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117 results for “desert plant”

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dryad36/100

High water use in desert plants exposed to extreme heat

Many plant water use models predict leaves maximize carbon assimilation while minimizing water loss via transpiration. Alternate scenarios may occur at high temperature, including heat avoidance, where leaves increase water loss to evaporatively cool regardless of carbon uptake; or heat failure, where leaves non-adaptively lose water also regardless of carbon uptake. We hypothesized that these alternative scenarios are common in species exposed to hot environments, with heat avoidance more common in species with high construction-cost leaves. Diurnal measurements of leaf gas exchange and temperature for 11 Sonoran Desert species revealed 37% of these species increased transpiration in the absence of increased carbon uptake. High leaf mass per area partially predicted this behavior (r2=0.39). These data are consistent with heat avoidance and heat failure, but failure is less likely given the ecological dominance of the focal species. These behaviors are not yet captured in any extant plant water use model.

opencc-zeroApr 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Depicting the phenotypic space of the annual plant Diplotaxis acris in hyper-arid deserts

The phenotypic space encompasses the assemblage of trait combinations yielding well-suited integrated phenotypes. At the population level, understanding phenotypic space structure requires the quantification of among- and within-population variation in traits and the correlation pattern among them. Here, we studied the phenotypic space of the annual plant Diplotaxis acris occurring in hyper-arid deserts. Given the advance of warming and aridity in vast regions occupied by drylands, D. acris can indicate the successful evolutionary trajectory that many other annual plant species may follow in expanding drylands. To this end, we conducted a greenhouse experiment with 176 D. acris individuals from five Saudi populations to quantify the genetic component of variation in architectural and life-history traits. We found low among-population divergence but high among-individual variation in all traits. In addition, all traits showed a high degree of genetic determination in our study experimental conditions. We did not find significant effects of recruitment and fecundity on fitness. Finally, all architectural traits exhibited a strong correlation pattern among them, whereas for life-history traits, only higher seed germination implied earlier flowering. Seed weight appeared to be an important trait in D. acris, as individuals with heavier seeds tended to advance flowering and have a more vigorous branching pattern, which led to higher fecundity. Population divergence in D. acris might be constrained by the severity of the hyper-arid environment, but populations maintain high among-individual genetic variation in all traits. Furthermore, D. acris showed phenotypic integration for architectural traits and, to a lesser extent, for life-history traits. Overall, we hypothesize that D. acris may be fine-tuned to its demanding extreme environments. Evolutionary speaking, annual plants facing increasing warming, aridity and environmental seasonality might modify their phenotypic spaces towards new phenotypic configurations strongly dominated by correlated architectural traits enhancing fecundity and seed-related traits advancing flowering time.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Data for the article: Coupling of leaf elemental traits with root fungal community composition reveals a plant resource acquisition strategy in a desert ecosystem

Purpose: Plant-associated microbes enhance nutrient access and stress tolerance of the host species, and therefore, are crucial for plant traits and resource strategies. However, the links between aboveground plant traits and belowground microbes related to plant resource strategies under stressful conditions remain poorly understood. Methods: We tested the relationships between leaf traits linked to water (carbon isotopic composition, δ13C) and nutrient use (elemental concentrations and stoichiometry) with microbial compositions in roots and rhizospheres of two dominant species (Artemisia ordosica and Leymus secalinus) in the Mu Us Desert, northern China. Results: L. secalinus exhibited higher Mg and Mn concentrations, N:P ratios, stoichiometric flexibility, and root fungi:bacteria ratios, but lower foliar K and Ca concentrations and δ13C values than A. ordosica. The leaf N:P of L. secalinus increased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios, whereas the leaf N:P of A. ordosica decreased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios. The plant elemental levels (P, N, K, Ca, Mn, and δ13C) of L. secalinus but not A. ordosica were significantly related to their root fungal composition. Additionally, the random forest model identified four key fungal families in predicting leaf elemental traits for both plant species. Conclusion: The results suggested tight coupling and coordination between leaf elemental traits and root microbial compositions (especially fungal communities) related to plant resource acquisition strategies. By regulating aboveground and belowground feedback loops through trait flexibility and root microbial compositions, the studied plant species can sustain their resource strategies under stressful environmental conditions.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Variation and association of leaf traits for desert plants in the arid area, northwest China

Characterizing variation and association of plant traits is critical for understanding plant adaptation strategies and community assembly mechanisms. However, little is known about the leaf trait variations of desert plants and their association with different life forms. We used principal component analysis, Pearson's correlation, phylogenetic independent contrasts, linear mixed model, and variance decomposition to explore the variation and association of 10 leaf traits in 22 desert plants in the arid area of northwest China. We found that: (1) the contribution of interspecific variation to the overall variation was greater than the intraspecific variation of all the studied leaf traits; (2) intraspecific and interspecific variation in leaf traits differed among life forms. Some leaf traits, such as tissue density of shrubs and specific leaf area of herbs, exhibited greater intraspecific than interspecific variation, while other traits exhibited the inverse; (3) desert shrubs corroborate the leaf economic spectrum hypothesis and had a fast acquisitive resource strategy, but herbs may not conform to this hypothesis; (4) there were trade‐offs between leaf traits, which were mediated by phylogeny. Overall, our results suggest that interspecific variation of leaf traits significantly contributes to the total leaf traits variation in desert plants. However, intraspecific variation should not be overlooked. There are contrasts in the resource acquisition strategies between plants life forms. Our results support understanding of the mechanisms underlying community assembly in arid regions and suggest that future works may focus on the variation and association of plant traits at both intra‐ and interspecific scales.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

zenodo36/100

Traditional knowledge of wild plant species used in the southern part of Wadi Araba desert in South-West Jordan

This data set provides documentation of traditional knowledge of using native plants in the Wadi Araba desert. The uses for grazing, firewood, food, and medicine. The information was obtained using a survey.

opencc-by-4.0May 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Activity of tjakura (great desert skinks) at burrows in relation to plant cover and predators

Increased predation where ground cover is reduced after severe wildfire is increasingly implicated as a factor causing decline of vulnerable prey populations. In arid central Australia, one species detrimentally affected by repeated wildfire is the great desert skink or tjakura (Liopholis kintorei), a distinctive lizard of the central Australian arid zone that constructs and inhabits multi-entranced communal burrows. We aimed to test whether tjakura or predator activity at burrow entrances varied with cover and how tjakura respond to predator presence. Using time-lapse photography, we monitored tjakura and predator activity at the largest entrance of 12 burrows ranging from high (>70 %) to low (<50 %) cover and at multiple entrances of two other burrows. Overall activity did not vary between burrows with high and low cover. Within burrow systems, tjakura were more active at sparsely vegetated entrances, often sitting wholly or partly inside the burrow. However, consistent between and within burrow systems, skinks spent proportionally more time fully outside where cover was higher. Predators – mostly native – were detected at most burrows, with no apparent relationship between predator activity and cover. Skinks also did not appear to modify their activity in response to predator visits. Our results indicate that tjakura may spend more time outside burrow entrances when cover is higher, but there was no direct evidence that this related to perceived or real predation risk. Differences in food availability, thermoregulatory opportunities, and opportunities for ambush foraging associated with differences in vegetation cover or composition are other factors likely to be important in determining the activity of tjakura at burrows. Our research demonstrates the usefulness of camera traps for behavioural studies of ectothermic burrowing animals. The complex relationships between tjakura activity and vegetation cover were thereby revealed, suggesting outcomes of fire-mediated habitat change on predator-prey interactions are not easily predictable.

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

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