Most cited article - PubMed ID 28122127
CLO-PLA: a database of clonal and bud-bank traits of the Central European flora
In many temperate marshes, the surface microtopography is determined by specific growth forms of dominant wetland plants. The formation of long-lasting distinct tussocks by some Carex species represents a growth adaptation, which significantly changes the ecosystem and facilitates the survival of other wetland plants. Therefore, the gradual decline of such an ecosystem engineer may affect both species diversity and the surface microtopography of wetlands in the long term. Using in situ terrestrial laser scanning, we analyzed tussock characteristics in five different stands typical of a temperate sedge-grass marsh to determine potential microtopography changes due to an altered water regime. Tussocks of Carex acuta were different in 2D area, perimeter, height, and roundness. The distances among tussocks were similar and distributed evenly in all vegetation stands. The highest tussocks occurred in stands dominated by Carex acuta and in Carex acuta and Calamagrostis canescens mixture stands. Glyceria maxima and Acorus calamus significantly modified the height and the shape of tussocks in contrast to Calamagrostis canescens, which affects tussocks at least and uses them as habitats. The characteristics of tussocks in mixed stands were influenced by the growth characteristics of all co-occurring dominant plants (ecosystem engineers). Frequent shallow short-term flooding is necessary to maintain the current microtopography in the studied sedge-grass marsh as it promotes the dominance of tussock forming wetland plants and excludes ruderal or invasive terrestrial plant species.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Clonal growth is widespread among herbaceous plants, and helps them to cope with environmental heterogeneity through resource integration via connecting clonal organs. Such integration is considered to balance heterogeneity by translocation of resources from rich to poor patches. However, such an 'equalization' strategy is only one of several possible strategies. Under certain conditions, a strategy emphasizing acropetal movement and exploration of new areas or a strategy of accumulating resources in older ramets may be preferred. The optimal strategy may be determined by environmental conditions, such as resource availability and level of light competition. We aimed to summarize possible translocation strategies in a conceptual analysis and to examine translocation in two species from different habitats. METHODS: Resource translocation was compared between two closely related species from different habitats with contrasting productivity. The study examined the bidirectional translocation of carbon and nitrogen in pairs of mother and daughter ramets grown under light heterogeneity (one ramet shaded) at two developmental stages using stable-isotope labelling. KEY RESULTS: At the early developmental stage, both species translocated resources towards daughters and the translocation was modified by shading. Later, the species of low-productivity habitats, Fragaria viridis, translocated carbon to shaded ramets (both mother and daughter), according to the 'equalization' strategy. In contrast, the species of high-productivity habitats, Potentilla reptans, did not support shaded mother ramets. Nitrogen translocation remained mainly acropetal in both species. CONCLUSIONS: The two studied species exhibited different translocation strategies, which may be linked to the habitat conditions experienced by each species. The results indicate that we need to consider different possible strategies. We emphasize the importance of bidirectional tracing in translocation studies and the need for further studies to investigate the translocation patterns in species from contrasting habitats using a comparative approach.
- Keywords
- Carbon, clonal plants, development, light, nitrogen, physiological integration, stable isotopes, translocation,
- MeSH
- Models, Biological MeSH
- Nitrogen metabolism MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Fragaria * growth & development genetics physiology MeSH
- Reproduction, Asexual MeSH
- Carbon metabolism MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Nitrogen MeSH
- Carbon MeSH
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Perennial plants in seasonal climates need to optimize their carbon balance by adjusting their active season length to avoid risks of tissue loss under adverse conditions. As season length is determined by two processes, namely spring growth and senescence, it is likely to vary in response to several potentially contrasting selective forces. Here we aim to disentangle the cascade of ecological determinants of interspecific differences in season length. METHODS: We measured size trajectories in 231 species in a botanical garden. We examined correlations between their spring and autumn size changes and determined how they make up season length. We used structural equation models (SEMs) to determine how niche parameters and species traits combine in their effect on species-specific season length. KEY RESULTS: Interspecific differences in season length were mainly controlled by senescence, while spring growth was highly synchronized across species. SEMs showed that niche parameters (light and moisture) had stronger, and often trait-independent, effects compared to species traits. Several niche (light) and trait variables (plant height, clonal spreading) had opposing effects on spring growth and senescence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate different drivers and potential risks in growth and senescence. The strong role of niche-based predictors implies that shifts in season length due to global change are likely to differ among habitats and will not be uniform across the whole flora.
