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GIS Shapefile - Riparian vegetation (forest and grass only) within a 100ft buffer of all 1:24K streams in Baltimore City.

Riparian vegetation (forest and grass only) within a 100ft buffer of all 1:24K streams in Baltimore City. Vegetation data used in this analysis came from the MD DNR Forest Service IKONOS-derived Strategic Urban Forest Assessment (SUFA) vegetation layer.

GIS Shapefile - Riparian vegetation (forest and grass only) within a 100ft buffer of all 1:24K streams in Baltimore City, block group

Block group summary of riparian vegetation (forest and grass only) within a 100ft buffer of all 1:24K streams in Baltimore City for only those block groups that intersect the stream buffers. The riparian area consists of all land within a 100 ft buffer of 1:24K streams. Vegetation data used in this analysis came from the MD DNR Forest Service IKONOS-derived Strategic Urban Forest Assessment (SUFA) vegetation layer.

GIS Shapefile - Urparian (non-parcel) vegetation (forest and grass) in Baltimore City

Urparian (non-parcel) vegetation (forest and grass) in Baltimore City. The urparian area consists of all roads and rights of way along roads. This area was delineated using Baltimore City parcel data by identifying all "non-parcel" areas. A cursory analysis of the "non-parcel" areas indicated that errors of omission were present due to insufficient parcel data. Vegetation data used in this analysis came from the MD DNR Forest Service IKONOS derived Strategic Urban Forest Assessment (SUFA) vegetation layer.

GIS Shapefile - Urparian (non-parcel) vegetation (forest and grass) in Baltimore City, block group

Block group summary of urparian (non-parcel) vegetation (forest and grass). The urparian area consists of all roads and rights of way along roads. This area was delineated using Baltimore City parcel data by identifying all "non-parcel" areas. A cursory analysis of the "non-parcel" areas indicated that errors of omission were present due to insufficient parcel data. Vegetation data used in this analysis came from the MD DNR Forest Service IKONOS derived Strategic Urban Forest Assessment (SUFA) vegetation layer.

openCustomJul 2021View details →

Species interactions and plant traits of dune grasses in a burial experiment

A multi-factorial greenhouse experiment of three common dune grasses (Ammophila breviligulata, Uniola paniculata, and Spartina patens) in different interspecific combinations was performed, using sand burial and salinity sea spray as abiotic stressors. Sand burial (25 cm) was applied once at the beginning of the study. Sea spray was applied three times per week. Morphological measurements (leaf elongation, maximum root length, biomass, leaf C, N and isotopes) were collected after 12 weeks.

opencc-by-4.0May 2019View details →

Modern calibration of Poa flabellata (Tussac grass) as a new paleoclimate proxy in the South Atlantic

Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in alpha cellulose from Poa flabellata leaf and root material collected between September 2015 to September 2016 in the Falkland Islands at four different locations.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2020View details →

A chromosome-scale genome assembly resource for Myriosclerotinia sulcatula infecting sedge grass (Carex sp.)

The fungus Myriosclerotinia sulcatula is a close relative of the notorious polyphagous plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum but exhibits a host range restricted to plants from the Carexgenus (Cyperaceae family). To date, there are no genomic resources available for fungi in the Myriosclerotiniagenus. Here, we present a chromosome-scale reference genome assembly for M. sulcatula. The assembly contains 24 contigs with a total length of 43.53 Mbp, with scaffold N50 of 2,649.7 kbp and N90 of 1,133.1 kbp. BRAKER-predicted gene models were manually curated using WebApollo, resulting in 11,275 protein-coding genes that we functionally annotated. We provide a high-quality reference genome assembly and annotation for M. sulcatula as a resource for studying evolution and pathogenicity in fungi from the Sclerotiniaceae family.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2020View details →

Figure 1 from: Amoroso VB, Coritico FP, Fritsch PW (2020) Actinostachys minuta, a new species of grass fern from Mindanao, Philippines. PhytoKeys 151: 59-66. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.151.53100

Figure 1 A the tree fern Sphaeropteris polypoda with associated vegetation. The trunks of this tree fern species serve as the substrate of Actinostachys minutaB close-up view of in-situ epiphytic habitat of A. minuta embedded in the trunk of S. polypoda with the moss Leucobryum sp.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2020View details →

