Climbing strategies determine light availability for both vines and associated structural hosts

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Llorens ◽  
Michelle R. Leishman
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Shoot Height ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Root Climber ◽  
Shading Effects ◽  
Reduced Light ◽  
Leaf Mass Fraction

This study investigated biomass allocation traits and shading impact of vines (ground-rooted climbing plants) on their hosts in a tall open forest understorey community (Blue Gum High Forest) in Sydney, Australia. Eighty-six vine individuals from 11 species (7 natives and 4 exotics) were recorded and sampled on 26 individuals from 5 host species. All host species sampled were <3 m in height. Each recorded climber was assigned to one of the five established climbing strategies: tendril climber, petiole climber, stem twiner, scrambler or root climber. No root climbers were recorded. Each species was also recorded as native or exotic. We measured shading effects of the different climbing strategies by removing vines from their hosts and measuring the change in canopy openness (diffuse non-interceptance, DIFN) above the host. Vines had significantly greater specific leaf area than their hosts. The most abundant climbing strategy was stem twining, followed by scrambling, petiole twining and tendril climbing. Leaf mass fraction (leaf mass per total aboveground biomass) did not differ among climbing strategies or between natives and exotics. Vines reached taller heights on taller hosts and the percentage of host’s shoot height reached differed significantly among climbing strategies: petiole twiners and scramblers reached the largest percentage host shoot height (97% and 92%, respectively) whereas stem twiners and tendril climbers reached 68% and 61%, respectively. Total relative shading of the host increased significantly with increasing vine biomass. There were significant differences between climbing strategies in the shading imposed on hosts. In the context of average canopy openness above the understorey for this site (24%), scramblers reduced light availability to their hosts by nearly 25%, compared with petiole-tendril twiners (14%) and stem twiners (8%). Thus, climbing strategies differentially shape the light environment available to their structural hosts.

Relative importance of overstory canopy openness and seedling density on crown morphology and growth of Acer nipponicum seedlings

Botany ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 1152-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waka Saito ◽  
Koji Kawamura ◽  
Hiroshi Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Seedling Morphology ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Leaf Mass Fraction

We investigated the effects of overstory canopy openness and seedling density on seedling morphology and growth in the mid-successional species Acer nipponicum Hara in a cool-temperate forest. Studied seedlings were 46 seedlings of 30–160 cm height, and their overstory canopy openness ranged between 7.2% and 17.0%. Seedling density, measured as the number of conspecific neighboring seedlings within a 50 cm radius of the target seedling, ranged between 0 and 19. There were no significant correlations between seedling height, canopy openness, and seedling density. Multiple regression analysis showed that crown depth, leaf mass fraction, and leaf area index decreased with decreasing canopy openness and increasing seedling density, while the ratio of trunk-lateral branches mass increased. Overstory canopy openness did not affect crown area, leaf size, or petiole length, all of which decreased with increasing seedling density. Standardized regression coefficients indicated that seedling density affected morphology and growth more than canopy openness did. The morphological responses to canopy openness cannot be considered as adaptive plasticity, as total leaf area and leaf mass fraction decreased with decreasing light levels. In contrast, responses to seedling density indicate adaptive responses to neighborhood competition. The results highlight the importance of seedling density that influenced seedling growth and morphology independently of overstory canopy openness.

scholarly journals Quantifying Understory Complexity in Unmanaged Forests Using TLS and Identifying Some of Its Major Drivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1513
Author(s):  
Dominik Seidel ◽  
Peter Annighöfer ◽  
Christian Ammer ◽  
Martin Ehbrecht ◽  
Katharina Willim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Seasonal Precipitation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

The structural complexity of the understory layer of forests or shrub layer vegetation in open shrublands affects many ecosystem functions and services provided by these ecosystems. We investigated how the basal area of the overstory layer, annual and seasonal precipitation, annual mean temperature, as well as light availability affect the structural complexity of the understory layer along a gradient from closed forests to open shrubland with only scattered trees. Using terrestrial laser scanning data and the understory complexity index (UCI), we measured the structural complexity of sites across a wide range of precipitation and temperature, also covering a gradient in light availability and basal area. We found significant relationships between the UCI and tree basal area as well as canopy openness. Structural equation models (SEMs) confirmed significant direct effects of seasonal precipitation on the UCI without mediation through basal area or canopy openness. However, annual precipitation and temperature effects on the UCI are mediated through canopy openness and basal area, respectively. Understory complexity is, despite clear dependencies on the available light and overall stand density, significantly and directly driven by climatic parameters, particularly the amount of precipitation during the driest month.

scholarly journals Physiological and ecological consequences of the water optical properties degradation on reef corals

Coral Reefs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás López-Londoño ◽  
Claudia T. Galindo-Martínez ◽  
Kelly Gómez-Campo ◽  
Luis A. González-Guerrero ◽  
Sofia Roitman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Optical Quality ◽  
Light Penetration ◽  
Reef Corals ◽  
Orbicella Faveolata ◽  
Light Quantity ◽  
Reduced Light

