- KOREAN
- P-ISSN2287-8327
- E-ISSN2288-1220
- SCOPUS, KCI
ISSN : 2287-8327
Vol.31 No.4
Abstract
A commonly held view in studies of character displacement is that character states of both species are shifted in areas of sympatry. This view has been confirmed in an overwhelming number of cases for ecological character displacement. Excluding species pairs in which one of the two interacting species is found only within the distribution of the other species and species displaying gynogenesis, the pattern of reproductive character displacement is asymmetrical in that the shift in character states between areas of symaptry and allopatry occurs in only one of the two interacting species. Hypotheses for the reasons behind this asymmetry in reproductive character displacement include (1) homogenization by gene flow, (2) other mechanisms of reproductive isolation, and (3) sufficient reproductive isolation being provided by one of the interacting species exhibiting a pattern of reproductive character displacement. Because reproductive isolation can be achieved by divergence at any point in a sequence of premating reproductive behaviors and postmating developments, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of reproductive isolation of two interacting taxa in areas of sympatry and allopatry and to analyze the relative contributions of potential factors to reproductive isolation to disentangle hypotheses for the patterns of asymmetry.
Abstract
Growth and photosynthetic responses of one C₃and two C₄plants in the family Chenopodiaceae in three CO₂concentration ([CO₂]) conditions-low (about 243 μmol mol-1, LC), present (about 378, PC), and high (about 465, HC)-were investigated in open top chambers. The relative growth rate (RGR) and net assimilation rate in the C₃plant, Chenopodium album, increased with increasing [CO₂], though the RGR was not enhanced significantly in the HC condition. The leaf area ratio and leaf weight ratio of the C₃plant drastically decreased with increasing [CO₂], suggesting that the C₃plant invests more biomass to leaves in lower [CO₂] conditions. The two C₄plants, Atriplex glauca and A. lentiformis, showed relatively small changes in those growth parameters. These photosynthetic-pathway-dependent responses suggest that growth patterns of C₃and C₄plants have been altered by past increases in atmospheric [CO₂] but that there will be relatively little further alteration in the future high-CO₂world.
Abstract
In order to understand the role of seed banks for restoration, seed banks in abandoned rice fields in the Gwangneung National Arboretum, central Korea were investigated using the seedling emergence method. The study sites represented three stages: an initial stage dominated by forbs such as Persicaria thunbergii and Juncus effuses var. decipiens, a middle stage dominated by Salix, and a late stage dominated by Quercus aliena and Prunus padus (in nearby riparian forest chosen as a reference stand). DCA ordination arranged the stands according to the number of years since abandonment. CCA ordination identified the dominant environmental variables correlated most closely with Axes 1 and 2 as Mg²+ (intraset correlation was 0.827) and K+ (intraset correlation was -0.677), respectively. Species richness and diversity decreased from the initial stage (H'=2.61) to the middle (H'=1.79) and late (H'=0.75) stages. A total of 49 species (/m²) and 18,620 seedlings (/m²) emerged out of the seed bank samples. The DCA ordination and similarity analysis detected a large discrepancy between the composition of the actual vegetation and the seed bank. We conclude that the contribution of seed bank to restoration is low. However, seed bank may help the recovery of forbs after disturbance. Some of our results are consistent with the tolerance model of succession whereas others follow the trajectory of the facilitation model. More research on succession will be required to understand the underlying mechanisms.
Abstract
In the past two decades Mikania micrantha Kunth, a climbing plant species originating from tropical America, has spread across Taiwan. It can now be found frequently in the lowlands and lower mountain areas up to 1,000 m a.s.l. in the centre and south of the island. Mikania micrantha is considered a problematic invasive alien plant species which is said to cause economical as well as environmental damage. This study investigated the ecological site characteristics of M. micrantha in Taiwan. 112 vegetation surveys were carried out in habitats where the alien plant was present. A comparison between sites with a high and a low abundance was carried out in order to assess which factors especially influence the extensive spread of the plant. Furthermore, the influence of disturbances was examined. Results showed that Mikania micrantha grows very dense in habitats which are characterized by good light conditions combined with vertical structures, such as trees. Results revealed that this invader occurs most frequently in agricultural fallows and wastelands, but it could hardly be found in the intensively managed plantations in the investigation area. Results provide great evidence that the plant is strongly influenced by disturbances, but only if impacts occur rarely.
