Navigation Links
Ferns and fog on the forest floor
Date:7/8/2010

As the mercury rises outdoors, it's a fitting time to consider the effects of summertime droughts and global warming on ecosystems. Complex interactions among temperature, water cycling, and plant communities create a tangled web of questions that need to be answered as we face a rapidly changing climate.

Drs. Emily Limm and Todd Dawson (University of California, Berkeley) recently tackled one aspect of the challenging question of how climate change can impact plant communities that obtain water from fog. Their results are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Botany.

Fog is an important source of water to ecosystems around the world, because fog allows plants to stay hydrated even during times without rain. Fog may condense and drip to the soil, where it can be taken up by roots. Alternatively, some plants are able to absorb the water from fog through their leaves, allowing these plants to immediately benefit from the atmospheric moisture that may never reach the forest floor. The fern Polystichum munitum covers the forest floors of the redwood forests in northern California. Limm and Dawson examined variation in the ability of the leaves of P. munitum to absorb the water from fog.

The researchers found that the quantity of water the plants absorbed varied in the different regions of the redwood forest. "Today, summertime drought conditions are greater in the southern end of the redwood forest ecosystem of Northern California, and this reduces P. munitum abundance and plant size. These smaller ferns in the south are less able to capture fog water that drips to the forest floor during the summer, and they may therefore suffer more drought stress than ferns in the northern end of the redwood forest ecosystem," Limm stated.

This has important implications for the structure of plant communities. Limm explained, "If climate change causes further shrinkage of these ferns, this will change how fog water is dis
'/>"/>

Contact: Richard Hund
rhund@botany.org
314-577-9557
American Journal of Botany
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Ferns took to the trees and thrived
2. DNA barcoding exposes fake ferns in international plant trade
3. Arsenic hyperaccumulating ferns: How do they survive?
4. Lichens function as indicators of nitrogen pollution in forests
5. Tropical rainforest and mountain species may be threatened by global warming
6. Forest peoples rights key to reducing emissions from deforestation
7. When it comes to forest soil, wildfires pack 1-2 punch
8. University of Leicester professor adds new perspective to rainforest debate
9. Wake Forest plays integral role in effort to revolutionize vehicle safety
10. Diversity of trees in Ecuadors Amazon rainforest defies simple explanation
11. Earthworm activity can alter forests carbon-carrying capabilities
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Ferns and fog on the forest floor
(Date:5/17/2013)... the white noise of the South, but the night belongs ... air hangs heavy from the humidity and the sounds of ... species of frogs, toads and salamanders, is the center of ... swamps are the auditorium for their symphonic choruses, the scientists ... or ARMI, have front-row seats. , Amphibians, which ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... Why Tibetan antelope can live at elevations of ... research published in Nature Communications , investigators ... evidence that some genetic factors may be associated ... The data in this work will also provide ... biology of other ruminant species. , The Tibetan ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded ... frog embryo in greater detail than ever before., This ... and the search for new treatments for genetic diseases., ... Technologie in Germany, in collaboration with the Advanced Photon ... Laboratory, released the most precise depiction ever of the ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Front-row seats to climate change 2Front-row seats to climate change 3Front-row seats to climate change 4The genome sequence of Tibetan antelope sheds new light on high-altitude adaptation 2New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease 2
... scientist, explorer and conservationist, will receive the Academy of ... He is the first Australian to receive the award ... leading thinkers and writers, Flannery has discovered more than ... has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and ...
... that a certain class of RNA (known as long non-protein-coding ... infection. These findings, published today in the online journal ... at the body,s response to viral infection. "To our ... technology to clearly demonstrate that lncRNAs are involved in the ...
... Ohio New research links three molecules to a critical ... myeloma, a presently incurable cancer of the blood. , The ... and other blood cancers, according to researchers at The Ohio ... Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC James) who led ...
Cached Biology News:Scientist Tim Flannery is first Austrailian to receive Joseph Leidy Award 2A new player in the innate immunity game? 2Study identifies key molecules in multiple myeloma 2
(Date:5/17/2013)... German . ... eye, you can see which branch a bird is sitting ... through the telephoto lens for high-magnification images requires considerable skill. ... to study proteins, the active biomolecules of cells. , Olga ... Systems Biology, and her colleagues have now come up with ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... 2013 The new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) ... the association’s recent annual meeting drew praise from community ... Kroes, who called the action “a huge step forward ... to European innovation.” , The Board of Stakeholders voted ... Photonics PPP at its 29 April meeting in Brussels, ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... 17, 2013 New interactive ... innovative thought leaders of the medical device industry ... conference and expo, from June 18-20 in ... http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130517/613829 ) , These ... industry professionals practical presentations and implementable solutions on ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... May 17, 2013  Yongye International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ... developer, manufacturer, and distributor of crop nutrient products in ... today announced that, on May 16, 2013, the special ... (the "Board of Directors") was provided a letter (the ... Kong ) Limited ("Abax") to Full Alliance International ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 2Proteome atlas for the tuberculosis pathogen 3SPIE Joins in Praise for ‘Huge Step Forward’ for Innovation R&D Enabled by Photonics21 Actions 2SPIE Joins in Praise for ‘Huge Step Forward’ for Innovation R&D Enabled by Photonics21 Actions 3MedTech Innovate Seminars: New Interactive Learning Forums at 2013 MD&M East 2Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 2Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 3Yongye International Provides Update on Status of Proposed Go Private Offer 4
... LUND, Sweden, January 18 ,ThromboGenics NV (Euronext ... (Nordic Exchange: BINV) announce today that they,have ... Denmark to,initiate a Phase I clinical trial ... a monoclonal antibody that targets the angiogenic ...
... CLAREMONT, Calif., Jan. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --,Kiwa Bio-Tech ... annual,management meetings including yearend business review, planning ... commenced in,Xiaotangshan, Beijing on January 11, 2008., ... staff from Kiwa,s corporate,headquarters in Beijing, and ...
... Types Broadens Project Coalition with Addition of ... Misys Healthcare, CHICAGO, Jan. 17 The HL7 ... starts 2008 on a strong,note adding four new benefactors ... Systems joined in the fall of 2007,ImageTek, Inc. in ...
Cached Biology Technology:ThromboGenics and BioInvent Receive Approval to Begin Clinical Trials of TB-403 for the Treatment of Cancer 2ThromboGenics and BioInvent Receive Approval to Begin Clinical Trials of TB-403 for the Treatment of Cancer 3ThromboGenics and BioInvent Receive Approval to Begin Clinical Trials of TB-403 for the Treatment of Cancer 4ThromboGenics and BioInvent Receive Approval to Begin Clinical Trials of TB-403 for the Treatment of Cancer 5Kiwa Holds 2007 Annual Management Meetings and Employee Recognition Ceremonies in Beijing 2Kiwa Holds 2007 Annual Management Meetings and Employee Recognition Ceremonies in Beijing 3New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 2New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 3New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 4New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 5New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 6New Benefactors Show Support for CDA4CDT: 7
... XIII in both reduced and non-reduced forms. It ... or human Factor XII. Factor XIII is a ... two subunits. Factor XIII-A is the catalytic subunit ... XIII is present in plasma as an Alpha2Beta2 ...
Anti-CaM kinase II recognizes the enzymes a subunit (6) and reacts with tissue from all mammalian species tested, as well as with chicken and frog tissues....
Ca2+ Channel Ca gamma 2 Purified Anti-Mouse, Anti-Rat, Anti-Human clone Polyclonal, Isotype Rabbit Ig, 50 µl Consult technical datasheet for details....
Goat polyclonal to Centaurin alpha 2**...
Biology Products: