DOCSLIB.ORG

Functional Traits of Salt Marsh Plants: Responses of Morphology- And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Functional Traits of Salt Marsh Plants: Responses of Morphology- And 1 Functional traits of salt marsh plants: responses of morphology- and elemental- based traits to environmental constraints, trait-trait relationships and effects on ecosystem properties Von der Fakultät für Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg zur Erlangung des Grades und Titels eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) angenommene Dissertation von Vanessa Minden, geboren am 14. April 1979 in Saarlouis i Gutachter Prof. Dr. Michael Kleyer Zweitgutachter Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand Tag der Disputation 14.12.2010 ii iii i Contents Contents ........................................................................................................... i Summary ......................................................................................................... v Zusammenfassung ......................................................................................... ix List of most important abbreviations ...........................................................xiii 1 Preface ...................................................................................................... 1 2 The functional approach: from traits to types ........................................... 5 2.1 The term ‘trait’ and its functionality ............................................................. 6 2.2 From functional traits to functional types ..................................................... 6 2.3 Linking the environment with ecosystem properties: effect and response traits and the role of biodiversity ............................................................................. 7 2.4 Concepts of trait-environmental relationships .............................................. 9 3 Ecological Stoichiometry ........................................................................ 15 3.1 General introduction ................................................................................... 15 3.2 Elemental composition in autotrophs in relation to tissue differentiation .. 17 3.3 Variability in C:N:P concentrations ............................................................ 18 3.4 Environmental constraints on organismal stoichiometry ............................ 19 3.5 Allocation patterns ...................................................................................... 21 4 Salt marshes ............................................................................................ 25 4.1 Abiotic conditions in salt marshes and their effects on plant performance. 26 4.2 Species composition ................................................................................... 28 4.3 Adaptations to salt stress ............................................................................ 29 4.4 Ecosystem functions in salt marshes .......................................................... 31 5 Study design and parameter-synopsis ..................................................... 35 5.1 Study sites ................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Sampling design ......................................................................................... 36 5.3 Species composition ................................................................................... 37 5.4 Abiotic parameters ...................................................................................... 37 5.5 Plant functional traits .................................................................................. 41 ii 5.6 Ecosystem properties .................................................................................. 44 6 Trait-environmental concepts are not explicitly convertible to salt marshes ......................................................................................................... 47 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 48 6.2 Materials and methods ................................................................................ 51 6.3 Results ........................................................................................................ 58 6.4 Discussion ................................................................................................... 65 7 Environmental constraints on the C:N:P stoichiometry of plant organs in salt marshes ................................................................................................... 71 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 72 7.2 Materials and Methods ............................................................................... 75 7.3 Results ........................................................................................................ 80 7.4 Discussion ................................................................................................... 88 8 Testing the effect-response framework: key response and effect traits determining aboveground biomass of salt marshes ...................................... 97 8.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 98 8.2 Methods .................................................................................................... 103 8.3 Results ...................................................................................................... 110 8.4 Discussion ................................................................................................. 116 9 Plant trait responses to the environment and effects on ecosystem properties in salt marshes ............................................................................ 123 9.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 124 9.2 Materials and Methods ............................................................................. 129 9.3 Results ...................................................................................................... 135 9.4 Discussion ................................................................................................. 141 10 Synthesis ............................................................................................... 147 10.1 General remarks ........................................................................................ 147 10.2 Environmental constraints and species distribution .................................. 147 10.3 Trait expressions of salt marsh plants as response to environmental conditions ............................................................................................................ 