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      Temporal dynamics of the superdominant bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum in Neotropical savanna-riparian forest transitions

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          Abstract

          Abstract Clonal growth can be especially advantageous in spatially heterogeneous environments and some clonal plants are highly invasive or superdominant, especially in disturbed environments. However, their temporal dynamics in the absence of large disturbances are not well known. We assessed whether patches dominated by the native bracken fern Pteridium arachnoideum expanded or retracted in area over six years. We mapped the contour of eight patches occupied by P. arachnoideum in a savanna-forest transition every two years from 2009 to 2015. The area occupied by most patches was overall stable, indicating that forested patch boundaries may be unsuitable for an effective vegetative spread of P. arachnoideum. One patch fully retracted during the study period, possibly due to extensive herbivory by leafcutter ants. Thus, although clonal foraging may enable the spread of the species to more suitable sites from these patches, these results indicate that P. arachnoideum does not represent a threat to the biodiversity of savanna-riparian forest transitions in the absence of extensive disturbances, as the area of the largest patches remained stable or decreased during our study. These findings highlight that specific characteristics of the local disturbance regime may be key to the cost-effective management of some superdominant native species.

          Translated abstract

          Resumo O crescimento clonal tende a ser especialmente vantajoso em ambientes espacialmente heterogêneos e algumas plantas clonais são altamente invasivas ou superdominantes, especialmente em ambientes perturbados. No entanto, a sua dinâmica temporal na ausência de distúrbios maiores não é bem conhecida. Nós acompanhamos manchas dominadas pela samambaia nativa Pteridium arachnoideum ao longo de um período de seis anos para avaliar se elas aumentaram ou diminuíram de tamanho durante este tempo. Nós amostramos seis manchas ocupadas por P. arachnoideum em uma transição entre floresta e savana e mapeamos o seu contorno de dois em dois anos, de 2009 a 2015. Não houve incêndios na área de estudo durante este período e a área ocupada pela maioria das manchas se manteve no geral estável, indicando que limites de manchas de floresta parecem não serem adequadas para uma expansão vegetativa efetiva do P. arachnoideum. Além disso, uma mancha retraiu completamente durante o tempo de estudo, possivelmente devido a herbivoria intensa por formigas-cortadeiras. Assim, embora forrageamento clonal possa permitir o espalhamento desta espécie para sítios mais adequados a partir das manchas já ocupadas, estes resultados indicam que P. arachnoideum não é uma ameaça à biodiversidade em transições entre savana e floresta ripária na ausência de grandes distúrbios, já que a área das manchas permaneceu estável ou diminuiu durante o estudo. Estas descobertas enfatizam que decisões relacionadas ao manejo de espécies nativas superdominantes (e.g., controle ativo ou regeneração natural) devem considerar como estas espécies respondem ao regime local de distúrbios.

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          A modular concept of phenotypic plasticity in plants.

          Based on empirical evidence from the literature we propose that, in nature, phenotypic plasticity in plants is usually expressed at a subindividual level. While reaction norms (i.e. the type and the degree of plant responses to environmental variation) are a property of genotypes, they are expressed at the level of modular subunits in most plants. We thus contend that phenotypic plasticity is not a whole-plant response, but a property of individual meristems, leaves, branches and roots, triggered by local environmental conditions. Communication and behavioural integration of interconnected modules can change the local responses in different ways: it may enhance or diminish local plastic effects, thereby increasing or decreasing the differences between integrated modules exposed to different conditions. Modular integration can also induce qualitatively different responses, which are not expressed if all modules experience the same conditions. We propose that the response of a plant to its environment is the sum of all modular responses to their local conditions plus all interaction effects that are due to integration. The local response rules to environmental variation, and the modular interaction rules may be seen as evolving traits targeted by natural selection. Following this notion, whole-plant reaction norms are an integrative by-product of modular plasticity, which has far-reaching methodological, ecological and evolutionary implications. Copyright New Phytologist (2005).
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            Morphological Plasticity in Clonal Plants: The Foraging Concept Reconsidered

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              Longevity of clonal plants: why it matters and how to measure it.

              Species' life-history and population dynamics are strongly shaped by the longevity of individuals, but life span is one of the least accessible demographic traits, particularly in clonal plants. Continuous vegetative reproduction of genets enables persistence despite low or no sexual reproduction, affecting genet turnover rates and population stability. Therefore, the longevity of clonal plants is of considerable biological interest, but remains relatively poorly known. Here, we critically review the present knowledge on the longevity of clonal plants and discuss its importance for population persistence. Direct life-span measurements such as growth-ring analysis in woody plants are relatively easy to take, although, for many clonal plants, these methods are not adequate due to the variable growth pattern of ramets and difficult genet identification. Recently, indirect methods have been introduced in which genet size and annual shoot increments are used to estimate genet age. These methods, often based on molecular techniques, allow the investigation of genet size and age structure of whole populations, a crucial issue for understanding their viability and persistence. However, indirect estimates of clonal longevity are impeded because the process of ageing in clonal plants is still poorly understood and because their size and age are not always well correlated. Alternative estimators for genet life span such as somatic mutations have recently been suggested. Empirical knowledge on the longevity of clonal species has increased considerably in the last few years. Maximum age estimates are an indicator of population persistence, but are not sufficient to evaluate turnover rates and the ability of long-lived clonal plants to enhance community stability and ecosystem resilience. In order to understand the dynamics of populations it will be necessary to measure genet size and age structure, not only life spans of single individuals, and to use such data for modelling of genet dynamics.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                rod
                Rodriguésia
                Rodriguésia
                Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil )
                0370-6583
                2175-7860
                2023
                : 74
                : e00432023
                Affiliations
                [2] Teresina Piauí orgnameUniversidade Federal do Piauí orgdiv1Centro de Ciências da Natureza orgdiv2Depto. Biologia Brazil
                [1] Salvador Bahia orgnameUniversidade Federal da Bahia orgdiv1Inst. Biologia Brazil
                [3] São Carlos orgnameUniversidade Federal de São Carlos orgdiv1Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde orgdiv2Depto. Hidrobiologia Brazil
                Article
                S2175-78602023000101707 S2175-7860(23)07400001707
                10.1590/2175-7860202374078
                309b8f25-c78d-4851-8139-65a53a3e5f05

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 28 September 2023
                : 28 March 2023
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 60, Pages: 0
                Product

                SciELO Brazil

                Categories
                Ferns and Lycophytes as New Challenges

                cerrado,riparian forest,arachnoideum,disturbance,clonal growth,floresta ripária,Pteridium esculentum subsp,distúrbio,crescimento clonal

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