Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:07:56.225Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seed Mass, Viability, and Germination of Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) under Variable Light and Moisture Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Cynthia D. Huebner
Cynthia D. Huebner*
Affiliation:
Northern Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 180 Canfield St., Morgantown, WV 26505
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: chuebner@fs.fed.us
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The success of Japanese stiltgrass as an invader may be due to its ability to respond to stochastic events (e.g., by sexual reproduction via chasmogamous [CH] flowers) and to maintain a beneficial genetic make-up (e.g., by self-fertilizing via cleistogamous [CL] flowers) when conditions are stable. This paper evaluates the importance of Japanese stiltgrass seed type (chasmogamous seeds, cleistogamous seeds, and seeds originating from forest-interior [F-I] plants) in terms of seed mass, viability, and germination across variable moisture regimes (three regions in West Virginia) and at two light levels (roadside and forest interior). Seeds from nine populations were sampled in three site types in 2005 and 2008 and stored at 5 C until testing in April 2009. Seeds were tested for viability using a dye test. Seeds were germinated under both constant and fluctuating day/night temperatures. Additional samples of CH and CL seeds collected in 2008 were tested for viability again in September 2010 for a measure of seed longevity. CL and F-I seeds were smaller in mass than CH seeds. Seeds from the drier sites were smaller in mass than seeds from the more mesic sites. CL seeds, followed by F-I seeds, were less viable than CH seeds in 2005 and 2008. CL and F-I seeds had lower germination rates than CH seeds for each site type in 2005, but germination rates of the seed types did not differ in 2008. Differences in seed longevity for 2008 seeds were lower for CL compared to CH seeds, but only in the drier sites. Japanese stiltgrass' longer-lived and larger CH seeds from the roadsides may ensure population survival over the long term. Younger CL and F-I seeds differ less from CH seeds in terms of germination than older seeds, which may help Japanese stiltgrass to maintain populations under relatively stable conditions in the short term.

Keywords

Japanese stiltgrassMicrostegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus.ChasmogamycleistogamyJapanese stiltgrasslightMicrostegium vimineummoisture regimeseed longevityseed viability
Type
Research
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 274 - 283
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Barden, L. S. 1987. Invasion of Microstegium vimineum (Poaceae), an exotic, annual, shade-tolerant, C4 grass, into a North Carolina floodplain. Am. Midl. Nat. 118:40–45.Google Scholar
Bell, T. J. and Quinn, J. A. 1985. Relative importance of chasmogamously and cleistogamously derived seeds of Dichanthelium clandestinum (L.) Gould. Bot. Gaz. 146:252–258.Google Scholar
Bennington, C. C. and McGraw, J. B. 1995. Natural selection and ecotypic differentiation in Impatiens pallida . Ecol. Monogr. 65:303–323.Google Scholar
Bolker, B. M., Brooks, M. E., Clark, C. J., Geange, S. W., Poulsen, J. R., Stevens, M. H. H., and White, J-S. 2008. Generalized linear mixed models: a practical guide for ecology and evolution. Trends Ecol. Evol. 24:127–135.Google Scholar
Brown, W. V. 1952. The relation of soil moisture to cleistogamy in Stipa leucotricha . Bot. Gaz. 113:438–444.Google Scholar
Callaway, R. M. and Ridenour, W. M. 2004. Novel weapons: invasive success and the evolution of increased competitive ability. Front. Ecol. Environ. 2:436–443.Google Scholar
Campbell, C. S., Quinn, J. A., Cheplick, G. P., and Bell, T. J. 1983. Cleistogamy in grasses. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 14:411–441.Google Scholar
Chambers, J. C. 1989. Seed viability of alpine species: variability within and among years. J. Range Manag. 42:304–308.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 1996. Do seed germination patterns in cleistogamous annual grasses reduce the risk of sibling competition? J. Ecol. 84:247–255.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 2005a. Biomass partitioning and reproductive allocation in the invasive, cleistogamous grass Microstegium vimineum: Influence of the light environment. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132:214–224.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 2005b. The allometry of reproductive allocation. Pages 97–128 in Reekie, E. G. and Bazzaz, F. A., eds. Reproductive Allocation in Plants. Burlington, MA Elsevier Academic.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 2007. Plasticity of chasmogamous and cleistogamous reproductive allocation in grasses. Aliso 23:286–294.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 2008. Growth trajectories and size-dependent reproduction in the highly invasive grass Microstegium vimineum . Biol. Invasions 10:761–770.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. 2010. Limits to local spatial spread in a highly invasive annual grass (Microstegium vimineum). Biol. Invasions 12:1759–1771.Google Scholar
