On phylogenetic inertia: a case of Lixinae weevils

Summary. Among host plants of Lixinae weevils, plant life-form ratio (sensu Raunkiaer) is similar to the plant spectrum of Mediterranean deserts. A possible explanation is that this group of insects formed in desert zones and settled in the steppe rather later. For the first time Raunkiaer’s life-form ratio is compared with a spectrum of food plants of herbivores. This approach may be useful for reconstruction of the genesis of taxa and communities.     

A comparison of 14C, 86Rb,and total excavation for determination of root distributions of individual plants

Individual grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and shrub (Gutierrezia sarothrae) plants were either excavated as monoliths on nail boards, exposed to ¹⁴CO₂, or stem-injected with ⁸⁶Rb to compare the ability of the techniques to determine horizontal and vertical distribution of roots. The vertical distribution or roots directly under plant centers obtained by coring most closely correlated with monolith root length. ¹⁴C activity greatly overestimated near-surface roots and underestimated deep roots. ⁸⁶Rb activity did not follow the pattern of geometric decrease in root biomass with depth. Comparisons of both isotopes with monolith root length, over both horizontal and vertical axes, indicated that ¹⁴C activity was consistently concentrated near the soil surface, and ⁸⁶Rb activity was highly variable and randomly distributed. ¹⁴C may better represent root activity than root mass, and stem-injection methods can result in nonuniform labeling of roots. Caution should be exercised when using tracers to infer root biomass distributions. Resource partitioning between shrubs and grasses is discussed in relation to soil water dynamics in this semiarid grassland.     

Patterns and Mechanisms of Nutrient Resorption in Plants

Nutrient resorption (NR) plays a key role in the nutrient conservation of plants. However, a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that control NR remains limited. In this review, we examine how intrinsic controls (e.g., genetic variability and plant development) and extrinsic environmental controls (e.g., climate and soil fertility) influence NR. We also examined conceptual NR advances, mass loss correction, measurement in non-leaf plant tissues for whole-plant nutrient budget accounting, and the use of stoichiometric ratios in place of individual elements. Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is greater than that from stems/culms or roots. Nutrients resorbed from stems and roots in woody plants are lower than in non-woody plants. Deciduous plants are more efficient in resorbing leaf nutrients prior to senescence than are evergreen plants. Furthermore, reproductive efforts tend to increase NR. Along a latitudinal gradient of terrestrial biomes, nitrogen resorption efficiency decreases and phosphorus resorption efficiency increases with increasing temperature and precipitation; however, latitudinal patterns reflect the influences of several coupling factors such as genetic variation, climate, soil, and disturbance history. Nutrient fertilization experiments have demonstrated that increased soil fertility reduces NR. The inquiries into the impacts of ongoing climate change on NR are still at a nascent stage. Future NR studies are needed to better understand the independent effects of a wide range of genetic variation, plant development, and environment, and possibly the different responses of plants to environmental change; particularly elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and global warming.     

Climate and vegetation structure determine plant diversity in Quercus ilex woodlands along an aridity and human-use gradient in Northern Algeria

We studied the influence of environmental factors relating to climate, soil and vegetation cover on total species richness, species richness of different life-forms and species composition of plant communities occurring in Quercus ilex woodlands, across a 450-km long transect in Northern Algeria constituting a gradient of aridity and human use. We sampled vegetation and collected environmental data in 81 10 m × 10 m plots in five zones representing the largest Q. ilex woodlands throughout the study area, analysing them within an a priori hypothesis framework with the use of Path Analysis. Changes in plant diversity were mainly influenced by environmental factors related to precipitation and temperature regimes, as well as by total plant cover. In particular, changes in species composition were determined by factors associated with the temperature regime through their influence on both woody and annual herbaceous plant richness, and by factors related to the precipitation regime through their influence on perennial herbaceous plant richness, likely due to the differential tolerances of these functional groups to cold and water stress. Our results emphasize the importance of differences in environmental adaptability of the most important life-forms with regard to explaining compositional change (beta diversity) along aridity gradients, and the mediator role of total plant cover in relation to the effects of soil conditions on plant diversity.     

