The impact of shade on establishment of shrubs adapted to the high light irradiation of semi-arid environments

Light may be an important limiting resource that influences community structure of chenopod shrublands. As part of a larger study that aimed to determine the factors that influence chenopod community structure, the focus of this study was the influence of plant canopy on the growth and establishment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of arid environments 2005-12, Vol.63 (4), p.706-716
Main Authors: Jefferson, L.V., Pennacchio, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atriplex
Atriplex bunburyana
Canopy
Competition
dry matter accumulation
Enchylaena tomentosa
leaf area
Light
light intensity
Maireana
Maireana brevifolia
Maireana georgei
overstory
plant competition
plant growth
semiarid zones
shade tolerance
shrublands
shrubs
understory
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Summary:Light may be an important limiting resource that influences community structure of chenopod shrublands. As part of a larger study that aimed to determine the factors that influence chenopod community structure, the focus of this study was the influence of plant canopy on the growth and establishment of smaller plants. We therefore measured the height and cover of three chenopods ( Enchylaena tomentosa, Maireana brevifolia and Maireana georgei) when growing within and outside of the canopy of Atriplex bunburyana under field conditions. All three chenopods had lower cover and E. tomentosa was taller when growing within the canopy of A. bunburyana in comparison to those growing outside of the canopy. The chenopods were then grown under three artificial shade regimes. Plant height, cover, biomass, relative leaf area and photosynthetic surface area measurements showed that each species responded differently to shade. E. tomentosa biomass was facilitated by shade. This was inferred by an increase in total plant biomass. M. brevifolia, in contrast, tolerated shade by increasing above-ground biomass allocation. M. georgei was adversely affected by the shade regimes: root biomass decreased in response to shade. Competition for light is, therefore, likely to influence chenopod community structure of semi-arid and arid environments.
ISSN:0140-1963
1095-922X
DOI:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2005.04.004