Responses to mineral nutrient availability and heterogeneity in physiologically integrated sedges from contrasting habitats

Clonal plants from poor habitats benefit less from morphologically plastic responses to heterogeneity than plants from more productive sites. In addition, physiological integration has been suggested to either increase or decrease the foraging efficiency of clonal plants. We tested the capacity for biomass production and morphological response in two closely related, rhizomatous species from habitats that differ in resource availability, Carex arenaria (from poor sand dunes) and C. disticha (from nutrient-richer, moister habitats). We expected lower total biomass production and reduced morphological plasticity in C. arenaria, and that both species would produce more ramets in high nutrient patches, either in response to signals transported through physiological integration, or by locally determined responses to nutrient availability. To investigate mineral nutrient heterogeneity, plants were grown in boxes divided into two compartments with homogeneous or heterogeneous supply of high (H) or low (L) nutrient levels, resulting in four treatments, H-H, H-L, L-H and L-L. Both C. arenaria and C. disticha produced similar biomass in high nutrient treatments. C. disticha responded to high nutrients by increased biomass production and branching of the young parts and by altering root:shoot ratio and rhizome lengths, while C. arenaria showed localised responses to high nutrients in terms of local biomass and branch production in high nutrient patches. The results demonstrated that although it has a conservative morphology, C. arenaria responded to nutrient heterogeneity through morphological plasticity. An analysis of costs and benefits of integration on biomass production showed that young ramets of both species benefited significantly from physiological integration, but no corresponding costs were found. This suggests that plants from resource-poor but dynamic habitats like sand dunes respond morphologically to high nutrient patches. The two species responded to nutrient heterogeneity in different traits, and this is discussed in terms of local and distant signalling of plant status.     

Seed weight increases with altitude in the Swiss Alps between related species but not among populations of individual species

Seed weight is a crucial plant life history trait, determining establishment success and dispersal ability. Especially in stressful environments, larger seeds may be selected at the expense of seed number, because larger seeds have a better chance of giving rise to an established offspring. We tested the hypotheses that between related species-pairs and among populations of single species a similar trend for increasing seed weight with increasing altitude should be present. Firstly, we measured seed weights from 29 species-pairs, with one species occurring in lowland areas and a congeneric species from high altitudes. Seeds of the alpine species were 28±8% larger than seeds from lowland species (P<0.01). Compared to the related lowland species, 55% of the alpine species had heavier seeds, 3% (one species) had lighter, and 41% had seeds of approximately equal weight. Secondly, we compared seed weights among populations of four species from different habitats and with different life histories. Seeds from between 11 and 34 populations per species were sampled along altitudinal gradients of 800–1,500 m (ca. 800 m in Scabiosa lucida, ca. 1,000 m in Saxifraga oppositifolia, ca. 1,000 m in Epilobium fleischeri, and ca. 1,500 m in Carex flacca). In all the four species, we found no indication for heavier seeds at higher altitudes. Our results indicate a selection pressure for species with heavier seeds at higher altitude, but the trend does not seem to operate across all cases. Phylogenetic constraints may limit the correlation among altitude and seed weight, operating particularly against selection for larger seed size, the closer populations and species are related to each other.     

Genetic structure in populations of an ancient woodland sedge, Carex sylvatica Hudson, at a regional and local scale

Wood sedge (Carex sylvatica) is a well-known ancient woodland species with a long-term persistent seed bank and a caespitose growth habit. All thirteen isolated Carex sylvatica populations in the Dutch Rhine floodplain (including the river branches Waal and IJssel) were mapped in detail and analysed for genetic variation at a large number of AFLP loci and one microsatellite locus. Across all populations, only 40 % of the sampled individuals (n=216) represented a unique genotype. A high number of the studied patches (spatial clusters of tussocks, 2-10 m in diameter) within populations contained only one or a few genotypes. Identical plants (tussocks) were also found 20-500 m apart and in one case even 1000 m apart. Observed heterozygosity levels (H(O)=0.029) were low, indicating low levels of gene flow, which is in agreement with the selfing nature of other caespitose sedges. Although the number of genotypes in populations is low, these genotypes are genetically very distinct and variation within populations accounted for 55% of the total variation. The absence of a correlation between genetic and geographic distances among populations, and the scattered distribution of genotypes among patches within woodlands, support our hypothesis of rare establishments and subsequent local dispersal within woodlands in this forest floor species, which may benefit from and partly depend on human land use and forest management activities.     

Rhizome phyllosphere oxygenation in Phragmites and other species in relation to redox potential, convective gas flow, submergence and aeration pathways

Underground rhizomes of emergent aquatic macrophytes are important for perennation, vegetative spread, competition and anchorage. In four species we examined the potential for the development of oxidized phyllospheres around rhizome apical buds, similar to the protective oxygenated rhizospheres around roots. Redox potentials and polarographic measurements of radial oxygen loss were recorded using platinum cathodes around the apical buds. The aeration pathway from atmosphere to phyllosphere was investigated anatomically and by applied pressurized gas flow. Redox potentials increased by +400, +45, +200 and +340 mV around rhizome apices of Phragmites australis, Oryza rhizomatis, Carex rostrata and Glyceria maxima, respectively. Radial oxygen loss from rhizome apices of Phragmites was increased by convective gas flow through the rhizome and by shoot de-submergence, and decreased by resistances applied within the aeration pathway and by shoot submergence. We conclude that oxygen passes via internal gas-space connections between aerial shoot, rhizome and underground buds and into the phyllosphere regions via scale-leaf stomata and surfaces on the buds. We suggest that oxidized phyllospheres may protect rhizome apices against phytotoxins in waterlogged soils, just as oxidized rhizospheres protect roots.     

