The phenotypic plasticity of Glyceria fluitans growing over the water/land gradient

Nina Kržič; Alenka Gaberščik; Mateja Germ

doi:10.14720/abs.47.2.16875

Authors

Nina Kržič Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
Alenka Gaberščik Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
Mateja Germ National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14720/abs.47.2.16875

Keywords:

Glyceria fluitans, land/water gradient, amphibious character

Abstract

The amphibious species Glyceria fluitans successfully thrives in an intermittent ecosystem Lake Cerknica, where floods alternate with dry periods. The species grows over the environmental gradient from open water to dry land. The plant's phenotypic plasticity was studied analysing anatomical, morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics in specimens from different loca tions. Floating leaves were thicker, having abundant aerenchyma, lower chloro phyll a+b contents and higher chlorophyll alb ratio. The relative amounts of total UV-B and UV-A screening compounds per leaf area were high and similar in all forms that indicated possibly saturated amounts. The measurement of fluorescence parameters revealed no disturbance in energy harvesting since the values of poten tial and effective photochemical efficiencies, photochemical and non-photochemi cal quenching were similar over the gradient.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

BEERS., M. & BJORK 2000: Measuring rates of photosynthesis of two tropical sea grasses by pulse ampli tude modulated (PAM) fluorometry. Aquat. Bot. 66: 69-76.

BJORN L. 0. 1999: effects of ozone depletion and increased ultraviolet-B radiation on terrestrial plants. In: BAUMSTARK-KHAN C. (ed.): Fundamentals for the assesement of risks from environmental radiation. Kluwer academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 463-470.

BOULTON A. J. & M. A. BROCK 2001: Australian freshwater ecology. Processes and management. Gleneagles Publishing. Glen Osmond, Australia, pp. 149-167.

CALDWELL M. M. 1968. Solar ultraviolet radiation as an ecological factor for alpine plants. Ecol. Monogr. 38: 243-268.

CAMPBELL s., C. MILLER, A. STEVEN & A. STEPHENS 2003: Photosynthetic responses of two temperate seagrasses across a water quality gradient using chlorophyll fluorescence. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 291: 57-78.

COLOM M. R. & VAZZANA C. 2003: Photosynthesis and PSII functionality of drought-resistant and drought-sensitive weeping lovegrass plants. Environ. Exp. Bot. 49: 135-144.

CONDE-ALVAREZ R. M., E. PEREZ-RODRIGUEZ, M. ALTAMIRANO, J. M. NIETO, R. ABDALA, F. L. FIGUEROA & A. FLORES-MOYA 2002: Photosynthetic preformance and pigment content in the aquatic liverwort Riella helicophylla under natural solar iridiance and solar iridiance without ultraviolet light. Aquat. Bot. 73: 47-61.

CRONK J. K. & M. S. FENNESSY 2001: Wetland plants - biology and ecology. Lewis Publisher, London, 462 pp.

DAY T. A., B. W. HOWELLS & C. T. RUHLAND 1996: Changes in growth and pigment concentrations with leaf age in pea under modulated UV-B radiation field treatments. Plant Cell Env. 19(1): 101-108.

FERNANDEZ-ALAEZ C., M. FERNANDEZ-ALAEZ & E. BECAREZ 1999: Influence of water level fluctuation on the structure and composition of the macrophyte vegetation in two small temporary lakes in the northwest of Spain. Hydrobiologia 415: 155-162.

Fox A. M. 1992: Macrophytes. In: CALLOW, P. & G.E. PETTS (eds.): The rivers handbook. Vol. 1. Blackwell Science. pp. 216-346.

GABERŠČIK A. & A. MARTINČIČ 1992: Sprerninjanje lastnosti listov vodne dresni (Polygonum amphibium L.) v gradientu kopno/voda. Biol. vestn. 40(1): 1-11.

GABERŠČIK A. & Z. MAZEJ 1995: Photosynthetic performance and photoinhibition in two species of Potamogeton from lake Bohinj (Slovenia). Acta Bot. Gal!ica 6: 667-672.

GABERŠČIK A., & 0. URBANC-BERČIČ 2002: Ekosistem, ki ga ustvarja igra vode /Water level fluctuations - driving force and limiting factor. In: GABERŠČIK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja - Monografija o Cerkniskem jezeru / The vanishing lake - Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 50-58.

GABERŠČIK A., M. GERM, A. ŠKOF, D. DRMAŽ & T. TROŠT 2002: UV-B radiation screen and respirato ry potential in two aquatic primary producers: Scenedesmus quadricauda and Ceratophyllum demersum. Verh. Intemat. Verein. Limnol. 27: 422-425.

