Abstract
Understanding whether propagules from different donor sources differ in their performance at a site may be important for restoration of many habitats. This study aimed at evaluating source effects in Sphagnum palustre L, a peatland moss species, for potential use in a restoration setting. Tamarack Bog, a remnant peatland in Bath Township, Ohio, is being restored. One goal is to increase Sphagnum coverage. This study focused on the dominant species of peat moss at the bog, S. palustre. To test for source effects, S. palustre and water samples were collected from 3 different locations (Mentor Marsh, Tamarack Bog, and Singer Lake) and used in 2 experiments. Plant performance was assessed by measuring growth in length and increase in mass. In the first experiment, a full factorial test was conducted: moss sampled from each location was grown directly in water collected from each location. In the second experiment—also a full factorial test—moss sampled from each location was separately grown on a uniform, commercially harvested, peat substrate and supplied with water collected from each location. In the design of both experiments, local adaptation would be indicated by better performance (both experiments measured length change and mass change, plus capitulum counts in the second experiment) for plants grown in their home water source than for plants grown in water from other sites. Ultimately, the study team did not observe evidence for local adaptation in these experiments. However, there were strong plant source effects in both experiments and some indication of differences in response to the water from different sources. Interpreting these results from a restoration standpoint, using donor plants from several source sites may improve the success of restoration.
Highlights
Native plant restorations often involve the introduction of propagules from other sites to initiate or augment local populations (Hufford and Mazer 2003)
Singer Lake water was more conducive to S. palustre growth than the Tamarack Bog or Mentor Marsh water sources
The Singer Lake water source was the only source that produced an increase in length and an increase in mass of Sphagnum in experiment 1
Summary
Native plant restorations often involve the introduction of propagules from other sites to initiate or augment local populations (Hufford and Mazer 2003). In any one particular site, propagules from one source may be best; at a different site, another source may be superior This pattern may reflect local adaptation of plant populations, an important concept in conservation (Leimu and Fischer 2008). Local adaptation occurs when an organism has higher fitness in its home habitat than in others (Williams 1966; Kawecki and Ebert 2004). Local adaptation can be tested by growing individuals from different populations of the same species together at a site or in a common garden; finding that individuals perform better under the conditions of their home site provides evidence for local adaptation (Williams 1966; Kawecki and Ebert 2004; Leimu and Fischer 2008). The differences in fitness are not always associated with genetic differences, such as the case with tolerance of sulfur compounds in the Sphagnum of the Southern Pennines (Lee and Studholme 1992), so local adaptation can be difficult to detect in Sphagnum
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