Analysis of fern spore banks from the soil of three vegetation types in the central region of Mexico

Abstract

The vertical structure of fern spore banks was studied in a xerophilous shrubland, montane rain forest, and pine-oak forest in Hidalgo, Mexico, using the emergence method. Soil samples were collected in April 1999 at depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm. Viable spores decreased significantly with depth in all vegetation types, and the highest number of prothallia and sporophytes was found in the uppermost layer. The montane rain forest and the xerophilous shrubland had the largest and the richest banks, respectively. Twenty-three fern taxa were registered in the aboveground vegetation, 12 in the soil banks, and 43.5% were in both. Aboveground and in the soil bank, the xerophilous shrubland, the montane rain forest, and the pine-oak forest had, 17 and 7, 1 and 6, and 7 and 3 taxa, respectively. These were distributed differentially in relation to depth. The Sørensen index indicated a similarity of 61.5% between the xerophilous shrubland and the montane rain forest, and the Czeckanovsky index indicated 19.75%. The presence of viable spores in the soil of all vegetation types confirmed the existence of natural spore banks. Long-distance dispersal was an important factor determining the specific composition of the xerophilous shrubland and the pine-oak forest.

Understory fern community structure, growth and spore production responses to a large-scale hurricane experiment in a Puerto Rico rainforest

“…Such resilience implies that ferns will continue to be as important a component of the understory as they had been prior to disturbance, and they will also contribute a large pulse of spores to the forest soil spore bank. Although mostly resilient in this experiment, the fern community may be more vulnerable to long-term changes if again subjected to a disturbance before the spores released into the spore bank lose their viability (Ramírez-Trejo et al, 2004). Observations within the LEF of continued population increases for some understory ferns after two hurricanes (Hugo, Georges) in relatively short (9 years) succession (Royo et al, 2011) may in part reflect successful recruitment from spores.…”

Bancos de Esporos de Samambaias e Licófitas: uma Revisão

“…O conhecimento sobre o número de espécies e a maneira como estão representadas nos bancos do solo é um elemento essencial na descoberta do seu papel na natureza e ponto de partida para começar a entender a dinâmica dos bancos de esporos das samambaias e licófitas (Dyer & Lindsay, 1992;Esteves & Dyer, 2003). Dyer & Lindsay (1992) (Dyer & Lindsay, 1992;Esteves & Dyer, 2003;Hamilton, 1988;Lindsay, 1995), Espanha (During et al, 1987), Holanda (During & Ter Horst, 1983), Inglaterra (Clymo & Duckett, 1986), México (Ramírez-Trejo et al, 2004) e Suíça (Milberg, 1991). Em climas temperados foi frequentemente mostrada a existência de bancos de esporos (Dyer, 1994;Dyer & Lindsay 1992;Dyer & Lindsay 1996;Esteves & Dyer 2003), mas nas regiões tropicais esses estudos são bem mais raros.…”

Nota sobre Onocleopsis hintonii (Onocleaceae), un nuevo registro para el estado de Hidalgo (México)

“…La población es pequeña, se encuentra en el fondo de un barranco en un fragmento de bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM), en donde existen afloramientos de rocas sedimentarias (calizas y lutitas) del Jurásico Superior; predominan los suelos luvisoles órticos y cambisoles éutricos; el clima es de tipo C(fm)-b(e)g (Ramírez-Trejo et al, 2004). La flora vascular del lugar, en el estrato arbóreo, se encuentra caracterizada por Liquidambar styraciflua L. y Quercus L., en el sotobosque se desarrollan numerosas herbáceas y entre ellas sobresalen otras pteridofitas como La ubicación taxonómica del género monotípico Onocleopsis F. Ballard ha variado de acuerdo con el criterio de los autores; ha sido considerado dentro de las Woodsiaceae (Riba, 1995;Tejero-Díez y Arreguín-Sánchez, 2004), Dryopteridaceae (Gastony y Ungerer, 1997) o Aspleniaceae (Tahuilán et al, 2003).…”