Plant Responses to Simultaneous Stress of Waterlogging and Shade: Amplified or Hierarchical Effects?

• Published in: The New phytologist Vol. 157; no. 2; pp. 281 - 290
• Main Authors: Lenssen, J. P. M., Menting, F. B. J., Van der Putten, W. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science 01.02.2003; Blackwell Science Ltd; Blackwell
• Subjects: aerenchyma; allometric growth; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; canopy; competition; dry matter partitioning; dry weight partitioning; england; Epilobium hirsutum; Eupatorium cannabinum; field experiment; flooded conditions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; geographical distribution; growth; interspecific variation; Leaf area; Leaves; light; Light water; Mentha aquatica; multiple stress; Myosotis scorpioides; plant communities; Plant growth; Plant interaction; Plant roots; Plants; Plants and fungi; plasticity; quality; respiration; seedlings; shade; soil; specific leaf area; Stems; Vegetation; Water treatment; waterlogging; wetlands; Waterlogging (soil); Essential oil plant; Growth; waterlogging; Environmental factor; Onagraceae; allometric growth; Compositae; Allometry; Leaf area; Plant; multiple stress; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Habitat; Wetland; Species richness; Adaptation; WATER TOLERANCE; Interspecific comparison; Tolerance; shade; Shading; Ecology; Boraginaceae; Stress; Sensitivity resistance; Spatial distribution; Labiatae; specific leaf area; Spermatophyta; dry weight partitioning
• ISSN: 0028-646X; 1469-8137; 1469-8137
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00666.x

• Community ecologists often assume a hierarchy of environmental sieves to predict the impact of multiple stresses on species distribution. We tested whether this assumption corresponds to physiological responses using impact of water level and shade in wetland vegetation as a model. • Seedlings of four wetland species were grown under full light and simulated canopy shade, both in drained and waterlogged soils. When subject to both stresses simultaneously, waterlogging and shade independently affected growth of the two waterlogging tolerant species. For the intolerant species, however, waterlogging had the largest impact and the additional effect of shade was smaller than the effect of shade in drained soil. Soil flooding decreased specific leaf area but only if plants were in full light. Waterlogging did also not constrain a higher investment in stems of shaded plants. • These results demonstrate that light limitation in flooded habitats only plays a role if species can tolerate waterlogging and therefore correspond with the notion that water level determines the potential species pool and that standing crop consequently determines which species can actually persist.