Higher clonal integration in the facultative epiphytic fern Selliguea griffithiana growing in the forest canopy compared with the forest understorey

Hua-Zheng Lu; Wen-Yao Liu; Fei-Hai Yu; Liang Song; Xing-Liang Xu; Chuan-Sheng Wu; Yu-Long Zheng; Yang-Ping Li; He-De Gong; Ke Chen; Su Li; Xi Chen; Jin-Hua Qi; Shu-Gang Lu

doi:10.1093/aob/mcv059

Higher clonal integration in the facultative epiphytic fern Selliguea griffithiana growing in the forest canopy compared with the forest understorey

Ann Bot. 2015 Jul;116(1):113-22. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcv059. Epub 2015 Jun 6.

Authors

Hua-Zheng Lu¹, Wen-Yao Liu², Fei-Hai Yu³, Liang Song³, Xing-Liang Xu³, Chuan-Sheng Wu¹, Yu-Long Zheng³, Yang-Ping Li¹, He-De Gong³, Ke Chen¹, Su Li³, Xi Chen¹, Jin-Hua Qi³, Shu-Gang Lu²

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla 666303, China, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Beijing 100101, China, Faculty of Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China, Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla 666303, China, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Beijing 100101, China, Faculty of Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China, Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla 666303, China, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Beijing 100101, China, Faculty of Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China, Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China liuwy@xtbg.ac.cn shuganglu@163.com.
³ Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla 666303, China, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Beijing 100101, China, Faculty of Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China, Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.

Abstract

Background and aims: The advantage of clonal integration (resource sharing between connected ramets of clonal plants) varies and a higher degree of integration is expected in more stressful and/or more heterogeneous habitats. Clonal facultative epiphytes occur in both forest canopies (epiphytic habitats) and forest understories (terrestrial habitats). Because environmental conditions, especially water and nutrients, are more stressful and heterogeneous in the canopy than in the understorey, this study hypothesizes that clonal integration is more important for facultative epiphytes in epiphytic habitats than in terrestrial habitats.

Methods: In a field experiment, an examination was made of the effects of rhizome connection (connected vs. disconnected, i.e. with vs. without clonal integration) on survival and growth of single ramets, both young and old, of the facultative epiphytic rhizomatous fern Selliguea griffithiana (Polypodiaceae) in both epiphytic and terrestrial habitats. In another field experiment, the effects of rhizome connection on performance of ramets were tested in small (10 × 10 cm(2)) and large (20 × 20 cm(2)) plots in both epiphytic and terrestrial habitats.

Key results: Rhizome disconnection significantly decreased survival and growth of S. griffithiana in both experiments. The effects of rhizome disconnection on survival of single ramets and on ramet number and growth in plots were greater in epiphytic habitats than in terrestrial habitats.

Conclusions: Clonal integration contributes greatly to performance of facultative epiphytic ferns, and the effects were more important in forest canopies than in forest understories. The results therefore support the hypothesis that natural selection favours genotypes with a higher degree of integration in more stressful and heterogeneous environments.

Keywords: Clonal integration; Polypodiaceae; Selliguea griffithiana; clonal plant; ephiphytic fern; facultative epiphyte; forest canopy; forest understorey; habitat adaptation; resource heterogeneity; resource sharing.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Biomass
Clone Cells
Ecosystem
Ferns / cytology*
Ferns / growth & development*
Forests*