Abstract
Weight loss and nutrient dynamics of oak and pine leaf litter during decomposition were investigated from December 2005 through June 2008 at Mt. Worak National Park as a part of National Long-Term Ecological Research Program in Korea. The decay constant (k) of oak and pine leaf litter were 0.314 and 0.217, respectively. After 30 months decomposition, remaining weight of oak and pine leaf litter was 45.5% and 58.1%, respectively. Initial C/N ratio of oak and pine leaf litter was 53.4 and 153.0, respectively. Carbon % of initial oak and pine leaf litter was similar with each other; however, nitrogen content of initial oak leaf litter (0.85%) was greater than that of initial pine leaf litter (0.33%). N and P concentration in both decomposing leaf litter increased significantly during decomposition. There was no net N and P mineralization period in decomposing pine leaf litter. K, Ca and Mg concentration in both decomposing leaf litter showed different pattern with those of N and P. After 30 months decomposition, remaining nutrients in oak and pine leaf litter were 97.7 and 216.2% for N, 123.2 and 216.5% for P, 39.3 and 44.8% for K, 47.9 and 40.6% for Ca, 30.7 and 51.2% for Mg, respectively.
Abstract
In order to assess the effect of grazing on grasslands using floristic composition, we studied the floristic composition and plant biomass of steppe vegetation in Hulunbeier, Inner Mongolia. The dominant species of the grasslands were Stipa krylovii, Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis. Floristic composition changed according to grazing pressure, being light, heavy and moderate. Under heavy grazing conditions, the importance value of P. acaulis, C. korshinskyi and Cleistogenes squarrosa increased in the plant community. These species were indicators of heavily grazed stand. Plant biomass of the stands ranged within 11.6 g m-2 and 63.5 g m-² and 69.5 g m-² and 166.2 g m-² to the west and east of Lake Hulun, respectively. These values are equivalent to ca. 450~1,000 kg of atmospheric carbon per hector, which is retained within the stand during the summer season.
Abstract
To develop a monitoring method for soil microbial communities in rice paddy fields, we used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) to compare soil bacterial community structure in rice paddy fields experiencing different management practices: organic practices, conventional practices without a winter barley rotation, and conventional practices with a winter barley rotation. Restriction fragment length profiles from soils farmed using organic practices showed very different patterns from those from conventional practices with and without barley rotation. In principal component analyses, restriction fragment profiles in organic practice samples were clearly separated from those in conventional practice samples, while principal component analysis did not show a clear separation for soils farmed using conventional practices with and without barley rotation. The cluster analysis showed that the bacterial species compositions of soils under organic practices were significantly different from those under conventional practices at the 95% level, but soils under conventional practice with and without barley rotation did not significantly differ. Although the loadings from principal component analyses and the Ribosomal DNA Project II databases suggested candidate species important for soils under organic farming practices, it was very difficult to get detailed bacterial species information from terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Rank-abundance diagrams and diversity indices showed that restriction fragment peaks under organic farming showed high Pielou’s Evenness Index and the reciprocal of Simpson Index suggesting high bacterial diversity in organically farmed soils.
