scholarly journals Intraspecific variability of some functional traits of Trigonocaryum involucratum (Steven) Medw., a caucasus endemic plant

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-136
Author(s):  
Ramazan Murtazaliev ◽  
Dzhalaludin Anatov ◽  
Jana Ekhvaia ◽  
Ziyarat Guseinova ◽  
Ketevan Batsatsashvili
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
High Solar Radiation ◽  
Shoot Number

Plant traits have been used to predict species and community responses to environmental gradients. We studied variation of leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), flowering shoot number and seed mass along an elevation gradient in the case of Trigonocaryum involucratum, a scree-growing plant endemic to the Caucasus ecoregion. The study had two major aims: (1) to compare the role of intra-population and inter-population variation of functional trait values; and (2) to ascertain dependence between elevation and trait values and their variation. We collected trait data in several populations in Dagestan (Russian Federation), where the species has about a 1000-m amplitude of elevational distribution. The intraspecific variability of trait values was assessed via standard statistical tools (one-way ANOVA and linear regression analysis). The trait values mostly have high inter-population variation (more than 90% for each of the trait values compared to intra-population variation of each trait), indicating adaptation of populations to site conditions. Much higher intra- vs. inter-population variation in SLA at subnival elevations indicates local micro-site diversity and may serve as a buffer against future stress related to climate change. All the trait values negatively but significantly correlate (weakly or moderately) with elevation. Negative correlation presumably shows a certain increase in the limiting effect of the elevation gradient associated with changes in temperature, soil nutrient availability and soil water content, as well as with high solar radiation. More evidence from a broader study of the species throughout its distribution range is needed for firmer conclusions about the intraspecific variability of T. involucratum.

scholarly journals Can we predict dispersal guilds based on the leaf-height-seed scheme in a disjunct cerrado woodland?

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
AVF. Jardim ◽  
MA. Batalha
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Plant Canopy ◽  
Frugivorous Birds

Although there have been advances in methods for extracting information about dispersal processes, it is still very difficult to measure them. Predicting dispersal groups using single readily-measured traits would facilitate the emergence of instructive comparisons among ecological strategies of plants and offer a path towards improved synthesis across field experiments. The leaf-height-seed scheme consists of three functional traits: specific leaf area, plant canopy height, and seed mass. We tested, applying logistic regression analysis, whether these traits are potential predictors of dispersal guilds in a disjoint cerrado woodland site in southeastern Brazil. According to our results, none of the plant traits studied could predict dispersal guild; this means that abiotically and biotically dispersed species showed similar values of specific leaf area, height, and seed mass. The species of both guilds exhibited sclerophylly, probably a result of the typical soil nutrient deficiency of cerrado, which also may have placed constraints upon plant canopy height regardless of the dispersal mode. In the cerrado, some abiotically dispersed trees might present higher than expected seed mass as support to the investment in high root-to-shoot ratio at the seedling stage. Seeds of bird-dispersed species are limited in size and mass because of the small size of most frugivorous birds. Since soil nutrient quality might contribute to the similarity between the dispersal guilds regarding the three traits of the scheme, other plant traits (e.g., root depth distribution and nutrient uptake strategy) that detail the former should be considered in future predictive studies.

Comparative ecology of seed size and dispersal

1996 ◽  
Vol 351 (1345) ◽  
pp. 1309-1318 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Dispersal Mode ◽  
Reserve Effect

