DOCSLIB.ORG

Root Capacitance Measurements Allow Non-Intrusive In-Situ Monitoring of the Seasonal Dynamics and Drought Response of Root Activity in Two Grassland Species

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Root Capacitance Measurements Allow Non-Intrusive In-Situ Monitoring of the Seasonal Dynamics and Drought Response of Root Activity in Two Grassland Species View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Repository of the Academy's Library Plant Soil (2020) 449:423–437 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04505-4 REGULAR ARTICLE Root capacitance measurements allow non-intrusive in-situ monitoring of the seasonal dynamics and drought response of root activity in two grassland species Imre Cseresnyés & Kálmán Rajkai & Katalin Szitár & László Radimszky & Gábor Ónodi & György Kröel-Dulay Received: 29 October 2019 /Accepted: 18 March 2020 /Published online: 26 March 2020 # The Author(s) 2020 Abstract root activity in both species. Stipa borysthenica Background and aims In this study, the potential of non- displayed great plasticity in root activity, including intrusive root electrical capacitance (CR) measurements quick post-treatment recovery during the rainy autumn. for monitoring the seasonal changes and drought re- The changes observed in root activity were similar to sponse of root activity was tested on two grassland those previously recorded using conventional root in- species in a climate change experiment. vestigation techniques (i.e. destructive, minirhizotron, Methods CR was detected between a ground electrode ingrowth core) in temperate grasslands. inserted into the soil and a plant electrode attached to the Conclusions Root capacitance measurements proved to stem of the perennial grass Stipa borysthenica and the be adequate for monitoring root activity in situ in natural biennial herb Crepis rhoeadifolia in control and drought grassland. The method could be particularly useful in plots throughout two growing seasons. A pilot study studies where plant injury or soil disturbance need to be revealed that CR was strongly correlated with root bio- avoided. mass for a given time and soil water content. The effect of changing soil water content on the measured CR value Keywords Drought treatment . Grassland . In-situ root was accounted for by means of species-specific experi- methods . Root dynamics . Electrical capacitance . Soil mental calibrations. water content Results Root activity (CR) was found to peak at the flowering stage in late spring (S. borysthenica)orearly Abbreviations summer (C. rhoeadifolia). Both the natural shortage of CR Root electrical capacitance rainfall and the experimental summer drought reduced CR* Apparent root electrical capacitance Crel Relative root electrical capacitance LME Linear mixed effect model Responsible Editor: Rafael S. Oliveira . SWC Soil water content I. Cseresnyés (*) : K. Rajkai : L. Radimszky RDW Root dry weight Centre for Agricultural Research, Institute for Soil Sciences and θrel Relative water saturation Agricultural Chemistry, Herman Ottó út 15, Budapest H-1022, Hungary e-mail: [email protected] K. Szitár : G. Ónodi : G. Kröel-Dulay Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Introduction Alkotmány u. 2–4, Vácrátót H-2163, Hungary Apart from their main functions on the individual plant scale (i.e. plant anchorage, water and mineral absorption 424 Plant Soil (2020) 449:423–437 and translocation, food storage and hormonal regula- The measured CR was found to be linked to root tion), roots play a key role in ecosystem processes system size, but it could be influenced by variations in associated with material and energy flows (Hooker root tissue properties (water content, tissue density, su- et al. 2000). Root growth dynamics and belowground berization, xylem maturation, root decay) and presum- interactions strongly affect species distribution and rel- ably root–soil contact, which could vary with time and ative abundance, and thus plant community structure environmental conditions (Dalton 1995; Ellis et al. (Eissenstatetal.2013). Very few studies focus on 2013). This shows an advantage of the root capacitance collecting relevant information about root functional method: CR value seems to comprise root extension and traits especially in natural vegetation, despite their ob- physiological status, could be related to the water (and vious ecological significance (de Vries et