Fitness and growth of the ephemeral mudflat species Cyperus fuscus in river and anthropogenic habitats in response to fluctuating water-levels.

ABSTRACT: Cyperus fuscus is a representative of threatened ephemeral wetland plant communities in summer-dry shoreline habitats. We compared variation and plasticity in traits related to fitness and growth of plants germinating from the soil seed bank and established plants from river and secondary anthropogenic habitats. Plants from sites at rivers, fishponds and fish storage ponds were cultivated and selfed to get homogenous seed material for a germination and an environmental manipulation experiment involving three different water regimes. Differences in traits and their plasticities were evaluated by means of linear mixed models. Cyperus fuscus followed a low-oxygen escape strategy when flooded. Seeds of plants derived from the soil seed bank germinated faster than seeds of plants

SUBMITTER: Bockelmann J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6850911 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature