Community attributes along a perturbation gradient in a shortgrass steppe

Abstract. We constructed a perturbation (response) gradient that encompassed several types of disturbances (causes) affecting shortgrass steppe communities, and that was confounded by time scales of initiation and duration. The objectives were to (1) examine the type of disturbance and the relative magnitude of response in relation to the history of the shortgrass steppe, and (2) determine which attributes of the plant communities displayed relationships across the perturbation gradient, rather than across traditional successional - time gradients. Comparisons of disturbance types indicated that long-term heavy grazing by cattle resulted in plant communities which differ less from communities resulting from other disturbances than did long-term ungrazed sites. The removal of grazers from this system promoted attributes of earlier serai stages. Water addition, below-ground grazing by white grubs, and water-plus-nitrogen enrichment had distinct and large impacts on community composition. Nitrogen enrichment resulted in additions but not losses of species. The shortgrass steppe has a high degree of adaptation to both short-term drought and aboveground grazing. Belowground grazing and semi-aridity may be considered antagonistic pressures on the community. Community attributes that displayed a relationship with increasing level of perturbation were decreasing dominance and increasing diversity, and fluctuation in species composition during short-term wet/dry cycles. The level of perturbation was related to negative impacts on the two primary species and a corresponding increase of other warm-season species, but was not related to densities of any other species, life-form, or functional group.     

Restriction analysis and sequencing of the ITS regions and 5.8S gene of rDNA of Ganoderma isolates from infected oil palm and coconut stumps in Malaysia

Use of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants in México and worldwide has a long history, but the morphological and photosynthetic aspects of these plants have only been considered recently. Emphasis in this article is on the daily net CO₂ uptake ability by three species of agaves and three species of cacti that are currently extensively cultivated in México for beverages, food, fodder, and forage ‐ Agave mapisaga, A. salmiana, A. tequilana, Opuntia ficus‐indica, O. robusta and Stenocereus queretaroensis. Data under controlled conditions are used to help interpret seasonal net CO₂ uptake patterns observed in the field. These CAM plants have instantaneous and total daily net CO₂ uptake values similar to those for highly productive C₃ and C₄ crops. The future increase in the cultivated area of CAM plants will have both agronomical and ecological ramifications because of the ability of these plants to endure prolonged drought and to sequester carbon during extended dry periods when few C₃ and C₄ crops and non‐CAM native plants can fix atmospheric CO₂.     

The relative contributions of sexual reproduction and clonal propagation in Opuntia rastrera from two habitats in the Chihuahuan Desert

1 The clonal cactus Opuntia rastrera shows predominantly sexual reproduction in grasslands (GH) and clonal propagation in nopaleras (NH). We assessed the effects of light, herbivory, water availability and the habitat an offspring came from on the survival and growth of sexual or clonal offspring (i.e. seedlings and cladodes), through 3- and 4-year common garden and short-term greenhouse experiments.
2 Shading by nurse plants increased seedling survival in the field by an order of magnitude, and a small additional advantage due to predator protection by grasses was observed. Strong herbivory transforms a facultative nurse–protégé relationship for seedlings into an obligatory one.
3 In the greenhouse seedlings grew better under shade, but in the field the production of the first cladode was delayed in seedlings in the more shaded GH. Competition for soil resources may be more intense under a dense grass tussock than under a open shrub, thus affecting the nurse–protégé relationship. Seedling survival under nurse plants was similar in GH and NH, but higher plant cover suggests that a larger number of seedlings will establish in GH in the long term.
4 Cladode survival was higher in NH. Cladodes were more successful than seedlings at establishing in intercanopy areas, possibly due to physiological differences as well as their ability to survive partial predation. Cladode survival in intercanopy areas may explain the enhanced clonal propagation in the more open NH scrubland, together with their susceptibility to the flooding which affects GH.
5 The high seedling and cladode survival in the greenhouse experiments contrasted with that observed in the field, indicating that survival is determined by the interaction between herbivores, plants and abiotic conditions rather than the physiological aptitude of the plants.     

