到无性生殖(无融合生殖).与克隆生长有关的参数(如节间长度、间隔子长度、分枝角度以及延伸速率和分枝率等)对于海草的克隆生长有着决定性影响,但繁育系统对克隆斑块大小也有较大影响.强烈的克隆性影响着海草的遗传变异.总体来看,海草种群内遗传多样性比陆生植物低,也低于另一类海洋高等植物-红树植物,利用DNA标记观察到的多样性高于等位酶标记.在一些海草植物种群中观察到较高的克隆多样性,但也有一些种群由单一基因型或少量基因型组成,其原因主要是由于奠基者效应和克隆生长.通常克隆植物中基因流有限,但是海草的克隆片段可能远距离扩散,从而提高种群间的基因流.就克隆生长对种群空间结构和交配系统的影响进行了综述.     

Intraspecific phenotypic variability of plant functional traits in contrasting mountain grasslands habitats

Empirical studies that link plants intraspecific variation to environmental conditions are almost lacking, despite their relevance in understanding mechanisms of plant adaptation, in predicting the outcome of environmental change and in conservation. Here, we investigate intraspecific trait variation of four grassland species along with abiotic environmental variation at high spatial resolution (n = 30 samples per species trait and environmental factor per site) in two contrasting grassland habitats in Central Apennines (Italy). We test for phenotypic adaptation between habitats, intraspecific trait-environment relationships within habitats, and the extent of trait and environmental variation. We considered whole plant, clonal, leaf, and seed traits. Differences between habitats were tested using ANOVA and ANCOVA. Trait-environment relationships were assessed using multiple regression models and hierarchical variance partitioning. The extent of variation was calculated using the coefficient of variation. Significant intraspecific differences in trait attributes between the contrasting habitats indicate phenotypic adaptation to in situ environmental conditions. Within habitats, light, soil temperature, and the availability of nitrate, ammonium, magnesium and potassium were the most important factors driving intraspecific trait-environment relationships. Leaf traits and height growth show lower variability than environment being probably more regulated by plants than clonal traits which show much higher variability. We show the adaptive significance of key plant traits leading to intraspecific adaptation of strategies providing insights for conservation of extant grassland communities. We argue that protecting habitats with considerable medium- and small-scale environmental heterogeneity is important to maintain large intraspecific variability within local populations that finally can buffer against uncertainty of future climate and land use scenarios.     

Morphological responses to nutrient availability in four clonal herbs

This paper examines morphological plasticity of clonal plants of contrasting habitats and of contrasting architectures in response to nutrient supply. The hypotheses were tested that plants from rich habitats possess greater plasticity in response to variation in resource supply than species from poor habitats, and that rhizomatous species are less plastic in their response than stoloniferous species. Two sympodial rhizomatous herbs (Carex flacca, C. hirta) and two monopodial stoloniferous herbs (Trifolium fragiferum, T. repens) were subjected to four levels of nutrient supply in a garden experiment. One of the two species of each genus (C. hirta, T. repens) is from fertile and the other from infertile habitats. We measured 1) whole plant characters: total plant dry weight, number of modules (product of a single apical meristem) and number of ramets; 2) ramet characters: ramet leaf area and ramet height; and 3) spacer characters: branches per module, length per module and length per module internode.All measured characters in the Trifolium species significantly responded to treatment: the values for all measured characters increased with higher levels of fertilization. The differences in plant characters between fertilization levels were larger in Trifolium repens than in T. fragiferum in terms of whole plant characters, ramet characters and stolon internode length. The two Carex species did not differ in their responses to treatment in terms of most characters measured. In ramet characters and in some whole plant characters the species from fertile habitats were more plastic than those from infertile habitats. In spacer characters this pattern was not found. Foraging could not be demonstrated unequivocally.Morphological plasticity in the stoloniferous (Trifolium) species was much larger than in the rhizomatous (Carex) species. This seems in accordance with a foremost storage function of rhizomes, as against a foremost explorative function of stolons.     

切断根茎对根茎禾草沙鞭和赖草克隆生长的影响

为了研究半干旱内陆沙化生境中植物克隆整合对克隆植物基株扩展能力和对克隆植物分株定居逆境能力的贡献,在内蒙古鄂尔多斯高原毛乌素沙地对根茎禾草沙鞭（Rsammochloavillosa（Trin．）Bor）和赖草（Leymussecali－nus（Georgi．）Tzvel．）进行了以切断根茎为处理的野外实验。实验结果表明,切断根茎处理使根茎禾草沙鞭基株的幼小部分（观测单元）在实验期间根茎数量增量、地上技数量增量、地上枝总长度增量、主根茎节数增量、根茎节总数增量、主根茎长度增量和根茎总长度增量显著地减少。然而,切断根茎处理对另一根茎禾草赖草基株幼小部分（观测单元）的上述7个特征在实验期间的增量没有影响。这些结果指示着在克隆整合及其对克隆生长贡献方面的种间差异。沙鞭的克隆整合特性和克隆生长特性对它在水分短缺、蒸散剧烈、养分贫瘠、生境斑块化和扰动经常的沙化草地环境中的生存能力有重要贡献。     

