Abstract
Bolboschoenus maritimus, a clonal species, is locally invasive in Mediterranean temporary pools where it threatens endangered rare plant species such as Isoetes setacea. The combination of management modifications (grazing) and of the progressive accumulation of fine sediments in the pools contributed to the establishment of competitive perennial plants such as B. maritimus. The competitive advantage of B. maritimus on I. setacea has been studied in controlled conditions. The goal of this experiment was to assess the role of environmental conditions in the output of the competition between Bolboschoenus and Isoetes, notably hydrology and soil richness. For this purpose, Isoetes was cultivated alone (three individuals/pot) and with Bolboschoenus (three individuals of both species). The experiment was run with five replicates on six types of sediment (gradient of richness in sand/silt/clay) combined with three hydrological treatments (flooded, wet. and dry). The competitive advantage of Bolboschoenus was measured as the ratio of the production of Isoetes in mixture versus monoculture. The results showed that Isoetes was always outcompeted by Bolboschoenus. However, the competitive advantage of Bolboschoenus on Isoetes, was more related to hydrology than to soil richness. The competitive advantage of Bolboschoenus was very high in wet and flooded conditions and very low in dry conditions. This situation may lead to the extinction, medium-term, of the populations of I. setacea. The introduction of ovine grazing or of cut back practices in temporary pools could reduce the B. maritimus biomass and help toward the conservation of I. setacea populations.
Guest editors: B. Oertli, R. Cereghino, A. Hull & R. Miracle
Pond Conservation: From Science to Practice. 3rd Conference of the European Pond Conservation Network, Valencia, Spain, 14–16 May 2008
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Akey, W. C., T. W. Jurik & J. Dekker, 1991. A replacement series evaluation of competition between velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and soybean (Glycine max). Weed Research 31: 63–72.
Barbero, M., J. Giudicelli, R. Loisel, P. Quézel & E. Terzian, 1982. Etude des biocénoses des mares et ruisseaux temporaires à éphémérophytes dominants en région méditerranéenne francaise. Bulletin d’Ecologie 13: 387–400.
Braun-Blanquet, J, 1936. Un Joyau floristique et phytosociologique, l’Isoetion méditerranéen. SIGMA, Communication 42.
Charpentier, A., F. Mesleard & J. D. Thompson, 1998. The effects of rhizome severing on the clonal growth and clonal architecture of Scirpus maritimus. Oikos 83: 107–116.
Charpentier, A., P. Grillas & J. D. Thompson, 2000. The effect of population size limitation on fecundity in mosaic populations of the clonal macrophyte Scirpus maritimus (Cyperaceae). American Journal of Botany 87: 502–507.
Claridge, K. & S. B. Franklin, 2002. Compensation and plasticity in an invasive plant species. Biological Invasion 4: 339–347.
Clevering, O., 1995. Germination and seedling emergence of Scirpus lacustris L. and Scirpus maritimus L. with special reference to the restoration of wetlands. Aquatic Botany 50: 63–78.
Clevering, O. & M. P. J. Hundscheid, 1998. Plastic and non-plastic variation in growth of newly established clones of Scirpus (Bolboschoenus) maritimus L. grown at different water depths. Aquatic Botany 62: 1–17.
Connell, J. H., 1975. Some mechanisms producing structure in natural communities: a model and evidence from field experiments. In Cody, M. L. & J. M. Diamond (eds), Ecology and Evolution of Communities. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: 460–490.
Connolly, J., 1986. On difficulties with replacement series methodology in mixture experiments. Journal of Applied Ecology 23: 125–137.
Crochet, J. Y., 1998. Le cadre géologique de la Réserve Naturelle de Roque-Haute. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 179–183.
Deil, U., 2005. A review on habitats plant trait and vegetation of ephemeral wetlands-a global perspective. Phytocoenologia 35: 533–705.
Dutoit, T., E. Gerbaud, J. M. Ourcival, M. Roux & D. Alard, 2001. Recherche prospective sur la dualité entre caractéristiques morphologiques et capacités de compétition des végétaux: le cas des espèces adventices et du blé. Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences, série III, Sciences de la vie 324: 261–272.
Gaston, K. J., 1994. Rarity. Chapman & Hall, London: 205 pp.
Gaudillat, V., J. Haury, B. Barbier & F. Peschadour, 2002. Connaissance et gestion des habitats et des espèces d’intérêt Communautaire. Tome 3 Habitats Humides. La Documentation Française, Paris: 457 pp.
Goldberg, D. E., T. Rajaniemi, J. Gurevitch & A. Stewart-Oaten, 1999. Empirical approaches to quantifying interaction intensity competition and facilitation along productivity gradients. Ecology 80: 1118–1131.
Grace, J. B., 1995. On the measurement of plant competition intensity. Ecology 76: 305–308.
Grillas, P. & L. Tan Ham, 1998. Dynamique intra- et inter-annuelles de la végétation dans les mares de la Réserve Naturelle de Roque-Haute: programme d’étude et résultats préliminaires. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 215–222.
Grillas, P., C. Van Wijck & A. Bonis, 1993. The effect of salinity on the dominance-diversity of experimental communities of coastal submerged macrophytes. Journal of Vegetation Science 4: 453–460.
Grillas, P., P. Gauthier, N. Yavercovski & C. Perennou, 2004a. Mediterranean Temporary Pools Volume 1, Issues Relating to Conservation, Functioning and Management. Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, Arles: 120 pp.
Grillas, P., P. Gauthier, N. Yavercovski & C. Perennou, 2004b. Mediterranean Temporary Pools. Vol. 2, Species Information Sheets. Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, Arles: 127 pp.
Grime, J. P., 2001. Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystem Properties, 2nd ed. Wiley, Chichester: 417 pp.
Hedges, L. V., J. Gurevitch & P. S. Curtis, 1999. The meta-analysis of response ratios in experimental ecology. Ecology 80: 1150–1156.
Huenneke, L. F. & J. K. Thomson, 1995. Potential interference between a threatened endemic thistle and an invasive non native plant. Conservation Biology 9: 416–425.
Jackson, M. B., 1985. Ethylene and responses of plants to water logging and submergence. Annual Review of Plant Physiology 36: 145–174.
Jakob, C., M. Veith, A. Seitz & A. J. Crivelli, 1998. Données préliminaries sur la communauté d’amphibiens de la Réserve Naturelle de Roque-Haute dans le sud de la France. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 235–240.
Kantrud, H.A, 1996. The alkali (Scirpus maritimus L) and salt marsh (S. robustus Pursh) bulrushes: a literature review. U.S. National Biological Service Information and Technology report 6: 77 pp.
Keddy, P. A., 1989. Competition, Population and Community Biology Series. Chapman and Hall, London: 202 pp.
Lavergne, S., E. Garnier & M. Debussche, 2003. Do rock endemic and widespread plant species differ under the leaf-height-seed plant ecology strategy scheme? Ecology Letters 6: 398–404.
Mead, R. & R. W. Willey, 1980. The concept of a “land equivalent ratio” and advantages in yields from intercropping. Experimental Agriculture 16: 217–228.
Médail, F. & R. Verlaque, 1997. Ecological characteristics and rarity of endemic plants from southeast France and Corsica: implications for biodiversity conservation. Biological Conservation 80: 269–271.
Médail, F., H. Michaud, J. Molina, G. Paradis & R. Loisel, 1998. Conservation de la flore et de la végétation des mares temporaires dulçaquicoles et oligotrophes de France méditerranéenne. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 119–134.
Molina, J., 1998. Typologie des mares de Roque-Haute. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 207–213.
Olivier, L., J. P. Galland & H. Maurin, 1995. Livre rouge de la flore menacée de France. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Institut d’Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité. Service du Patrimoine Naturel. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, Vol. 20, série Patrimoine Génétique, tome 1: Espèces prioritaires. 486 p+ annexes.
Prelli, R., 2002. Les fougères et plantes alliées de France et d’Europe occidentale. Belin, Paris: 432 pp.
Quézel, P., 1998. La végétation des mares transitoires à Isoetes en région méditerranéenne, intérêt patrimonial et conservation. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 111–117.
Rhazi, L, 2001. Etude de la végétation des mares temporaires et l’impact des activités humaines sur la richesse et la conservation des espèces rares au Maroc. Thèse Doctorat d’Etat Es Sciences, Université Hassan II, Casablanca. 191 pp.
Rhazi, M, 2005. Ecologie de la restauration de la diversité végétale et des espèces rares dans les mares temporaires méditerranéennes (sud France). Thèse de Doctorat ès Sciences. Université Paul Cézanne, Aix-Marseille III. 162 p + annexes.
Rhazi, M., P. Grillas, A. Charpentier & F. Médail, 2004. Experimental management of Mediterranean temporary pools for conservation of the rare quillwort Isoetes setacea. Biological Conservation 118: 675–684.
Ridge, I., 1987. Ethylene and growth control in amphibious plants. In Crawford, R. M. M. (ed.), Plant Life in Aquatic and Amphibious Habitats. Blackwell, Oxford: 53–76.
Tilman, D., 1988. Plant Strategies and the Dynamics and Structure of Plant Communities. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Titolet, D. & L. Rhazi, 1999. Intérêt patrimonial d’un milieu associé aux suberaies: les mares temporaires des rives gauches et droites de l’oued Cherrat. Integrated Protection in Oak Forests, IOBC Bulletin 22: 189–194.
Trabaud, L., 1998. Historique de la création de la Réserve Naturelle de Roque-Haute et sa végétation. Ecologia Mediterranea 24: 173–177.
Twolan-Strutt, L. & P. A. Keddy, 1996. Above-and belowground competition intensity in two contrasting wetland plant communities. Ecology 77: 259–270.
Vilà, M. & J. Weiner, 2004. Are invasive plant species better competitors than native plant species?- evidence from pair-wise experiments. Oikos 105: 229–238.
Walck, J. L., J. M. Baskin & C. C. Baskin, 1999. Effects of competition from introduced plants on establishment, survival, growth and reproduction of the rare plant Solidago shortii (Asteraceae). Biological Conservation 88: 213–219.
Weigelt, A., T. Steinlein & W. Beyschlag, 2002. Does plant competition intensity rather depend on biomass or on species identity? Basic and Applied Ecology 3: 85–94.
Westoby, M., 1998. A leaf–height–seed (LHS) plant ecology strategy scheme. Plant Soil 199: 213–227.
Wisheu, I. C. & P. A. Keddy, 1992. Competition and centrifugal organization of plant communities: theory and tests. Journal of Vegetation Science 3: 147–156.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rhazi, M., Grillas, P., Rhazi, L., Charpentier, A., Médail, F. (2009). Competition in microcosm between a clonal plant species (Bolboschoenus maritimus) and a rare quillwort (Isoetes setacea) from Mediterranean temporary pools of southern France. In: Oertli, B., Céréghino, R., Biggs, J., Declerck, S., Hull, A., Miracle, M.R. (eds) Pond Conservation in Europe. Developments in Hydrobiology 210, vol 210. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9088-1_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9088-1_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9087-4
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9088-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)