al. 2016). nutrient) uptake activity of the whole root system (re- Many authors monitor aboveground phenology, where- ferred to as “root activity” from here) (Cseresnyés et al. as roots are only sampled destructively at the end of the 2016). On the other hand, one disadvantage of the experimental period. However, as root and shoot phe- technique is the high sensitivity of detected CR values nology are often asynchronous and are greatly influ- to external factors, including soil composition, soil wa- enced by growth conditions even in the same species, ter content (SWC), and plant electrode position (Ellis the tracking of root phenology could be critical for et al. 2013), so that data can only be compared when the evaluating whole-plant responses to the environment same species is grown in the same soil type (Chloupek (Radville et al. 2016). The lack of information on root et al. 2010). The capacitance method has mostly been systems is principally due to methodological difficulties used under controlled pot conditions to estimate root in assessing root functions directly in the soil size, and to study the phenology pattern and stress (Milchunas 2012). The conventional destructive tech- response of root growth in crops (Cseresnyés et al. niques (auger sampling, excavation, ingrowth cores) are 2016;Wuetal.2017), native grasses and herbs (Aulen inherently unsuitable for such studies. In-situ rhizotron and Shipley 2012) and tree saplings (Vamerali et al. and minirhizotron systems are widely used in plant 2009). Previous studies reported the successful applica- ecology (e.g. Pilon et al. 2013; Bai et al. 2017; Arndal tion of CR measurements in field-grown crops et al. 2018), but the installation requires soil disturbance, (Chloupek et al. 2010;Svačina et al. 2014;Heřmanská they only represent a small fraction of the root system, et al. 2015), but specific calibrations are a prerequisite and they tend to generate artefacts (Vamerali et al. for data comparison over time in the case of variable 2012). Advanced methods (e.g. tracers, X-ray imaging, SWC (Cseresnyés et al. 2018). MRI) are expensive, and have low resolution on the In spite of the promising results in pot experiments, scale of active (absorbing) fine roots (Milchunas 2012). the CR method has not yet been applied in natural plant Measuring the electrical capacitance of root–soil sys- communities. Since root production accounts for up to tems (CR) is a cheap, simple and rapid non-intrusive 70–90% of total primary production in temperate grass- method, based on the correlation between CR and the lands, particularly in arid and semiarid areas (Milchunas mass, length or surface area of the whole root system 2012), root phenology and population dynamics have a (Chloupek 1972). CR is usually detected by driving a great influence on ecosystem functioning and stress (e.g. low-frequency alternating current (1 kHz AC) between drought) adaptation, and thus on responses to the chang- a ground electrode (metal rod) inserted into the soil and a ing climate (Carrillo et al. 2014; de Vries et al. 2016). plant electrode (needle or clamp) fixed on the stem base. Perennial sand grasslands, which represent valuable According to Dalton's (1995) model, root branches act as patches of remnant vegetation in the Pannonian region lossy cylindrical capacitors connected in parallel. in Central Europe, are especially sensitive to climate Rhizodermal membranes play the role of a dielectric, change (Bartha et al. 2011). Regional climate models separating the conductive xylem and phloem sap from predict increasing temperature, severe summer droughts the conductive soil solution. Capacitance is formed by the and more frequent rainfall anomalies in the Carpathian active polarization (charge storage) of the membranes, Basin for the next few decades (Bartholy et al. 2007). and its magnitude is proportional to the area of the root– The objective of this study was to test the potential of soil interface (Fig. 1). The revised two-dielectric capacitor the CR method in monitoring the seasonal changes and model considers the capacitive behavior of the surround- drought responses of root activity in a native grassland. ing soil as well (Rajkai et al. 2005). In particular, the aim was (i) to monitor the seasonal Plant Soil (2020) 449:423–437 425 Fig. 1 Schematic illustration of root electrical capacitance mea- The plant root is represented as an axially symmetric