149 10.4 Possible soft traits as surrogates for hard traits ......................................... 150 iii 10.5 Trait-trait relationships ............................................................................. 154 10.6 Plant traits effecting ecosystem functioning and the role of biodiversity . 157 10.7 Improvements on methodology ................................................................ 158 10.8 Recommendations for further analysis and research ................................ 160 References ................................................................................................... 165 Appendix ..................................................................................................... 199 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................... 211 Curriculum Vitae ........................................................................................ 213 Erklärung .................................................................................................... 217 v Summary Loss of species diversity may not only be critical from an ethical and taxonomic point of view, but it may also have profound effects on the functioning of ecosystems. Species richness per se may indeed not be the best predictor, but rather the functional characteristics of species from a community determine ecosystem functioning most strongly. Trait expressions can be seen as a response of the organism to abiotic and biotic conditions. Interactions between traits give information about allocation patterns, i.e. the investment in one trait on the expense of another. Finally, traits show an effect on ecosystem properties, which can be used to evaluate the importance of plant trait expressions on the maintenance of various ecosystem properties. In this study, the responses of plant traits on environmental constraints were evaluated and the most responsive morphology- and elemental-based plant traits were identified and tested for their applicability to trait-environmental concepts. Trait-trait relationships were investigated and ultimately, the effects of plant traits on ecosystem properties were assessed and the role of biodiversity in the maintenance of those ecosystem properties was highlighted. The study was conducted in salt marshes along the mainland coast of Northwest Germany and on the island of Mellum. Plants inhabiting salt marshes are exposed to constantly changing environmental conditions, like periodic flooding accompanied by changes in temperature, light- and CO2- conditions or mechanical disturbance by wind and wave energy. Trait information was collected for the whole plant (including information on belowground organs) for every species of the habitat. On every plot abiotic parameters (inundation frequency, groundwater level and salinity, utilization
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Origin and Age of Australian Chenopodiaceae
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Organisms, Diversity & Evolution 5 (2005) 59–80 www.elsevier.de/ode Origin and age of Australian Chenopodiaceae Gudrun Kadereita,Ã, DietrichGotzek b, Surrey Jacobsc, Helmut Freitagd aInstitut fu¨r Spezielle Botanik und Botanischer Garten, Johannes Gutenberg-Universita¨t Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany bDepartment of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA cRoyal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia dArbeitsgruppe Systematik und Morphologie der Pflanzen, Universita¨t Kassel, D-34109 Kassel, Germany Received 20 May 2004; accepted 31 July 2004 Abstract We studied the age, origins, and possible routes of colonization of the Australian Chenopodiaceae. Using a previously published rbcL phylogeny of the Amaranthaceae–Chenopodiaceae alliance (Kadereit et al. 2003) and new ITS phylogenies of the Camphorosmeae and Salicornieae, we conclude that Australia has been reached in at least nine independent colonization events: four in the Chenopodioideae, two in the Salicornieae, and one each in the Camphorosmeae, Suaedeae, and Salsoleae. Where feasible, we used molecular clock estimates to date the ages of the respective lineages. The two oldest lineages both belong to the Chenopodioideae (Scleroblitum and Chenopodium sect. Orthosporum/Dysphania) and date to 42.2–26.0 and 16.1–9.9 Mya, respectively. Most lineages (Australian Camphorosmeae, the Halosarcia lineage in the Salicornieae, Sarcocornia, Chenopodium subg. Chenopodium/Rhagodia, and Atriplex) arrived in Australia during the late Miocene to Pliocene when aridification and increasing salinity changed the landscape of many parts of the continent. The Australian Camphorosmeae and Salicornieae diversified rapidly after their arrival. The molecular-clock results clearly reject the hypothesis of an autochthonous stock of Chenopodiaceae dating back to Gondwanan times.
    [Show full text]
  • Rodriguez-Sanchez QSR 2008.Pdf
    Quaternary Science Reviews 27 (2008) 2100–2117 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev The Strait of Gibraltar as a melting pot for plant biodiversity Francisco Rodrı´guez-Sa´nchez a, Rocı´oPe´rez-Barrales a,1, Fernando Ojeda b, Pablo Vargas c, Juan Arroyo a,* a Departamento de Biologı´a Vegetal y Ecologı´a, Universidad de Sevilla, Apartado 1095, E-41080-Sevilla, Spain b Departamento de Biologı´a, Universidad de Ca´diz, Campus Rı´o San Pedro, 11510-Puerto Real, Spain c Real Jardı´n Bota´nico de Madrid, CSIC, 28014-Madrid, Spain article info abstract Article history: The S Iberian Peninsula and NW Africa constitute one of the main hotspots for plant biodiversity within Received 19 September 2006 the Mediterranean Basin. At the core of this hotspot, across the Strait of Gibraltar, lies a smaller region Received in revised form 26 February 2008 whose singular Cenozoic history and ecological features have created a distinct, nested sub-hotspot. In Accepted 1 August 2008 particular, an important relict flora, a high endemism, and the dominance of vegetation types other than the paradigmatic Mediterranean-type sclerophyllous forests and shrublands, are biogeographical features of paramount relevance. These singular environments may have provided suitable mesic habitats for stable human populations in this region throughout the Quaternary. Here we explore the possible causes of the unique biodiversity of this region. First, we show that endemism is associated with poor soils and mild Mediterranean climate, whereas relictness is primarily associated with riparian and humid habitats which might have remained relatively stable since the Late Tertiary.
