Sensitivity of three tree ferns during their first phase of life to the variation of solar radiation and water availability in a Mexican cloud forest

Riaño, Karolina; Briones, Oscar

doi:10.3732/ajb.1500228

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…). In the case of Alsophila firma , a specialization has been demonstrated towards wet environments (as NF) in the gametophytic phase (Riaño & Briones ). In the case of vitariod ferns there are no specific studies on their ability to tolerate changes in the habitat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Filmy ferns, for example, are known to require high air humidity for their survival and to be able to thrive under low light conditions, because of the dwarfism tendencies combined with hygrophilous biology, as their small fronds efficiently absorb water by diffusion on the filmy lamina (Dubuisson et al 2003;Saldaña et al 2014). In the case of Alsophila firma, a specialization has been demonstrated towards wet environments (as NF) in the gametophytic phase (Riaño & Briones 2015). In the case of vitariod ferns there are no specific studies on their ability to tolerate changes in the habitat.…”

Section: Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation value of disturbed and secondary forests for ferns and lycophytes along an elevational gradient in Mexico

Carvajal‐Hernández

Krömer

López‐Acosta

et al. 2017

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions How do species richness and composition of fern assemblages change with elevation and, within elevational belts, in differently impacted forest habitats? Is there a relationship between fern assemblages and microclimate, both along gradients of elevation and disturbance? Which species are most sensitive to habitat disturbance and microclimatic changes? Location From sea level close to the Gulf of Mexico 81 km away in a direct line on the eastern slopes of the Cofre de Perote at 3500 m, central Veracruz, Mexico. Methods We studied the richness and composition of fern assemblages in 120 study plots at eight elevations from 20–3500 m in three forest types: natural forest (NF), disturbed forest (DF) subjected to timber extraction and grazing, and secondary forest (SF) regrown after total clearance 15–20 yr ago. In addition, we measured microclimatic conditions in the three forest types at five elevations over a year. Results Fern richness peaked in humid montane forests at mid‐elevations and was low in the drier habitats at the ends of the gradient. Humid montane forests were most sensitive to disturbance, showing increases in mean annual temperatures by about 1 °C and reduction in relative air humidity by about 20% in DF and SF compared to NF. This was together with a reduction in fern species richness of 5–60% and marked changes in species composition. In contrast, drought‐deciduous forests at low elevations and coniferous forests at high elevations already had low humidity and high light intensity in NF and were less affected by human impact: their microclimatic conditions and fern assemblages did not change markedly in DF and SF. Conclusions The conservation of much of the humidity‐dependent biota (ferns and presumably also groups such as bryophytes and amphibians) in humid montane forests depends on the protection of natural fragments without human disturbance. In contrast, the naturally open forests at the ends of the gradient can be subjected to some exploitation while conserving much of their fern flora as long as a general forest structure is maintained.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation value of disturbed and secondary forests for ferns and lycophytes along an elevational gradient in Mexico

Carvajal‐Hernández

Krömer

López‐Acosta

et al. 2017

Applied Vegetation Science

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show abstract

“…There are also a number of intriguing studies on fern ecophysiology addressing such aspects as photosynthetic systems (Smith, 2000;Kawai et al, 2003), hydraulic conductivity and xylem anatomy (Watkins et al, 2010;Pittermann et al, 2015), and leaf form (Sessa & Givnish, 2014). Other studies have looked at the ecophysiological limitations of occurrence in single fern species (Saldaña et al, 2007;Testo & Watkins, 2013;Stevens & Emery, 2015) or have compared the ecophysiology of closely related species (Saldaña et al, 2005;Riaño & Briones, 2015;Zier et al, 2015). While showing the potential of these approaches, they are still far too scattered to be able to draw general conclusions and even less to take the next step in linking them to patterns of diversity.…”

Section: Options For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevational diversity patterns as an example for evolutionary and ecological dynamics in ferns and lycophytes

