Impacts of a native parasitic plant on an introduced and a native host species: implications for the control of an invasive weed

Background and Aims: While invasive species may escape from natural enemies in thenew range, the establishment of novel biotic interactions withspecies native to the invaded range can determine their success.Biological control of plant populations can be achieved by manipulationof a species' enemies in the invaded range. Interactions weretherefore investigated between a native parasitic plant andan invasive legume in Mediterranean-type woodlands of SouthAustralia. Methods: The effects of the native stem parasite, Cassytha pubescens,on the introduced host, Cytisus scoparius, and a co-occurringnative host, Leptospermum myrsinoides, were compared. The hypothesisthat the parasitic plant would have a greater impact on theintroduced host than the native host was tested. In a fieldstudy, photosynthesis, growth and survival of hosts and parasitewere examined. Key Results: As predicted, Cassytha had greater impacts on the introducedhost than the native host. Dead Cytisus were associated withdense Cassytha infections but mortality of Leptospermum wasnot correlated with parasite infection. Cassytha infection reducedthe photosynthetic rates of both hosts. Infected Cytisus showedslower recovery of photosystem II efficiency, lower transpirationrates and reduced photosynthetic biomass in comparison withuninfected plants. Parasite photosynthetic rates and growthrates were higher when growing on the introduced host Cytisus,than on Leptospermum. Conclusions: Infection by a native parasitic plant had strong negative effectson the physiology and above-ground biomass allocation of anintroduced species and was correlated with increased plant mortality.The greater impact of the parasite on the introduced host maybe due to either the greater resources that this host providesor increased resistance to infection by the native host. Thisdisparity of effects between introduced host and native hostindicates the potential for Cassytha to be exploited as a controltool.     

Germination and regeneration mechanisms in Mediterranean degenerate forests

Abstract. Germination and developmental behaviour during juvenile stages are of importance in relation to succession mechanisms acting on plant communities. This is particularly so in the Mediterranean region, where the climatic summer drought causes stress. We investigated and compared germination and development of four tree species in two parts of the French Mediterranean region where the original dominant tree species (Quercus pubescens) has been largely replaced by Quercus ilex in the southern part, and Castanea sativa in the northern part. Observed differences in germination rates and developmental behaviour, especially shootroot ratio and the role of water supply, suggest that other species may eventually replace the current dominant species.     

Poleward increase in feeding efficiency of leafminer Stigmella lapponica (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) in a latitudinal gradient crossing a boreal forest zone

Damage to plant communities imposed by insect herbivores generally decreases from low to high latitudes. This decrease is routinely attributed to declines in herbivore abundance and/or diversity, whereas latitudinal changes in per capita food consumption remain virtually unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the lifetime food consumption by a herbivore individual decreases from low to high latitudes due to a temperature-driven decrease in metabolic expenses. From 2016 to 2019, we explored latitudinal changes in multiple characteristics of linear (gallery) mines made by larvae of the pygmy moth, Stigmella lapponica, in leaves of downy birch, Betula pubescens. The mined leaves were larger than intact leaves at the southern end of our latitudinal gradient (at 60°N) but smaller than intact leaves at its northern end (at 69°N), suggesting that female oviposition preference changes with latitude. No latitudinal changes were observed in larval size, mine length or area, and in per capita food consumption, but the larval feeding efficiency (quantified as the ratio between larval size and mine size) increased with latitude. Consequently, S. lapponica larvae consumed less foliar biomass at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes to reach the same size. Based on space-for-time substitution, we suggest that climate warming will increase metabolic expenses of insect herbivores with uncertain consequences for plant–herbivore interactions.     

毛红椿天然林种子雨、种子库与天然更新

2008-2011年,调查江西九连山国家级自然保护区毛红椿天然林的种子雨、种子库及林下幼苗数量.结果表明:在毛红椿天然林,种子雨散布时间为10月下旬至12月下旬.2010年不同样地的种子雨强度为虾公塘气象观测站(320.3±23.5粒·m-2)＞虾公塘保护站(284.7±24.2粒·m-2)＞大丘田保护站(251.6±24.7粒·m-2),分别以222.0、34.3和22.6粒·m-2完好种子供土壤萌发更新;毛红椿种子储量取决于结实量、鸟类取食和种子活力等因素,鸟类取食是其种子储量大幅下降的首要因素;由于种子不耐储藏以及大量腐烂,种子有效贮藏期不足1个月.12月天然林种子库平均萌发数≤2株·m-2,次年1月土壤种子库种子量最少,为6.7～11.8粒·m-2,平均仅萌发0.4～0.6株·m-2,与林下实生幼苗分布极少相吻合.毛红椿种子雨储备、种子库种子活力保存及幼苗建成等因素影响其天然更新.     

Stamens are not essential as an attractant for pollinators in females of cryptically dioecious Thalictrum pubescens Pursch. (Ranunculaceae)

 It has been hypothesized that females of some dioecious species maintain stamens that produce sterile pollen as a means of attracting pollinators to promote greater seed set. However, this hypothesis has rarely been tested. This paper examines the role of pollinators in the maintenance of sterile stamens in the cryptically dioecious species, Thalictrum pubescens. Wind was found to contribute to pollination; branches of female T. pubescens enclosed in cheesecloth to exclude insects but not wind were still able to set seed. Therefore, females may not need the stamens for pollination. In 1994, insects were found to discriminate against emasculated female flowers, but this discrimination did not lead to a significant difference in either the amount of pollen received or seed set. In 1995, emasculation was combined with the addition of pollen to determine if emasculated females were pollen limited. No significant effect of pollen addition or emasculation was found. Emasculated branches in the pollen-addition treatment appeared to have slightly lower seed set than non-emasculated branches that received pollen, indicating that the slight reduction in seed set was caused by emasculation rather than pollen limitation. Since stamens do not appear to be maintained as pollinator attractants, other explanations, such as genetic constraints, must be investigated. Received: 4 February 1997 / Revision accepted: 20 May 1997     