cylindrical surements with the equivalent electrical network of the root sys- capacitor. In the equation for electrical capacitance ε and A are the tem, according to Dalton (1995) and Ellis et al. (2013). Each permittivity and surface area of the root tissue, respectively, r1 is element (i) consists of a parallel resistor–capacitor (Ri–Ci)circuit. the radius of the xylem and r2 is that of the rhizodermis patterns of root activity in a perennial grass and a bien- Materials and methods nial herb species over two consecutive years, (ii)to evaluate the response of root activity to different annual Study site and plant material rainfall patterns, and (iii) to assess root activity re- sponses to an experimental two-month summer drought. The study site is located in an inland sand dune area in Importantly, this study focused on root physiological Central Hungary, near to the village of Fülöpháza responses at the species level by sampling individual (N46°52′17″,E19°25′17″, 107 m asl.). The vegetation plants non-destructively. However, the simultaneous ap- is an open perennial sand grassland with 30–40% plant plication of this in-situ method to several coexisting coverage, dominated by Festuca vaginata W. et K. and species could contribute to a better understanding of Stipa borysthenica Klokov. The area is covered by nutri- responses at plant community level. ent-poor, coarse-textured calcaric arenosol according to 426 Plant Soil (2020) 449:423–437 Table 1 Main properties of the calcaric arenosol (0–20 cm) at the (Campbell Sci. Ltd., Loughborough, UK) calibrated to Fülöpháza study site this soil, equipped with a 20-cm-long probe.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Habitat Complexity of the Pannonian Forest-Steppe Zone and Its Nature Conservation Implications
    Ecological Complexity 17 (2014) 107–118 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ecological Complexity jo urnal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecocom Original Research Article Habitat complexity of the Pannonian forest-steppe zone and its nature conservation implications a, a a a ´ a a a L. Erdo˝ s *, Cs. To¨lgyesi , M. Horzse , D. Tolnay , A. Hurton , N. Schulcz , L. Ko¨rmo¨czi , A. b a Lengyel , Z. Ba´tori a Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Ko¨ze´p fasor 52, Szeged H-6726, Hungary b Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, Eo¨tvo¨s Lora´nd University, Pa´zma´ny Pe´ter se´ta´ny 1/C, Budapest H-1117, Hungary A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Eurasian forest-steppes are among the most complex ecosystems in the northern temperate zone. Received 8 May 2013 Alternating forest and grassland patches form a mosaic-like landscape, stretching in a stripe from eastern Received in revised form 24 October 2013 Europe almost to the Pacific coast. Although the edges (contact zones between woody and herbaceous Accepted 12 November 2013 vegetation) may play an important ecological role, their study has been neglected in the forest-steppes. Available online 8 December 2013 In this study, we aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis on the components of a sandy forest-steppe in the Pannonian ecoregion (Hungary), with special regard to the edges. 2 m  1 m coenological releve´s Keywords: were made in forest interiors, in edges and in grassland interiors.
    [Show full text]
  • Poaceae) Author(S): Raúl Gonzalo , Carlos Aedo , and Miguel Ángel García Source: Systematic Botany, 38(2):344-378
    Taxonomic Revision of the Eurasian Stipa Subsections Stipa and Tirsae (Poaceae) Author(s): Raúl Gonzalo , Carlos Aedo , and Miguel Ángel García Source: Systematic Botany, 38(2):344-378. 2013. Published By: The American Society of Plant Taxonomists URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1600/036364413X666615 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Systematic Botany (2013), 38(2): pp. 344–378 © Copyright 2013 by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists DOI 10.1600/036364413X666615 Taxonomic Revision of the Eurasian Stipa Subsections Stipa and Tirsae (Poaceae) Rau´ l Gonzalo,1,2 Carlos Aedo,1 and Miguel A´ ngel Garcı´a1 1Real Jardı´n Bota´nico, CSIC, Dpto. de Biodiversidad y Conservacio´n. Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain. 2Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Communicating Editor: Lucia G. Lohmann Abstract—A comprehensive taxonomic revision of Stipa subsects.
    [Show full text]
  • Stipa Pennata Subsp. Ceynowae (Poaceae, Pooideae), a New Taxon from Central Europe
    A peer-reviewed open-access journal PhytoKeysStipa 83: 75–92 pennata (2017) subsp. ceynowae (Poaceae, Pooideae), a new taxon from Central Europe 75 doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.83.12797 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://phytokeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Stipa pennata subsp. ceynowae (Poaceae, Pooideae), a new taxon from Central Europe Ewelina Klichowska1, Marcin Nobis1 1 Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 27, PL-31-501 Krakow, Poland Corresponding author: Marcin Nobis ([email protected]) Academic editor: C. Morden | Received 30 March 2017 | Accepted 22 June 2017 | Published 17 July 2017 Citation: Klichowska E, Nobis M (2017) Stipa pennata subsp. ceynowae (Poaceae, Pooideae), a new taxon from Central Europe. PhytoKeys 83: 75–92. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.83.12797 Abstract Based on numerical analyses of macromorphological characters, scanning electron microscopy observa- tion of leaves and lemma micromorphology, as well as field observations, Stipa pennata subsp. ceynowae was described here as a new taxon from Poland. It differs from the most similar S. pennata subsp. pen- nata and S. borysthenica mainly by its longer ligules of vegetative shoots. The affinities of this taxon are discussed and a morphological comparison with related species is provided. Illustrations and images of the micromorphological structures, as well as information about its distribution, habitat and conservation status are given. Keywords feather grasses, micromorphology, numerical analyses, Poland, taxonomy Introduction Stipa Linnaeus (1753) is one of the largest genera in the family Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae (Soreng et al. 2015). In the narrow approach, it comprises over 150 species distributed in open grasslands and steppes, with the highest species diversity in the warm temperate regions of the Old World (Roshevitz 1934, Tzvelev 1968, 1976, Bor 1970, Martinovský 1980, Freitag 1985, Wu and Phillips 2006, Nobis 2013).
    [Show full text]
  • Succession Model with Corynephorus Canescens in Abandoned Sandy Fields (W Slovakia)
    HACQUETIA 11/1 • 2012, 5–15 DOI: 10.2478/v10028-012-0001-6 Succession model wIth Corynephorus CanesCens In AbAndoned sandy fIeldS (w Slovakia) Milan VALACHOVIČ1 Abstract The succession of vegetation on acidic sandy fields after abandonment was studied and obtained results were compared with similar data from eastern part of Europe. The vegetation changes head towards oligotrophic Corynephorus-grasslands, because nutrients from the upper layer of soils are gradually washed out. Dry, oc- casionally blowing sand enables the growth of psammophytes very well. The paper compares the succession models on abandoned sandy fields, and semi-natural acidic sandy dunes in western part of Slovakia, southern Moravia, Hungary and Croatia. In spite of amazing similarities, some differences are displayed using spectra of life forms and presentation of weeds. Keywords: arable land, inland sand dunes, weed, Corynephorion, Borská nížina Lowland. Izvleček: Proučevali smo sukcesijo vegetacije na opuščenih kislih peščenih poljih in primerjali rezultate s podobni- mi podatki iz vzhodne Evrope. Spremembe vegetacije so usmerjene proti oligotrofnim traviščem z vrsto Co- rynephorus, saj se hranila postopomo izperejo iz zgornjih talnih plasti. Suh pesek, ki ga občasno prinese veter omogoča uspevanje psamofitom. V članku smo primerjali sukcesijske modele na opuščenih peščenih poljih in polnaravnih kislih peščenih Dinah v zahodnem delu Slovaške, južne Moravske, Madžarske in Hrvaške. Kljub veliki podobnosti smo izpostavili določene razlike s spektrom življenskih oblik in prisotnostjo plevelnih vrst. Ključne besede: obdelana tla, celinske peščene dine, pleveli, Corynephorion, Borská nížina. 1. Introduction omously regulate the soil pH by its root system (Rychnovská 1963). The Corynephorus-grassland represents widespread Beside dominant Corynephorus, another psam- pioneer vegetation on active mobile dunes along mophytes with constant frequency are present, the exposed Atlantic coasts from Portugal to such as Acetosella vulgaris, Agrostis tenuis, A.
