Ultimate Costs of Sporophyte Production in the Clonal Moss Hylocomium splendens

Rydgren, Knut; Økland, Rune Halvorsen

doi:10.2307/3071976

Cited by 24 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This conforms with studies indicating high costs of sexual reproduction in mosses (Ehrlén et al 2000;Bisang and Ehrlén 2002;Rydgren and Økland 2002), which, however, obviously do not translate to a generally lower RGR in sexual species compared to asexual. Our results suggest that there is a threshold in colony size and age before a species starts to reproduce sexually, whereas there is no such threshold for asexual reproduction.…”

Section: Evects Of Interspeciwc Interactions On Growth and Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Dispersal and life history strategies in epiphyte metacommunities: alternative solutions to survival in patchy, dynamic landscapes

Löbel

Rydin

2009

Oecologia

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Host trees for obligate epiphytes are dynamic patches that emerge, grow and fall, and metacommunity diversity critically depends on efficient dispersal. Even though species that disperse by large asexual diaspores are strongly dispersal limited, asexual dispersal is common. The stronger dispersal limitation of asexually reproducing species compared to species reproducing sexually via small spores may be compensated by higher growth rates, lower sensitivity to habitat conditions, higher competitive ability or younger reproductive age. We compared growth and reproduction of different groups of epiphytic bryophytes with contrasting dispersal (asexual vs. sexual) and life history strategies (colonists, short- and long-lived shuttle species, perennial stayers) in an old-growth forest stand in the boreo-nemoral region in eastern Sweden. No differences were seen in relative growth rates between asexual and sexual species. Long-lived shuttles had lower growth rates than colonists and perennial stayers. Most groups grew best at intermediate bark pH. Interactions with other epiphytes had a small, often positive effect on growth. Neither differences in sensitivity of growth to habitat conditions nor differences in competitive abilities among species groups were found. Habitat conditions, however, influenced the production of sporophytes, but not of asexual diaspores. Presence of sporophytes negatively affected growth, whereas presence of asexual diaspores did not. Sexual species had to reach a certain colony size before starting to reproduce, whereas no such threshold existed for asexual reproduction. The results indicate that the epiphyte metacommunity is structured by two main trade-offs: dispersal distance vs. reproductive age, and dispersal distance vs. sensitivity to habitat quality. There seems to be a trade-off between growth and sexual reproduction, but not asexual. Trade-offs in species traits may be shaped by conflicting selection pressures imposed by habitat turnover and connectivity rather than by species interactions.

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Section: Evects Of Interspeciwc Interactions On Growth and Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Dispersal and life history strategies in epiphyte metacommunities: alternative solutions to survival in patchy, dynamic landscapes

Löbel

Rydin

2009

Oecologia

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“…Regeneration from older parts of intact segment chains also occurs occasionally, either with one year's delay (laterally [G 1L ] by development from intact segment chains or from segments on which the last year's growing point was grazed; or terminally [G 1T ] after termination [no growing point produced] the previous year), or with two or more years' delay or from detached fragments of indeterminable age (G 2 ) (Økland 1995(Økland , Rydgren et al 2001. Germination of spores probably plays an unimportant role for maintaining populations in the absence of major ecological change (Økland 1995, Rydgren and Økland 2002, Cronberg et al 2006.…”

Section: The Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moss Species Benefits From Breakdown of Cyclic Rodent Dynamics in Boreal Forests

Rydgren

Økland

Picó

et al. 2007

Ecology

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Abstract. Bryophytes have increased in abundance in northern regions, and climate changes have been proposed to account for this change. However, changes in the population dynamics of microtine rodents may also contribute to changes in bryophyte abundance. New evidence indicates a tendency for microtine rodent population oscillations to change from periodicity of 3-5 years to become irregular or acyclic. The impact on ecosystem functioning is potentially great. We study the impact of variation in microtine rodent population characteristics, such as cycle length and amplitude, on the population dynamics of the boreal, clonal moss Hylocomium splendens. We use experimental and observational demographic data to construct 127 scenarios representing all combinations of disturbance type (gap formation and/or clipping), period (cyclic with 4, 6, 12, or 24 years between rodent peaks; or acyclic with constant or stochastically varying annual disturbance severity) and disturbance severity (fraction of individuals affected by disturbance in each year relative to the maximum disturbance carried out in the field experiment; seven levels). Population data collected in the field during 13 years were used as a baseline scenario. By subjecting all scenarios to stochastic matrix modeling, we demonstrate considerable impact of microtine rodent on the population dynamics of H. splendens, most notably when rodent populations fluctuate with short periods and high peak disturbance severities. Under the same average disturbance severity, H. splendens population growth rates are highest in acyclic scenarios and are progressively reduced with increasing peak disturbance severities (i.e., with increasing period). Stochastic elasticity analyses show that in less variable environments mature segment survival contributes more to the population growth rate, while in more variable environments the regeneration pathway (branching of older parts of the plant) plays a stronger role, inevitably leading to lower population fitness. Our results support the hypothesis that breakdown of cyclic rodent population dynamics accentuates increase in the abundance of H. splendens and other large bryophytes in boreal forests in Norway, observed empirically in recent years and primarily ascribed to climatic change.

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“…We lack data on reproduction in mosses, but marked annual variations in sporophyte production are reported for Dicranum (Kimmerer 1994, Solli et al 2000, Hylocomium (Callaghan et al 1978, Rydgren andØkland 2002a) and Ptilium (During 1979). Sexual reproduction is costly also for mosses (Ehrlén et al 2000, Bisang and Ehrlén 2002, Rydgren and Økland 2002b, Stark et al 2009, and this activity is thus likely to affect the forage quality for moths and lemmings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sexual reproduction is costly also for mosses (Ehrlén et al 2000, Bisang and Ehrlén 2002, Rydgren and Økland 2002b, Stark et al 2009, and this activity is thus likely to affect the forage quality for moths and lemmings. But it is also possible that mosses are affected by regular variations in some environmental factors, caused e.g., by the 7-8-year fluctuation in atmospheric pressure (see e.g., Berger 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population fluctuations of moths and small rodents in relation to plant reproduction indices in southern Norway

2013

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Abstract. Trophic interaction hypotheses for multiannual population fluctuations of herbivores include the predation hypothesis, the induction hypothesis and the plant stress hypothesis. Spatial synchrony is best explained by plant stress, such as high reproduction, because weather may synchronize resource allocation in plants over large areas. We used a 29-yr time series on moth light trapping (6 selected species) and small rodent snap trapping (2 selected species) from southern Norway to test whether herbivore population fluctuations can be related to sexual reproduction of their host plants. The fluctuation pattern of the moths Parashwammerdamia lutarea and Yponomeuta padella, feeding on leaves of rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), could be explained by fluctuations in an annual index of rowanberry production, whereas the fluctuation pattern of Yponomeuta evonymella, feeding on leaves of bird cherry (Prunus padus), could not. The moth Eulithis populata, feeding on bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) leaves, fluctuated in synchrony with the bank vole (Myodes clethrionomys), which feeds on bilberry twigs in winter. E. populata and the bank vole also fluctuated in synchrony with a shorter index on bilberry seed crops. Finally, two moths feeding on mosses, Eudonia truncicolella and Catoptria falsella, fluctuated in synchrony with the moss-feeding wood lemming (Myopus schisticolor). The observed patterns could be caused by a positive effect of the supply of highly nutritious reproductive plant tissue, but the one-year delayed response by the rodents, which to a large extent feed on the plant species in question during winter, suggests that feeding deterrents are involved.

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Ultimate Costs of Sporophyte Production in the Clonal Moss Hylocomium splendens

Cited by 24 publications

References 35 publications

Dispersal and life history strategies in epiphyte metacommunities: alternative solutions to survival in patchy, dynamic landscapes

Dispersal and life history strategies in epiphyte metacommunities: alternative solutions to survival in patchy, dynamic landscapes

Moss Species Benefits From Breakdown of Cyclic Rodent Dynamics in Boreal Forests

Population fluctuations of moths and small rodents in relation to plant reproduction indices in southern Norway

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