GABERŠČIK A., 0. URBANC-BERcic, N. KRzlc, G. Kosr & A. BRANCELJ 2004: The intermittent lake Cerknica: Various faces of the same ecosystem. Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management 8. Article in press.

GERM M. 2002: Mocvirska spomincica in lasastolistna vodna zlatica v spremenljivem okolju / Water for get-me-not and water buttercup in the variable environment. In: GABERscrK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja-Monografija o Cerkniskemjezeru / The vanishing lake- Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 50-58.

GERM M. & A. GABERŠČIK 2003: Comparison of aerial and submerged leaves in two amphibious species, Myosotis scorpioides and Ranunculus trichophyllus. Photosynthetica 41(1): 91-96.

GERM M., Z. MAZEJ, A. GABERŠČIK & D. P. HADER 2002: The influence of enhanced UV-B radiation on Batrachium trichophyllum and Potamogeton alpinus - aquatic macrophytes with amphibious character. J. Photochem. Photobiol. B: Biol. 66: 37-46.

HUTCHINSON G. E. 1975: A treatise on limnology, Vol. III: Limnological botany. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York., 660 pp.

JEFFREYS. W. & G. F. HUMPHREY 1975: New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophylls a, b, cl and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem. Physiol. Pflanzen 167: 191-194.

]OGAN N. 1996: Sweet-grasses (Glyceria spp.) of Slovenia. In: Proceedings of the International Workshop and 8th Macrophyte Group Meeting IAD-SIL. September 1-4,1996. Bohinj, Slovenia, pp. 39-42.

KRANJC A. 2002A: Geologija in geomorfologija I Geology and geomorphology. In: GABERŠČIK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja - Monografija o Cerkniskemjezeru / The vanishing lake - Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 26- 38.

KRANJC A. 2002B: Hidroloske znacilnosti / Hidrological characteristics. GABERŠČIK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja - Monografija o Cerkniskem jezeru / The vanishing lake - Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 38-44.

LES D. H. & D. J. SHERIDAN 1990: Biochemical heterophylly and flavonoid evolution in north american potamogeton (Potamogetonaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 4: 453-465.

MARTINCIC A., T. WRABER, N. JOGAN, V. RAVNIK, A. PODOBNIK, B. TURK & B. VREs 1999: Mala flora Slovenije. (in Slovenian), Tehniska zalozba Slovenije, Ljubljana, 1-845 pp.

MARTINCIC A. 2002. Praprotnice in semenke / Pteridophytes and spermatophytes. IN: GABERŠČIK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja - Monografija o Cerkniskem jezeru / The vanishing lake - Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 80- 96.

MARTINCIC A. & I. LESKOVAR 2002: Vegetacija / Plant communities. In: GABERŠČIK A. (ed.): Jezero, ki izginja - Monografija o Cerkniskem jezeru / The vanishing lake - Monograph on Lake Cerknica (in Slovenian, with English summary), Drustvo ekologov Slovenije, Ljubljana, pp. 96-I06.

MENADUE Y. & R. K. CROWDEN 1990: Leaf polimorphisem in Ranunculus nanus Hook. (Ranunculaceae). New Phytologist 114: 265-274.

MIDDLETON E. H. & A. H. TERAMURA 1993: The role of flavonol glycosides and carotenoids in protect ing soybean from UV-B damage. Plant Physiol. 103: 741-752.

MIELKE M. S., A. A. F. ALMEIDA, F. P. GOMES, M.A. G. AGUILAR & P.A. 0. MANGABEIRA 2003: Leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and growth responses of Genipa americana seedlings to soil flooding. Environ. Exp. Bot. 50: 221-231.

MOUGET J. L. & G. TREMBLIN 2002: Suitability of the Fluorescence Monitoring System (FMS, Hansatech) for measurement of photosynthetic characteristics in algae. Aquat. Bot. 74: 219-231.

NIELSEN S. L. 1993: A comparison of aerial and submerged photosynthesis in some Danish plants/species with an amphibious character. Aquat. Bot. 45: 27-40.

NIELSEN S. L. & K. SAND-JENSEN 1993: Photosynthetic implications of heterophylly in Batrachium peltatum (Shrank) Presl. Aquat. Bot. 44: 361-371.

RALPH P. J. & M. D. BURCHETT 1995: Photosynthetic responses of the seagrass Halophila ovalis (R.Br.) Hook. f. to high irradiance stress, using chlorophyll a fluorescence. Aquat. Bot. 51: 55-66.

WALDHOFF D., B. FURCH & W. J. JUNK 2002: Fluorescence parameters, chlorophyll concentration, and anatomical features as indicators for flood adaptation of an abundant tree species in Central America: Symmeria paniculata. Environ. Exp. Bot. 48: 225-235.