Figure 2 from: Amoroso VB, Coritico FP, Fritsch PW (2020) Actinostachys minuta, a new species of grass fern from Mindanao, Philippines. PhytoKeys 151: 59-66. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.151.53100

Figure 2 Actinostachys minutaA habit with distinct stipe (st), unbranched fronds with 3 sorophores (so) attached at the tip of lamina (la), (inset) elongate rhizome (rh), with persistent gametophyte (ga) and uniseriate hairs B transection of the stipe showing flattened xylem (x) C lamina with distinct costa (co) D single row of stomata (sm) on each side of costa E elongated rhizome with long uniseriate hairs (uh) F digitate sorophores attached at the tip of the sterile lamina G bifid apical lamina of sorophore H portion of sorophore with reflexed lamina margins and biseriate sporangia, I. Monolete spore.

opencc-zeroSep 2020View details →

Data from: Increased soil temperature and decreased precipitation during early plant life stages constrain grass seedling recruitment in cold desert restoration

1. Seed-based restoration is one of the most difficult challenges for dryland restoration. Identifying environmental conditions that drive variation in seed and seedling mortality across similar restoration efforts could increase understanding of when and where restoration outcomes are likely to be favorable and identify new tools and strategies to improve outcomes. 2. We asked how variation in a suite of environmental predictors influenced germination, emergence, seedling establishment, and juvenile survival of four commonly sown perennial grass species across 33 seeding experiments distributed over a ~160,000-km2 area of the Great Basin, a cold desert system in the western United States. 3. Across experiments, we observed wide variation in the rates of four demographic transitions and wide variation in environmental conditions experienced by plants at each stage. For all species, higher precipitation during the first 30 days following seeding was associated with an increase in germination. Conversely, higher soil temperature over this same time period was associated with a significant decrease in germination and emergence and soil temperature was associated with a substantial portion of the variation in germination and emergence probabilities observed across our seeding experiments. 4. Within the range of precipitation variation observed, we were unable to detect a significant relationship between seedling establishment the first growing season and cumulative precipitation the first year, precipitation during the first spring growing season, or annual climatic water deficit (CWD) the first year. Higher CWD the second growing season reduced seedling survival over that time period. 5. Synthesis and application. Our results show higher soil temperature negatively impacts grass seedling recruitment. Our results can be combined with seasonal and subseasonal temperature forecasts to improve restoration decision-making. These results also suggest climate warming will make restoration even more difficult, with our model estimates suggesting the 2°C increase in temperature expected in the Great Basin over the coming decades will decease germination and emergence by about 30%. Lastly, while our field-based approach provided insight into short-term drivers of mortality, it did not provide insight into drivers of longer-term survival, suggesting a need to develop process-based approaches for predicting long-term restoration outcomes.29-Aug-2019

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2020View details →

Figure 3 from: Gardiner T (2020) Slipping a disc! Utilisation of harrowed strips by Orthoptera on a Breckland grass-heath. Journal of Orthoptera Research 29(2): 127-131. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.29.51900

Figure 3 Typical Myrmeleotettix maculatus habitat: stony, exposed soil with little vegetation. Photo credit: T. Gardiner.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2020View details →

Figure 1 from: Gardiner T (2020) Slipping a disc! Utilisation of harrowed strips by Orthoptera on a Breckland grass-heath. Journal of Orthoptera Research 29(2): 127-131. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.29.51900

Figure 1 Disc-harrowed strips in May 2018, three months after disc harrowing, showing partial revegetation and variation in exposed substrate.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2020View details →

Data from: Sediment availability provokes a shift from Brownian to Lévy-like clonal expansion in a dune building grass.

This dataset accompanies the manuscript: 'Sediment availability provokes a shift from Brownian to Lévy-like clonal expansion in a dune building grass.' Reijers et al., accepted at Ecology Letters Abstract In biogeomorphic landscapes, plant traits can steer landscape development through plant-mediated feedback interactions. Interspecific differences in clonal expansion strategy can therefore lead to the emergence of different landscape organizations. Yet, whether landscape-forming plants adopt different clonal expansion strategies depending on their physical environment remains to be tested. Here, we use a field survey and a complementary mesocosm approach to investigate whether sediment deposition affects the clonal expansion strategy employed by dune-building marram grass individuals. Our results reveal a consistent shift in expansion pattern from more clumped, Brownian-like, movement in sediment-poor conditions, to patchier, Lévy-like, movement under high sediment supply rates. Additional model simulations illustrate that the sediment-dependent shift in movement strategies induces a shift in optimization of the cost-benefit relation between landscape engineering (i.e. dune formation) and expansion. Plasticity in expansion strategy may therefore allow landscape-forming plants to optimize their engineering ability depending on their physical landscape. Methods Data stored in this repository are collected during both a field survey and a one-year mesocosm experiment in which we measured traits from marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) growing in conditions with either low or high sediment availability or deposition. Focus was primarily on spatial shoot organization and the step size distribution of the distances between shoots as a proxy for clonal expansion strategy. These shoot coordinates were extracted from still images (photos from the field survey are included in the repository, images from the mesocosm experiment are available upon request) and distances were calculated using a nearest neighbour connecting algorithm. Detailed description of these methods can be found in the accompanying publication (Reijers et al. Ecology Letters) or in a previously published method protocol (Reijers & Hoeks, 2019 Protocol Exchange). In addition we measured several plant growth related parameters such as: shoot length, shoot diameter, rhizome depth and leaf C:N ratio for the plant sampled during the field survey and shoot height, shoot numbers, shoot growth and leaf C:N ratio for the plants growing in the mesocosm experiment. Next to plant related data we measured several environmental characteristcs in the field including grain size, elevation, plant available nitrogen, organic matter, distance to sea and sediment deposition. For the mesocosm experiment we measured soil height, volume, organic matter, C:N and moisture content. A readme file was included to further explain file content.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Invasion promotes invasion: facilitation of C3 perennial grass dominance

1. In the southern Great Plains (SGP) of the USA, encroachment of the native invasive woody legume, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.), has caused a decline in C4 mid-grass abundance. Prosopis glandulosa invasion has also facilitated growth of the C3 mid-grass species, Texas wintergrass (Nassella leucotricha [Trin & Rupr.] Pohl) initially beneath its canopy but extending to interspaces between P. glandulosa as stand density increases. Little is known about the stability of the Prosopis/Nassella association, or C4 grass recovery following P. glandulosa disturbance. 2. We quantified C3 and C4 grass production in interspaces, and basal cover in interspaces and P. glandulosa subcanopy microsites for 9 years following P. glandulosa suppression (top-kill) and compared this to untreated P. glandulosa woodland (woodland). 3. The Prosopis/Nassella association limited the window of C4 mid-grass recovery to only a few years. Nassella leucotricha dominated grass production during the first 3 years after top-kill. C4 mid-grass recovery began in year 4, but was interrupted by severe drought in years 5 through 7. Recovery resumed in year 8, due to above average summer rainfall, but P. glandulosa regrowth was large enough by this time to limit C4 mid-grass production to a third of its potential. 4. Nassella leucotricha basal cover remained dominant and stable in woodland subcanopy microsites, even during drought, and only briefly declined in top-kill subcanopy microsites before returning to pre-treatment levels by year 8 as P. glandulosa regrowth increased and provided shade. 5. Synthesis and applications. A single suppression event had little impact on disrupting the Prosopis/Nassella association and allowing C4 mid-grass recovery. The coupling of a deciduous, N-fixing C3 woody species with this C3 perennial grass may be a vegetative "state" that is resistant to multiple woody suppression disturbances, and permanently limits the transition back to C4 grassland.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Data from: The global distribution of grass functional traits within grassy biomes

Aim: The sorting of functional traits along environmental gradients is an important driver of community and landscape scale patterns of functional diversity. However, the significance of environmental factors in driving functional gradients within biomes and across continents remains poorly understood. Here, we evaluate the relationship of soil nutrients and climate to leaf traits in grasses (Poaceae) that are hypothesised to reflect different strategies of resource-use along gradients of resource availability. Location: Global Taxon: Poaceae Methods: We made direct measurements on herbarium specimens to compile a global dataset of functional traits and realised environmental niche for 279 grass species that are common in grassland and savanna biomes. We examined the strength and direction of correlations between pairwise trait combinations and measured the distribution of traits in relation to gradients of soil properties and climate, while accounting for phylogenetic relatedness. Results: Leaf trait variation among species follows two orthogonal axes. One axis represents leaf size and plant height, and we showed positive scaling relationships between these size-related traits. The other axis corresponds to economic traits associated with resource acquisition and allocation, including leaf tensile strength (LTS), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen content (LNC). Global-scale variation in LNC was primarily correlated with soil nutrients, whilst LTS, SLA and size related traits showed weak relationships to environment. However, most of the trait variation occurred within different vegetation types, independent of large-scale environmental gradients. Main Conclusions: Our work provides evidence among grasses for relationships at the global scale between leaf economic traits and soil fertility, and for an influence of aridity on traits related to plant size. However, large unexplained variance and strong phylogenetic signal in the model residuals imply that at this scale the evolution of functional traits is driven by factors beyond contemporary environmental or climatic conditions.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Mutualism effectiveness of a fungal endophyte in an annual grass is impaired by ozone

1. Ozone is an increasing tropospheric contaminant of climate change. Exposure to ozone may affect the symbiotic relationship between plants and beneficial microorganisms. In particular, the herbivore resistance mechanism conferred by fungal endophytes (defensive mutualism) may be affected, as any of the ozone-triggered effects (such as elicitation of defence mechanisms against biotrophic fungi or oxidative stress in the apoplastic space) may target the symbiont. 2. Symbiotic and non-symbiotic Lolium multiflorum plants were exposed to ozone for two consecutive days (2 h per day), after which half were infested with 10 aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi). We measured variables related to performance of plants, the endophyte symbiont (alkaloids) and the herbivores. 3. Aphid populations were smaller on symbiotic plants than in non-symbiotic plants in low-ozone conditions. However, this difference disappeared in exposed plants to high-ozone conditions. Under low-ozone conditions, structure of aphid populations on endophyte-symbiotic plants was characterized by a low number of nymphs and a high number of adults. This pattern was not observed with high-ozone exposure. Level of fungal alkaloids (lolines) was not affected by either ozone or herbivory. 4. Results indicate that ozone impairs the grass-endophyte symbiosis without affecting production of alkaloids generally linked with aphids' response to endophyte presence. Since neither plant biomass nor alkaloid level were affected by ozone, other ozone-mediated mechanisms at molecular or biochemical level may underlie plant-herbivore interaction mediated by fungal endophytes. Thus, the mechanism behind this effect must be determined in future experiments.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Extreme genetic diversity in asexual grass thrips populations

The continuous generation of genetic variation has been proposed as one of the main factors explaining the maintenance of sexual reproduction in nature. However, populations of asexual individuals may attain high levels of genetic diversity through within-lineage diversification, replicate transitions to asexuality from sexual ancestors and migration. How these mechanisms affect genetic variation in populations of closely related sexual and asexual taxa can therefore provide insights into the role of genetic diversity for the maintenance of sexual reproduction. Here, we evaluate patterns of intra- and interpopulation genetic diversity in sexual and asexual populations of Aptinothrips rufus grass thrips. Asexual A. rufus populations are found throughout the world, whereas sexual populations appear to be confined to few locations in the Mediterranean region. We found that asexual A. rufus populations are characterized by extremely high levels of genetic diversity, both in comparison with their sexual relatives and in comparison with other asexual species. Migration is extensive among asexual populations over large geographic distances, whereas close sexual populations are strongly isolated from each other. The combination of extensive migration with replicate evolution of asexual lineages, and a past demographic expansion in at least one of them, generated high local clone diversities in A. rufus. These high clone diversities in asexual populations may mimic certain benefits conferred by sex via genetic diversity and could help explain the extreme success of asexual A. rufus populations.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Impacts of silicon-based grass defences across trophic levels under both current and future atmospheric CO2 scenarios

Silicon (Si) has important functional roles in plants, including resistance against herbivores. Environmental change, such as increasing atmospheric concentrations of CO2, may alter allocation to Si defences in grasses, potentially changing the feeding behaviour and performance of herbivores, which may in turn impact on higher trophic groups. Using Si-treated and untreated grasses (Phalaris aquatica) maintained under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (640 and 800 ppm) CO2 concentrations, we show that Si reduced feeding by crickets (Acheta domesticus), resulting in smaller body mass. This, in turn, reduced predatory behaviour by praying mantids (Tenodera sinensis), which consequently performed worse. Despite elevated CO2 decreasing Si concentrations in P. aquatica, this reduction was not large enough to affect the feeding behaviour of crickets or their predator. Our results suggest that Si-based defences in plants have adverse impacts on both primary and secondary trophic taxa, and these are not likely to decline under future climate change scenarios.