Seed mass is correlated with a number of other plant traits, including dispersal mode, growth form and specific leaf area. Specific leaf area is the main determinant of potential relative growth rate and an indicator of the site quality to which a species is adapted. The relationships with dispersal mode and growth form have consistent form in five datasets from three continents, and each account for about 20-30 % of variation in log seed mass. Thus, there is also very substantial variation within growth form and dispersal categories. Much, but not all, of the 20-30% is associated with shifted family composition between growth forms or dispersal modes. Experiments have shown that seedlings of larger-seeded species are better able to survive hazards including deep shade, drought, physical damage and the presence of competing vegetation. If there is a common mechanism under these different hazards, it seemingly must be a ‘reserve effect’, whereby during deployment and early growth larger-seeded species hold a bigger percentage of seed reserves uncommitted to seedling structure and available to support respiration or repair damage. A reserve effect has not yet been demonstrated directly. It remains possible that different mechanisms operate under different hazards. Under a reserve effect, advantages of larger seed size should be temporary, and temporary advantage has indeed been observed with regard to seedling survival under dense shade. Although larger seed mass confers benefits on seedlings, larger seeds must necessarily be produced in smaller numbers per unit of resource allocated. Seed mass is presumed to have evolved as a compromise between these counterposed pressures. Yet there has proved to be surprisingly little difference in average seed mass between very different vegetation regions, at least in temperate climates. Rather, there is startlingly wide variation in seed mass among species growing interspersed with each other. Recent applications of game theory may be capable of accounting for this wide variation between coexisting species, but at present these models are driven by competition among seedling species (as opposed to between seedlings and adults). It remains unclear whether competition among seedlings is a decisive influence on species composition in most of the world’s vegetation types.

scholarly journals Suppression of an Invasive Native Plant Species by Designed Grassland Communities

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 775
Author(s):  
Kathrin Möhrle ◽  
Hugo E. Reyes-Aldana ◽  
Johannes Kollmann ◽  
Leonardo H. Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Wet Grasslands ◽  
Community Weighted Mean ◽  
Grassland Communities

Grassland biodiversity is declining due to climatic change, land-use intensification, and establishment of invasive plant species. Excluding or suppressing invasive species is a challenge for grassland management. An example is Jacobaea aquatica, an invasive native plant in wet grasslands of Central Europe, that is causing problems to farmers by being poisonous, overabundant, and fast spreading. This study aimed at testing designed grassland communities in a greenhouse experiment, to determine key drivers of initial J. aquatica suppression, thus dismissing the use of pesticides. We used two base communities (mesic and wet grasslands) with three plant traits (plant height, leaf area, seed mass), that were constrained and diversified based on the invader traits. Native biomass, community-weighted mean trait values, and phylogenetic diversity (PD) were used as explanatory variables to understand variation in invasive biomass. The diversified traits leaf area and seed mass, PD, and native biomass significantly affected the invader. High native biomass permanently suppressed the invader, while functional traits needed time to develop effects; PD effects were significant at the beginning of the experiment but disappeared over time. Due to complexity and temporal effects, community weighted mean traits proved to be moderately successful for increasing invasion resistance of designed grassland communities.

scholarly journals Morphological variability of Quercus robur L. leaf in Serbia

Genetika ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-541
Author(s):  
Branislava Batos ◽  
Danijela Miljkovic ◽  
Marko Perovic ◽  
Sasa Orlovic
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Population Differentiation ◽  
Quercus Robur ◽  
Phenotypic Variability ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Interpopulation Variability ◽  
Intrapopulation Variability

This paper presents the results of a study dealing with leaf morphological variability of Quercus robur L. 148 trees were sampled from 5 population across Serbia and 17 morphological traits were assessed. Interpopulation variability was confirmed by the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA). A statistically significant (p <0.05) effect of population was obtained for most of the studied morphological characters. Intrapopulation variability was confirmed by statistically significant tree effects for all of the studied leaf characters (all p < 0.05). The results of the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) confirmed a significant population and tree share in the total phenotypic variability (all p <0.05). By applying the canonical discriminant analysis (CDA), the first discriminant function accounted for 63% of the variability between populations and the second accounted for 20% of the population variability. The leaf area (AREA), specific leaf area (SLA) and surface area to perimeter ratio (ARPE) had the greatest effect on population differentiation (CDA). It is assumed that different environmental conditions affect population differentiation and that high intrapopulation variability is due to intraspecific variability.

scholarly journals Salicylic acid and jasmonic acid alter physiological performance, assimilate mobilization and seed filling of soybean under salt stress

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazem GHASSEMI-GOLEZANI ◽  
Salar FARHANGI-ABRIZ ◽  
Ali BANDEHAGH
Keyword(s):  
Salicylic Acid ◽  
Jasmonic Acid ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Relative Water Content ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Seed Filling ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Content Index ◽  
Relative Water