Modelling the effect of temperature changes on plant life-form distribution across a treeline ecotone in the tropical Andes

ABSTRACT

Background: Classifying species from the high tropical Andes into plant life forms (PLF) can provide a more functional understanding of tropical treeline dynamics. However, little is known about the potential response of PLFs to climate warming.

Aims: The objective of this work was to evaluate the response of PLFs to environmental conditions above the upper montane forest in the Venezuelan Andes and forecast their potential distribution under warming scenarios using habitat suitability models.

Methods: We classified species into nine PLFs, analysed their current distribution using CCA and non-linear multiple regressions and forecasted their potential distribution under warming scenarios. We used anatomical leaf traits for shrubs and caulescent rosettes to refine their potential responses to climate.

Results: Tree cover sharply decreased with increasing elevation, while shrub and caulescent rosette distribution differed depending on their leaf traits. Projections suggested an upslope shift of all PLFs with warming and an increase in tree cover.

Conclusions: The analysis of the distribution of PLFs, by linking plant adaptive strategies to topography/climate, allowed projecting changes in vegetation physiognomy in response to warming. Projections of a moderate increase in tree cover in the grassland páramo did not indicate the formation of closed forests above the forest line.     

Life forms variability of mediterranean sclerophyllous forests

Variations in Raunkiaer's life-forms spectra for mature Quercus ilex forest stands in N-Mediterranean basin were examined in order to assess their predictability in local vegetation analysis.Physiognomic variations in Quercus ilex communities appear to be mainly determined by structural variations due to intrinsic characteristics (long-term human disturbance all over their range) and to different dynamical status of the stands, without any geographical pattern.     

The significance of life-form characters for systematics,with special reference to the familyCampanulaceae

The biomorphological radiation of theCampanulaceae is outlined. Certain aspects of ontogeny and life-form are specific and constant for the tribes and genera of the family, and for the sections, subsections and series ofCampanula. Therefore, a certain correlation exists between the biomorphological characters and the reproductive structures underlying the taxonomic system.     

Convergence as an evolutionary process

Convergent evolution may be elucidated as a series of stages which show a decreasing number of common characters and become more and more generalized, the characters defining the stages finally being difficult to interpret as adaptive. The series starts with ecological races (genoecodemes), proceeds with parallel ecological races (ecotypes) to sub-life-forms, life-forms (growth forms), ecophysiological 'types' (e.g. xerophytes, halbphytes), and finishes with morpho-physiological levels. The ecotype concept is discussed, and it is proposed that it be restricted to cover parallel ecological races. Other discussions concern the possible occurrence of neutral or non-adaptive characters, the bunching of character gradients, and the two main classification systems of living entities.     

Drag coefficients of stream bryophytes: experimental determinations and ecological significance

1. Drag coefficients ( C D) of bryophyte-covered rocks were measured to see whether these differed between species. Replicate rocks, each supporting one of six bryophyte taxa, were attached to a base plate mounted on Teflon bearings in a flow tank. The drag force exerted on rocks with and without bryophyte material was measured by a strain gauge at different water velocities.
2. The difference in C D between rocks with and without bryophyte material was calculated for each plant, and expressed as a percentage change ( δC D). This varied significantly from 0 in three of the six taxa. The cushion-shaped moss Bryum blandum increased the C D by around 10%. The moss Blindia lewinskyae and liverwort Cryptochila grandiflora decreased the C D by around 40 and 30%, respectively, presumably reflecting their streamlined growth.
3. Drag characteristics of aquatic bryophytes may help explain differences in their resistance to fast flows. Furthermore, we suggest that some aquatic bryophytes can increase substrate stability by streamlining rocks, rendering them less prone to movement.