Soil heterogeneity and earthworms independently promote growth of two bamboo species

Si, Chao; Xue, Wei; Guo, Zhixin; Zhang, Jianfeng; Hong, Mengmeng; Wang, Yiyue; Lin, Jing; Yu, Fei‐Hai

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108068

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Clonal integration may be an ecological adaptation strategy developed by clonal plants in response to environmental heterogeneity [ 30 ]. Many previous studies have also shown that ramets grown in low-resource patches can benefit from clonal integration and this can improve the growth performance and thus increase the fitness of the whole clone, due to the transfer of resources from connected donor ramets grown in high-resource patches [ 3 , 31 ]. Our study showed that this positive effect was more pronounced under greater patch contrast; this may be caused by more resource transfers due to stronger source–sink relationships.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Plant Invader Alternanthera philoxeroides Benefits from Clonal Integration More than Its Native Co-Genus in Response to Patch Contrast

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2023

Plants

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Different connected parts of clonal plants often grow in different patches and the resource contrast between patches has an important effect on the material transfer between the connected ramets. However, it is unclear whether the effect of clonal integration differs between the invasive clonal plant and the related native species in response to patch contrast. To explore this, we grew the clonal fragment pairs of plant invader Alternanthera philoxeroides and its co-genus native species A. sessilis under high contrast, low contrast, and no contrast (control) nutrient patch environments, respectively, and with stolon connections either severed or kept intact. The results showed that, at the ramet level, clonal integration (stolon connection) significantly improved the growth of apical ramets of both species, and such positive effects were significantly greater in A. philoxeroides than in A. sessilis. Moreover, clonal integration greatly increased the chlorophyll content index of apical ramets and the growth of basal ramets in A. philoxeroides but not in A. sessilis under low and high contrast. At the whole fragment level, the benefits of clonal integration increased with increasing patch contrast, and such a positive effect was more pronounced in A. philoxeroides than in A. sessilis. This study demonstrated that A. philoxeroides possesses a stronger ability of clonal integration than A. sessilis, especially in patchy environments with a higher degree of heterogeneity, suggesting that clonal integration may give some invasive clonal plants a competitive advantage over native species, thus facilitating their invasion in patchy habitats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Plant Invader Alternanthera philoxeroides Benefits from Clonal Integration More than Its Native Co-Genus in Response to Patch Contrast

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2023

Plants

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“…According to the research of He et al (2017) and He et al (2019) regarding that AM fungi improved biomass production and nutrients of plants in the karst area, we hypothesized that AM fungi could enhance the productivity and nutrient acquisition of the plants in spatially heterogeneous karst soil (H1). According to Si et al (2021) and Yan et al (2019) regarding that heterogeneous patches promoted plant growth and nutrients compared to homogeneous patches, we hypothesized that the spatial patch heterogeneity was beneficial to plant productivity and nutrient utilization regulated by mycorrhizal fungi in karst soil (H2). Therefore, a microcosm experiment was manipulated employing typical pioneer herbs from a primary succession of karst ecosystems to investigate the influence of patch heterogeneity on plant productivity and nutrition utilization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil patch heterogeneity improves plant productivity and nutrients regulated by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Xia,

Guo,

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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The interlacing and mosaic distribution of karst soil and rock result in the high spatial heterogeneity of the natural karst habitat. Karst plants are suffered from spatially heterogeneous microhabitats with different‐sized patches. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are crucial in regulating plant productivity and nutrients in heterogeneous karst environments. However, how spatial patch heterogeneity influences plant productivity and nutrient utilization by AM fungi regulation in karst soil remains unclear. A simulated heterogeneity experiment regarding soil grid patches was conducted by planting Bidens pilosa into a microcosm of a square device. Experimental treatments included the mycorrhizal fungus treatments inoculation with (M+) or non‐inoculation with (M−) Glomus etunicatum fungus, and the spatial heterogeneity treatments involved homogeneous patches (HO), heterogeneity‐small patches (HS), and heterogeneity‐large patches (HL). The growth and nutritional traits of plants were analyzed. The results showed that AM fungus promoted the productivity and nutrient uptake of B. pilosa by substantial increases in biomass, nitrogen (N) accumulation, phosphorus (P) accumulation, and N/P ratio. The spatial heterogeneity promoted the biomass and N and P accumulations of B. pilosa when inoculating with AM fungus. The mycorrhizal colonization rate and hyphae length were greater in HS than in HO and HL under the M+ treatment, with a greater response ratio of biomass, N and P under HS conditions. These indicated that the heterogeneous small patches had a greater promotion of the biomass production and nutrients of B. pilosa with inoculation of AM fungus because extensive fungal hyphae can acquire soil resources in more distant patches outside the root zone with more economical metabolic costs compared to roots. We thus conclude that patch heterogeneity contributes to plant productivity and nutrient utilization regulated by AM fungi in karst soil, and the broader nutrient capture induced by extraradical hyphae of AM fungi may be an adaptive mechanism for karst plants to cope with heterogeneous environmental conditions.

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“…That is, levels of resources are consistent within the same patch but inconsistent among different patches ( Stuefer and Hutchings, 1994 ; Qian et al., 2014 ). Resource heterogeneity can influence plant growth, intraspecific and interspecific competition, and community structures ( Roiloa et al., 2014 ; Wan et al., 2019 ; Liang et al., 2020 ; Si et al., 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of clonal integration and nutrient availability on the growth of Glechoma longituba under heterogenous light conditions

Zhang,

Chen,

et al. 2023

Front. Plant Sci.

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IntroductionClonal integration of connected ramets within clones is an important ecological advantage. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the effects of clonal integration on performance of donor and recipient ramets when one resource is heterogeneous can be influenced by the availability of another resource of donor ramets.MethodsWe conducted a greenhouse experiment on the widespread, perennial herb Glechoma longituba. Clonal fragments consisting of pairs of connected ramets were grown for seven weeks. The younger, apical ramets were exposed under 30% or 100% light condition and the older, basal ramets were treated with three levels of nutrients. The connections between ramets were either severed or left intact. 30% light condition negatively affected the growth of apical ramets, basal ramets and the whole fragments. ResultsClonal integration significantly increased the growth of apical ramets, but decreased the growth of the basal ramets. Medium and high level nutrient availability of basal ramets significantly increased the growth of apical ramets, basal ramets and the whole fragments. At the high nutrient level, the reduction in growth of basal ramets from clonal integration was decreased, but the growth responses of apical ramets and the whole fragments to clonal integration were not influenced by nutrient availability. ConclusionThe results suggested that clonal integration was benefit to the growth of apical ramets of Glechoma longituba but at the cost of reducing the growth of basal ramets. Although the high nutrient level could reduce the cost that clonal integration brought to the unshaded basal ramets, but could not increase the benefit that clonal integration brought to the shaded apical ramets and whole fragment.

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Soil heterogeneity and earthworms independently promote growth of two bamboo species

Cited by 11 publications

References 69 publications

The Plant Invader Alternanthera philoxeroides Benefits from Clonal Integration More than Its Native Co-Genus in Response to Patch Contrast

The Plant Invader Alternanthera philoxeroides Benefits from Clonal Integration More than Its Native Co-Genus in Response to Patch Contrast

Soil patch heterogeneity improves plant productivity and nutrients regulated by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Effects of clonal integration and nutrient availability on the growth of Glechoma longituba under heterogenous light conditions

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