<p>This research was conducted to investigate the morpho-physiological effects of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid on soybean performance and productivity under salinity. Leaf chlorophyll content index, carotenoids and anthocyanins content, photosystem II efficiency, relative water content, leaf area, leaf mass, specific leaf area, water use efficiency, seed filling duration, assimilate mobilization efficiency and seed mass decreased, but leaf temperature, specific leaf mass and electrolytic leakage of leaves increased with enhancing salinity. Salicylic acid improved leaf chlorophyll content index, anthocyanins content, leaf area, specific leaf area, water use efficiency, seed filing duration, assimilate mobilization efficiency and seed mass under both saline and non-saline conditions. The superior effects of salicylic acid on some traits such as maximum quantum yield of PSII, relative water content and leaf electrolytic leakage only occurred under different salinity levels. Jasmonic acid improved leaf mass, specific leaf mass, carotenoids content, relative water content, seed filling rate and reduced chlorophyll content index, leaf temperature, leaf area, specific leaf area, seed filling duration, assimilates mobilization efficiency and relative electrolytic leakage of soybean, with no significant effects on photosystem II efficiency and seed mass. Application of salicylic acid was, therefore, the superior treatment for enhancing physiological performance and seed mass of soybean plants under different salinity levels.</p>

scholarly journals The triangular seed mass–leaf area relationship holds for annual plants and is determined by habitat productivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1770-1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca A. Santini ◽  
John G. Hodgson ◽  
Ken Thompson ◽  
Peter J. Wilson ◽  
Stuart R. Band ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Annual Plants ◽  
Habitat Productivity

scholarly journals Seed dispersal syndromes in the Madagascan flora: the unusual importance of primates

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Albert-Daviaud ◽  
Sarah Perillo ◽  
Wolfgang Stuppy
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Dispersal Syndromes ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Lemur Species

AbstractMadagascar is one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots, and protection of its biodiversity is becoming increasingly urgent as deforestation of the island continues. For the long-term success of conservation efforts it is essential that key ecological processes, such as seed dispersal, are protected and restored. Therefore, the identification of ecological gaps is a vital task. For Madagascar, only little is known about plant–animal interactions, and traditional methods of ecological research are too time-consuming to provide crucial information about breakdowns in these interactions. To identify likely dispersal gaps we therefore used a theoretical approach to analyse plant–disperser interactions in Madagascar. We used data science tools to impute missing data on relevant plant traits to subsequently predict the most likely dispersal agents for each of Madagascar's endemic plant species. We found that 38% of the endemic species (N = 8,784) are endozoochorous, and among these 26–41% display a primate syndrome and 17–19% a bird syndrome (depending on the definition of syndromes). This lower percentage of endozoochorous species and higher percentage of species with a primate syndrome in Madagascar compared to other tropical areas reflects the unusual disperser guild on the island. Only five bird species but 20 lemur species are frugivorous, and 16 of those lemur species are currently threatened with extinction. The disappearance of frugivorous lemurs would significantly change the vegetation dynamics of Madagascar's ecosystems, and a high proportion of Madagascar's endemic plants would enter an extinction vortex.

scholarly journals Disentangling the Effects of Disturbance from Those of Dominant Tall Grass Features in Driving the Functional Variation of Restored Grassland in a Sub-Mediterranean Context

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Bricca ◽  
Federico Maria Tardella ◽  
Fabio Tolu ◽  
Irina Goia ◽  
Arianna Ferrara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Functional Variation ◽  
Tall Grass ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Space Occupation

