scholarly journals No neighbour-induced increase in root growth of soybean and sunflower in mesh divider experiments after controlling for nutrient concentration and soil volume

AoB Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin J W Chen ◽  
Li Huang ◽  
Heinjo J During ◽  
Xinyu Wang ◽  
Jiahe Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Nutrient Concentration ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Root Competition ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
Soil Volume ◽  
Ideal Free

Abstract Root competition is a key factor determining plant performance, community structure and ecosystem productivity. To adequately estimate the extent of root proliferation of plants in response to neighbours independently of nutrient availability, one should use a setup that can simultaneously control for both nutrient concentration and soil volume at plant individual level. With a mesh-divider design, which was suggested as a promising solution for this problem, we conducted two intraspecific root competition experiments one with soybean (Glycine max) and the other with sunflower (Helianthus annuus). We found no response of root growth or biomass allocation to intraspecific neighbours, i.e. an ‘ideal free distribution’ (IDF) norm, in soybean; and even a reduced growth as a negative response in sunflower. These responses are all inconsistent with the hypothesis that plants should produce more roots even at the expense of reduced fitness in response to neighbours, i.e. root over-proliferation. Our results suggest that neighbour-induced root over-proliferation is not a ubiquitous feature in plants. By integrating the findings with results from other soybean studies, we conclude that for some species this response could be a genotype-dependent response as a result of natural or artificial selection, or a context-dependent response so that plants can switch from root over-proliferation to IDF depending on the environment of competition. We also critically discuss whether the mesh-driver design is the ideal solution for root competition experiments.

scholarly journals Some plants don’t play games: An ideal free distribution explains the root production of plants that do not engage in a tragedy of the commons game.

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon McNickle ◽  
Joel S Brown
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Tragedy Of The Commons ◽  
Stable Strategy ◽  
Free Distribution ◽  
Root Allocation ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Game Theoretic ◽  
Soil Volume ◽  
Ideal Free

1. Game theoretic models that seek to predict the most competitive strategy plants use for competition in soil are clear; they generally predict that over-proliferation of roots is the only evolutionarily stable strategy. However, empirical studies are equally clear that not all plants employ this strategy of over-proliferation of roots. Here, our goal was to develop and test an alternative non-game theoretic model that can be used to develop alternative hypotheses for plants that do not appear to play games. 2. The model is similar to previous models, but does not use a game theoretic optimization criterion. Instead, plants use only nutrient availability to select a root allocation strategy, ignoring neighbours. To test the model we compare root allocation and seed yield of plants grown either alone or with neighbours. 3. The model predicted plants that do not sense neighbours (or ignore neighbours) should allocate roots relative to resource availability following an ideal free distribution. This means that if a soil volume of quality R contains x roots, then a soil volume of quality R/n will contain x/n roots. The experimental data were consistent with this prediction. That is, plants grown with 1.2g of slow release fertilizer resources produced 0.043 g of roots, while plants grown with neighbours, or plants grown with half as much fertilizer produced half as much root mass (0.026g, and 0.24g respectively). Seed yield followed a similar pattern. 4. This model presents an alternative predictive framework for those plant species that do not seem to play a tragedy of the commons game for belowground competition. 5. Synthesis: It remains unclear why some plants do not engage in belowground games for competition. Models suggest over-proliferation is an unbeatable evolutionary stable strategy, yet plants that do not play the game apparently coexist with plants that do. We suggest that a greater understanding of trade-offs among traits that are important for other biotic interactions (above-ground competition, enemy defence, mutualisms) will lead to a greater understanding of why some species over-proliferate roots when in competition but other species do not.

scholarly journals Swift Foxes and Ideal Free Distribution: Relative Influence of Vegetation and Rodent Prey Base on Swift Fox Survival, Density, and Home Range Size

ISRN Zoology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig M. Thompson ◽  
Eric M. Gese
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Free Distribution ◽  
Swift Fox ◽  
Ideal Free

Swift foxes (Vulpes velox) are an endemic mesocarnivore of North America subject to resource and predation-based pressures. While swift fox demographics have been documented, there is little information on the importance of top-down versus bottom-up pressures or the effect of landscape heterogeneity. Using a consumable resource-based ideal free distribution model as a conceptual framework, we isolated the effects of resource-based habitat selection on fox population ecology. We hypothesized if swift fox ecology is predominantly resource dependant, distribution, survival, and space use would match predictions made under ideal free distribution theory. We monitored survival and home range use of 47 swift foxes in southeastern Colorado from 2001 to 2004. Annual home range size was 15.4 km2, and seasonal home range size was 10.1 km2. At the individual level, annual home range size was unrelated to survival. Estimates of fox density ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 foxes/km2. Seasonal survival rates were 0.73 and 1.0 and did not differ seasonally. Foxes conformed to the predictions of the ideal free distribution model during winter, indicating foxes are food stressed and their behavior governed by resource acquisition. During the rest of the year, behavior was not resource driven and was governed by security from intraguild predation.

Foraging behaviour in tadpoles of the bronze frogRana temporalis: Experimental evidence for the ideal free distribution

2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dheeraj K. Veeranagoudar ◽  
Bhagyashri A. Shanbhag ◽  
Srinivas K. Saidapur
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Free Distribution ◽  
Ideal Free ◽  
The Ideal

Aggregation and the `Ideal Free' Distribution

10.2307/4456 ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 821 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Free Distribution ◽  
Ideal Free ◽  
The Ideal

scholarly journals Wind drives drought responses of green roof vegetation in two substrates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Przybysz ◽  
Konstantin Sonkin ◽  
Arne Sæbø ◽  
Hans Martin Hanslin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Succulent Plant ◽  
Hieracium Pilosella ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Substrate Moisture ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

The multifunctionality and delivery of ecosystem services from green roofs is improved by biological diversity of the roof vegetation. However, the frequency and intensity of drought episodes on extensive green roofs may limit the use of non-succulent species and the potential functional and phylogenetic diversity of the vegetation. Wind accelerates water use by plants and desiccation of the green roof substrate, and may be a key factor in selection of non-succulent plant species for green roofs. In this study, we tested wind interactions with green roof substrate composition and the effects on plant and substrate water balance, overall plant performance, and wilting and survival of three non-succulent species (Plantago maritima L., Hieracium pilosella L., and Festuca rubra L.) under realistic prolonged water deficit conditions. We found that, regardless of species or substrate tested, wind accelerated drought response. Drought-stressed plants exposed to wind wilted and died earlier, mostly due to more rapid desiccation of the growth substrate (critical substrate moisture content was 6-8%). The moderate wind levels applied did not affect plant performance when not combined with drought. Species with contrasting growth forms showed similar responses to treatments, but there were some species-specific responses. This highlights the importance of including wind to increase realism when evaluating drought exposure in non-succulent green roof vegetation.

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