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

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 clo

SUBMITTER: Lu HZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4479749 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature