A comparative epidermis study of the Athabasca sand dune willows (Salix; Salicaceae) and their putative progenitors

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 749-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranessa L Cooper ◽  
David D Cass

The Athabasca sand dunes are located on the south shore of Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. Four willow shrubs (Salix; Salicaceae) occur on the open sands, two of which are endemic to the Athabasca sand dunes. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used to quantify stomatal frequency, stomatal index, trichome density, and cuticle thickness, for the Athabasca sand dune willows and their associated putative progenitors. The Athabasca sand dune taxa (Salix brachycarpa var. psammophila, Salix planifolia subsp. tyrrellii, Salix silicicola, and Salix turnorii) occur primarily on the inner dunes, and each has certain leaf epidermal features that appear to be adaptive to the exposed nature of the open sand habitat and the high light intensity. Salix brachycarpa var. psammophila and S. silicicola have tomentose leaves, with trichome densities that are significantly greater than those of their respective widespread progenitors. Salix planifolia subsp. tyrrellii and S. turnorii have amphistomatic leaves and substantially thicker cuticles than their associated progenitors. This investigation is the first to compare adaptive leaf epidermis features within the derivative–progenitor Salix pairs. Considerations for the significance of amphistomaty in the Athabasca sand dune Salix taxa are discussed.Key words: Athabasca sand dunes, cuticle, Salix, stomata, trichomes, willow.

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenying Huang ◽  
Yitzchak Gutterman

Leymus Racemosus, The Mammoth Wild Rye, Is A Rhizomatous Perennial Grass, Mainly Distributed In The Moving Or Semi-Stabilized Sand Dunes In Deserts Of The Junggar Basin In Xinjiang, China. The Revival Ability Of The Young Seedling After Periods Of Desiccation Can Be Influenced By Several Factors: (1) The Stage Of Seedling Development – The Later The Stage At Dehydration, The Longer The Root Length And The Lower Is The Percentage Of Seedlings That Survive; (2) The Length Of The Period Of Desiccation – The Longer The Period That The Seedlings Are Under Desiccation, The Lower Is The Percentage Of Seedlings That Survive; (3) Endosperm Size – The Smaller The Proportion Of Endosperm That Remains In The Caryopses, The Lower Is The Percentage Of Seedlings That Revive, Determined By (A) The Stage Of Seedling Development, And (B) The Proportion Of The Endosperm That Is Removed By Cutting; And (4) Caryopsis Size – The Larger The Polymorphic Caryopses, The Higher Is The Percentage Of Young Seedlings That Revive From Periods Of Desiccation. The Physiological And Ecological Implications Of L. Racemosus Seedling Desiccation Tolerance Are That Under Extreme Desert And Unpredictable Environmental Conditions, The Chances Of Seedling Establishment Are Increased.


1970 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Tofazzal Islam ◽  
A.K.M. Golam Sarwar ◽  
Hasna Hena Begum ◽  
Toshiaki Ito

Not available.Keywords: Leaf epidermis; Rice; Scanning electron microscopy (SEM); Slender macro hair. DOI: 10.3329/bjpt.v16i2.3931 Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 16(2): 177-180, 2009 (December)


1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1903-1912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyeong W. Yun ◽  
M. A. Maun

Greenhouse studies were conducted to test allelopathic effects of Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata on seed germination and seedling growth of several sand-dune species and colonization by mycorrhizal fungi. The aqueous extracts of A. campestris showed no inhibitory effect on seed germination, seedling elongation, or dry-weight growth of plants at lower concentrations (10 and 50%), but 100% concentration of the extracts caused varying degrees of inhibition depending on the test species. The mixing of dry leaves of seedlings of A. campestris to the sand showed severe inhibition of Elymus canadensis seedlings. The percent germination of test species in soil from the rhizosphere of A. campestris was significantly lower than that of the control. The leaf area and dry weight were also lower but the differences were not significant. The aqueous extract inhibited mycorrhizal fungal colonization in roots of three sand-dune grasses. Key words: allelopathy, Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata, seed germination, seedling growth, mycorrhizal fungi.


