Calcareous Substrates Research Articles

Range Extensions for Some Cryptogams from Granite Outcrops in Alabama

Two granite outcrops in the Piedmont of east-central Alabama yield- ed two moss species new to the state and a range extension of 320 km for a lichen. Pleurochaete squarrosa, thought to be restricted to calcareous substrates, is re- ported from a granitic rock outcrop 160 km south of its previously known range in the Interior Low Plateaus and Valley and Ridge Province. Pleurozium schreberi, a boreal moss that extends through the Appalachian Mountains into North Car- olina, is found 240 km to the south at an elevation of only 248 m. Cladina evansii is also reported from the Piedmont, 320 km disjunct from its typical localities in maritime forests or sandhills of the Coastal Plain. We urge more intensive col- lecting of plants from granite outcrops throughout the Southeast before these sites are destroyed. Exposures of granitic rock occur in the Piedmont of the southeastern United States from southern Virginia to eastern Alabama. These areas, consisting of unbroken expanses of bare rock that range in size from a few square meters to hundreds of hectares, have long been of interest to botanists. They present environmental conditions strikingly dif- ferent from those of the surrounding countryside and to which a unique and largely en- demic flora has adapted. McVaugh (1943) first reported the locations of the larger granite outcrops in the South- east and mapped the distributions of many characteristic species. In his catalogue of species, which included cryptogams, McVaugh (1943) noted a relationship between the outcrop flora and the flora of the western U.S. and northern Mexico. Walters and Wyatt (1982) examined the floristic relationship between outcrops in Texas and those in the Southeast and concluded that affinities are more clearly expressed between genera, rather than species, and that life-form spectra for the two areas are nearly identical and decidedly desertic. In Alabama, plants from granitic outcrops were listed by Harper (1939), and Mohr (1901) and Wilkes (1965) have compiled checklists for the bryoflora of the state. Although the flowering plants characteristic of granite outcrops have drawn a great deal of attention, relatively little interest has focused on the cryptogams. Cladonia caro- liniana Tuckerm. was first collected from a granite outcrop by Lewis David von Schwei- nitz, who lived in Salem, North Carolina from 1812 to 1822 (McVaugh 1943). Keever (1957) carried out ecological studies of the establishment of Grimmia laevigata (Brid.) Brid., a pioneer on bare rock. Orthotrichum keeverae Crum & Anderson (Crum & An- derson 1956) and Riccia dictyospora Howe (McVaugh 1943) were first collected from granite outcrop localities in North Carolina and Georgia, respectively. As part of a larger survey of the cryptogams of granite outcrops in the Southeast, we have made recent collections in Alabama. This paper reports two mosses new to Alabama and a range extension of 320 km for a lichen. Voucher specimens of the following species have been deposited in the herbarium of Duke University (DUKE): 007-2745/82/405-409$0.65/0

Mosses of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. I

Current studies indicate that the moss flora of the Mexican states Campeche, Yucatdn and Quintana Roo consists of at least 64 species and varieties. These include 18 species not previously known from the area. Trichosteleum sen- tosum (Sull.) Jaeg. is, in addition, new to Mexico. The number of species known for the moss flora of the Yucatan Peninsula is compar- atively small. The list given below cites 64 species and varieties for an area of more than 140,000 km2; possible explanations for this depauperate moss flora include rapid drainage of rainfall, reduced number of microhabitats-resulting from a major calcareous substrate and uniform topography-and a long history of disturbance by human occupation. Further discussion will be postponed until we can provide floristic information for several impor- tant regions that are thus far unexplored. The geographical area involved in the present study is that defined by the political

The culture ofHalicystis parvula (codiales, chlorophyta) on calcareous substratum

The vesicular thallus ofHalicystis is generally embedded in crusts of coralline algae by a rhizoidal part. Only in former unsuccessful attempts to elucidate the development ofHalicystis has this fact been regarded as being important. Starting fromDerbesia zoospores, the gametophyteHalicystis was attained in free culture. These vesicles, however, are unlike those of the natural plants in morphological aspect: they develop as a local increase of a rhizoidal filament. To grow into vesicles of natural shape in culture, the zoospores ofDerbesia need a calcareous substratum, e. g. fragments of oyster-shell.

