scholarly journals Differences in Functional Trait Distribution between Inselberg and Adjacent Matrix Floras

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Vegetative Reproduction ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
The Matrix

Inselbergs and the adjacent matrix represent extremes of different environmental conditions and should shed light on the changing allocation of plant resources across strong and abrupt resource gradients. Here I use collated life history trait data from 840 taxa found within typical insular inselberg and adjacent matrix floras from the New England Batholith region of eastern Australia. These species were sorted into guilds of specificity to the inselberg environment. Scored traits include life form, plant height, leaf area, fruit size, seed size, mono- or polycarpy, underground storage organs, regenerative/clonality, and flowering phenology. With reduced water and nutrient resources, typical of inselbergs, allocation of plant resources to vegetative reproduction and storage organs is a disadvantage. Plants restricted to inselbergs were shorter, usually polycarpic shrubs, with smaller leaves, fruits, and seeds. Flowering time was found to be earlier and reduced in length; diaspores often have dormancy and are dispersed locally in comparison to the matrix. The results show that with limited resources the creation of underground storage organs or vegetative reproduction becomes unviable on habitats characterised by shallow soil. Inselberg taxa of the study region are likely to be under greater threat than the matrix due to anthropogenic climate change.

Differences in disturbance type and nutrient availability favour different functional traits across three co-occurring montane wetland systems in eastern Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 526 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Freshwater Wetland ◽  
Disturbance Regime ◽  
Eastern Australia

Three co-occurring temperate montane non-riparian freshwater wetland communities of the New England Batholith of eastern Australia were chosen to test differences in resource allocation to select functional traits. Each of the wetlands was tested against inferred gradients of nutrient availability, fire and disturbance frequency. Collated functional trait data on 563 native vascular plant taxa known to occur in bogs, fens and lagoons were used against a centrally weighted means redundancy analysis. Traits included life form, plant height, leaf area, fruit size, seed size, mono- or polycarpy, storage organs, fruit type, vegetative spread and geographic range size. Where disturbances were moderate to low in frequency and habitats persistent, tolerance and in-situ permanence traits were favoured. With high nutrient availability and a low disturbance regime polycarpic species with large leaves that allow for larger fruit development were more common. Under low nutrient availability and a moderate disturbance regime, persistence was shifted to a longer lived polycarpic life history that includes woody taxa with increased seed size and a greater diversity of fruit types. In frequently inundated habitats, with shifting windows of available habitats, avoidance was the best strategy. Here persistence shifts to long-lived soil stored diaspores and a monocarpic life history with rapid vegetative growth to capture above ground spatial resource within temporary habitats.

An overview on therapeutic potential of Iris Persica

2020 ◽  
Vol 06 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faiq H. S. Hussain ◽  
Hawraz Ibrahim M. Amin ◽  
Dinesh kumar Patel ◽  
Omji Porwal
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Folk Medicine ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Traditional Medicines ◽  
The Family ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Radical Generation ◽  
Perennial Herbs

: The family Iridaceae contains 92 genera and more than 1800 species, mostly perennial herbs with underground storage organs called rhizomes (bulbs). Some genera are important in traditional medicines, especially Iris and Gladiolus. The genus Iris belongs to this family and comprises about hundreds species among them, 12 species are found in Iraq. It has been widely used various medicines worldwide especially Iris persica is used in folk medicine in the Kurdistan region of Iraq as an effective treatment against tumours, antibacterial, antifungal and treating inflammation. Earlier finding confirmed that Iris persica and its constituents play role in the scavenging of free radical generation and prevention of disease pathogenesis. Each part of the Iris persica herb has some medicinal property. This review gives a eagle eye view mainly on the biological activities of the Iris persica and some of their compounds isolated, pharmacological actions of the Iris persica extracts and products, and plausible medicinal and therapeutically applications.

scholarly journals Spatial genetic analysis and long-term mark–recapture data demonstrate male-biased dispersal in a snake

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Scott Keogh ◽  
Jonathan K Webb ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Data ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Adult Dispersal ◽  
Spatial Genetic Analysis ◽  
Polygynous Mating System ◽  
Important Life History Trait