Weibull分布参数辨识改进及对浙江毛竹林胸径年龄分布的测度

非线性模型迭代参数初始值的选取及拟合的结果能否可用非常重要且一直是一个难题.传统的方法只是凭感觉偿试不进行定量评估,对于用阻尼最小二乘进行拟合只注重精度高低,没有从理论上研究和分析评价得出的结果能否可用.为了克服这一不足,使参数选取较好,阻尼最小二乘得出结果可用.利用非线性回归原理在这两方面做了探讨,提出了二个判别指标：β^T＜1,β^N＜1,分析了每一指标在参数不同状态的控制作用,并在Weibull分布函数参数辨识中做了应用.针对目前毛竹林林分结构规律研究的不足,利用浙江省230个毛竹林样地资料研究了省域尺度的毛竹林胸径分布规律,经SPSS软件中的P-P图检验与柯尔莫哥洛夫检验,表明毛竹林胸径结构服从Weibull分布;再经对Weibull分布模型拟合求解与作图对比,结果显示Weibull分布能很好地描述毛竹林胸径分布规律.利用Weibull分布三参数与林分特征因子间的相关关系,经分析研究,导出了一个改进的二元分布模型,用该二元分布模型很好地测度了浙江省毛竹林胸径和年龄分布规律,最后得到了浙江省毛竹林株数按胸径年龄分布的理论频数.     

Nitrogen fertilizers promote plant growth and assist in manganese (Mn) accumulation by Polygonum pubescens Blume cultured in Mn tailings soil

Abstract

This study examined how different nitrogen (N) forms and application levels promote plant growth and assist in manganese (Mn) remediation of Polygonum pubescens Blume (P. pubescens) cultured in soil with a high Mn level. The effects of ammonium chloride (a) and urea (u), at three application levels (10, 20, and 30?mg L^?1 N) and control (no N addition, CK) on the growth, Mn accumulation, and enzymatic anti-oxidative defenses of P. pubescens were examined. In general, both ammonium-N and urea-N promoted the plant mass and height of P. pubescens. The total Mn amount of roots, stems, and leaves in N treatments were higher (p?<?0.05) than that of CK. The ammonium-N treatments showed greater plant biomass and Mn accumulation compared to the urea-N ones. In general, the accumulations of Mn, Cr, Zn, and Cu were significantly lower (p?<?0.05) in the N fertilizer treatment than those in the control; while the accumulations of Pb were higher (p?<?0.05) in P. pubescens across all N fertilizer treatments than those in the control. The N addition decreased the contents of O₂^? and H₂O₂ in the leaves of P. pubescens, while increasing the activities of enzymatic anti-oxidative defenses.     

The South Hesse Oak Project (SHOP): Species- and site-specific efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus of Mediterranean and Central European Oaks

In three experimental sites in Southern Hesse, differing in management procedures, one- to three-year-old saplings of Quercus robur, Q.pubescens, and Q.ilex were planted to study their performance under Central European climate conditions. Toward the end of the growth period (mid–late September 2011), during a very dry period, we measured JIP transients of photosystem II chlorophyll fluorescence induction curves to evaluate the effects of abiotic site factors on the photosynthetic apparatus by comparing them to data from well-watered saplings measured before the onset of senescence processes. In all three sites, Q. robur saplings in September showed the strongest deviation from the measurements in August, followed by Q. pubescens. Q. ilex, in general, was nearly unaffected by September climate conditions or performed better than plants measured in August. Differences in the behavior between species and sites could be explained by the species’ different drought susceptibility and by differential induction of early leaf senescence (in Q. robur and Q. pubescens). We conclude that measurement of the JIP transient is a feasible method in forestry to compare adverse microclimatic site effects and genetically fixed reactions of the photosynthetic apparatus in the field.     

Driving factors of a vegetation shift from Scots pine to pubescent oak in dry Alpine forests

An increasing number of studies have reported on forest declines and vegetation shifts triggered by drought. In the Swiss Rhone valley (Valais), one of the driest inner‐Alpine regions, the species composition in low elevation forests is changing: The sub‐boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) dominating the dry forests is showing high mortality rates. Concurrently the sub‐Mediterranean pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) has locally increased in abundance. However, it remains unclear whether this local change in species composition is part of a larger‐scale vegetation shift. To study variability in mortality and regeneration in these dry forests we analysed data from the Swiss national forest inventory (NFI) on a regular grid between 1983 and 2003, and combined it with annual mortality data from a monitoring site. Pine mortality was found to be highest at low elevation (below 1000 m a.s.l.). Annual variation in pine mortality was correlated with a drought index computed for the summer months prior to observed tree death. A generalized linear mixed‐effects model indicated for the NFI data increased pine mortality on dryer sites with high stand competition, particularly for small‐diameter trees. Pine regeneration was low in comparison to its occurrence in the overstorey, whereas oak regeneration was comparably abundant. Although both species regenerated well at dry sites, pine regeneration was favoured at cooler sites at higher altitude and oak regeneration was more frequent at warmer sites, indicating a higher adaptation potential of oaks under future warming. Our results thus suggest that an extended shift in species composition is actually occurring in the pine forests in the Valais. The main driving factors are found to be climatic variability, particularly drought, and variability in stand structure and topography. Thus, pine forests at low elevations are developing into oak forests with unknown consequences for these ecosystems and their goods and services.