Abstract
P. glehnii, an evergreen conifer found in northern areas, is known as a cold-resistant species. In this experiment, we measured the water content, PSⅡ efficiency, chlorophyll fluorescence, pigments of the xanthophyll-cycle and activity of enzymes of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle during cold acclimation and at subsequent low-temperature conditions to examine the importance of acclimation to cold tolerance. P. glehnii showed a decrease in PSⅡ efficiency (especially in Fv) during cold acclimation and at subsequent low temperatures. However, cold-acclimated needles showed higher PSⅡ efficiency at low temperatures than nonacclimated needles. In addition, 0-YON (first-year needles) showed an increase in β-carotene and lutein, while 1-YON (one-year-old needles) immediately developed an antioxidant mechanism in the ascorbate-gluthathione cycle as soon as they were exposed to low temperature and both 0-YON and 1-YON showed increased zeaxanthin and de-epoxidation ratios at continuous low temperature. Based on our results, we suggest that P. glehnii maintain PSⅡ efficiency at low temperature by effectively protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from photo-damage by rapid induction of an antioxidant mechanism in 1-YON and dissipation of excess energy by β-carotene and lutein in 0-YON.
Abstract
Serpentine soils are distributed in a small area in Korea, and generally exhibit high contents of Ni, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co and Mg. We investigated the growth of woody plants and herbs in the Andong serpentine area, Korea. Pinus densiflora and P. rigida growing on serpentine soils have high contents of Fe, Mg, Ni and Co, with contents approximately twice as high as those of non-serpentine plants. Tree species on serpentine soil also had lower ratios of tree height/DBH than trees in a control area. In greenhouse culture experiments on two bodenvag herb species, Setaria viridis and Cymbopogon tortilis, the biomass of the plants was significantly affected by soil type but not by seed origins. After 66 days, the growth of S. viridis and C. tortilis seedlings was significantly inhibited in serpentine soil, and the dry weight of each species showed significant negative correlations with soil heavy metal contents (Ni, Co and Cr). These results suggest that the growth of plants was inhibited by properties of the serpentine soil, and in particular, their high heavy metal concentration, which induced dwarfing in woody plants and reduction of total plant biomass in herbs.
Abstract
We investigated death rates, growth rates and recruitment of culms in two neighboring bamboo (Phyllostachys bamboosoides) stands nested in by two different bird species to analyze stand structure and to design conservation strategies. A third bamboo grove not used by birds, the Taewha stand, was included as a control stand. The bamboo stand occupied by birds in the family Ardeidae (the Ardeidae stand) had an approximately 1.5 times higher culm density than the stand occupied by birds in the family Corvidae (the Corvidae stand). The crude death rate and the number of newly emerged shoots were also higher in the Ardeidae stand than the Corvidae stand. The death rate for bamboo in the Ardeidae stand was not dependent on diameter at breast height (DBH) and was almost 40% for culms of all sizes, whereas most dead culms in the Corvidae stand were < 4 cm DBH. Consequently, we conclude that in the Ardeidae stand, density-independent causes of death are operating, while density-dependent factor are more important in the Corvidae site. The results of soil analysis in these stands suggest that the density-independent death pattern observed in the Ardeidae stand may be due to soil acidification resulting from wastes produced by the birds during breeding. On the other hand, the culm distribution and death patterns in the Corvidae stand suggest that the stand characteristics were not affected by the nesting birds. These results suggest that different conservation strategies must be applied to conserve bamboo groves used by ardeids and corvids for nesting.
Abstract
We investigated the responses of red squirrels to pine nuts (Pinus koraiensis) treated with Lithium Chloride (LiCl) and the potential of the chemical for inducing conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in red squirrels. In red squirrels, nut feeding declined dramatically during the first 4 days after feeding with LiCl-treated nuts. The ratio of LiCl-treated nuts eaten to total nuts eaten declined from the 1st day in LC-¹ and the 2nd day in LC-², along with a general reduction in quantity eaten. Thus, feeding with LiCl-treated nuts induced CTA from the 2nd day after feeding, and CTA remained constant until the 4th day, but disappeared on the 5th day. The squirrels ate an average of 757.0 ± 106.1 mg (n = 2, range 682.0~832.0) of LiCl before dying on the 16th day of the study. The lethal dose of LiCl was 2.32 mg LiCl/g body weight, and the average amount of LiCl needed to induce CTA was 23.0 ± 4.24 mg (20 mg in LC-¹ and 26 mg in LC-²).