The hidden half of ontogeny and seasonal dynamics in perennial herbs

Journal of Ecology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Фев. 4, 2025

Abstract The life strategy of perennial herbs is dependent on coarse belowground organs, such as rhizomes, bulbs, tubers and storage roots, necessary for repeated seasonal regrowth often invaluable vegetative reproduction. Yet, the development these organs in early its links to dynamics aboveground parts generally unknown. To unravel ontogeny plants, we conducted a three‐year experimental study with 20 species differing by rhizome type. We confirmed that plant differ, partly driven phenological strategy, there are differences between organ types. costs constructions along morphological constraints occurring during may govern species' reproductive carbohydrate strategies. Synthesis : show fully understand strategies, plants need be studied integrated bodies consisting reciprocally influencing each other.

Язык: Английский

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Incorporating clonality into the plant ecology research agenda

Trends in Plant Science, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 26(12), С. 1236 - 1247

Опубликована: Авг. 18, 2021

Язык: Английский

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The underestimated global importance of plant belowground coarse organs in open biomes for ecosystem functioning and conservation

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 22(2), С. 118 - 121

Опубликована: Фев. 5, 2024

Open biomes such as grasslands, savannas, shrublands are associated with many global biodiversity hotspots, and cover ∼60% of land globally. Yet, extensive increasing anthropogenic activities threaten their functioning biodiversity. Here, we argue that, in open biomes, researchers stakeholders (e.g., policy-makers, practitioners) should more comprehensively acknowledge that than half a plant's biomass is typically located belowground. Not only fine roots but different belowground coarse organs plants thick roots, rhizomes) play key ecosystem functions have been largely neglected basic applied ecology. By accurately accounting for the distribution these along ecological gradients, turnover decomposition rate, would improve estimates carbon cycling (core climate change mitigation policies) well ameliorating conservation efforts focused on worldwide.

Язык: Английский

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Grassland biomass allocation across continents and grazing practices and its response to climate and altitude

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 356, С. 110176 - 110176

Опубликована: Авг. 1, 2024

Язык: Английский

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Soil conditions drive below‐ground trait space in temperate agricultural grasslands

Journal of Ecology, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 110(5), С. 1189 - 1200

Опубликована: Фев. 24, 2022

Abstract Plant below‐ground organs perform essential functions, including water and nutrient uptake, anchorage, vegetative reproduction recruitment of mutualistic soil microbiota. Recently, multivariate analyses showed that root traits species can largely be linked to a ‘conservation’ ‘collaboration’ gradient. Here, we tested whether this species‐level bidimensional trait space also exists at the community level in grasslands. Furthermore, position grassland communities relates environmental variables. For total 313 species, collected data on eight greenhouse common garden experiments supplemented it with bud‐bank size specific leaf area from databases. We calculated weighted means (CWMs) these 10 for 150 temperate plots investigate plant‐trait dimensionality its variation along land‐use parameters. Using PCA, found about 55% variance CWMs was explained by two main dimensions, corresponding mycorrhizal resource Frequently overlooked such as rooting depth, root‐branching intensity were integrated space. The plant‐strategy gradients partially dependent each other, do ‘outsourcing’ uptake fungi collaboration gradient being more ‘slow’ conservation (i.e. high tissue density weight ratio). ‘Outsourcing’ often deep associated parameters, low moisture sand content, topsoil pH, C:N δ 15 N. ‘Slow’ had large bud banks intensity, pH nitrate but ammonium concentration soil. Surprisingly, did not find an association phosphorus availability Synthesis . previously identified among scale up grasslands, encompass than described, vary environment.

Язык: Английский

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The effect of moisture, nutrients and disturbance on storage organ size and persistence in temperate herbs

Functional Ecology, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 36(2), С. 314 - 325

Опубликована: Дек. 27, 2021

Abstract Perennial herbaceous plants in seasonal temperate climates must form belowground storage organs to contain carbohydrates for regrowth and mitigate disturbance damage. The factors that dictate the size turnover of these are still little understood. According Integrator–Splitter Hypothesis, organ persistence decreases with greater moisture nutrient availability. Resprouter‐Seeder Hypothesis predicts investments into largest when severe disturbances occur at an intermediate frequency. Additionally, according Carbon Surplus should increase lower We measured traits (lateral spread persistence) parameters more than 200 species clonal perennial herbs assessed their relationship different environmental gradients linked productivity (moisture nutrients) regime (disturbance frequency severity). we included plant height account potential scaling relationships between size. Disturbance had negative effects on turnover, other severity) positive effects. Storage volume correlated strongly diameter (height). divergence lateral along gradient supported reduction under Hypothesis. was not affected by availability; thus our results contradict Although this is important evidence allocation strategy, future studies will need include measurements carbohydrate content understand difference investment structural growth as opposed stored later use. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within Supporting Information article.

Язык: Английский

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Effects of warming and rainfall variation on grass phenology and regenerative responses in mesic grassland

South African Journal of Botany, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 174, С. 107 - 115

Опубликована: Сен. 9, 2024

Язык: Английский

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Buried but unsafe – Defoliation depletes the underground storage organ (USO) of the mesic grassland geophyte, Hypoxis hemerocallidea

South African Journal of Botany, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 141, С. 265 - 272

Опубликована: Июнь 4, 2021

Mesic grasslands in South Africa (> 650 mm a − 1 MAP) are rich herbaceous forbs, which outnumber grass species by more than 5 to 1. Many of these forbs geophytes with underground storage units (USOs), such as thickened rootstocks, rhizomes, bulbs, or corms, that provide resources (non-structural carbohydrates, minerals, and water) enabling them resprout after dry, frosty winters, fire. However, despite their extensive biomass reserves ostensibly protected underground, mesic grassland can be severely depleted extirpated chronic trampling grazing aerial parts livestock. This study examined possible explanation for the demise overgrazed investigating, pot trial, whether growth geophyte size its USOs negatively affected simulated green leaf loss. In 2 × factorial (clipped vs. unclipped x spring regrowth dark light), five replicate plants Hypoxis hemerocallidea, common resprouts from corm, were subject six severe 80 mm) defoliations during growing season regrown under full restricted light measure stored reserve contribution regrowth. Defoliated resilient defoliation season, matching total production plants, though cutting reduced number leaves ¬60% flowers almost 85%. Spring on equalled plus concurrent photosynthesis, indicating value there was marked carry-over effect previous defoliation, resulting one-third reduction shoot 40% fewer inflorescence spring. Crucially, corm mass halved clipping, resulted lower production. It concluded buried not recurrent mechanical damage plant continued diminishment disturbance overgrazing frequent mowing would weaken likely eventually kill reducing overall forb richness. Lenient management infrequent summer at moderate stocking rates combined periodic rotational resting dormant-season burning is recommend maintain vigour grassland.

Язык: Английский

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Plant clonality in a soil-impoverished open ecosystem: insights from southwest Australian shrublands

Annals of Botany, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 130(7), С. 981 - 990

Опубликована: Окт. 25, 2022

Clonality is a key life-history strategy promoting on-spot persistence, space occupancy, resprouting after disturbance, and resource storage, sharing foraging. These functions provided by clonality can be advantageous under different environmental conditions, including resource-paucity fire-proneness, which define most mediterranean-type open ecosystems, such as southwest Australian shrublands. Studying clonality-environment links in underexplored mediterranean shrublands could therefore deepen our understanding of the role played this essential ecosystems globally.We created new dataset 463 species, six traits related to clonal growth organs (CGOs; lignotubers, herbaceous woody rhizomes, stolons, tubers, stem fragments), edaphic predictors soil water availability, nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) from 138 plots. Within two shrubland communities, we explored multivariate patterns how diversity CGOs, abundance-weighted unweighted proportions .of plots changed along with gradients.We found 65 % species; frequent were those lignotubers (28 %) rhizomes (26 %). In space, clustered into groups, one distinguished sandy plants other clayey non-clonal species. CGO did not vary gradients (only marginally availability). The proportion species increased N decreased P yet these results CGO-specific. We revealed almost no relationships for clonality.Clonality more widespread than previously thought, distinct plant communities are specific suites (or lack) CGOs. show that weighting belowground aboveground abundance affects results, implications trait-based ecologists using abundance-weighting. suggest approaches until quantifiable.

Язык: Английский

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Different biomass allocation strategies of geophytes and non-geophytes along an altitude gradient

Ecological Indicators, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 146, С. 109805 - 109805

Опубликована: Дек. 14, 2022

Biomass allocation strategies among geophytes and non-geophytes generally determine the ecological adaptation impacts of herbaceous plants. Although are key components biodiversity subtropical forest ecosystems, for biomass both remain unknown. In this study, 695 individual plants were collected from low, middle, high altitude regions in Qianjiangyuan National Park. We analyzed allometric trajectories leaves, stems, roots, underground storage organs whole herbs, geophytes, non-geophytes. The results showed that: (1) overall trajectory understory herbs changed with increase altitude. Allocation was reduced to stems leaves increased roots. (2) which follows optimal partitioning theory. trade-off aboveground parts, stem is preferred. (3) However, less susceptible changes altitude, strategy depends only on plant size Totally, adopted different as adaptations altitudinal environment. functional type major determinant herb species. This study has implications management practices predicting vegetation.

Язык: Английский

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