    [Show full text]
  • Red List of Vascular Plants of the Czech Republic: 3Rd Edition
    Preslia 84: 631–645, 2012 631 Red List of vascular plants of the Czech Republic: 3rd edition Červený seznam cévnatých rostlin České republiky: třetí vydání Dedicated to the centenary of the Czech Botanical Society (1912–2012) VítGrulich Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: [email protected] Grulich V. (2012): Red List of vascular plants of the Czech Republic: 3rd edition. – Preslia 84: 631–645. The knowledge of the flora of the Czech Republic has substantially improved since the second ver- sion of the national Red List was published, mainly due to large-scale field recording during the last decade and the resulting large national databases. In this paper, an updated Red List is presented and compared with the previous editions of 1979 and 2000. The complete updated Red List consists of 1720 taxa (listed in Electronic Appendix 1), accounting for more then a half (59.2%) of the native flora of the Czech Republic. Of the Red-Listed taxa, 156 (9.1% of the total number on the list) are in the A categories, which include taxa that have vanished from the flora or are not known to occur at present, 471 (27.4%) are classified as critically threatened, 357 (20.8%) as threatened and 356 (20.7%) as endangered. From 1979 to 2000 to 2012, there has been an increase in the total number of taxa included in the Red List (from 1190 to 1627 to 1720) and in most categories, mainly for the following reasons: (i) The continuing human pressure on many natural and semi-natural habitats is reflected in the increased vulnerability or level of threat to many vascular plants; some vulnerable species therefore became endangered, those endangered critically threatened, while species until recently not classified may be included in the Red List as vulnerable or even endangered.
    [Show full text]
  • (Poaceae) and Characterization
    EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETATIVE ARCHITECTURE: BROAD SCALE PATTERNS OF BRANCHING ACROSS THE GRASS FAMILY (POACEAE) AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SETARIA VIRIDIS L. P. BEAUV. By MICHAEL P. MALAHY Bachelor of Science in Biology University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, Oklahoma 2006 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE July, 2012 EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETATIVE ARCHITECTURE: BROAD SCALE PATTERNS OF BRANCHING ACROSS THE GRASS FAMILY (POACEAE) AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN WEEDY GREEN MILLET ( SETARIA VIRIDIS L. P. BEAUV.) Thesis Approved: Dr. Andrew Doust Thesis Adviser Dr. Mark Fishbein Dr. Linda Watson Dr. Sheryl A. Tucker Dean of the Graduate College I TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. Evolutionary survey of vegetative branching across the grass family (poaceae) ... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Plant Architecture ........................................................................................................ 2 Vascular Plant Morphology ......................................................................................... 3 Grass Morphology ....................................................................................................... 4 Methods .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Flora and Phytogeography of the Czech Republic
    Preslia 84: 505–573, 2012 505 Flora and phytogeography of the Czech Republic Flóra a fytogeografie České republiky Dedicated to the centenary of the Czech Botanical Society (1912–2012) Zdeněk K a p l a n Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic, e-mail: [email protected] Kaplan Z. (2012): Flora and phytogeography of the Czech Republic. – Preslia 84: 505–573. A review of the flora and phytogeography of the Czech Republic is given. The diversity of plants in this country reflects its geographic position in the centre of Europe, local natural conditions and the effect of intense human activity on the landscape. The Czech flora includes 148 families, 916 gen- era, 3557 species (plus 194 additional subspecies) and 609 hybrid vascular plants. Families richest in species are Asteraceae (662 species), Rosaceae (316), Poaceae (275), Fabaceae (170), Brassicaceae (148), Cyperaceae (127), Lamiaceae (112), Caryophyllaceae (108) and Apiaceae (100). Most of these species are native and 36.0% are alien. The spectrum of life-forms