- Keywords
- Season length, growing season, growth phenology, leaf dry matter content, perennial plants, specific leaf area,
- MeSH
- Ecosystem * MeSH
- Plant Leaves * physiology MeSH
- Climate MeSH
- Seasons MeSH
- Trees physiology MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
In the context of a recent massive increase in research on plant root functions and their impact on the environment, root ecologists currently face many important challenges to keep on generating cutting-edge, meaningful and integrated knowledge. Consideration of the below-ground components in plant and ecosystem studies has been consistently called for in recent decades, but methodology is disparate and sometimes inappropriate. This handbook, based on the collective effort of a large team of experts, will improve trait comparisons across studies and integration of information across databases by providing standardised methods and controlled vocabularies. It is meant to be used not only as starting point by students and scientists who desire working on below-ground ecosystems, but also by experts for consolidating and broadening their views on multiple aspects of root ecology. Beyond the classical compilation of measurement protocols, we have synthesised recommendations from the literature to provide key background knowledge useful for: (1) defining below-ground plant entities and giving keys for their meaningful dissection, classification and naming beyond the classical fine-root vs coarse-root approach; (2) considering the specificity of root research to produce sound laboratory and field data; (3) describing typical, but overlooked steps for studying roots (e.g. root handling, cleaning and storage); and (4) gathering metadata necessary for the interpretation of results and their reuse. Most importantly, all root traits have been introduced with some degree of ecological context that will be a foundation for understanding their ecological meaning, their typical use and uncertainties, and some methodological and conceptual perspectives for future research. Considering all of this, we urge readers not to solely extract protocol recommendations for trait measurements from this work, but to take a moment to read and reflect on the extensive information contained in this broader guide to root ecology, including sections I-VII and the many introductions to each section and root trait description. Finally, it is critical to understand that a major aim of this guide is to help break down barriers between the many subdisciplines of root ecology and ecophysiology, broaden researchers' views on the multiple aspects of root study and create favourable conditions for the inception of comprehensive experiments on the role of roots in plant and ecosystem functioning.
- Keywords
- below-ground ecology, handbook, plant root functions, protocol, root classification, root ecology, root traits, trait measurements,
- MeSH
- Databases, Factual MeSH
- Ecology MeSH
- Ecosystem * MeSH
- Phenotype MeSH
- Plants * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Review MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) represent important players in the structure and function of many ecosystems. Yet, we learn about their roles mostly from greenhouse-based experiments, with results subjected to cultivation bias. This study explores multiple aspects of this bias and separates the effect of increased nutrient availability from other cultivation specifics. For 15 grassland plant species from two functional groups (C3 grasses vs dicotyledonous forbs), we compared AMF communities of adults collected from non-manipulated vegetation with those in plants grown in a greenhouse. Nutrient availability was comparable to field conditions or experimentally elevated. We evaluated changes in AMF community composition, diversity, root colonisation, and the averages of functional traits characterising hyphal soil exploration. Additionally, we use the data from the greenhouse experiment to propose a new plant functional trait-the change of AMF colonisation in response to nutrient surplus. The AMF community differed profoundly between field-collected and greenhouse-grown plants, with a larger change of its composition in grass species, and AMF community composition in grasses also responded more to fertilisation than in forbs. Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity declined more in forbs under cultivation (particularly with elevated nutrients), because in their roots, the AMF taxa from families other than Glomeraceae largely disappeared. A decline in AMF colonisation was not caused by greenhouse cultivation itself but selectively by the elevation of nutrient availability, particularly in grass host species. We demonstrate that the extent of decrease in AMF colonisation with elevated nutrients is a useful plant functional trait explaining an observed response of the plant community to manipulation.
- Keywords
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Cultivation bias, Microscopy, Next-generation sequencing, Nutrient availability, Rhizophagus irregularis,
- MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Plant Roots MeSH
- Poaceae MeSH
- Mycobiome * MeSH
- Mycorrhizae * MeSH
- Soil MeSH
- Soil Microbiology MeSH
- Nutrients MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Soil MeSH
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although the plant economic spectrum seeks to explain resource allocation strategies, carbohydrate storage is often omitted. Belowground storage organs are the centre of herb perennation, yet little is known about the role of their turnover, anatomy and carbohydrate storage in relation to the aboveground economic spectrum. METHODS: We collected aboveground traits associated with the economic spectrum, storage organ turnover traits, storage organ inner structure traits and storage carbohydrate concentrations for ~80 temperate meadow species. KEY RESULTS: The suites of belowground traits were largely independent of one another, but there was significant correlation of the aboveground traits with both inner structure and storage carbohydrates. Anatomical traits diverged according to leaf nitrogen concentration on the one hand and vessel area and dry matter content on the other; carbohydrates separated along gradients of leaf nitrogen concentration and plant height. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our expectations, aboveground traits and not storage organ turnover were correlated with anatomy and storage carbohydrates. Belowground traits associated with the aboveground economic spectrum also did not fall clearly within the fast-slow economic continuum, thus indicating the presence of a more complicated economic space. Our study implies that the generally overlooked role of storage within the plant economic spectrum represents an important dimension of plant strategy.