The taxonomic status of Timmia sibirica

A critical study of the differentiating features of the North American populations of Timmia sibirica Lindb. et Arnell and T. norvegica Zett. reveals that populations with structure intermediate between these two taxa occur. Although from widespread localities, the intermediate specimens seem limited in number and T. sibirica and T. norvegica quite commnonly occur in mixed populations with no evidence of any intergradation. Therefore, it is concluded that the two taxa ought to be regarded as distinct species. The taxonomically important character-states of upper leaf cells and costa of T. sibirica. T. norvegica, and of the intermediate populations are illustrated with scanning elecron micrographs. The habitat of T. sibirica, like that of T. norvegica, is invariably on strongly calcareous substrates adjacent to waterfalls, along streams, or in low-lying tundra. The North American distribution of T. sibirica is mapped, including previously unreported localities as far south as 51° N in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Inhibition of iron‐stress reactions in sunflower by bicarbonate

AbstractIn pot culture experiments using a calcareous soil the growth rate of sunflowers was depressed by latent iron deficiency. Iron‐stress reactions, reflected by enhanced uptake rate of Fe‐59 after short‐term supply of 59FeEDDHA were observed under these conditions. These reactions, however, were delayed and much less distinct than those observed under latent iron deficiency in water culture experiments. Addition of MgCO3 to this soil increased the iron deficiency of the plants and caused chlorosis, but prevented these iron‐stress reactions.In contrast to the soil experiments, distinct iron‐stress reactions could be observed with latent iron‐deficiency in sand culture experiments in which varied amounts of inorganic Fe‐III were supplied. These reactions were only observed, however, in absence of bicarbonate. Even 4 meq bicarbonate severely inhibited these iron‐stress reactions which were almost totally inhibited at 10 meq bicarbonate. Bicarbonate depressed both short‐term uptake of Fe‐59 as well as total iron content of the leaves. There was no evidence for an additional “inactivation” of iron within the leaves due to bicarbonate treatment. Bicarbonate also strongly depressed the manganese content of the young leaves.The results demonstrate that the regulatory mechanism of so‐called “iron‐efficient” plant species like sunflower under iron‐stress ‐ increase in H+ efflux and reducing capacity of the roots and thus enhanced uptake of iron (and manganese) ‐ is severely inhibited or even blocked by high bicarbonate concentrations. “Lime chlorosis”, caused by high bicarbonate concentrations on calcareous substrates is therefore also widespread in so‐called “iron‐efficient” species.

Equisetum variegatum and E. X trachyodon in New Jersey

Equisetum variegatum Schleich., the Variegated Scouring-rush, occurs northward from the northern tier of states of the United States into Canada, on damp sand or shores, often on calcareous substrate (Fernald, 1950; Wherry, 1961). This paper reports the first verified record of E. variegatum from New Jersey and discusses a dubious record from that state. The hybrid E. x trachyodon A. Br. is also reported for New Jersey. Equisetum variegatum was listed for New Jersey by Taylor (1915) and Fernald (1950), but not by Chrysler and Edwards (1947), Wherry (1961), or Hauke (1963). The record for New Jersey was apparently based on an undated specimen collected by C. F. Austin, labeled Bergen Chrysler and Edwards (1947) disallowed this record, indicating that E. variegatum and E. pratense were motnted on one sheet and concluding that E. variegatum was mounted by mistake with E. pratense. Further investigation by the author showed that there are specimens of many pteridophytes from New Jersey collected by C. F. Austin, usually labeled only Bergen and without dates or specific locality. A total of 36 species of the more common northeastern ferns and fern allies are represented at CHRB or NY by such collections. It is interesting that specimens of plants known to be difficult to grow or transplant (e.g., Lycopodium spp., Botrychium spp. other than B. dissectun?) are lacking. I suggest, therefore, that at least some of these C. F. Austin collections represent garden plants which were originally collected at various places in western New Jersey and probably elsewhere. This conclusion is supported by the fact that, in addition to the mixed collection of E. variegatum and E. pratense, there is a sheet of E. fluviatile at NY with labels from both Bergen and St. Lawrence Co., NY, and another undated sheet of E. pratense labeled and Sparta. I agree with Chrysler and Edwards that the record for E. variegatum from Closter, Bergen Co. is highly suspect. Other Closter records by this collector without specific location or date are likewise dubious. A hybrid involving E. variegatum has been known from New Jersey since at least 1950: E. x trachyodon is the hybrid between E. variegatum and E. hyemale L. As far as is known from herbarium records, this hybrid was first collected by J. L. Edwards along the Delaware River, near Flatbrookville, Sussex Co., 28 October 1950 (CHRB, NY). On 19 August 1977, Vincent Abraitys collected plants of E. variegatum near Marksboro, Warren Co. I came across this material in connection with a project to revise the Chrysler and Edwards book. Material was sent to Dr. Richard Hauke, who verified the identification.