    [Show full text]
  • Spatial Distribution of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Surface Sediments of The
    Science of the Total Environment 511 (2015) 145–152 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv Spatial distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids in surface sediments of the German Bight, North Sea Zhen Zhao a,b,c, Zhiyong Xie a,⁎, Jianhui Tang c,⁎, Gan Zhang b,RalfEbinghausa a Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, Institute of Coastal Research, Max-Plank Street 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany b State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, CAS, Kehua Road 511, Guangzhou 510631, China c Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, CAS, Chunhui Road 17, Yantai 264003, China HIGHLIGHTS • Declining PFOA and PFOS levels implied the effect of regulating C8-based products • PFBA and PFBS occurred in the sediments of the German Bight • PFOS in marine sediment may present a risk for benthic organisms in the German Bight article info abstract Article history: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been determined in the environment globally. However, studies on the occur- Received 22 October 2014 rence of PFAAs in marine sediment remain limited. In this study, 16 PFAAs are investigated in surface sediments Received in revised form 18 December 2014 from the German Bight, which provided a good overview of the spatial distribution. The concentrations of ΣPFAAs Accepted 19 December 2014 ranged from 0.056 to 7.4 ng/g dry weight. The highest concentration was found at the estuary of the River Ems, Available online xxxx which might be the result of local discharge source. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was the dominant com- Editor: Adrian Covaci pound, and the enrichment of PFOS in sediment might be strongly related to the compound structure itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Contribution to the Vascular Flora of the Sevastopol Area
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Wulfenia Jahr/Year: 2015 Band/Volume: 22 Autor(en)/Author(s): Seregin Alexey P., Yevseyenkow Pavel E., Svirin Sergey A., Fateryga Alexander Artikel/Article: Second contribution to the vascular flora of the Sevastopol area (the Crimea) 33-82 © Landesmuseum für Kärnten; download www.landesmuseum.ktn.gv.at/wulfenia; www.zobodat.at Wulfenia 22 (2015): 33 – 82 Mitteilungen des Kärntner Botanikzentrums Klagenfurt Second contribution to the vascular flora of the Sevastopol area (the Crimea) Alexey P. Seregin, Pavel E. Yevseyenkov, Sergey A. Svirin & Alexander V. Fateryga Summary: We report 323 new vascular plant species for the Sevastopol area, an administrative unit in the south-western Crimea. Records of 204 species are confirmed by herbarium specimens, 60 species have been reported recently in literature and 59 species have been either photographed or recorded in field in 2008 –2014. Seventeen species and nothospecies are new records for the Crimea: Bupleurum veronense, Lemna turionifera, Typha austro-orientalis, Tyrimnus leucographus, × Agrotrigia hajastanica, Arctium × ambiguum, A. × mixtum, Potamogeton × angustifolius, P. × salicifolius (natives and archaeophytes); Bupleurum baldense, Campsis radicans, Clematis orientalis, Corispermum hyssopifolium, Halimodendron halodendron, Sagina apetala, Solidago gigantea, Ulmus pumila (aliens). Recently discovered Calystegia soldanella which was considered to be extinct in the Crimea is the most important confirmation of historical records. The Sevastopol area is one of the most floristically diverse areas of Eastern Europe with 1859 currently known species. Keywords: Crimea, checklist, local flora, taxonomy, new records A checklist of vascular plants recorded in the Sevastopol area was published seven years ago (Seregin 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • 4Th International Canopy Conference Abstracts