Cheplick, G. P. and Quinn, J. A. 1982. Amphicarpum purshii and the “pessimistic strategy” in amphicarpic annuals with subterranean fruit. Oecologia 52:327–332.Google Scholar
Claridge, K. and Franklin, S. B. 2002. Compensation and plasticity in an invasive plant species. Biol. Invasions 4:339–347.Google Scholar
Clarkson, R. B. 1964. Tumolt on the Mountains—Lumbering in West Virginia—1770–1920. Parsons, WV McClain Printing. 402 p.Google Scholar
Cole, P. G. and Weltzin, J. F. 2005. Light limitation creates patchy distribution of an invasive grass in eastern deciduous forests. Biol. Invasions 7:477–488.Google Scholar
Dupont, S., Brunet, Y., and Jarosz, N. 2006. Eulerian modelling of pollen dispersal over heterogeneous vegetation canopies. Agric. Forest Meteorol. 141:82–104.Google Scholar
Ehrenfeld, J. G., Kourtev, P., and Huang, W. 2001. Changes in soil functions following invasions of exotic understory plants in deciduous forests. Ecol. Appl. 11:1287–1300.Google Scholar
Fairbrothers, D. E. and Gray, J. R. 1972. Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus (Gramineae) in the United States. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 99:97–100.Google Scholar
Flory, S. L. and Clay, K. 2010. Non-native grass invasion alters native plant composition in experimental communities. Biol. Invasions 12:1285–1294.Google Scholar
Geng, Y-P., Pan, X-Y., Xu, C-Y., Zhang, W-J., Li, B., Chen, J-K., Lu, B-R., and Song, Z-P. 2007. Phenotypic plasticity rather than locally adapted ecotypes allows the invasive alligator weed to colonize a wide range of habitats. Biol. Invasions 9:245–256.Google Scholar
Gibson, D. J., Spyreas, G., and Benedict, J. 2002. Life history of Microstegium vimineum (Poaceae), an invasive grass in southern Illinois. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 129:207–219.Google Scholar
Granström, A. 1987. Seed viability of fourteen species during five years of storage in a forest soil. J. Ecol. 75:321–331.Google Scholar
Grime, J. P. 2002. Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystem Properties. 2nd ed. New York J. Wiley. 456 p.Google Scholar
Horton, J. J. and Neufeld, H. S. 1998. Photosynthetic responses of Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus, a shade-tolerant, C4 grass, to variable light environments. Oecologia 114:11–19.Google Scholar
Huebner, C. D. 2003. Vulnerability of oak-dominated forests in West Virginia to invasive exotic plants: temporal and spatial patterns of nine exotic species using herbarium records and land classification data. Castanea 68:1–14.Google Scholar
Huebner, C. D. 2010a. Establishment of an invasive grass in closed-canopy deciduous forests across local and regional environmental gradients. Biol. Invasions 12:2069–2080.Google Scholar
Huebner, C. D. 2010b. Spread of an invasive grass in closed-canopy deciduous forests across local and regional environmental gradients. Biol. Invasions 12:2081–2089.Google Scholar
Keane, R. M. and Crawley, M. J. 2002. Exotic plant invasions and the enemy release hypothesis. Trends Ecol. Evol. 17:164–170.Google Scholar
Kourtev, P. S., Huang, W. Z., and Ehrenfeld, J. G. 1999. Differences in earthworm densities and nitrogen dynamics in soils under exotic and native plant species. Biol. Invasions 1:237–245.Google Scholar
Kranner, I., Minibayeva, F. V., Beckett, R. P., and Seal, C. E. 2010. Tansley review: what is stress? Concepts, definitions and applications in seed science. New Phytol. 188:655–673.Google Scholar
Lord, E. 1979. The development of cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers in Lamium amplexicaule (Labiatae): an example of heteroblastic inflorescence development. Bot. Gaz. 140:39–50.Google Scholar
Lu, Y. 2002. Why is cleistogamy a selected reproductive strategy in Impatiens capensis (Balsaminaceae)? Biol. J. Linnaean Soc. 75:543–553.Google Scholar
Matlack, G. R. 1994. Vegetation dynamics of the forest edge—trends in space and successional time. J. Ecol. 82:113–123.Google Scholar
McGrath, D. A. and Binkley, M. A. 2009. Microstegium vimineum invasion changes soil chemistry and microarthropod communities in Cumberland Plateau forests. Southeast. Nat. 8:141–156.Google Scholar
Milbau, A. and Stout, J. C. 2008. Factors associated with alien plants transitioning from casual, to naturalized, to invasive. Conserv. Biol. 22:308–317.Google Scholar
Minter, T. C. and Lord, E. M. 1983. Effects of water stress, abscisic acid, and gibberellic acid on flower production and differentiation in the cleistogamous species Collomia grandiflora Dougl. ex Lindl. (Polemoniaceae). Am. J. Bot. 70:618–624.Google Scholar
