A comparative study of resource allocation in Pteridium in different Brazilian ecosystems and its relationship with European studies

Abstract

Pteridium is a cosmopolitan genus that acts as an invasive species in many parts of the world. Most research on this genus has occurred in Europe, and there is a lack of data on it from South America, in spite of causing considerable conservation problems. We compared the biomass allocation of P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum in two ecosystems in Brazil -Atlantic forest and Brazilian savanna. We measured the biomass of fronds, rhizomes and above-ground litter. We also compared the density, length and biomass of fronds from this Brazilian study with similar data of P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum derived from Venezuela and P. aquilinum from Europe. P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum showed a wide response range. We found a negative relationship between frond and necromass , indicating a negative feedback effect, while a positive relationship was observed between frond and rhizome biomass. The continental comparison of relationships showed that Pteridium responds in a different way in both Brazil and Europe, and that in Brazil fronds tend to be longer and heavier, presumably as a result of the continuous growing season in South America while is shortened in Europe by frost. The paper shows the ability of Pteridium to adapt to different ecosystems.Keywords: bracken, resource partitioning, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, biomass. Estudo comparativo da alocação de recurso em Pteridium em diferentes ecossistemas brasileiros e sua relação com estudos na europa ResumoPteridium é um gênero cosmopolita que inclui espécies invasoras em várias partes do mundo. Os estudos sobre o gênero têm ocorrido principalmente na Europa, e existem poucas informações para as espécies que ocorrem na América do Sul. Nesse estudo comparamos a alocação de biomassa de P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum em dois ecossistemas brasileiros -Mata Atlântica e Cerrado -em cada um dos quais medimos a biomassa nos rametas, nos rizomas e na serapilheira. Comparamos, também, a densidade, comprimento e biomassa dos rametas com informações obtidas sobre P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum na Venezuela e P. aquilinum na Europa. P. esculentum subsp. arachnoideum apresentou respostas distintas. Encontramos uma relação negativa entre a biomassa de rametas e da serapilheira, indicando uma retro-alimentação negativa, enquanto houve uma relação positiva entre a biomassa dos rametas e dos rizomas. A comparação das relações entre os continentes indicou que Pteridium responde diferentemente no Brazil e na Europa, e também que no Brasil os rametas são maiores e contêm mais biomassa, possivelmente devido à estação de crescimento contínua, enquanto na Europa o crescimento é limitado pelas baixas temperaturas. Esse estudo demonstra o sucesso adaptativo de Pteridium em diferentes ecossistemas.Palavras-chave: samambaião, alocação de recursos, Mata Atlântica, Cerrado, biomassa.

Striking genetic homogeneity in the widespread South American bracken

“…By contrast, the Southern Hemisphere has received much less attention. In the case of the South American diploid P. esculentum ( P. e. arachnoideum ), most of the research has focused on its ecology (e.g., Alonso‐Amelot and Rodulfo‐Baechler, 1996; Hartig and Beck, 2003; Portela et al, 2009; Silva Matos et al, 2012), phytochemicals, and phytotoxins (e.g., Rosero Negrete, 2013; Furlan et al, 2014) or is related to the behavior of the species as a weed (e.g., Dorantes, 2014; Guerin and Durigan, 2015; Xavier et al, 2023). The taxon is characterized by petiole bases with adventive roots, large fronds usually ~2 m long (sometimes reaching 4.5 m long), free lobes between the distal segments (or only decurrent lobes), simple distal segments <5 cm long, and a complex laminar indument composed of two or three kinds of hairs, abaxially on the segments: catenate hairs on costae and costules, arachnoid or acicular hairs on veins, and gnarled hairs on the laminar tissue between the veins, giving it a farinaceous appearance (Thomson and Martin, 1996; Thomson and Alonso‐Amelot, 2002; Schwartsburd et al, 2018).…”

Temporal dynamics of the superdominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical savanna-riparian forest transitions

“…Several clonal ferns from the genus Pteridium are native in multiple ecosystems from all continents except Antarctica (Marrs & Watt 2006). Even though there are ecological differences among these species (Silva Matos et al 2014), they produce an extensive rhizome system, so that visible aboveground parts are in effects emergent fronds (petiole and laminae) often connected underground (Marrs & Watt 2006). Such rhizome system allows for large resource storage and efficient translocation between fronds (hereafter referred to as ramets), thus being a major dispersion mechanism of these species, since sexual reproduction is rare (Marrs & Watt 2006).…”

“…1). Data on ramet density, biomass production and ramet growth in some of these sites were obtained in previous studies (Silva Matos et al 2014;Xavier et al 2016Xavier et al , 2019. These patches are characterized by a nearly continuous P. arachnoideum cover; however, they also contain native tree species, albeit with a lower diversity than adjacent non-invaded areas (Fig.…”