Clonal plasticity in response to rhizome severing and heterogeneous resource supply in the rhizomatous grass Psammochloa villosa in an Inner Mongolian dune, China

In a field experiment, Psammochloa villosa plants were subjected to rhizome severing. Severing rhizomes reduced growth in the young, detached rhizome segments compared to the controls in terms of all measured clonal growth-related characters, i.e. number of rhizomes and shoots, total rhizome length and total number of rhizome nodes. In a container experiment, the control ramets received uniform water and nutrient supply but in heterogeneous treatments high and low levels of water and nutrient supply, respectively were established. The number of ramets, total rhizome length, dry weight per ramet and biomass allocation to the rhizome had higher values at high water and nutrient supply, while spacer length (length of rhizome between shoots) and rhizome internode length were not affected. The local response of ramets given low water supply was enhanced due to connection to a well watered parent ramet in terms of number of ramets, total rhizome length and dry weight per ramet. A remote effect was not observed in the other treatments or in the other measured characters.     

The Association of Dispersal and Persistence Traits of Plants with Different Stages of Succession in Central European Man-Made Habitats

Traits related to seed dispersal, clonality and bud bank affect the success or failure of plant species. Using data from 13 successional seres in various human-made habitats the spectra of traits associated with dispersal and persistence were compared to determine the traits that can be used to predict the occurrence of particular plant species at each stage in a succession and how the importance of these traits changes over time. Differences in the traits of species associated with primary and secondary successions were also studied. Species with seeds that are dispersed by water (hydrochory) decreased in abundance during the course of succession. Species with a splitting main root, monocyclic and dicyclic shoots also decreased in abundance. Species capable of forming a potential below-ground bud bank, hypogeogenous rhizome and retaining a long-term connection with clonal offspring increased in abundance. The results indicate that seed dispersal is more important in determining the species composition in the early stages of succession whereas bud banks and clonal traits are more important in the later stages and for colonizing a locality. Primary and secondary seres did not remarkably differ in the trait spectra of the species present indicating that these trends occur in both types of succession.     

Clonal reproduction, vegetative multiplication and habitat colonisation in Tussilago farfara (Asteraceae): A combined morpho-ecological and molecular study

Using a combined morpho-ecological and molecular (amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting) approach, clonal growth, clonal reproduction and the resulting vegetative multiplication were examined in the pioneer species Tussilago farfara (Asteraceae).

In two forest plots in Berlin (Germany), all modules and spacers of the plant were mapped and dug out. The plants showed intense clonal growth with leaf modules connected through long branched rhizomes. The rhizomes were brittle and regularly exhibited rotting zones and breaks. This clonal reproduction can occur rather fast; in a submersed stand in Lanke (Brandenburg, Germany), rhizomes showed signs of disintegration only a few weeks after the modules developed. As a consequence, modules become separated and genets fragment into merigenets.

Using AFLP fingerprints, the relationships of samples from the two dug out plots were assessed: 15 and 18 analysed samples (representing 13 and 16 merigenets) belonged to only two and three distinct genets, respectively. Each of these genets was split into at least two to eleven morphologically independent merigenets, indicating frequent and effective clonal reproduction.

The study highlights the relevance of vegetative multiplication in T. farfara, achieved rapidly through repeated clonal growth and subsequent clonal reproduction. The typical strategy of habitat colonisation and maintenance is described and illustrated for this pioneer species.     

Multilevel Control of Organelle DNA Sequence Length in Plants

We have compared the length of noncoding organelle DNA spacers in a broad sample of plant species characterized by different life history traits to test hypotheses regarding the nature of the mechanisms driving changes in their size. We first demonstrate that the spacers do not evolve at random in size but have experienced directional evolutionary trends during plant diversification. We then study the relationships between spacer lengths and other molecular features and various species attributes by taking into account population genetic processes acting within cell lineages. Comparative techniques are used to test these relationships while controlling for species phylogenetic relatedness. The results indicate that spacer length depends on mode of organelle transmission, on population genetic structure, on nucleotide content, on rates of molecular evolution, and on life history traits, in conformity with predictions based on a model of intracellular competition among replicating organelle genomes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

内蒙古锡林河流域不同生境中羊草的克隆构型和分株种群特征

 克隆植物的形态可塑性在基株和种群水平上分别表现为克隆构型和分株种群特征的变化。研究对象为内蒙古锡林河流域草地、林地、沙地3种生境下的羊草(Leymus chinensis)种群,通过对羊草根茎节间长度、间隔子长度、分枝强度、分枝角度、株高和分株密度等指标的测定和分析,对这3种不同生境中羊草的克隆构型及分株种群特征进行了研究。结果表明羊草克隆构型相关特征,如,根茎节间长度,根茎节间长度频次分布格局、间隔子长度、间隔子长度频次分布格局,在不同生境差异较大。同时,羊草的分枝角度在不同生境间差异显著。而每间隔子所