is dominated by hemicryptophytes (45.7%), followed by therophytes (22.3%), phanerophytes (14.4%), geophytes (9.3%), chamaephytes (5.1%) and hydrophytes (3.2%), while the percentage of epiphytes is negligible (only two species). Several species that occur in the Czech Republic are relicts from glacial and early postglacial periods. Examples of arctic, boreal, alpine, steppe and other sorts of relicts are listed. Because of the relatively small size of this country and the consider- able climatic and vegetational changes caused by glaciations, which repeatedly eliminated the local flora, endemism is relatively low in the Czech Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Contribution to the Flora of Asian and European Countries: New National and Regional Vascular Plant Records, 6
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315076948 Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 6 Article · March 2017 DOI: 10.1080/23818107.2016.1273134 CITATIONS READS 0 3 33 authors, including: Artur Pliszko Jagiellonian University 28 PUBLICATIONS 38 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Artur Pliszko on 15 March 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. All in-text references underlined in blue are added to the original document and are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately. Botany Letters ISSN: 2381-8107 (Print) 2381-8115 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tabg21 Contribution to the flora of Asian and European countries: new national and regional vascular plant records, 6 Marcin Nobis, Andrey Erst, Arkadiusz Nowak, Dmitry Shaulo, Marina Olonova, Yuriy Kotukhov, Asli Doğru-Koca, Ali A. Dönmez, Gergely Király, Aleksandr L. Ebel, Maria Kushunina, Renata Piwowarczyk, Alexander P. Sukhorukov, Agnieszka Nobis, Filip Verloove, Joanna Zalewska-Gałosz, Golshan Zare, Jean-François Burri, Danka Caković, Elżbieta Jędrzejczak, Nejc Jogan, Ewelina Klichowska, Artur Pliszko, Anton V. Popovich, Danijela Stešević, Urban Šilc, Natalia Tupitsyna, Vladimir M. Vasjukov, Wei Wang, Philippe Werner, Magdalena N. Wolanin, Mateusz M. Wolanin & Kun-Li Xiang To cite this article: Marcin Nobis, Andrey Erst, Arkadiusz Nowak, Dmitry Shaulo, Marina Olonova, Yuriy Kotukhov, Asli Doğru-Koca, Ali A. Dönmez, Gergely Király, Aleksandr L. Ebel, Maria Kushunina, Renata Piwowarczyk, Alexander P. Sukhorukov, Agnieszka Nobis, Filip Verloove, Joanna Zalewska-Gałosz, Golshan Zare, Jean-François Burri, Danka Caković, Elżbieta Jędrzejczak, Nejc Jogan, Ewelina Klichowska, Artur Pliszko, Anton V.
    [Show full text]
  • Genetic Differences Among the Four Stipa Species Endangered and Protected in Poland
    Biodiv. Res. Conserv. 1-2: 45-49, 2006 BRC www.brc.amu.edu.pl Genetic differences among the four Stipa species endangered and protected in Poland Maria Krzakowa*, Marcin Michalak & Maria Judek Department of Genetics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 PoznaÒ, Poland, *e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: The distinct character of four species of Stipa genus, S. borysthenica, S. capillata, S. joannis and S. pulcherrima was manifested in the variability of three enzyme systems, including glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase (GOT), esterase (EST) and peroxidase (PX). The studies were conducted on two-month-old seedlings cultured under the same glasshouse conditions, obtained from seeds from the Botanical Gardens collection. Fifteen loci were described, of which eight proved to be polymorphic. The studies included also the complex species of S. pennata and the closely related species of S. tirsa. Key words: Stipa borysthenica, S. capillata, S. joannis, S. pulcherrima, S. pennata, S. tirsa, enzyme, electrophoresis 1. Introduction stands along the lower Odra River and in Wielkopolska (Ceynowa-Gie≥don 2001a). S. capillata is a species typical In Poland occur four species of the Stipa genus, for the Potentillo-Stipetum capillatae community. It including S. borysthenica Klokov, S. capillata L., S. grows in small populations along Lower Odra River, in joannis »elak and S. pulcherrima K. Koch. All belong northwestern Poland, in the ToruÒ-Eberswalde proglacial to the group of grasses covered by strict protection and, streat valley, in Nida Lowland, Ma≥opolska and Lubelska being endangered, they are included in the Polish Red Highlands (Filipek 1974; GÛrska-Zajπczkowska & Book of Plants (Kaümierczakowa & Zarzycki 2001).
