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Menicagli V, Balestri E, Vallerini F, Castelli A, Lardicci C. Combined effect of plastic litter and increased atmospheric nitrogen deposition on vegetative propagules of dune plants: A further threat to coastal ecosystems. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 266:115281. [PMID: 32841805 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Large amounts of non-biodegradable plastics are currently deposited on beach-dune systems, and biodegradable plastics could enter these already declining habitats in coming years. Yet, the impacts of plastics on vegetative recruitment, a plant strategy playing a key role in dune stabilization, are unknown. Whether these pollutants interact with increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, a major global driver of plant biodiversity loss, in affecting plant communities of such nutrient-poor habitats, and how plant-plant interactions mediate their effects need to be explored. In a one-year field experiments, we examined individual and combined effects of plastic (non-biodegradable, biodegradable), N deposition (ambient, elevated) and biotic condition (no interaction, interaction with a conspecific or with a hetero-specific) on the colonization success and growth of vegetative propagules of dune plants. Thinopyrum junceum and Sporobolus pumilus were chosen as models because they co-occur along Mediterranean dunes and differ in ecological role (dune- vs. non dune-building) and photosynthetic pathway (C3 vs. C4). For both species, survival probability was reduced by non-biodegradable plastic and elevated N by up to 100%. Thinopyrum junceum survival was also reduced by S. pumilus presence. Elevated N and biodegradable plastic reduced T. junceum shoot biomass when grown alone and with a conspecific, respectively; these factors in combination mitigated their negative individual effects on root biomass. Biodegradable plastic increased S. pumilus shoot and root biomass, and in combination with elevated N caused a greater biomass investment in belowground (root plus rhizome) than aboveground organs. Non-biodegradable plastic may be a further threat to dune habitats by reducing plant colonization. Biodegradable plastic and increased N deposition could favour the generalist S. pumilus and hinder the dune-building T. junceum. These findings highlight the urgency of implementing measures for preventing plastic deposition on beaches and reducing N input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Menicagli
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Elena Balestri
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Flavia Vallerini
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Castelli
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Derna 1, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centre for Climate Change Impact, University of Pisa, Via Del Borghetto 80, Pisa, 56124, Italy
| | - Claudio Lardicci
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126, Pisa, Italy; Centre for Climate Change Impact, University of Pisa, Via Del Borghetto 80, Pisa, 56124, Italy
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Fischman HS, Crotty SM, Angelini C. Optimizing coastal restoration with the stress gradient hypothesis. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191978. [PMID: 31847771 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Restoration efforts have been escalating worldwide in response to widespread habitat degradation. However, coastal restoration attempts notoriously vary in their ability to establish resilient, high-functioning ecosystems. Conventional restoration attempts disperse transplants in competition-minimizing arrays, yet recent studies suggest that clumping transplants to maximize facilitative interactions may improve restoration success. Here, we modify the stress gradient hypothesis to generate predictions about where each restoration design will perform best across environmental stress gradients. We then test this conceptual model with field experiments manipulating transplant density and configuration across dune elevations and latitudes. In hurricane-damaged Georgia (USA) dunes, grass transplanted in competition-minimizing (low-density, dispersed) arrays exhibited the highest growth, resilience to disturbance and dune formation in low-stress conditions. In contrast, transplants survived best in facilitation-maximizing (high-density, clumped) arrays in high-stress conditions, but these benefits did not translate to higher transplant growth or resilience. In a parallel experiment in Massachusetts where dune grasses experience frequent saltwater inundation, fewer transplants survived, suggesting that there are thresholds above which intraspecific facilitation cannot overcome local stressors. These results suggest that ecological theory can be used to guide restoration strategies based on local stress regimes, maximizing potential restoration success and return-on-investment of future efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hallie S Fischman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sinead M Crotty
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Martins A, Freitas H, Costa S. Corema album: unbiased dioecy in a competitive environment. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2017; 19:824-834. [PMID: 28548454 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Corema album is a dioecious coastal shrub. Dioecious plants growing in these resource-limited habitats may present spatial segregation of the sexes (SSS) or demographic biases because of the different reproductive effort between sexes. In these environments facilitation is a more common interaction between plants than competition. To assess factors determining the distribution of C. album male and female plants, we investigated the influence of habitat type (sand dunes and coastal woodlands), assessed the occurrence of SSS or demographic biases and also a possible role of these shrubs as nurse plants. We selected three C. album populations with the two habitat types. All C. album individuals were sexed, mapped and measured in three plots (20 m × 20 m) per population/habitat type. Presence and abundance of all plant species were recorded under five female and five male C. album plants as well as in equivalent open ground area in each of 15 plots. According to Ripley's K function result, C. album did not display SSS. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) show that differences in plant size were not related to plant sex. Plant inventory correspondence analysis showed that species composition and abundance were influenced by habitat type, population and the presence of a C. album individual, but not by its sex. GLMM indicated a detrimental effect of C. album on the co-occurring plants. Our results show that sexual dimorphism has allowed C. album to adapt to the environment avoiding SSS or significant demographic bias, suggesting a positive outlook for its conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Martins
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - H Freitas
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - S Costa
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), ESA, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Portugal
- CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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Cusseddu V, Ceccherelli G, Bertness M. Hierarchical organization of a Sardinian sand dune plant community. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2199. [PMID: 27478701 PMCID: PMC4950538 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal sand dunes have attracted the attention of plant ecologists for over a century, but they have largely relied on correlations to explain dune plant community organization. We examined long-standing hypotheses experimentally that sand binding, inter-specific interactions, abiotic factors and seedling recruitment are drivers of sand dune plant community structure in Sardinia, Italy. Removing foundation species from the fore-, middle- and back-dune habitats over three years led to erosion and habitat loss on the fore-dune and limited plant recovery that increased with dune elevation. Reciprocal species removals in all zones suggested that inter-specific competition is common, but that dominance is transient, particularly due to sand burial disturbance in the middle-dune. A fully factorial 2-year manipulation of water, nutrient availability and substrate stability revealed no significant proximate response to these physical factors in any dune zone. In the fore- and middle-dune, plant seeds are trapped under adult plants during seed germination, and seedling survivorship and growth generally increase with dune height in spite of increased herbivory in the back-dune. Sand and seed erosion leads to limited seed recruitment on the fore-dune while high summer temperatures and preemption of space lead to competitive dominance of woody plants in the back-dune. Our results suggest that Sardinian sand dune plant communities are organized hierarchically, structured by sand binding foundation species on the fore-dune, sand burial in the middle-dune and increasingly successful seedling recruitment, growth and competitive dominance in the back-dune.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cusseddu
- Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy
| | - Giulia Ceccherelli
- Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources, University of Sassari , Sassari , Italy
| | - Mark Bertness
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University , Providence, Rhode Island , United States
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Martínez ML, Pérez-Maqueo O, Vásquez VM. Facilitative interactions on coastal dunes in response to seasonal weather fluctuations and benefactor size. ECOSCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2004.11682847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Castanho CT, Oliveira AA, Prado PIKL. Does extreme environmental severity promote plant facilitation? An experimental field test in a subtropical coastal dune. Oecologia 2015; 178:855-66. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3285-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hooton N, Miller DL, Thetford M, Sean Claypool B. Survival and Growth of PlantedUniola paniculataand Dune Building Using Surrogate Wrack on Perdido Key Florida, U.S.A. Restor Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Deborah L. Miller
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
| | - Mack Thetford
- Department of Environmental Horticulture; University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
| | - B. Sean Claypool
- University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agriculture Science, West Florida Research and Education Center; 5988 Highway 90, Building 4900 Milton FL 32583 U.S.A
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Yuan Y, Wang K, Li D, Pan Y, Lv Y, Zhao M, Gao J. Interspecific interactions between Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora along a tidal gradient in the Dongtan wetland, Eastern China. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53843. [PMID: 23342017 PMCID: PMC3547036 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The invasive species Spartina alterniora Loisel was introduced to the eastern coast of China in the 1970s and 1980s for the purposes of land reclamation and the prevention of soil erosion. The resulting interspecific competition had an important influence on the distribution of native vegetation, which makes studying the patterns and mechanisms of the interactions between Spartina alterniora Loisel and the native species Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud in this region very important. There have been some researches on the interspecific interactions between P. australis and S. alterniora in the Dongtan wetland of Chongming, east China, most of which has focused on the comparison of their physiological characteristics. In this paper, we conducted a neighbor removal experiment along a tidal gradient to evaluate the relative competitive abilities of the two species by calculating their relative neighbor effect (RNE) index. We also looked at the influence of environmental stress and disturbance on the competitive abilities of the two species by comparing interaction strength (I) among different tidal zones both for P. australis and S. alterniora. Finally, we measured physiological characteristics of the two species to assess the physiological mechanisms behind their different competitive abilities. Both negative and positive interactions were found between P. australis and S. alterniora along the environmental gradient. When the direction of the competitive intensity index for P. australis and S. alterniora was consistent, the competitive or facilitative effect of S. alterniora on P. australis was stronger than that of P. australis on S. alterniora. The interspecific interactions of P. australis and S. alterniora varied with environmental conditions, as well as with the method used, to measure interspecific interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yuan
- Key Lab of Urbanization and Ecological Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaiyun Wang
- Key Lab of Urbanization and Ecological Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dezhi Li
- Key Lab of Urbanization and Ecological Restoration, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- National Field Observation and Research Station in the Tiantong Forest Ecosystem, East China Normal University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Pan
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanyuan Lv
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - JinJin Gao
- Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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Suter M, Ramseier D, Guesewell S, Connolly J. Convergence patterns and multiple species interactions in a designed plant mixture of five species. Oecologia 2007; 151:499-511. [PMID: 17225158 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-006-0594-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2006] [Accepted: 10/12/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
It is known that convergence and divergence can occur in complex plant communities, but the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors driving these processes is less clear. We addressed this issue in an experiment using a range of mixed stands of five species that are common in Swiss fens (Carex elata, C. flava, Lycopus europaeus, Lysimachia vulgaris and Mentha aquatica) and two levels of water and nutrients. One hundred and seventy-six experimental mixtures were maintained in large pots (75 l) for two consecutive growing seasons in an experimental garden. The stands varied systematically in the initial relative abundance of each of the five species and in overall initial stand abundance. The changes in biomass over 2 years were modelled as linear functions of treatments and the initial biomass of each species. The dynamics of the system were mainly driven by differences in the identity of species and by a negative feedback mechanism but also by different abiotic conditions. In all mixtures, C. elata became more dominant over time, which caused an overall convergence of community composition. In addition, the rate of change of each species' biomass was negatively related to its own initial abundance. Thus, a negative feedback further contributed to the convergence of communities. Species responded differently to water level and nutrient supply, causing community dynamics to differ among treatments. However, the different abiotic conditions only slightly modified the overall convergence pattern. Competitive interactions between more than two species were weaker than the negative feedback but still significantly influenced the species' final relative abundance. The negative feedback suggests that there is niche partitioning between the species, which permits their coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Suter
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Liancourt P, Callaway RM, Michalet R. STRESS TOLERANCE AND COMPETITIVE-RESPONSE ABILITY DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF BIOTIC INTERACTIONS. Ecology 2005. [DOI: 10.1890/04-1398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 333] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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