Structures of bioactive carexanes from the roots of Carex distachya Desf

Four metabolites, named carexanes I-L, have been isolated from the roots of Carex distachya Desf, an herbaceous plant living in the Mediterranean maquis, together with three known compounds, already isolated from the aerial part of the plant. All the compounds have been characterized on the basis of their spectroscopic properties. Carexane I derived from the lose of a proton from the C-18 carbon of an intermediate isopropyl cation. Its stereostructure has been elucidated by Mosher's method, NOESY/ROESY experiments and computational calculations. The bioactivity on seed germination and root/shoot growth of Lactuca sativa L. of all the isolated compounds is also reported.     

Species cohesion of an extremophyte (Carex angustisquama,Cyperaceae) in solfatara fields maintained under interspecific natural hybridization

Background and AimsHybridization is the main driver of plant diversification, and gene flow via hybridization has multifaceted effects on plant evolution. Carex angustisquama is an extremophyte that grows on soils heavily acidified by volcanism. Despite its habitat distinct from that of other species, this species is known to form interspecific hybrids, implying interspecific gene flow. It is crucial to verify the extent and direction of interspecific gene flow between C. angustisquama and closely related species to understand the evolutionary process of an extremophyte in solfatara fields.MethodsIn this study, expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat markers were utilized to infer the extent and direction of interspecific gene flow between C. angustisquama and closely related species.Key ResultsBayesian clustering and simulation analyses revealed that all individuals of the three hybrid species were classified into the first hybrid generation or first backcross to C. angustisquama; therefore, current interspecific gene flow is limited. Moreover, in the Bayesian inference of historical gene flow based on multispecies samples, the model that assumed no interspecific gene flow was the most strongly supported across all species pairs, including phylogenetically close but ecologically distinctive species pairs.ConclusionsOur results revealed that interspecific gene flow between C. angustisquama and its related species has been limited both currently and historically. Moreover, our results of Bayesian inference of historical gene flow indicated that extrinsic, rather than intrinsic, factors probably act as isolating barriers between Carex species, with hybrid breakdown via microhabitat segregation being the probable potential barrier. Overall, our findings provide insights into the evolutionary process of an extremophyte in solfatara fields and offer an important example of the mechanisms of diversification of the speciose genus Carex.     

Evaluation of burdock and Mountain almond leaf extracts against Meloidogyne javanica on tomato

Abstract

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are one of the most harmful plant pathogenic nematodes worldwide. Application of some herbal products can safely reduce negative effect of these nematodes. In the present study, the effect of aqueous extracts of Amygdalus scoparia and Arctium lappa on hatching and mortality of second-stage juveniles of M. javanica evaluated under laboratory condition and LC₃₀, LC₅₀, LC₇₀ and LC₉₀ values were determined by probit analysis from March to November 2016. Tomato seeds (cv. Early-Urbana) were sown in 1.5?kg plastic pots and simultaneously were inoculated with 4000 eggs and second stage juveniles (J2s) of M. javanica and soil-drenched (50?ml/pot) with selected concentrations of A. scoparia viz. 0.37, 0.54, 0.8 and 1.39% and A. lappa viz. 0.51, 0.85, 1.4 and 2.91%. The experiments were carried out in completely randomized design tests with four replications. Plant growth parameters as well as nematode population indices were calculated 60?days after inoculation. Results showed that after 120?hours, leaf extracts of A. scoparia at the rate of 7.5 and 10%, and leaf extract of A. lappa at the rate of 10% lead to 100% inhibition of M. javanica egg hatching under laboratory condition. Leaf extracts of both of the tested plants at the rate of 2% caused 100% mortality of J2s. Any increase in concentration of used plant extracts significantly improved the growth indices in both of the inoculated and uninoculated tomato plants. As compared to control, application of A. scoparia leaf extract at the rate of 2%, reduced the number of galls, egg masses and eggs per root system as well as the number of J2s per pot and reproduction factor of nematode by 37, 43, 45, 73 and 46%, and in the case of A. lappa, these indices reduced by15, 26, 27, 74 and 28%, respectively. Our results showed potential of leaf extracts of A. scoparia and A. lappa for management of M. javanica infecting tomato plants.     

高寒草原优势种叶片结构变化与生态因子的关系

 为了揭示青藏高原高寒草原优势物种青藏苔草（Carex moorcroftii）和紫花针茅（Stipa purpurea）对高原特殊环境的适应性,该文研究了 它们的叶片结构在自然环境梯度下的变化以及这些变化与生态因子之间的关系。结果表明：这两个物种叶片的大多数结构特征在各个样地间变 化显著,其结构特征与环境因子间存在显著的相关关系。紫花针茅叶肉细胞大小随土壤有效K含量的增高而减小,下表皮细胞厚度和韧皮部面积 随生长季云盖度的增高而增加,单一导管半径和导管平均面积随生长季月均湿度的增加而增大;青藏苔草上表皮细胞厚度随生长季月均最低温 的降低而增厚,泡状细胞厚度（径向直径）随大陆度的增强而增加,上表皮细胞大小随土壤pH值的增大而增大,导管总数和韧皮部面积随土壤 速效P含量的增高而增加。青藏苔草的保护组织、光合组织以及综合指标变异系数明显大于紫花针茅,仅维管组织指标变异系数小于紫花针茅。