    4th International Canopy Conference “Tropical versus Temperate Forests” 10 - 17 July 2005 in Leipzig, Germany Abstracts edited by Martin Unterseher 4th International Canopy Conference “Tropical versus Temperate Forests” 10 - 17 July 2005 in Leipzig, Germany Abstracts edited by Martin Unterseher Printed by Merkur - Druck- und Kopierzentrum GmbH Hauptmannstr. 4 04109 Leipzig www.merkurdruck.de [email protected] Published by order of Faculty of Bioscience, Pharmacy, and Psychology Institute of Biology I Department of Systematic Botany and Botanical Garden Johannisallee 21-23 04103 Leipzig GERMANY Editor and Layout: Martin Unterseher System: LATEX The 4th International Canopy Conference taking place in Leipzig, Germany, 10-17 July 2005 www.uni-leipzig.de/leipzigcanopycrane/conference Conference Secretariat: Ms. Ogarit Uhlmann MSc. F&U confirm Permoserstr. 15 04318 Leipzig GERMANY ogarit@fu-confirm.de The authors take responsibility for the quality of the contents. All rights reserved © University of Leipzig ISBN 3-934178-51-0 Contents I Lectures 1 1 Vascular Epiphytes in Forest Canopies 3 1.1 The life history of vascular epiphytes – does it differ from other perennials? 4 1.2 Biogeography of vascular epiphytes in South-East of Brazi . 5 1.3 Andes versus Amazon – patterns of vascular epiphyte diversity on different spatial scales . 6 1.4 Long-term changes in epiphyte assemblages – dynamics and underlying mechanisms . 7 1.5 Litter decomposition within epiphytic Bird’s Nest Ferns (Asplenium spp.) in a range of forest habitats in Sabah, Malaysia . 8 1.6 Spatiotemporal variation in population dynamics of epiphytic orchids . 9 1.7 The ecology of vascular epiphytes on Ficus crassiuscula host trees in a Peruvian cloud forest .
    [Show full text]
  • The Scientific Publications of Dr László Gozmány (1921 2006) on Lepidoptera with a Revised Bibliography and an Annotated List of Taxon Names He Proposed
    ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Volume 103 Budapest, 2011 pp. 373–428 The scientific publications of Dr László Gozmány (1921 2006) on Lepidoptera with a revised bibliography and an annotated list of taxon names he proposed ZS. BÁLINT1, G. KATONA1 & A. KUN2 1 Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum H-1088 Budapest, Baross utca 13, Hungary. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 2 H-2089 Telki, Berkenye u. 46, Hungary. E-mail: [email protected] – The complete bibliographic list of 141 scientific works on Lepidoptera written by Dr LÁSZLÓ GOZMÁNY, former curator of Lepidoptera in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, is presented with reference to 800 names he proposed. The bibliography is supp- lemented by the catalogue of the names arranged according to family-group (13), genus- group (150) and species-group (637) names and listed in alphabetical order with reference to original description, type status, sex, country of origin, type locality and depositor. With 6 figures. –LÁSZLÓ GOZMÁNY, bibliography, list of taxon names, Microlepidoptera, Hungarian Natural History Museum. INTRODUCTION Five years elapsed since the curator emeritus of the Lepidoptera col- lection, the renowned Microlepidoptera specialist of the Hungarian Natu- ral History Museum, Dr LÁSZLÓ GOZMÁNY passed away. The festive volume of the journal Acta zoologica Academiae scientiarum hungaricae for his 85th anniversary was only posthumously published (BÁLINT 2007), which actually included the funeral oration (MATSKÁSI 2007). In the same year two commemorations were published in the journals of the two lepi- dopterists’ societies, where he had been elected as honorary member (BÁLINT et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity Effects on Dune and Salt Marsh Biogeomorphology – a Trait-Based Approach
    Biodiversity effects on dune and salt marsh biogeomorphology – a trait-based approach Von der Fakultät für Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg zur Erlangung des Grades und Titels eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) angenommene Dissertation von von Julia Bass geboren am 03. Februar 1989 in Bremen Oldenburg 2019 Gutachter Prof. Dr. Michael Kleyer Zweitgutachter Prof. Dr. Gerhard Zotz Tag der Disputation 13.11.2019 Contents Summary .........................................................................................................................1 Zusammenfassung ..........................................................................................................4 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................8 1.1 The concept of biogeomorphology ..................................................................8 1.2 The trait-based perspective in ecology ..........................................................13 1.3 Combining the biogeomorphic succession model and the functional trait approach .........................................................................................................18 1.4 Barrier islands and Halligen in the Wadden Sea ...........................................25 1.5 Research objectives .......................................................................................35 2 Morphological plasticity of dune pioneer plants in response to timing and magnitude
    [Show full text]
  • Chenopodioideae, Chenopodiaceae/ Amaranthaceae): Implications for Evolution and Taxonomy
    Fruit and Seed Anatomy of Chenopodium and Related Genera (Chenopodioideae, Chenopodiaceae/ Amaranthaceae): Implications for Evolution and Taxonomy Alexander P. Sukhorukov1,2*, Mingli Zhang1,3 1 Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, 2 Department of Higher Plants, Biological Faculty, Moscow Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia, 3 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Abstract A comparative carpological study of 96 species of all clades formerly considered as the tribe Chenopodieae has been conducted for the first time. The results show important differences in the anatomical structure of the pericarp and seed coat between representatives of terminal clades including Chenopodium s.str.+Chenopodiastrum and the recently recognized genera Blitum, Oxybasis and Dysphania. Within Chenopodium the most significant changes in fruit and seed structure are found in members of C. sect. Skottsbergia. The genera Rhagodia and Einadia differ insignificantly from Chenopodium. The evolution of heterospermy in Chenopodium is discussed. Almost all representatives of the tribe Dysphanieae are clearly separated from other Chenopodioideae on the basis of a diverse set of characteristics, including the small dimensions of the fruits (especially in Australian taxa), their subglobose shape (excl. Teloxys and Suckleya), and peculiarities of the pericarp indumentum. The set of fruit and seed characters evolved within the subfamily Chenopodioideae is described. A recent phylogenetic hypothesis is employed to examine the evolution of three (out of a total of 21) characters, namely seed color, testa-cell protoplast characteristics and embryo orientation. Citation: Sukhorukov AP, Zhang M (2013) Fruit and Seed Anatomy of Chenopodium and Related Genera (Chenopodioideae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae): Implications for Evolution and Taxonomy.
    [Show full text]
  • WOOD ANATOMY of CHENOPODIACEAE (AMARANTHACEAE S
    IAWA Journal, Vol. 33 (2), 2012: 205–232 WOOD ANATOMY OF CHENOPODIACEAE (AMARANTHACEAE s. l.) Heike Heklau1, Peter Gasson2, Fritz Schweingruber3 and Pieter Baas4 SUMMARY The wood anatomy of the Chenopodiaceae is distinctive and fairly uni- form. The secondary xylem is characterised by relatively narrow vessels (<100 µm) with mostly minute pits (<4 µm), and extremely narrow ves- sels (<10 µm intergrading with vascular tracheids in addition to “normal” vessels), short vessel elements (<270 µm), successive cambia, included phloem, thick-walled or very thick-walled fibres, which are short (<470 µm), and abundant calcium oxalate crystals. Rays are mainly observed in the tribes Atripliceae, Beteae, Camphorosmeae, Chenopodieae, Hab- litzieae and Salsoleae, while many Chenopodiaceae are rayless. The Chenopodiaceae differ from the more tropical and subtropical Amaran- thaceae s.str. especially in their shorter libriform fibres and narrower vessels. Contrary to the accepted view that the subfamily Polycnemoideae lacks anomalous thickening, we found irregular successive cambia and included phloem. They are limited to long-lived roots and stem borne roots of perennials (Nitrophila mohavensis) and to a hemicryptophyte (Polycnemum fontanesii). The Chenopodiaceae often grow in extreme habitats, and this is reflected by their wood anatomy. Among the annual species, halophytes have narrower vessels than xeric species of steppes and prairies, and than species of nitrophile ruderal sites. Key words: Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae s.l., included phloem, suc- cessive cambia, anomalous secondary thickening, vessel diameter, vessel element length, ecological adaptations, xerophytes, halophytes. INTRODUCTION The Chenopodiaceae in the order Caryophyllales include annual or perennial herbs, sub- shrubs, shrubs, small trees (Haloxylon ammodendron, Suaeda monoica) and climbers (Hablitzia, Holmbergia).