- Keywords
- Anatomy, belowground, herbaceous plant, lignin, non-structural carbohydrates, persistence, plant economic spectrum, storage,
- MeSH
- Phenotype MeSH
- Plant Leaves MeSH
- Plants * MeSH
- Carbohydrates * MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Carbohydrates * MeSH
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Herbaceous plants can survive periods of prolonged freezing as below-ground structures or seed, which can be insulated from cold air by soil, litter or snow. Below-ground perennial structures vary in both form and their exposure to soil frost, and this structural variation thus may be important in determining the responses of plant communities to frost stress. METHODS: We conducted a suite of snow removal experiments in a northern temperate old field over 3 years to examine the relative freezing responses of different plant functional groups based on below-ground perennation traits. A litter removal treatment was added in the third year. Species-level percentage cover data were recorded in May, June and September then pooled by functional group. KEY RESULTS: Snow removal decreased total plant cover, and this response was particularly strong and consistent among years for tap-rooted and rhizomatous species. The snow removal responses of cover for plants with root buds and new recruits from seed varied from positive to negative among years. The cover of rootstock plants consistently increased in response to snow removal. Rhizomatous species were generally the most vulnerable to litter removal. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to explore the effects of variation in frost severity on the responses of different plant perennation trait functional groups. The responses of herbaceous species to frost may become increasingly important in northern temperate regions in the coming decades as a result of declining snow cover and increasing temperature variability. Our results reveal substantial variation in responses among perennation trait functional groups, which could drive changes in species abundance in response to variation in soil frost.
- Keywords
- Below-ground, community, frost, herbaceous, life form, perennation, snow removal, taproot,
- MeSH
- Soil * MeSH
- Seasons MeSH
- Plants MeSH
- Snow * MeSH
- Freezing MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Soil * MeSH
The deficiency of pollen grains for ovule fertilization can be the main factor limiting plant reproduction and fitness. Because of the ongoing global changes, such as biodiversity loss and landscape fragmentation, a better knowledge of the prevalence and predictability of pollen limitation is challenging within current ecological research. In our study we used pollen supplementation to evaluate pollen limitation (at the level of seed number and weight) in 22 plant species growing in a wet semi-natural meadow. We investigated the correlation between the pollen limitation index (PL) and floral traits associated with plant reproduction or pollinator foraging behavior. We recorded significant pollen limitation for approximately 41% of species (9 out of 22 surveyed). Seven species had a significant positive response in seed production and two species increased in seed weight after pollen supplementation. Considering traits, PL significantly decreased with the number of pollinator functional groups. The relationship of PL with other examined traits was not supported by our results. The causes of pollen limitation may vary among species with regard to (1) different reproductive strategies and life history, and/or (2) temporary changes in influence of biotic and abiotic factors at a site.
- Keywords
- floral traits, pollen limitation, seed number, seed weight, supplemental hand-pollination, wet meadow,
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Plant functional trait data aggregated at the community level (i.e., community weighted mean, CWM) are fundamental to study plant-environment relationships. Here, we provide a large database of CWM values of twelve traits reflecting several plant functions, including leaf, seed, whole-plant, clonal and bud bank traits. The CWMs were calculated in 201 forest stands (a statistically representative sample of all the Italian forests) across three biogeographic regions: Alpine, Continental, and Mediterranean.
- Keywords
- Abundance-weighted traits, Bud bank traits, Clonal traits, Functional biogeography, Leaf dry matter content, Seed mass, Specific leaf area,
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Many grasslands have disappeared over the last century as a result of anthropogenic land use intensification, while new patches are emerging through abandonment of arable fields. Here, we compared species (SD), functional (FD) and phylogenetic (PD) (alpha) diversity among 272 dry grassland patches of two age-classes: old and new, with the new patches being dry grasslands established on previous intensively managed fields during the last 30 years. We first compared SD, FD and PD, between patches of different age. Then, we performed generalized linear models to determine the influence of abiotic, present-day and historical landscape configuration variables on SD, FD and PD. By measuring abiotic variables, we explained the effect of environmental filtering on species diversity, whereas the present-day and historical landscape configuration variables were included to describe how the spatial and temporal configuration of the patches influence patterns of species. Finally, we applied partial regressions to explore the relative importance of abiotic, present-day and historical variables in explaining the diversity metrics and how this varies between patches of different ages. We found higher SD in the old compared to the new patches, but no changes in FD and PD. SD was mostly affected by abiotic and present-day landscape configuration variables in the new and the old patches, respectively. In the new patches, historical variables explained variation in the FD, while present-day variables explained the PD. In the old patches, historical variables accounted for most of the variation in both FD and PD. Our evidence suggests that the relative importance of assembly processes has changed over time, showing that environmental filtering and changes in the landscape configuration prevented the establishment of species in the new patches. However, the loss of species (i.e. SD) is not necessarily linked to a loss of functions and evolutionary potential.
