Premium
Factors limiting the distribution of the annual legume Kummerowia striata in a river floodplain
Author(s) -
Nakatsubo Takayuki
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02347940
Subject(s) - germination , floodplain , legume , population , biology , biological dispersal , limiting , colonization , growing season , agronomy , botany , horticulture , ecology , demography , mechanical engineering , sociology , engineering
Abstract The annual legume Kummerowia striata often predominates in river floodplains forming a large population, but it is rare in gravelly areas adjacent to it. In order to clarify the factors limiting the distribution of K. striata , its distribution pattern, germination and survival of seeds sown artificially were studied in the floodplain of the Ohta River. There was a positive correlation between the cover value of K. striata and the percentage of fine particles (<0.2 mm) in the soil. In the winter season, there was a number of seeds (up to 47 seeds 20 cm −2 ) on the ground where a K. striata population had existed in the previous year, but they were very sparse in areas apart from the population. Only a small proportion of seeds sown in the gravelly area germinated. Many of the germinated individuals died before the first leaf unfolded, but the rest survived to maturity despite repeated floodings. Plants germinated in the gravelly area and those inoculated with soil from the gravelly area bore nodules, showing the presence of Rhizobium in the gravelly area. It was concluded that the colonization of K. striata in the gravelly area was limited by slow dispersal, and by a low percentage of germination and high mortality in the early stage of establishment.