    [Show full text]
  • Praise for All Power to the Councils! a Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918-1919
    PRAISE FOR All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918-1919 Gabriel Kuhn’s excellent volume illuminates a profound global revolutionary moment, in which brilliant ideas and debates lit the sky, and from which emerged the likes of Ret Marut, a.k.a. B. Traven, perhaps history’s greatest proletarian novelist. Herein lie the roots of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and much else besides. —Marcus Rediker, author of Villains of all Nations and The Slave Ship This remarkable collection, skillfully edited by Gabriel Kuhn, brings to life that most pivotal of revolutions, crackling with the acrid odor of street fighting, insurgent hopes, and ulti- mately defeat. Had it triumphed, millions would have been spared the inferno of fascism; its failure ushered in counter- revolution far beyond its borders. In an era brimming with anticapitalist aspirations, these pages ring with that still unmet revolutionary promise: I was, I am, I shall be. —Sasha Lilley, author of Capital and Its Discontents and co-author of Catastrophism Drawing on newly uncovered material through pioneering archival historical research, Gabriel Kuhn’s powerful book on the German workers’ councils movement is essential reading to understanding the way forward for democratic worker con- trol today. All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 confers important lessons that will avert the setbacks of the past while providing pen- etrating and invaluable historical documentation crucial for anticipating the inevitable dangers in the struggle for building working class democracy. —Immanuel Ness, Graduate Center for Worker Education, Brooklyn College An indispensable resource on a world-historic event.
    [Show full text]
  • Iaşi) Nature Reserve
    Memoirs of the Scientific Sections of the Romanian Academy Tome XXXVII, 2014 BIOLOGY INTEGRATIVE ECOLOGICAL NOTES ON HALOPHYTES FROM “VALEA ILENEI” (IAŞI) NATURE RESERVE MARIUS-NICUŞOR GRIGORE and CONSTANTIN TOMA, member of the Romanian Academy „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Faculty of Biology, 700505 Bd. Carol I, 20 A, Iaşi, Romania Corresponding author: [email protected] Halophytes distribution from Valea Ilenei (Iaşi) nature reserve is strictly correlated to environmental factors (soil salinity, humidity), reflecting the morphological and anatomical adaptations found in different species. The observed and analyzed species have different ecological spectra and occupy well delineated micro-habitats. Integrative ecology can easily and naturally provide operative adaptive profiles for each studied species. Key words: halophytes, ecology, adaptation, ecosystem, integrative, salinity. 1. INTRODUCTION Halophytes represent a polymorphous ecological group of plants; they include species with a complex set of anatomical features, allowing them to survive in high soil salinity conditions [21, and references therein]. Data regarding halophytes responses to salinity are generally abundant, but they are mainly related to experi- mental conditions [20, 26, 27]. Unfortunately, despite of this progress recorded in understanding plants responses to salinity conditions, the knowledge about halophytes- environmental factors interrelationships, especially in the terms of adaptations, is still scarce. While many of studies have been focused
    [Show full text]
  • Mature Saltmarsh & Atlantic Salt Meadows
    Mature saltmarsh & Atlantic salt meadows Introduction The Essex Estuaries European Marine Site lies on the East coast of Essex, in the South East of England. The European designation covers an area of approximately 472km2. It is made up of four estuaries; Colne, Blackwater, Crouch and Roach as well as open stretches of coast the Dengie, Foulness and the Maplin sands. The Essex Estuaries contributes to the essential range and variation of estuaries in the UK as the best example of a coastal plain estuary system on the British North Sea coast. Above high water the majority of the Essex Estuaries SAC is bounded by seawall defences, the majority of which have been constructed using clay excavated from the immediate area. This method creates an associated linear pond called a borrowdyke, ranging salinities and water temperatures in these borrowdykes supports a range of interesting associated species including Lagoon sea slug (Tenellia adspersa) Essex Estuaries contains amongst others a designation for saltmarsh and its associated plant communities. Saltmarshes are areas of upper intertidal habitat vegetated with salt tolerant plants found on low energy coastlines where deposition levels are high. They are important habitats of high biological diversity, utilised by both marine and terrestrial species. They are documented as important nursery grounds at high tide supporting juvenile fish species including Bass and Grey mullet, Dab, Plaice & Sole all exploiting the warm shallow sheltered creeks which have a high nutrient value. At low tide waders including red shank (Tringa tetanus), Curlew (Numenius arquata) godwits (Limosa limosa) and (Limosa lapponica) utilise the exposed mud feeding on infaunal and epifaunal communities.
    [Show full text]