Dispersal is an important life-history trait, but it is notoriously difficult to study. The most powerful approach is to attack the problem with multiple independent sources of data. We integrated information from a 14-year demographic study with molecular data from five polymorphic microsatellite loci to test the prediction of male-biased dispersal in a common elapid species from eastern Australia, the small-eyed snake Rhinoplocephalus nigrescens . These snakes have a polygynous mating system in which males fight for access to females. Our demographic data demonstrate that males move farther than females (about twice as far on average, and about three times for maximum distances). This sex bias in adult dispersal was evident also in the genetic data, which showed a strong and significant genetic signature of male-biased dispersal. Together, the genetic and demographic data suggest that gene flow is largely mediated by males in this species.

scholarly journals Predictive Ecosystem Mapping of South-Eastern Australian Temperate Forests Using Lidar-Derived Structural Profiles and Species Distribution Models

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Fedrigo ◽  
Stephen B. Stewart ◽  
Stephen H. Roxburgh ◽  
Sabine Kasel ◽  
Lauren T. Bennett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Continuous Distribution ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Study Region ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia

Modern approaches to predictive ecosystem mapping (PEM) have not thoroughly explored the use of ‘characteristic’ gradients, which describe vegetation structure (e.g., light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived structural profiles). In this study, we apply a PEM approach by classifying the dominant stand types within the Central Highlands region of south-eastern Australia using both lidar and species distribution models (SDMs). Similarity percentages analysis (SIMPER) was applied to comprehensive floristic surveys to identify five species which best separated stand types. The predicted distributions of these species, modelled using random forests with environmental (i.e., climate, topography) and optical characteristic gradients (Landsat-derived seasonal fractional cover), provided an ecological basis for refining stand type classifications based only on lidar-derived structural profiles. The resulting PEM model represents the first continuous distribution map of stand types across the study region that delineates ecotone stands, which are seral communities comprised of species typical of both rainforest and eucalypt forests. The spatial variability of vegetation structure incorporated into the PEM model suggests that many stand types are not as continuous in cover as represented by current ecological vegetation class distributions that describe the region. Improved PEM models can facilitate sustainable forest management, enhanced forest monitoring, and informed decision making at landscape scales.

Potentialities of plants with underground storage organs in the Egyptian desert flora

1978 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. El-Ghonemy ◽  
A. Wallace ◽  
E. M. Romney ◽  
S. Dowaidar ◽  
A. El-Gazzar
Keyword(s):  
Underground Storage ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Egyptian Desert ◽  
Desert Flora

Do fragmented coastal heathlands have habitat value to birds in eastern Australia?

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara G. Martin ◽  
Carla P. Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Species Assemblage ◽  
Environmental Regime ◽  
Habitat Value ◽  
Heathland Vegetation ◽  
Matrix Habitat ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Matrix

This study investigated the effects of habitat clearance and fragmentation on birds of coastal heathlands in subtropical eastern Australia. Abundance and species composition were compared among two types of cleared habitat (residential suburbs and sugar cane cropland) and four sizes of heathland remnant (1–2 ha, 5–10 ha, 20–50 ha and >500 ha) in summer and winter. Cleared land contained a distinctly different bird species assemblage from heathland remnants. Residential sites contained a distinct suite of species consistent with that described for ‘open/developed land’ habitat elsewhere in the region. In contrast, cane cropland supported very few species. Heathland remnants >500 ha contained high densities of ‘natural-vegetation-dependent’ species, whereas species of open/developed land were absent. Remnants of 1–2 ha had lowered densities of many natural-vegetation-dependent species, and a relatively high abundance of open/developed land species. Some of the avifaunal differences in the >500-ha remnants and 5–50-ha range are probably due to confounding of remnant size with habitat, resulting from selective clearing of the landscape. Most of the heathland birds were intolerant of the matrix habitat (residential and cane cropland), but tolerant of decreased remnant area, down to a threshold of about 5 ha. However, the distinctive floristic associations of heathland vegetation are dependent on an environmental regime (low nutrient, low pH, fire, in some cases inundation) that is unlikely to persist in remnants tens of hectares in size, and longer-term declines in heathland birds, are predicted.