The Lithobiontic Ecological Niche, with Special Reference to Microorganisms

ABSTRACT Revised terminology is proposed that describes the ecological niches of microorganisms within hard, mineral substrates. Organisms attached to the external surfaces of the rock are termed epiliths, while those in the interior of the rock are all termed endoliths. The latter are called chasmoendoliths if they inhabit fissures in rocks, cryptoendoliths if they dwell within structural cavities, and euendoliths if they actively penetrate calcareous substrates.

REPRODUCTION AND LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OFPOLYDORA GIARDIMESNIL (POLYCHAETA: SPIONIDAE)

The larval development of Polydora giardi is described. Adults occur in burrows found in coralline algae and abalone shells. Sexes are separate. Females deposit eggs in hollow, cylindrical capsules attached to the wall of the tube by filaments. Larvae are released from capsules at the three-setiger stage. Planktonic development exceeds 25 days at 15° C. Larvae settle randomly on the surface of calcareous substrata and metamorphose in the presence of coralline algae. Only 8.3% of the population were sexually mature over a 6-month period from February through July. The larvae of P. giardi closely resemble those of P. flava, P. caeca, and P. concharum. This larval resemblance is also reflected in adult morphology.

Progress with vegetation studies in the Sourish Mixed Bushveld of the western Transvaal

The Sourish Mixed Bushveld of the western Transvaal is being studied using the Braun-Blanquet method. The vegetation includes: (a) woodland of cooler sites on crests and steeper south-facing slopes; (b) woodland of warmer sites on gentle north-facing slopes; and (c) grassland and woodland of plains with slight relief on calcareous substrata. Six vegetation types are provisionally described in terms of their main structure, floristic composition (dominant and characteristic species) and habitat. The syntaxonomic relationships between these types are mentioned briefly and the types are considered in terms of Acocks’s classification of South African veld types.

The colonisation by plants of calcareous wastes from the salt and alkali industry in Cheshire, England

Calcareous wastes from the salt industry occupy approximately 150ha of land in Cheshire, a county devoid of natural calcareous substrata. The wastes are pumped into lagoons and on drying put become colonised by plants. The resulting lime beds vary in the extent to which they are invaded by plants but a number of areas support rich and varied grassland communities. The Witton lime beds, Northwich, support large populations of a number of species of base-rich habitats, which are uncommon in Cheshire and are of restricted distribution in northwest England as a whole. These include a number of orchid species, of which Dactylorhiza praetermissa and Gymnadenia conopsea are the most abundant. Information analysis was used to analyse the vegetation of Witton lime beds and the vegetation groupings recognised were used to examine possible successional sequences. The edaphic factors limiting growth in lime wastes were examined and the effects of fertilizer additions on the growth of indigenous species at Witton are described. Phosphorus was the major element limiting growth but on older wastes, with a higher unreacted lime content, phosphorus only partially removed the infertility. The findings are discussed in terms of the conservation and management of Witton lime beds to ensure continued floristic diversity and the possible reclamation of other lime waste areas.

