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Ann Bot

Title:		"Trampling, defoliation and physiological integration affect growth, morphological and mechanical properties of a root-suckering clonal tree"
Author(s):		Xu L; Yu FH; van Drunen E; Schieving F; Dong M; Anten NP;
Address:		"State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China"
Journal Title:		Ann Bot
Year:		2012
Volume:		20120206
Issue:		5
Page Number:		1001 - 1008
DOI:		10.1093/aob/mcs006
ISSN/ISBN:		1095-8290 (Electronic) 0305-7364 (Print) 0305-7364 (Linking)
Abstract:		"BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Grazing is a complex process involving the simultaneous occurrence of both trampling and defoliation. Clonal plants are a common feature of heavily grazed ecosystems where large herbivores inflict the simultaneous pressures of trampling and defoliation on the vegetation. We test the hypothesis that physiological integration (resource sharing between interconnected ramets) may help plants to deal with the interactive effects of trampling and defoliation. METHODS: In a field study, small and large ramets of the root-suckering clonal tree Populus simonii were subjected to two levels of trampling and defoliation, while connected or disconnected to other ramets. Plant responses were quantified via survival, growth, morphological and stem mechanical traits. KEY RESULTS: Disconnection and trampling increased mortality, especially in small ramets. Trampling increased stem length, basal diameter, fibrous root mass, stem stiffness and resistance to deflection in connected ramets, but decreased them in disconnected ones. Trampling decreased vertical height more in disconnected than in connected ramets, and reduced stem mass in disconnected ramets but not in connected ramets. Defoliation reduced basal diameter, leaf mass, stem mass and leaf area ratio, but did not interact with trampling or disconnection. CONCLUSIONS: Although clonal integration did not influence defoliation response, it did alleviate the effects of trampling. We suggest that by facilitating resource transport between ramets, clonal integration compensates for trampling-induced damage to fine roots"
Keywords:		Biomass Biomechanical Phenomena China Herbivory Plant Leaves/anatomy & histology/growth & development/physiology Plant Roots/anatomy & histology/growth & development/*physiology Plant Stems/anatomy & histology/growth & development/physiology Populus/anato;
Notes:		"MedlineXu, Liang Yu, Fei-Hai van Drunen, Elles Schieving, Feike Dong, Ming Anten, Niels P R eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2012/02/09 Ann Bot. 2012 Apr; 109(5):1001-8. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcs006. Epub 2012 Feb 6"