Kessler

Karger

Kluge

2016

J of Sytematics Evolution

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Evolutionary processes such as adaptation, ecological filtering, and niche conservatism involve the interaction of organisms with their environment and are thus commonly studied along environmental gradients. Elevational gradients have become among the most studied environmental gradients to understand large-scale patterns of species richness and composition because they are highly replicated with different combinations of geographical, environmental and historical factors. We here review the literature on using elevational gradients to understand evolutionary processes in ferns. Some phylogenetic studies of individual fern clades have considered elevation in the analysis or interpretation and postulated that fern diversification is linked to the colonization of mountain habitats. Other studies that have linked elevational community composition and hence ecological filtering with phylogenetic community composition and morphological traits, usually only found limited phylogenetic signal. However, these studies are ultimately only correlational, and there are few actual tests of the evolutionary mechanisms leading to these patterns. We identify a number of challenges for improving our understanding of how evolutionary and ecological processes are linked to elevational richness patterns in ferns: i) limited information on traits and their ecological relevance, ii) uncertainties on the dispersal kernels of ferns and hence the delimitation of regional species pools from which local assemblages are recruited, iii) limited genomic data to identify candidate genes under selection and hence actually document adaptation and selection, and iv) conceptual challenges in developing clear and testable hypotheses to how specific evolutionary processes can be linked to patterns in community composition and species richness.

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“…In this protocol, the tested bryophytes were classified into two groups according to their survival at equilibration at either 67 or 23% RH (Wood ). With regards to other groups of DT organisms, different desiccation procedures have been used as a method to discriminate recovery levels, including lichens (Fernández‐Marín et al , Gauslaa et al ), free‐living microalgae (Candotto Carniel et al ), fern gametophytes (Riaño and Briones ) and angiosperm pollen (Marks et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A field portable method for the semi‐quantitative estimation of dehydration tolerance of photosynthetic tissues across distantly related land plants

López‐Pozo

Flexas

Gulías

et al. 2019

Physiologia Plantarum

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Desiccation tolerant (DT) plants withstand complete cellular dehydration, reaching relative water contents (RWC) below 30% in their photosynthetic tissues. Desiccation sensitive (DS) plants exhibit different degrees of dehydration tolerance (DHT), never surviving water loss >70%. To date, no procedure for the quantitative evaluation of DHT extent exists that is able to discriminate DS species with differing degrees of DHT from truly DT plants. We developed a simple, feasible and portable protocol to differentiate between DT and different degrees of DHT in the photosynthetic tissues of seed plants and between fast desiccation (< 24 h) tolerant (FDT) and sensitive (FDS) bryophytes. The protocol is based on (1) controlled desiccation inside Falcon tubes equilibrated at three different relative humidities that, consequently, induce three different speeds and extents of dehydration and (2) an evaluation of the average percentage of maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (F v /fm) recovery after rehydration. Applying the method to 10 bryophytes and 28 tracheophytes from various locations, we found that (1) imbibition of absorbent material with concentrated salt-solutions inside the tubes provides stable relative humidity and avoids direct contact with samples; (2) for 50 ml capacity tubes, the optimal plant amount is 50-200 mg fresh weight; (3) the method is useful in remote locations due to minimal instrumental requirements; and (4) a threshold of 30% recovery of the initial F v /fm upon reaching RWC ≤ 30% correctly categorises DT species, with three exceptions: two poikilochlorophyllous species and one gymnosperm. The protocol provides a semi-quantitative expression of DHT that facilitates comparisons of species with different morpho-physiological traits and/or ecological attributes.

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Sensitivity of three tree ferns during their first phase of life to the variation of solar radiation and water availability in a Mexican cloud forest

Abstract: Specialization to humid habitats in the tree fern gametophyte restricts the species to humid forests, while differences in the plasticity of the sporophyte facilitate coexistence of the species.

Cited by 11 publications

References 51 publications

Conservation value of disturbed and secondary forests for ferns and lycophytes along an elevational gradient in Mexico

Conservation value of disturbed and secondary forests for ferns and lycophytes along an elevational gradient in Mexico

Elevational diversity patterns as an example for evolutionary and ecological dynamics in ferns and lycophytes

A field portable method for the semi‐quantitative estimation of dehydration tolerance of photosynthetic tissues across distantly related land plants

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