    [Show full text]
  • Dianthus Diutinus – Hungary
    Dianthus diutinus – Hungary Conservation status IUCN Global: Endangered IUCN EU: Endangered HU: U1 (+) Protection status HD: Annex II and IV Population (2007-12) EU27 / HU: 40,000 – 90,000 individuals MS with genuine HU improvement Other MS - Photo: Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0/Bérces Sándor Summary: Endemic to the Pannonian biogeographical region, Dianthus diutinus inhabits open patchworks of grassland and scattered stands of forests, and is nowadays only found in the area between the Danube and Tisza rivers in central Hungary. The majority of its habitat has been afforested and fragmented with large-scale pine tree plantations, and degraded due to the spread of invasive alien species. As a result, the population size of Dianthus diutinus had shrunk by 2007 to approximately 20,000 individuals, consisting of 10 small and isolated subpopulations. As part of a LIFE project, LIFE HUNDIDI carried out from 2006 to 2011, the population size and the quality of the habitat of Dianthus diutinus was successfully improved. The population reached 97,738 individuals at the end of the LIFE project in 2011, but is likely to have declined now, due to natural factors, to approximately 78,000 individuals. In addition, the area of interconnected and unbroken habitat for the species has increased to 455 ha. These achievements were driven by the timely and smooth combination of extensive restoration of the habitat of the species (including thinning of non-indigenous forests and removal of invasive species) and research-based ex situ propagation and reintroduction, supported by various enabling factors (intense cooperation with stakeholders, changes in forestry regulations, and successful awareness raising activities).
    [Show full text]
  • Root Capacitance Measurements Allow Non-Intrusive In-Situ Monitoring of the Seasonal Dynamics and Drought Response of Root Activity in Two Grassland Species
    Plant Soil (2020) 449:423–437 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04505-4 REGULAR ARTICLE Root capacitance measurements allow non-intrusive in-situ monitoring of the seasonal dynamics and drought response of root activity in two grassland species Imre Cseresnyés & Kálmán Rajkai & Katalin Szitár & László Radimszky & Gábor Ónodi & György Kröel-Dulay Received: 29 October 2019 /Accepted: 18 March 2020 /Published online: 26 March 2020 # The Author(s) 2020 Abstract root activity in both species. Stipa borysthenica Background and aims In this study, the potential of non- displayed great plasticity in root activity, including intrusive root electrical capacitance (CR) measurements quick post-treatment recovery during the rainy autumn. for monitoring the seasonal changes and drought re- The changes observed in root activity were similar to sponse of root activity was tested on two grassland those previously recorded using conventional root in- species in a climate change experiment. vestigation techniques (i.e. destructive, minirhizotron, Methods CR was detected between a ground electrode ingrowth core) in temperate grasslands. inserted into the soil and a plant electrode attached to the Conclusions Root capacitance measurements proved to stem of the perennial grass Stipa borysthenica and the be adequate for monitoring root activity in situ in natural biennial herb Crepis rhoeadifolia in control and drought grassland. The method could be particularly useful in plots throughout two growing seasons. A pilot study studies where plant injury or soil disturbance need to be revealed that CR was strongly correlated with root bio- avoided. mass for a given time and soil water content. The effect of changing soil water content on the measured CR value Keywords Drought treatment .
    [Show full text]
  • Vegetation of the Czech Republic: Diversity, Ecology, History and Dynamics
    Preslia 84: 427–504, 2012 427 Vegetation of the Czech Republic: diversity, ecology, history and dynamics Vegetace České republiky: diverzita, ekologie, historie a dynamika Dedicated to the centenary of the Czech Botanical Society (1912–2012) Milan C h y t r ý Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: [email protected] Chytrý M. (2012): Vegetation of the Czech Republic: diversity, ecology, history and dynamics. – Preslia 84: 427–504. This review summarizes basic information on the diversity of vegetation in the Czech Republic. It describes basic environmenal factors affecting vegetation, vegetation history since the last glacial, biomes occurring in the Czech Republic (zonal biomes of broad-leaved deciduous forest and forest- steppe, and azonal biomes of taiga and tundra), altitudinal zonation of vegetation and landscapes with an exceptionally high diversity of vegetation types (deep river valleys in the Bohemian Massif, karst areas, sandstone pseudokarst areas, solitary volcanic hills, glacial cirques, lowland riverine landscapes and serpentine areas). Vegetation types, delimited according to the monograph Vegeta- tion of the Czech Republic, are described with emphasis on their diversity, ecology, history and dynamics. K e y w o r d s: alpine, aquatic, central Europe, forest, grassland, phytosociology, plant communi- ties, ruderal, vegetation change, vegetation classification, vegetation history, weed, wetland Introduction The Czech Republic is a land-locked country in central Europe occupying an area of 78,867 km2. It is situated in the zone of temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest, which in the south-east borders on the forest-steppe zone.
    [Show full text]