An arabinogalactan from the skin of Opuntia ficus-indica prickly pear fruits

The cold-water extract from the skin of Opuntia ficus-indica fruits was fractionated by anion-exchange chromatography. The major fraction, which was purified by size exclusion chromatography, consisted of a polysaccharide composed of galactose and arabinose residues in the ratio 6.3:3.3, with traces of rhamnose, xylose and glucose, but no uronic acid. The results of methylation analysis, supported by (13)C NMR spectroscopy, indicated that this polysaccharide corresponded to an arabinogalactan having a backbone of (1-->4)-linked beta-D-galactopyranosyl residues with 39.5% of these units branched at O-3. The side-groups consisted either of single L-arabinofuranosyl units or L-arabinofuranosyl alpha-(1-->5)-linked disaccharides. This polysaccharide is thus an arabinogalactan that can be classified in the type I of the arabinogalactan family.     

Young daughter cladodes affect CO2 uptake by mother cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Drought damages cultivated C3, C4 and CAM plants in the semi-arid lands of central Mexico. Drought damage to Opuntia is common when mother cladodes, planted during the dry spring season, develop young daughter cladodes that behave like C3 plants, with daytime stomatal opening and water loss. In contrast, wild Opuntia are less affected because daughter cladodes do not develop on them under extreme drought conditions. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of the number of daughter cladodes on gas exchange parameters of mother cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica exposed to varying soil water contents. METHODS: Rates of net CO2 uptake, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, chlorophyll content and relative water content were measured in mature mother cladodes with a variable number of daughter cladodes growing in spring under dry and wet conditions. KEY RESULTS: Daily carbon gain by mother cladodes was reduced as the number of daughter cladodes increased to eight, especially during drought. This was accompanied by decreased mother cladode relative water content, suggesting movement of water from mother to daughter cladodes. CO2 assimilation was most affected in phase IV of CAM (late afternoon net CO2 uptake) by the combined effects of daughter cladodes and drought. Rainfall raised the soil water content, decreasing the effects of daughter cladodes on net CO2 uptake by mother cladodes. CONCLUSIONS: Daughter cladodes significantly hasten the effects of drought on mother cladodes by competition for the water supply and thus decrease daily carbon gain by mother cladodes, mainly by inhibiting phase IV of CAM.     

Seed oil polyphenols: Rapid and sensitive extraction method and high resolution–mass spectrometry identification

Phenolic content is a primary parameter for vegetables oil quality evaluation, and directly involved in the prevention of oxidation and oil preservation. Several methods have been reported in the literature for polyphenols extraction from seed oil but the approaches commonly used remain manually handled. In this work, we propose a rapid and sensitive method for seed oil polyphenols extraction and identification. For this purpose, polyphenols were extracted from Opuntia stricta Haw seed oil, using high frequency agitation, separated, and then identified using a liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry method. Our results showed good sensitivity and reproducibility of the developed methods.     

Comparing the effects of the exotic cactus-feeding moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and the native cactus-feeding moth, Melitara prodenialis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on two species of Florida Opuntia

This study examined the effects of the native cactus moth borer, Melitara prodenialis, and the invasive cactus moth borer, Cactoblastis cactorum, on two common cactus species, Opuntia stricta and O. humifusa at coastal and inland locations in central Florida. Opuntia stricta were present only at coastal sites and O. humifusa were present at coastal and inland sites. Throughout the duration of the study, coastal plants were subject to damage solely by C. cactorum and inland plants solely by M. prodenialis. Results showed marginally significantly higher numbers of eggsticks on O. stricta than O. humifusa and significantly higher numbers at coastal sites than at inland sites. There was also significantly higher moth damage on O. stricta than O. humifusa and at coastal sites than inland sites, but not significantly so. However, there was a higher level of plant mortality for O. humifusa than for O. stricta and a significantly higher level of cactus mortality at inland sites when compared to coastal sites. This increased mortality may be due to increased attack by true bugs, Chelinidea vittiger, and by Dactylopius sp., combined with attack by M. prodenialis. Inland plants also tended to be smaller than coastal plants and could be more susceptible to the combined effects of all insects. Further long-term research on coastal cactus survival when attacked and unattacked by Cactoblastis is necessary to fully determine the effects of this moth on Opuntia survival.