Moriuchi, K. S. and Winn, A. A. 2005. Relationships among growth, development and plastic response to environment quality in a perennial plant. New Phytol. 166:149–158.Google Scholar
[NCDC] National Climate Data Center. 2008. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwDI∼SelectStation∼USA∼WV. Accessed: January 30, 2008.Google Scholar
Oswalt, C. M., Oswalt, S. N., and Clatterbuck, W. K. 2007. Effects of Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus on native woody species density and diversity in a productive mixes-hardwood forest in Tennessee. Forest Ecol. Manag. 242:727–732.Google Scholar
Ozinga, W. A., Bekker, R. M., Schaminee, J. H. J., and Van Groendendael, J. M. 2004. Dispersal potential in plant communities depends on environmental conditions. J. Ecol. 92:767–777.Google Scholar
Porter, R. H., Durrell, M., and Romm, H. J. 1946. The use of 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazoliumchloride as a measure of seed germinability. Plant Physiol. 22:149–159.Google Scholar
Rejmánek, M. and Richardson, D. M. 1996. What attributes make some plant species more invasive? Ecology 77:1655–1661.Google Scholar
Redman, D. E. 1995. Distribution and habitat types for Nepal microstegium [Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) Camus] in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Castanea 60:270–275.Google Scholar
Rees, M. 1994. Delayed germination of seeds: a look at the effects of adult longevity, the timing reproduction, and population age/stage structure. Am. Nat. 144:43–64.Google Scholar
SAS. 2007. SAS for Windows. Release 9.1. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Saunders, S. C., Chen, J., Drummer, T. D., and Crow, T. R. 1999. Modeling temperature gradients across edges over time in a managed landscape. Forest Ecol. Manag. 117:17–31.Google Scholar
Schemske, D. W. 1977. Flowering phenology and seed set in Claytonia virginica (Portulacaceae). Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 104:254–263.Google Scholar
Simberloff, D. 2009. The role of propagule pressure in biological invasions. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 40:81–102.Google Scholar
Simao, M. C., Flory, S. L., and Rudgers, J. A. 2010. Experimental plant invasion reduces arthropod abundance and richness across multiple trophic levels. Oikos 119:1553–1562.Google Scholar
Soeda, Y., Konings, M. C. J. M., Vorst, O., van Houwelingen, A. M. M. L., Stoopern, G. M., Maliepaard, C. A., Kodde, J., Bino, R. J., Groot, S. P. C., and van der Geest, A. H. M. 2004. Gene expression programs during Brassica oleracea seed maturation, osmopriming, and germination are indicators of progression of the germination process and the stress tolerance level. Plant Physiol. 137:354–368.Google Scholar
Stanton, M. L. 1984. Seed variation in wild radish: effect of seed size on components of seedling and adult fitness. Ecology 65:1105–1112.Google Scholar
Tanaka, H. 1975. Pollination of some Gramineae (2). J. Jap. Bot. 50:25–31.Google Scholar
[USDA NRCS] U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2009. USDA Plants. http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=microstegium+vimineum&mode=sciname&submit.x=13&submit.y=10. Accessed: November 30, 2009.Google Scholar
Valliant, M. T., Mack, R. N., and Novak, S. J. 2007. Introduction history and population genetics of the invasive grass Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) in Canada. Am. J. Bot. 94:1156–1169.Google Scholar
Van de Water, P. K., Watrud, L. S., Lee, E. H., Burdick, C., and King, G. A. 2007. Long-distance GM pollen movement of creeping bentgrass using modeled wind trajectory analysis. Ecol. Appl. 17:1244–1256.Google Scholar
Waller, D. M. 1984. Differences in fitness between seedlings derived from cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers in Impatiens capensis . Evolution 38:427–440.Google Scholar
Webster, C. R., Rock, J. H., Froese, R. E., and Jenkins, M. A. 2008. Drought–herbivory interaction disrupts competitive displacement of native plants by Microstegium vimineum, 10-year results. Oecologia 157:497–508.Google Scholar
[WVDA] West Virginia Department of Agriculture. 2008. Title 61 Legislative Rules Department of Agriculture Series 14A Rules Dealing with Noxious Weeds. http://www.wvagriculture.org/images/Plant_Industries/Rules_Dealing_With_Noxious_Weeds08.pdf. Accessed: November 30, 2008.Google Scholar
Winn, A. A. 1985. Effects of seed size and microsite on seedling emergence of Prunella vulgaris in four habitats. J. Ecol. 73:831–840.Google Scholar
Winter, K., Schmitt, M. R., and Edwards, G. E. 1982. Microstegium vimineum, a shade adapted C4 grass. Plant Sci. Lett. 24:311–318.Google Scholar
Woods, T. M., Hartnett, D. C., and Ferguson, C. J. 2009. High propagule production and reproductive fitness homeostasis contribute to the invasiveness of Lespedeza cuneata (Fabaceae). Biol. Invasions 11:1913–1927.Google Scholar