Ligularia virgaurea (Maxim.) is a typical naturally-occurring native noxious weed, widely distributed in alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau, China. Three field sampling plots (30 m ' 50 m) dominated by L. virgaurea were selected to study its population colonization mode and the relationship between sexual- and clonalrecruitment in alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Field investigations were conducted on its soil seed bank, seed rain and the individuals of new recruitment (seedlings and ramets) to study its sexual and asexual recruitment. And, 46 individuals which produced the seeds were selected randomly to study their relationship between seed production and ramet production. Results showed that there were more ramets (26.23 ramets m[^-2]) and less seedlings (6.70 seedlings m[^-2]) and a mean value of seed rain was close to 8.04 seeds m[^-2], but the soil seed bank for this species was not found in study sites. Significantly negative correlations (r = -0.416, P <0.001) between seed number per individual and ramet number per adult individual were found for L. vrigaurea in studied alpine grasslands. Our results revealed that clonal reproduction was the main population colonization mode. In addition, there was a significantly negative relationship between seed production and ramets for this species.
The processes determining the formation and structure of grassland community are realised at threee levels: the genetic individual (genet, clone), the population and the community. Clonal plants are the dominant species in a grassland community. Clonal growth, modular structure of the plants, as weil morphological and physiological properties and adaptations such as: modification of shoots to form stolons and rhizomes, morphological and physiological integration of modules (ramets), disintegration of the clone and independence of rooted ramets, and growth and death of ramets in the life cycle of clonal plants, inlfuence the life span of the genet, the way of the clone's spreading and the position in the community. The above traits have a significant influence on the regeneration of plants after mowing and grazing, as weil as on the resistance to environmental disturbances. The possibility of increased population abundance through generative and vegetative reproduction is a characteristic trait of clonal plants. Clonal growth of plants, the pattern of spatial formation of the clone, interactions and reciprocal compromises between the species in the neighbourhood have a significant influence on the coexistence of various species in a grassland community. Clonal plants are adapted to mowing and grazing. The abandonment of seminatural grassland causes unfavourable changes to the community structure and its species composition.
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