Potential competition between two top-order predators following a dramatic contraction in the diversity of their prey base

2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raylene Cooke ◽  
Rohan Bilney ◽  
John White
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Management ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Potential Competition ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Significant Divergence ◽  
Potential Resource

AbstractTwo sympatric native top-order predators, the sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa) and powerful owl (Ninox strenua) coexist throughout much of their range in south-eastern Australia. Following European settlement, however, major changes in resource availability for these predators potentially resulted in increased competition, especially for food. This study examined ecological attributes of both species, including intersexual differences in the sooty owl, potential resource partitioning and whether competition may be occurring. Dietary overlap was high between female sooty owls and powerful owls (0.90), compared to overlap between male sooty owls and powerful owls (0.67), with three mammalian species contributing over 74% of their diets. Sooty and powerful owls coexisted throughout the study region, regularly roosting within the same vegetation types, and in similar locations, although microhabitat differences were apparent. Sooty owls displayed aseasonal breeding, although a peak in fledging in spring coincided with powerful owl breeding. Both species exclusively nested in similar size mountain grey gums (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa), however, hollow characteristics differed slightly. Significant divergence along a single niche dimension was not detected between powerful and sooty owls, as they had similar diets, habitat usage and activity times, potentially resulting in competition. Reproductive output was low for both species, however, the degree to which competitive interactions influenced this remains unknown. To minimise potential competition, longterm feral predator control and improved habitat management is recommended to increase the density and diversity of small terrestrial mammals, as this should result in diversification of the sooty owl diet, reducing dietary overlap with powerful owls.

scholarly journals Ethylene Production by Slices of Green Banana Fruit and Potato Tuber Tissue During The Development of Induced Respiration

1969 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
WB Mcglasson
Keyword(s):  
Ethylene Production ◽  
Plant Tissues ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Banana Fruit ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Tissue Slices ◽  
Tuber Tissue ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Green Banana

It is well known that injury and infection by disease organisms may stimulate ethylene production by plant tissues (Williamson 1950; Burg 1962; McGlasson and Pratt 1964). The increased ethylene production which results from injury in fruit tissues may hasten the onset of a respiratory climacteric. This response, which has been observed in slices cut from three-quarter-grown cantaloupe fruit, may herald the commencement of physiological changes leading to natural ripening (McGlasson and Pratt 1964). However, in underground storage tissues, stimulated ethylene production may be concerned with the mechanisms of wound healing (Stahmann, Clare, and Woodbury 1966; Imaseki, Uchiyama, and Uritani 1968). The phenomenon of induced respiration in tissue slices of bulky underground storage organs has been known for many years (Laties 1967) and more recently it has been found to occur in sections or slices of other plant parts (ap Rees 1966). Palmer and McGlasson (1969) observed a similar rise in slices of green banana fruit which they considered to be a form of "induced" respiration.

Inulin contents and tissue distribution in underground storage organs of Asteraceae species from the Brazilian rocky fields

Botany ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (11) ◽  
pp. 827-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela de Oliveira Joaquim ◽  
Rita de Cássia Leone Figueiredo-Ribeiro ◽  
Adriana Hissae Hayashi ◽  
Maria Angela Machado de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Distribution ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Underground Storage ◽  
Secretory Structures ◽  
Storage Organs ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽  
Survival Mechanisms

Geophytes are widespread in rocky fields, having evolved to survive adverse environmental conditions mainly because of their underground storage organs and reserve compounds. Among these compounds, carbohydrates have several functions other than as an energy source, including protection against drought and extreme temperatures. In this work, we analyzed the composition and tissue distribution of carbohydrates in the underground organs of four Asteraceae species from a preserved area of rocky fields in the Brazilian Cerrado. Soluble carbohydrates were quantified and analyzed by HPAEC–PAD, and starch was analyzed by an enzymatic assay. All species (Baccharis subdentata DC., Chresta curumbensis (Philipson) H.Rob., Lessingianthus floccosus (Gardner) H.Rob., and Strophopappus glomeratus (Gardner) R.Esteves) store long-chain inulin-type fructans. Among them, C. curumbensis presented the highest amount of soluble carbohydrates, comprising 25% of the reserve organ dry mass. Inulin sphero-crystals were visualized under polarized light, mainly in the vascular cylinder. Buds were found on the underground organs of B. subdentata and C. curumbensis, and secretory structures were identified in S. glomeratus, L. floccosus, and C. curumbensis. The occurrence of buds, secretory structures, and fructans in these organs is probably related to ecophysiological strategies used as defense and survival mechanisms in response to stress conditions, particularly drought and fire, that occur frequently in rocky fields.

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