Land abandonment in sub-Mediterranean grasslands causes the spread of tall-grasses, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Mowing allows the recovery of the coenological composition after invasion, but the mechanisms acting at the fine-scale are poorly investigated. Since 2010 in the Central Apennines, we fenced a grassland invaded by Brachypodium rupestre, divided it into two areas, half of each was mowed biyearly and half remained unmown. In 2017 we selected ten 20 × 20 cm experimental units per half-area, collecting data on species occurrences, plant traits, B. rupestre height and phytomass. We used generalized linear mixed-effect modelling to disentangle the role of mowing from the impact of B. rupestre features in driving the community functional variations. Mowing was the main driver in the recovery process, acting as an abiotic filter (enhancement of tolerance-avoidance strategies). Furthermore, the reduction of weaker competitor exclusion processes fostered the increase of functional variation between coexisting species. Both drivers acted on different plant traits (e.g., mowing on life span, vegetative propagation types and plant height, mowing and B. rupestre features on space occupation types, seed mass and leaf anatomy), generally enhancing the extent of functional strategies related to resource acquisition and storage, reproduction, space occupation and temporal niche exploitation.

The effect on yield and leaf area of wheat of applying nitrogen as a top-dressing in April or in sprays at ear emergence

1955 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian N. Thorne ◽  
D. J. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Nitrogen Application ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Rapid Fall ◽  
Shoot Number ◽  
Leaf Area Duration ◽  
Effect On Yield

Nitrogen, at the rate of 0.5 cwt./acre, was applied to winter wheat as an April dressing of nitrochalk, or as eight sprayings of 2% NH4NO3 solution applied either to the soil or to the leaves at about the period of maximum leaf area, before and during ear emergence. All three methods of nitrogen application caused similar increases in yield and nitrogen content of grain. April nitrogen gave a greater yield of straw than the later dressings.Late nitrogen application caused a small increase in leaf area index, first noticeable one week after ear emergence and persisting for another four weeks. L.A.I. of plots that received nitrogen in April was much larger than that of the other plots at the period of maximum leaf area, but by four weeks after ear emergence it was less than that of plots receiving the late nitrogen. Shoot number per metre and leaf area per shoot were increased by early nitrogen, but only the latter was increased by nitrogen applied at ear emergence.Leaf area duration after ear emergence was the same on all nitrogen-treated plots and the yield of grain divided by L.A.D. was nearly constant for all plots.Applying nitrogen late, after an April dressing, did not prevent the rapid fall in L.A.I. from the high value reached at the period of maximum leaf area and caused no greater increase in yield than when applied in the absence of an April top-dressing. A single urea spray applied in early June increased yield to the same extent as the ammonium nitrate sprays.

Recruitment and life-history traits of sparse plant species in subalpine grasslands

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Austrheim ◽  
Ove Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Safe Sites ◽  
Subalpine Grasslands ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Recruitment is critical for the maintenance of plant populations and community diversity, but sexual regeneration is considered to be infrequent in climatically harsh habitats such as subalpine grasslands. This study examines the importance of regeneration through seed for 16 sparse herb species, and we asked whether their populations are limited by safe sites or the availability of seeds. Seedling recruitment and winter survival were recorded after sowing in an experimental split-plot design in (i) pasture grazed by livestock, and (ii) exclosed grassland cultivated for annual mowing. In addition we examined the effect of disturbance and local seedbank recruitment. All species were able to recruit and survive the first winter in at least some of the experimental plots, although none were initially present. Recruitment mainly occurred in disturbed plots, and disturbed pasture plots had a significantly higher recruitment than disturbed exclosures for all species except Silene dioica. We further examined whether specific plant traits were related to variation in recruitment. Lower recruitment in the disturbed exclosure was associated with higher specific leaf area, leaf dry weight, and seed number. In contrast, seeds sown in disturbed pasture recruited more independently of species traits. The exception was a negative correlation between recruitment and leaf dry weight, and an unexpected negative correlation with seed weight. We suggest that recruitment differences among habitats mainly reflect lower humidity in the exclosure. Consequently, small stature plants with small specific leaf area should have the highest recruiting probability when exposed to drought. The almost exclusive recruitment on disturbed plots indicates a strong competitive effect on the target species in vegetated plots, and suggests that safe sites for regeneration through seed are rare in subalpine grasslands.Key words: colonization, herbs, plant abundance and distribution, disturbance, pastures, cultivated exclosures, sowing experiment.

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