Author(s):  
Tudal SINSIN ◽  
Fouad MOUNIR ◽  
Ahmed El ABOUDI

The desertification affects more than 250,000 ha in the district of Errachidia and results in the expansion of desert landscapes such as the Regs, Hamadas and the Dunes. The latter is a big concern in the district since it is the source of siltation, which threatens dwellings, cultivated lands and water bodies. It is of paramount importance to understand the causes and consequences of silting to develop strategies to combat it. Thus, first, we analysed the spatial and temporal dynamics of sand dunes until 2069 by applying the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving-Average (SARIMA) model on a time series of sand dune areas. These areas were calculated annually from 1987 to 2019 by computing the sand cover index (SCI) on Landsat satellite images. Furthermore, we evaluated the influence of different natural and human factors such as temperature, precipitation, wind, vegetation, and population growth, on sand dune dynamics using Spearman’s correlation test. The results indicated that the area of sand dunes will increase by 1.7% per year between 2019 and 2069 in the district of Errachidia. This increase would be mainly caused by the combined action of ecological factors, which vary from year to year. In general, temperature and precipitation act indirectly on wind and vegetation to influence the dynamics of sand dunes in hyper-arid areas where the soil is bare or poorly covered with vegetation, where precipitation is low and where temperature is high.


2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elwira Żmudzka ◽  
Dariusz Woronko ◽  
Maciej Dłużewski

Abstract Climatic and meteorological conditions may limit the aeolian transport within barchans. An explanation of that issue was the main goal of the investigation held in Western Sahara dune fields located around Tarfaya and Laâyoune. Particular attention was paid to the factors causing the moisture content rising of the sand dune surface layer, which could influence the wind threshold shear velocity in the aeolian transport. The wetted surface layer of sand, when receiving moisture from precipitation or suspensions, reduces the aeolian transport, even in case of wind velocity above 4-5 m s-1. Fog and dew condensation does not affect the moisture of deeper sand layers, what occurs after rainfall.


Bothalia ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Bredenkamp ◽  
A. E. Van Wyk

Epidermal features were studied in all 17 species of Passerina, a genus endemic to southern Africa. Leaves in Passerina are inversely ericoid, the adaxial surface concave and the abaxial surface convex. Leaves are inversely dorsiventral and epistomatic. The adaxial epidermis is villous, with unicellular, uniseriate trichomes and relatively small thin-walled cells, promoting flexibility of leaf margins owing to turgor changes. In common with many other Thymelaeaceae, abaxial epidermal cells are large and tanniniferous with mucilaginous cell walls. The cuticle is adaxially thin, but abaxially well devel­oped, probably enabling the leaf to restrict water loss and to tolerate high light intensity and UV-B radiation. Epicuticular waxes, present in all species, comprise both soft and plate waxes. Epidermal structure proves to be taxonomically impor­tant at family, genus and species levels. Interspecific differences include arrangement of stomata and presence or absence of abaxial epidermal hair. Other diagnostic characters of the abaxial epidermal cells are arrangement,size and shape, cutic- ular ornamentation and presence or absence of wax platelets. Two groups of species on the basis of abaxial epidermal cell orientation are recognised. Many leaf epidermal features in Passerina are interpreted as structural adaptations to the Mediterranean climate of the Cape.


2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Eira ◽  
Jordi Torres ◽  
José Vingada ◽  
Jordi Miquel

