Host shoot clipping depresses the growth of weedy hemiparasitic Pedicularis kansuensis
Host shoot clipping depresses the growth of weedy hemiparasitic Pedicularis kansuensis
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DOI:
10.1007/s10265-015-0727-6
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发表时间:
2015-05
影响因子:
2.8
通讯作者:
Xiaolin Sui;Wei Huang;Yun-Ju Li;K. Guan;Ai-Rong Li
中科院分区:
文献类型:
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作者:
Xiaolin Sui;Wei Huang;Yun-Ju Li;K. Guan;Ai-Rong Li
Root hemiparasitic plants show optimal growth when attached to a suitable host by abstracting water and nutrients. Despite the fact that damage to host plants in the wild occurs frequently in various forms (e.g. grazing), effects of host damage on growth and physiological performance of root hemiparasites remain unclear. In this study, host shoot clipping was conducted to determine the influence of host damage on photosynthetic and growth performance of a weedy root hemiparasite,Pedicularis kansuensis, and its interaction with a host,Elymus nutans. Photosynthetic capacity, tissue mineral nutrient content and plant biomass ofP. kansuensiswere significantly improved when attached to a host plant. Host clipping had no effect on quantum efficiency (ΦPSII), but significantly reduced the growth rate and biomass ofP. kansuensis. In contrast, clipping significantly improved photosynthetic capacity and accumulation of potassium inE. nutans. No significant decrease in biomass was observed in clipped host plants. By changing nutrient absorption and allocation, clipping affected the interaction betweenP. kansuensisand its host. Our results showed that host clipping significantly suppressed the growth of weedyP. kansuensis, but did not affect biomass accumulation inE. nutans. We propose that grazing (a dominant way of causing host damage in the field) may have a potential in the control against the weedy hemiparasite.