AbstractDegradation of water optical properties due to anthropogenic disturbances is a common phenomenon in coastal waters globally. Although this condition is associated with multiple drivers that affect corals health in multiple ways, its effect on light availability and photosynthetic energy acquisition has been largely neglected. Here, we describe how declining the water optical quality in a coastal reef exposed to a turbid plume of water originating from a man-made channel compromises the functionality of the keystone coral species Orbicella faveolata. We found highly variable water optical conditions with significant effects on the light quantity and quality available for corals. Low-light phenotypes close to theoretical limits of photoacclimation were found at shallow depths as a result of reduced light penetration. The estimated photosynthetically fixed energy depletion with increasing depth was associated with patterns of colony mortality and vertical habitat compression. A numerical model illustrates the potential effect of the progressive water quality degradation on coral mortality and population decline along the depth gradient. Collectively, our findings suggest that preserving the water properties seeking to maximize light penetration through the water column is essential for maintaining the coral reef structure and associated ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Mesophotic.org: a repository for scientific information on mesophotic ecosystems

Database ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pim Bongaerts ◽  
Gonzalo Perez-Rosales ◽  
Veronica Z Radice ◽  
Gal Eyal ◽  
Andrea Gori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Photosynthetic Organisms ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Reduced Light

Abstract Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) and temperate mesophotic ecosystems (TMEs) occur at depths of roughly 30–150 m depth and are characterized by the presence of photosynthetic organisms despite reduced light availability. Exploration of these ecosystems dates back several decades, but our knowledge remained extremely limited until about a decade ago, when a renewed interest resulted in the establishment of a rapidly growing research community. Here, we present the ‘mesophotic.org’ database, a comprehensive and curated repository of scientific literature on mesophotic ecosystems. Through both manually curated and automatically extracted metadata, the repository facilitates rapid retrieval of available information about particular topics (e.g. taxa or geographic regions), exploration of spatial/temporal trends in research and identification of knowledge gaps. The repository can be queried to comprehensively obtain available data to address large-scale questions and guide future research directions. Overall, the ‘mesophotic.org’ repository provides an independent and open-source platform for the ever-growing research community working on MCEs and TMEs to collate and expedite our understanding of the occurrence, composition and functioning of these ecosystems. Database URL: http://mesophotic.org/

Dispersal of Goeppertia marantifolia clonal offspring increases with greater canopy openness and larger plant size

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Matlaga ◽  
Rachel K. Snyder ◽  
Carol C. Horvitz
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Plant Size ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Parent Plant ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Corcovado National Park ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract:Many plants within the neotropical understorey produce both seeds and clonal offspring. Plant attributes (i.e. size) and variability in light can influence seed dispersal but it is not known if these factors influence the dispersal of clonal offspring. Our goal was to determine if canopy openness and plant size influence clonal-offspring dispersal of the herb Goeppertia marantifolia, which produces clonal bulbils on above-ground shoots. We monitored plants in permanent plots with varying levels of canopy openness in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. We recorded canopy openness, leaf area and the distance clonal offspring travelled from their parent plant (N = 283). Our path analysis model demonstrated that canopy openness had a strong positive effect on dispersal distance, while the association between clonal-offspring dispersal distance and parent plant leaf area was only weakly positive. On average, plants experiencing high canopy openness dispersed their clonal offspring further than plants under low canopy openness (124 cm vs. 79 cm, respectively). Contrary to studies on species that utilize rhizomes and stolons for clonal reproduction, we found that in this bulbil-producing species light availability is positively associated with clonal dispersal distance. Therefore, the influence of resource availability on spatial population dynamics of clonal species may be influenced by the species’ growth-form.

scholarly journals Similar understorey structure in spite of edaphic and floristic dissimilarity in Amazonian forests

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lassi SUOMINEN ◽  
Kalle RUOKOLAINEN ◽  
Timo PITKÄNEN ◽  
Hanna TUOMISTO
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Understorey Plants ◽  
Amazonian Forests ◽  
Geological Formations

Forest structure determines light availability for understorey plants. The structure of lowland Amazonian forests is known to vary over long edaphic gradients, but whether more subtle edaphic variation also affects forest structure has not beenresolved. In western Amazonia, the majority of non-flooded forests grow on soils derived either from relatively fertile sediments of the Pebas Formation or from poorer sediments of the Nauta Formation. The objective of this study was to compare structure and light availability in the understorey of forests growing on these two geological formations. We measured canopy openness and tree stem densities in three size classes in northeastern Peru in a total of 275 study points in old-growth terra firme forests representing the two geological formations. We also documented variation in floristic composition (ferns, lycophytes and the palm Iriartea deltoidea) and used Landsat TM satellite image information to model the forest structural and floristic features over a larger area. The floristic compositions of forests on the two formations were clearly different, and this could also be modelled with the satellite imagery. In contrast, the field observations of forest structure gave only a weak indication that forests on the Nauta Formation might be denser than those on the Pebas Formation. The modelling of forest structural features with satellite imagery did not support this result. Our results indicate that the structure of forest understorey varies much less than floristic composition does over the studied edaphic difference.