AbstractThis paper presents the first extensive data on the helminth community of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus in a coastal sand dune area in Portugal. The 557 hosts analysed in this study were trapped seasonally between autumn 2002 and summer 2005 across 6 habitat types. Twelve helminth species were detected among which, Taenia parva larvae, Angiostrongylus dujardini, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, Syphacia stroma and S. frederici constitute the component species, accounting for 98.7% of all worms. H. polygyrus was the most prevalent helminth parasite. Species richness varied according to habitat and season. The highest species richness was found in sand dunes during winter whereas the lowest was detected along lake margins also during the winter. Some differences in prevalence and mean intensity values were found in relation to year (T. parva larvae and H. polygyrus), habitat (A. dujardini), season (T. parva larvae, H. polygyrus, A. dujardini and S. stroma) and host sex (T. parva larvae and S. stroma). These differences are discussed both in view of the host’s biology and habitat characteristics.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Mohammed Benaafi ◽  
Sherif M. Hanafy ◽  
Abdullatif Al-Shuhail ◽  
Ammar El-Husseiny ◽  
Jack Dvorkin

In arid countries such as Saudi Arabia, aeolian sand often covers a large area of the country. Understanding the variations of sand properties in dunes, including grain size, sorting, mineral composition and water content, can be important for groundwater recharge, environmental, and construction applications. Earlier studies examined properties of sand dunes by collecting samples from the surface. This study aims to investigate variations of sand properties within a Barchan sand dune in the coastal area of Saudi Arabia, by collecting samples and measurements from two vertically drilled boreholes up to the ground water level; one drilled in the dune crest and another one in the limb. Representative samples were collected and analyzed for their texture parameters, water content, and mineralogy. Electrical resistivity survey data was also acquired to map water content variation in the dune limb, and for comparison with well bore data. The reported results show no vertical variations in grain size or sorting in the dune crest. In contrast, the upper 0.5 m of the dune limb shows a relatively poorer sorting than found in deeper parts of the dune. Laterally, no variations in minerology were observed between crest and limb sands while grain size tended to be slightly coarser in the dune limb compared to the crest. Regarding the water content, it was found to vary vertically, probably due to previous cycles of rainfall infiltration through the sand body. Such observed variation in water content is consistent with the measured resistivity profile which could clearly identify the water table and areas with higher water content. This study concludes that beyond the upper 0.5 m, the Barchan sand dune body can be treated as a homogeneous medium in terms of mineralogy and sorting while grain size increases slightly toward the limb side.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 713-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Maun

One of the most obvious features on the foredunes and strands of coasts and lakes is recurrent burial in sand. Burial levels vary in different coastal sand dune systems and influence the physical and biotic microenvironment of the plant and soil. Foredune plants along coasts possess numerous adaptations to withstand burial. Studies show that below a certain threshold level of burial, the growth of all foredune plant species is stimulated probably because of multiple factors, namely improved soil resources, increase in soil volume, reactive plant growth, and enhanced mycorrhizal activity. However, as the level of burial increases, the positive response starts to decline until it becomes a negative value. For example, burial may reduce seed germination, seedling emergence, survival, and growth of seedlings and adult plants. At the community level, burial acts as a filter and selectively eliminates susceptible species, reduces the relative abundance of less tolerant species, and increases the abundance of tolerant and sand-dependent species. However, if sand deposition continues unabated, even the sand-dependent species are eliminated and a bare area is created. The emergence of a plant from a burial deposit primarily depends on the energy reserves in its storage organs and the speed, depth, and frequency of burial. Upon burial the plants shift resources from the belowground to the aboveground parts. Different plants show varied morphological responses to sand accretion. For example, the culms of grasses emerge by an increase in the number of nodes per culm and the elongation of internodes. Similarly, the emergent trunks and woody branches of tolerant trees and shrubs produce new buds and suckers at a higher level on the stem. In response to burial, the coastal sand dune species produce shootborne roots close to the new soil surface probably because of decreased oxygen levels.Key words: sand accretion, adaptations to burial, zonation of vegetation, burial of seeds, plant vigour, impact on communities, modes of emergence.


Author(s):  
R. Watling ◽  
M. Rotheroe

SynopsisOur knowledge of the macrofungi of British sand dune systems is outlined and similarities and differences are discussed, based both on intensive studies and scattered observations, particularly in Scotland and Wales. Comparisons are made with European sand dune communities, and much wider observations from as far afield as N.E. Australia and North America are presented. Several records new to Britain are documented.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document