[Influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the morphology and reproduction of Suaeda maritima on a salt marsh].
The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on Suaeda maritima reproduction on a salt marsh. Individuals of Suaeda maritima were submitted in natural conditions to four series of densities (100, 1,000, 4,000 and 8,000 plants/m2). When density increases, individuals tend to be less or non-branched, while individual biomass decreases. Consequently, individual seed production decreases as density increases. Despite morphological modifications, Suaeda maritima present density-dependent mortality. For a unit area, total biomass and seed production are higher at intermediate density (1,000 plants/m2). Environmental factors could interfere with self-thinning. They seem to limit the effect of competition on mortality and to have an influence on individual and total seed production. This experiment stressed the importance of a biotic factor such as intra-specific competition, which occurs at the same time as abiotic factors, in Suaeda maritima dynamics in the field.
Tessier
M
M
Laboratoire d'écologie végétale, UMR Ecobio 6553, université de Rennes-1, France. Marc.Tessier@univ-rennes1.fr
Gloaguen
J C
JC
Lefeuvre
J C
JC
D018533:Biomass; D004463:Ecology; D004777:Environment; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012621:Seasons; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology