Intraclonal Resource Sharing and Functional Specialization of Ramets in Response to Resource Heterogeneity in Three Stoloniferous Herbs

Environments with reciprocal patchiness of resources, in which the availability of two resources such as light and soil nutrients are patchily distributed in horizontal space and negatively correlated in each patch, are common in many ecosystems. The strategies by which clonal plants adapt to this type of heterogeneous environment were examined in three stoloniferous herbs,Potentilla reptans L. var. sericophylla Franch., P. anserina L. and Halerpestes ruthenica (Jacq.) Qvcz., commonly inhabiting forest understories, grasslands and low saline meadows, respectively. As pairs of connected ramets were subjected to reciprocal patchiness of light and nutrients, stolon connection between the two ramets significantly enhanced biomass of both ramet growing in low light intensity but high soil nutrient condition (LH ramet) and ramet growing in high light intensity but low soil nutrient condition (HL ramet) as well as whole ramet pairs (consisting of LH ramets and HL ramets). Additionally, stolon connection greatly increased root/shoot ratio of LH ramet while significantly decreased that of HL ramet. The results indicate that a reciprocal transportation of resources between interconnected ramets and a functional specialization of ramets in uptake of abundant resources occurred. By resource sharing and functional specialization, clonal plants can efficiently acquire locally abundant resources and buffer the stress caused by reciprocal patchiness of resources.

“曲项向天歌”——记异军突起的诏安灰鹅“111”工程

“鹅,鹅,鹅,曲项向天歌,白毛浮绿水,红掌拨清波。”唐代诗人骆宾王以精练多彩的笔触,抒发了对鹅的独钟之情。一只只鹅伸着脖子对着长天歌唱着,它那雪白的羽毛漂浮在碧绿的水面,鲜红的脚掌划起清清的波浪,一派浓郁的诗情画意,一群栩栩如生的鹅跃然纸上,使人如闻其声,如临其境,为渊远流长的鹅文化吟诵出一首家喻户晓的千古绝唱。其实。