Harvesting of the Kelp Ecklonia Maxima in South Africa Affects Its Three Obligate, Red Algal Epiphytes

In South Africa, more than 7000 t (f wt) of kelp (Ecklonia maxima) fronds are harvested annually to feed cultured abalone. Carpoblepharis flaccida, Gelidium vittatum and Polysiphonia virgata are conspicuous red algal epiphytes on older kelps and provide habitat and food for numerous animals. Over 4.5 y, we examined the effects of one destructive harvest of E. maxima on these 3 epiphytes. Two 20 × 20 m plots of kelp with similar epiphyte loads were demarcated. In one, all E. maxima sporophytes with stipes longer than 50 cm were harvested. The other plot served as a control. After 2.5 y the biomass of E. maxima in the harvested plot had recovered to control levels, but the epiphyte load (g epiphytes. Kg kelp⁻¹) was statistically lower in the harvested plot after 2.5 and 3.5 y, and only recovered after 4.5 y. While most commercial harvesters cut through the “heads” (primary blades) of the kelp, effectively killing them, a new, non-lethal method removes secondary blades 20–30 cm from their bases, leaving the meristems and primary blades intact. At 5 sites studied, G. vittatum and P. virgata were found almost entirely on stipes and primary blades, and harvesting only distal parts of secondary blades limited losses to about 50% of C. flaccida biomass. To protect epiphytes, non-lethal harvesting is recommended and permanent non-harvest zones have been established in addition to limiting kelp yields and disallowing harvesting in Marine Protected Areas.     

Seed dispersal and population structure in Vriesea gigantea,a bromeliad from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Seed dispersal, population structure and the mating system of plant species can have great consequences on the genetic structure of populations. Vriesea gigantea is a bromeliad from southeastern Brazil which is self‐compatible and pollinator dependent for fruit set. Its populations are fertile in terms of the production of flowers, pollen, fruits and seeds. To assess the importance of seed supply for gene flow, colonization and distribution of adult individuals, the seed dispersal and population structure of V. gigantea were studied. Seeds are dispersed over short distances; most seeds land close to the mother plant. This pattern coincides with the reported aggregate distribution of bromeliad seedlings. Population structure results showed high seedling recruitment, because 51.3% developed into adults, although few juveniles reached this stage. This result is different from that for other bromeliad species from different habitat conditions. Seed dispersal and population structural patterns are consistent with previous molecular studies, revealing that V. gigantea populations are genetically structured, with low gene flow and a moderate outcrossing rate. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 164 , 317–325.     

Evaluating a Large‐Scale Eelgrass Restoration Project in the Chesapeake Bay

Approximately 90,000 shoots of eelgrass (Zostera marina) were planted over 3 years (2003–2005) at Piney Point (PP) in the lower Potomac River estuary in the Chesapeake Bay (mid‐Atlantic coast of North America) following 3 years of habitat evaluation using a Preliminary Transplant Suitability Index (PTSI) and test plantings. Initial survival was high for the 2003 and 2004 plantings; however, most of the eelgrass died during the summer following the fall planting. Habitat quality and restoration success were monitored for the 2005 plantings and compared to a nearby restoration site (St. George Island [SGI]). Eelgrass planted at PP in the fall of 2005 declined through the summer of 2006 with some recovery in the spring of 2007, but was gone by the end of the summer of 2007. The summer decline from late July to mid‐August of 2006 coincided with water temperatures greater than 30°C, hypoxic oxygen (0–3 mg/L) concentrations, and low percent light at leaf level (PLL < 15%). Epiphyte loads were much heavier at PP than at SGI, despite similar water quality. We suggest that this was the result of higher wave exposure at PP. All of these factors are likely to have contributed to the mortality of the 2005 plantings. Submerged aquatic vegetation habitat quality based on the PTSI, median PLL during the growing season, and test plantings did not explain the decline of the plantings. Restoration site selection criteria should be expanded to include the effects of wave exposure on self‐shading and epiphyte loads, and the potential for both short‐term exposures to stressful conditions and long‐term changes in habitat quality.     

Photosynthetic induction and leaf carbon gain in the tropical understorey epiphyte,Aspasia principissa

Gas exchange of the understorey epiphyte Aspasia principissa was studied in fluctuating light conditions both in the laboratory and in the field, testing the hypothesis that vascular epiphytes differ from most terrestrial understorey plants in showing a higher priority for water conservation. Consequently, a slow response of stomatal conductance to sudden increases in incident photon flux density (PFD) was expected, as was a fast loss of induction after such a light fleck. Results were only partly consistent with these expectations. Full induction of photosynthesis was indeed very slow and was not reached before, respectively, 40 and 60 min of saturating PFD in the field and the laboratory. In contrast, kinetics of induction loss were comparable with those of most terrestrial species studied to date. The overall impact of light flecks on in situ carbon gain again fulfilled expectations, being rather limited: the observed carbon gain was only approx. 66% of the potential carbon gain estimated from a square-wave response model. It is concluded that in the drought-prone epiphytic habitat of a moist lowland forest, water conservation takes priority over carbon gain, which severely limits the use of light flecks for CO(2) fixation in vascular epiphytes.     

云南石林喀斯特地区半湿润常绿阔叶林附生植物的初步研究

对云南石林喀斯特山地原生植被——半湿润常绿阔叶林中附生植物的组成、生物量以及附生植物持水量等进行研究,结果表明该区森林林木附生植物种类相对较少,只有8科9种附生维管束植物和5种苔藓植物,而林内岩石表面则有石附生维管束植物16科17种,苔藓植物3种,两种不同生境附生植物的相似性系数为0.5。相同取样面积(400cm2)条件下,岩石表面附生植物平均生物量(11.7g)比林木表面(4.9g)的高。附生植物一次持水量为自身干重的5.5~9.7倍。     

Phytoplankton and Epiphyte Development and Their Shading Effect on Submerged Macrophytes in Lakes of Different Nutrient Status

The annual mean light intensity at the depth limit of the Littorella vegetation was 24–33% of the subsurface light intensity, despite large variations in each attenuation component (lake water, phytoplankton, and epiphytes). In oligotrophic, silicate-poor lakes, the light attenuation above the submerged vegetation was dominated by the water itself, which accounted for 65–72% of the total attenuation. Phytoplankton and epiphytes were equal in importance to each other. In oligotrophic, silicate-rich lakes and lakes receiving a nitrogen supply above background level, the epiphytes were more abundant, accounting for about 50% of the light attenuation. In one lake with a high nutrient supply, the epiphytes were responsible for 86% of the light attenuation. A new method of measuring the effect of shading by the epiphytic community on submerged macrophytes is presented. The light attenuation caused by the phytoplankton and the epiphytes was investigated and related to the depth distribution of the submerged angiosperm, Littorella uniflora. It is shown that the biomass of the epiphytes increased more than the biomass of the phytoplankton in response to an external or internal nutrient loading. Shading by epiphytes is of decisive importance for the depth distribution of Littorella at increasing nutrient supply.     

Life history evolution and genome size in subtribe Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae)

• Background and Aims Within Oncidiinae, there are severalgroups of species that are effectively annuals, and we wishedto see if these species had smaller genome sizes than averagefor the subtribe. • Methods Fifty-four genome size estimates (50 of whichare new) for species in subtribe Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae) wereexamined for the first time in a phylogenetic context to evaluatehypotheses concerning genome sizes and life history traits. • Results and Conclusions Within the limits of still relativelysparse sampling, the species that are effectively annuals doappear to have smaller genome sizes than average. However, thegenome sizes of their immediate sister group are also small,indicating that changes in genome size preceded the change inlife history traits. Genome sizes and chromosome numbers alsodo not correlate; some slowly growing species have lower chromosomenumbers but large genomes and vice versa. Based on a surveyof the literature on orchids, it is also clear that epiphyticspecies have smaller genome sizes than do terrestrial species,which could be an effect of different water relations or thefact that most terrestrial orchids are geophytic or have distinctgrowth and dormancy phases.