• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.207-211
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• 2008

We investigated the leaf demography of a temperate woody liana, Akebia trifoliata, in a temperate forest in Japan, Akebia is semi-evergreen: some leaves are shed before winter, while others remain through the winter. Previous studies of semi-evergreen species found that variation in leaf life span was caused by variation in the timing of leaf emergence, Leaves that appeared just before winter over-wintered, while leaves appearing earlier were shed, However, it is unclear whether leaves of the same cohort (i.e., leaves that appear at the same time within a single site) show variation in life span under the effect of strong seasonality. To separate variation in life span among the leaves in each cohort from variation among cohorts, we propose a new method - the single leaf diagram, which shows the emergence and death of each leaf. Using single leaf diagrams, our study revealed that Akebia leaves within a cohort showed substantial variation in life span, with some over-wintering and some not. In addition, leaves on small ramets in the understory showed great variation in life span, while leaves on large ramets, which typically reach higher positions in the forest canopy, have shorter lives, As a result, small ramets were semi-evergreen, whereas large ramets were deciduous, The longer lives of leaves on small ramets can be interpreted as a shade-adaptive strategy in understory plants.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.655-666
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• 2022

We assessed the persistence of eight major cruciferous crops-leaf mustard, oilseed rape, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, turnip, and radish-growing in the field. In the first part of our experiment, we tested the viability of seeds that had been buried at two different soil depths for up to 16 months. We then broadcast seeds over the soil surface and left them undisturbed to investigate the survivorship of the resultant plants over two years. Seed viability was significantly affected by plant taxa and burial depth, but not substantially affected by the duration of burial. Although seeds of leaf mustard had the greatest viability among all crops examined here, the viability rates were significantly lower at 2 cm depth than at 15 cm. Seeds of leaf mustard, oilseed rape, broccoli, turnip, and Chinese cabbage remained viable throughout the 16-month period. A study of plant demography revealed that only leaf mustard and oilseed rape succeeded in producing seeds and overwintering in the undisturbed field. However, neither of those species competed well with other plants long-term and their overall growth and survival rates declined during the evaluation period. In addition, insect herbivory severely decreased the growth of all of these crops. Our results suggest that populations of leaf mustard and oilseed rape do not tend to persist in the field for more than a few years without disturbance and external seed inputs.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.82-86
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• 2003

We investigated the variation in adaptation to growth for four ecotypically-differentiated population of Taraxacum officinale found naturally in temporal environmental heterogeneity. Seeds collected from the four seasons were germinated in incubators and were grown for four months in greenhouse to test genetic variation among biotypes. Biotypes, segregated by seeds collected seasonally, were the part of natural population in Mokpo, South Korea. Each biotype was different in total dry weight of seeds, biomass, and leaf area, confirming previous finding. Differences between biotypes grown under a common environment indicated a genetic basis to their distinct demographic rates. Therefore, biotypes with similar annual rates of growth and contrasting seasonal rates should persist in the population. This differential response suggests that temporal variation in environment may be responsible, in part, for the maintenance of genetic variation within populations.