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Home / Equine Research Bank / Plants (Basel) / The Amelioration of Grazing through Physiological Integratio...
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)2023; 12(4); 724; doi: 10.3390/plants12040724

The Amelioration of Grazing through Physiological Integration by a Clonal Dune Plant.

Abstract: Rhizomatous growth and associated physiological integration can allow a clonal dune species to potentially compensate for the selective removal of leaves associated with herbivory. is a rhizomatous clonal plant species that is abundant in the coastal dune environments of the southeastern United States that are inhabited by large feral horse populations. has been shown to integrate resources among ramets within extensive clones as an adaptation to resource heterogeneity in sandy soils. In this study, we hypothesized that clonal integration is a mechanism that promotes persistence in these communities, despite high levels of herbivory by feral horses. In a field experiment, we used exclosures to test for herbivory in over a four-month period. We found that feral horses utilized as a food species, and that while grazing will suppress clonal biomass, is able to maintain populations in a high grazing regime with and without competition present. We then conducted an experiment in which portions of clones were clipped to simulate different levels of grazing. Half of the clones were severed to eliminate the possibility of integration. We found that after 12 weeks, the mean number of leaves and ramets increased as the grazing level increased, for integrated clones. Integrated clones had significantly increased biomass production compared to the severed equivalents. Our research suggests that rhizomatous growth and physiological integration are traits that allow clonal plant species to maintain populations and to tolerate grazing in coastal dune environments.
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Publication Date: 2023-02-06 PubMed ID: 36840072PubMed Central: PMC9962606DOI: 10.3390/plants12040724Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research paper explores how a clonal dune plant species, characterized by rhizomatous growth, can resist and endure herbivory or grazing by continually integrating resources among its various parts. This adaptation is largely seen as a response to resource scarcity exhibited by sandy soils of coastal environments.

Objective and Hypothesis of the Study

  • The study aimed to understand the survival strategies of a particular clonal dune plant species in coastal environments, where feral horse populations are high and access to soil nutrients is limited.
  • The researchers hypothesized that clonal integration, a process where resources are shared within the plant’s system, serves as an adaptation mechanism that allows the plant species to withstand the persistently high grazing levels.

Methods Used

  • The researchers undertook a field experiment where they tested for the incidence of grazing in the plant species over a span of four months.
  • They used exclosures to observe the effects of grazing by limiting the access of the horses to certain areas.
  • Further, an experimental setting was created where sections of the plant clones were clipped to simulate varying degrees of grazing. Some clones were intentionally severed to prevent integration, allowing comparisons between integrated and non-integrated clones.

Findings and Conclusions

  • The researchers found that despite the feeding by feral horses, the clonal plant species was able to maintain its population even under high grazing pressure.
  • In a high grazing regime scenario, the plant can still survive with or without competition for resources.
  • When subjected to simulated grazing, the intact, integrated clones displayed a greater relative increase in leaf and ramet counts compared to the severed ones, demonstrating the importance of clonal integration.
  • Essentially, the research concluded that the plant’s traits of rhizomatous growth and physiological integration enable it to tolerate grazing and sustain populations in the nutrient-poor dune environments of southeastern United States.

Cite This Article

APA
Evans JP, Meckstroth S, Garai J. (2023). The Amelioration of Grazing through Physiological Integration by a Clonal Dune Plant. Plants (Basel), 12(4), 724. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040724

Publication

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 2223-7747
NlmUniqueID: 101596181
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 4
PII: 724

Researcher Affiliations

Evans, Jonathan P
  • Department of Biology, University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA.
Meckstroth, Shelby
  • Department of Biology, University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA.
Garai, Julie
  • Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Ievinsh G. Halophytic Clonal Plant Species: Important Functional Aspects for Existence in Heterogeneous Saline Habitats.. Plants (Basel) 2023 Apr 21;12(8).
    doi: 10.3390/plants12081728pubmed: 37111952google scholar: lookup
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