The influence of fire on Spartina pectinata wetland communities in a northeastern Kansas tallgrass prairie

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Johnson ◽  
Alan K. Knapp
Keyword(s):  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Plant Species Composition ◽  
Prairie Wetlands ◽  
Asclepias Syriaca ◽  
Spartina Pectinata ◽  
Galium Aparine ◽  
Reduced Light ◽  
Diverse Plant

Wetlands dominated by the C4 grass Spartina pectinata were investigated to quantify differences in plant species composition and diversity in response to fire frequency. The study site was a tallgrass prairie in northeastern Kansas that included Spartina wetlands subjected to spring fires at 1-, 2-, 4-, 10-, and 20-year intervals. Because C3 forbs in these wetlands responded strongly to different fire frequencies, the light environment and gas exchange responses of the ubiquitous forb Asclepias syriaca were also assessed. In general, species diversity was lower in annually burned wetlands because of lower forb diversity. Maximum H′ in annually burned sites was 1.64 versus 2.77 in 10- and 20-year burned sites. However, individual forb responses varied. Asclepias increased and Solidago canadensis and Galium aparine decreased in importance with increasing fire frequency. Canopy sunlight interception was greater in annually burned wetlands than in wetlands with lower burn frequencies. Despite reduced light availability, midseason photosynthetic rates of Asclepias were higher in annually burned sites. The results suggest that frequent fire in tallgrass prairie wetlands results in less diverse plant communities, similar to responses of upland prairie, and that the timing of fire, relative to life history and phenology of the subordinate species, strongly influences responses of individual forbs. Key words: wetlands, tallgrass prairie, Spartina pectinata communities, fire.

Elevational gradients of bryophyte diversity, life forms, and community assemblage in the southern Appalachian Mountains

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 2164-2174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Stehn ◽  
Christopher R. Webster ◽  
Janice M. Glime ◽  
Michael A. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Community Assemblage

We investigated the influence of fine-scale elevational gradients and overstory disturbance on bryophyte distribution, diversity, and community composition. Bryophyte species cover and richness were sampled across 60 randomly selected plots within high-elevation spruce–fir ( Picea – Abies ) forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ordination and regression analyses revealed a fine-scale elevation gradient (700 m) in bryophyte community composition. Observed changes in bryophyte diversity and community composition were also associated with variation in deciduous basal area and thus litter composition, the prevalence of herbaceous plants, and the degree of canopy openness resulting from balsam woolly adelgid ( Adelges piceae Ratz.) infestation. Although overstory disturbances, such as those caused by the adelgid, create suitable substrate for bryophyte colonization, the corresponding increase in light availability and deciduous basal area may alter bryophyte diversity and community assemblages.

scholarly journals Edge effects alter the role of fungi and insects in mediating functional composition and diversity of seedling recruits in a fragmented tropical forest

2020 ◽  
Vol 126 (7) ◽  
pp. 1181-1191
Author(s):  
Meghna Krishnadas ◽  
Kavya Agarwal ◽  
Liza S Comita
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Seed Size ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Edge Effects ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Forest Fragments

Abstract Background and Aims In fragmented forests, proximity to forest edges can favour the establishment of resource-acquisitive species over more resource-conservative species. During seedling recruitment, resource-acquisitive species may benefit from either higher light availability or weaker top-down effects of natural enemies. The relative importance of light and enemies for recruitment has seldom been examined with respect to edge effects. Methods In a human-modified wet tropical forest in India, we first examined how functional traits indicative of resource-acquisitive vs. resource-conservative strategies, i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content, wood density and seed size, explained interspecific differences in densities of seedling recruits with distance to the forest edge. Then, we checked whether fungicide and insecticide treatments and canopy openness (proxy for light availability) explained edge effects on trait-mediated changes in seedling density. Finally, we examined whether light availability and natural enemy activity explained edge effects on functional diversity of seedling recruits. Key Results Up to 60 m from edges, recruit densities increased with decreasing seed size, but not at 90–100 m, where recruit densities increased with higher SLA. Trait-mediated variation in recruit densities changed with pesticides only at 90–100 m: compared with control plots, fungicide increased recruit densities for low SLA species and insecticide increased smaller seeded species. For SLA, wood density and seed size, functional diversity of recruits was higher at 90–100 m than at 0–5 m. At 90–100 m, fungicide decreased functional diversity for SLA and insecticide reduced seed size diversity compared with control plots. Canopy openness explained neither variation in recruit density in relation to traits nor functional diversity. Conclusions Altered biotic interactions can mediate local changes to trait composition and functional diversity during seedling recruitment in forest fragments, hinting at downstream effects on the structure and function of human-modified forests.

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