| 1. |
- Alatalo, Juha, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Pollen viability and limitation of seed production in a population of the circumpolar cushion plant, Silene acaulis (Caryophyllaceae)
- 2001
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Botany. - : Wiley. - 0107-055X .- 1756-1051. ; 21:4, s. 365-372
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pollen viability among genders and limitation of female seed production in a natural trioecious population of the circumpolar cushion plant Silene acaulis was examined. Pollen viability was estimated by an in vitro pollen germination experiment. Both male and hermaphrodite flowers displayed large variation in pollen viability (0-53% in hermaphrodite and 0-54% in male flowers). There was a significant difference between genders in pollen viability: male plants had on average higher pollen viability than hermaphrodite plants. Resource and pollen limitation of seed production was studied by an experiment consisting of three treatments; (I) hand-pollination and removal of all other flowers on the cushion, (II) harid-pollination without removal of other flowers, and (III) open pollination without removal of flowers, Hand-pollination increased seed production, whereas removal of flowers had no effect on seed production. Abortion of pollinated ovules during seed development and seed mass did not differ among treatments. To control for effect of fruit number on seed production, data from naturally pollinated individuals was used. There was a positive correlation between both total number of seeds and fruit number, mean seed number per fruit and fruit number, respectively. These results indicate that seed production of S. acaulis is mainly limited by pollen availability whereas resource competition between fruits is not important as a limiting factor. The possible role of male quality differences between genders and pollen limitation of seed production for maintenance of trioecious reproductive systems is discussed.
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| 2. |
- Cornelissen, C, et al.
(författare)
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Global change and arctic ecosystems : is lichen decline a function of increases in vascular plant biomass?
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0022-0477 .- 1365-2745. ; 89:6, s. 984-994
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1 Macrolichens are important for the functioning and biodiversity of cold northern ecosystems and their reindeer-based cultures and economics. 2 We hypothesized that, in climatically milder parts of the Arctic, where ecosystems have relatively dense plant canopies, climate warming and/or increased nutrient availability leads to decline in macrolichen abundance as a function of increased abundance of vascular plants. In more open high-arctic or arctic-alpine plant communities such a relationship should be absent. To test this, we synthesized cross-continental arctic vegetation data from ecosystem manipulation experiments simulating mostly warming and increased nutrient availability, and compared these with similar data from natural environmental gradients. 3 Regressions between abundance or biomass of macrolichens and vascular plants were consistently negative across the subarctic and mid-arctic experimental studies. Such a pattern did not emerge in the coldest high-arctic or arctic-alpine sites. The slopes of the negative regressions increased across 10 sites as the climate became milder (as indicated by a simple climatic index) or the vegetation denser (greater site above-ground biomass). 4 Seven natural vegetation gradients in the lower-altitude sub- and mid-arctic zone confirmed the patterns seen in the experimental studies, showing consistent negative relationships between abundance of macrolichens and vascular plants. 5 We conclude that the data supported the hypothesis. Macrolichens in climatically milder arctic ecosystems may decline if and where global changes cause vascular plants to increase in abundance. 6 However, a refining of our findings is needed, for instance by integrating other abiotic and biotic effects such as reindeer grazing feedback on the balance between vascular plants and lichens.
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| 3. |
- Jägerbrand, Annika K., et al.
(författare)
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Responses of bryophytes to simulated environmental change at Latnjajaure, northern Sweden
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Bryology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0373-6687 .- 1743-2820. ; 25:3, s. 163-168
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We simulated a predicted environmental change in a subarctic-alpine plant community to study short-term growth in Hylocomium splendens, and three-year effects in abundance changes of the five most common bryophytes at Latnjajaure, northern Sweden. The experiment had a factorial design with increased temperature and nutrients, alone and in combination. Moss growth was measured during the 1995 growing season, and we measured species abundance before and after three years of environmental perturbation. The combined treatments of fertilizer and temperature enhancement caused a decreased growth in length and dry weight in H. splendens. There was a significant decrease in abundance of Rhytidium rugosum in the combined temperature and fertilizer treatment. The other four common bryophyte species (Aulacomnium turgidum, Dicranum groenlandicum, Hylocomium splendens, and Ptilidium ciliare) showed weaker, but not significant trends in the same direction. As the bryophytes are an important component of arctic and subarctic vegetation, we expect that they will play a key role in the impact of anticipated Global Change on the ecosystems.
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| 4. |
- Tolvanen, A, et al.
(författare)
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Resource allocation patterns in a forb and a sedge in two arctic environments - short-term response to herbivory
- 2004
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Botany. - : Wiley. - 0107-055X .- 1756-1051. ; 22:6, s. 741-747
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present work investigates C and N allocation patterns in two forage plants: a forb, Oxyria digyna, and a sedge, Eriophorum angustifolium, in subarctic Sweden and high arctic Canada. Short-term changes in concentrations after simulated or natural herbivory (caused by Gynaephora groenlandica on Oxyria in the high arctic habitat) were also investigated. There were no clear differences in concentrations of C and N between the high arctic and subarctic sites in either species. In Oxyria of the subarctic habitat, the minimum N concentrations occurred at earlier phenological stages compared with plants in the high arctic habitat. Simulated herbivory increased the concentration of C in belowground tissues relative to those in control plants in Oxyria at the subarctic site, which may indicate increased allocation of non-C compounds to the growing shoots or daughter ramets. Herbivory by Gynaephora groenlandica caterpillars increased the N concentrations of Oxyria both in aboveground and belowground tissues, possible indicating increased uptake of N in the high arctic habitat. Eriophorum did not show clear trends in concentrations relating to habitat, phenology or simulated herbivory. The difference between Oxyria and Eriophorum in their response to herbivory apparently resulted from contrasting growth habits between the species. Tiller death after reproduction and long leaf life span may be the main reasons for the lack of clear patterns in concentrations in Eriophorum. Compensation after herbivory may be attained by the early production of daughter tillers in Eriophorum instead of the regrowth of the damaged ramets, as in Oxyria. Monitoring the responses for only one season is apparently a too short time period in these long-lived plants.
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| 5. |
- Totland, O, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of temperature and date of snowmelt on growth, reproduction, and flowering phenology in the arctic/alpine herb, Ranunculus glacialis
- 2002
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 133:2, s. 168-175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Changes in growing season temperature and duration may have profound effects on the population dynamics of arctic and alpine plant species in snow-bed and fell-field habitats. We examined how a typical herbaceous pioneer species, Ranunculus glacialis, responded to experimental climate change in open-top chambers for three seasons at an alpine site in southern Norway. Warming had no significant effect on any reproductive, growth or phenological variables, except for seed weight, which increased significantly during the first 2 ears. Despite large differences in average date of snow-melt among years, average reproductive output and ramet size differed little among years. Within-year variation in date of snowmelt had no impact on seed number or weight in either control or warmed plots. Leaf width and ramet leaf number decreased significantly with later snowmelt within a year. Experimental warming reduced the negative effect on ramet size of late snowmelt within a year to some extent. In general, R. glacialis reacts contrary to most other arctic/alpine species to experimental warming. Species with such low responsiveness to environmental conditions may be particularly vulnerable to climatic change, especially if their habitat is invaded by other species with higher phenotypic plasticity and a better competitive ability.
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