Reproductive ecology of Ochetophila trinervis in Northwest Patagonia
M. Fernanda Reyes A B , Miriam E. Gobbi A C and Eugenia E. Chaia A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Departamento de Biología General, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue-INIBIOMA, Quintral 1250, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
B Cátedra de Ecología, IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Av. San Martín 4453, 1417 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
C Corresponding author. Email: miriam.gobbi@crub.uncoma.edu.ar
This paper originates from a presentation at the 16th International Meeting on Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants, Oporto, Portugal, 5–8 September 2010.
Functional Plant Biology 38(9) 720-727 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP11010
Submitted: 13 January 2011 Accepted: 23 June 2011 Published: 16 August 2011
Abstract
Native actinorhizal species Ochetophila trinervis (Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Poepp. ex Miers, also known as Discaria trinervis (Kellermann et al. 2005), grows along watercourses and distant from them, along a rainfall gradient in north-west Patagonia. We studied the reproductive ecology of this species under different macro- and micro-environmental conditions, in three zones in a rainfall gradient (western, intermediate and eastern) with two sites for each one, near and distant to a watercourse (riparian and dry-land). We performed field studies and germination trials. Plant size, reproductive effort (seed abundance per branch) and seed bank size of O. trinervis, were favoured by the proximity of streams in the drier environments of the gradient. The abundance of seedlings and saplings in the field was very low, which was in agreement with a lack of germination in the field, despite the good germination capacity of seeds. Sexual reproduction of O. trinervis was affected by the low abundance of seedlings. Lower rainfall, higher temperatures and a longer growing season along the gradient favour the potential regeneration of the species. Because of its nitrogen-fixing capacity and other features, O. trinervis has potential for reclamation of eroded lands in Patagonia. Patterns of seed biology and regeneration presented in this study will aid in the use of O. trinervis in the reclamation of disturbed lands.
Additional keywords: environmental gradient, forest–steppe ecotone, reproductive effort, seed bank, sexual regeneration, Rhamnaceae, shrublands.
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