Fine Structural Features of Destruction of Calcareous Substrata by the Burrowing Sponge Cliona celata

Fine Structural Features of Destruction of Calcareous Substrata by the Burrowing Sponge Cliona celata

Lichenometry on Calcareous Substrates in the Canadian Rockies

AbstractLichen distribution and growth were examined at several sites in the Canadian Rockies between Mt. Robson and Banff townsite to determine the feasibility of lichenometry on calcareous deposits. The only lichen common enough to be of use is Xanthoria elegans, a bright orange lichen with round or elliptical thalli. It is not an ideal species for lichenometry because (a) it grows fairly quickly and has a range of only a few centuries, (b) growth is influenced by the presence of animal dung, (c) parts of some thalli weather away before maximum size is attained, (d) thalli may thicken as well as grow laterally with age, (e) the species is succeeded by other species relatively quickly in heavily forested environments, and (f) the species is not abundant on some deposits due to sometimes-unexplained environmental influences. However, when used with caution the species is still useful for dating purposes.A growth curve for Xanthoria elegans was developed using moraines dated dendro-chronologically and man-made structures. After an ecesis interval of one or two decades the lichen grows at a rate of 0.68 mm/yr for several decades, then slows down to a rate of 0.22 mm/yr.

Borings produced by brachiopod pedicles, fossil and Recent

Bromley, R. G. & Surlyk, F.: Borings produced by brachiopod pedicles, fossil and Recent. Characteristic etching traces are produced in hard calcareous substrates by the pedicles of brachiopods belonging to several groups. It was previously unsuspected that the ability to bore was widespread within the brachiopod phylum. Five species were investigated from the Norwegian Sea: Terebratulina retusa and T. septentrionalis (Terebratulacea), Hemithyris psittacea (Rhynchonellida), and Macandrmia cranium and Dallina septigera (Terebratellacea). Fossil traces with closely similar morphology occur in the Cretaceous and are probably also the work of brachiopods. The most characteristic form is designated Podichnus centrifugalis n. ichnogen., n. ichnosp.

Biological Relationships of an Intertidal Bryozoan Population

Summary The biological relationships of intertidal bryozoans from northern New Zealand are recorded. Bryozoans were found to be food organisms for echinoids, starfish, brittle-stars, chitons and opisthobranchs. Space competition between bryozoans and sessile organisms is discussed. Among opposing bryozoan colonies there are five growth responses that may be exhibited. Of the sessile organisms studied on the shore, bryozoans and Spirorbis occupied the most space. The association between Hippopodinella adpressa and gastropod shells is discussed with reference to current opinions regarding bryozoan-mollusc associations. It is concluded that the attractive factor to H. adpressa larvae is a calcareous substrate but that pagurid tenancy of gastropod shells may have reinforced the evolutionary forces responsible for the association with shells.

A deep‐sea burrowing barnacle (Cirripedia: Acrothoracica) form Bermuda*

The Acrothoracica constitutes a group of burrowing barnacles limited in distribution to calcareous substrata. Members are found in most warm waters of the world but the greatest diversity is reached in the coralline seas where they are found in coral skeletons, molluscs shells and limestone.Until recently some 37 acrothoracican species were known from the tropical and temperate region, all from waters less than 30 m in depth (Tomlinson, 1969). It was interesting therefore that the first moderately deep water form to become known, occurring at depths between 300 and 650m, should be from cold waters well south of the Antarctic Convergence (Newman & Ross, 1971). This animal, Cryptophialus tomlinsoni, burrows in coral and barnacle shells and does not differ in size and form from littoral members of the genus.The new species described in the present report burrows in foraminifera1 limestone off Bermuda. It is not only remarkable in occurring as deep as 1000 m but in being very much larger and more generalized than any previously known pygophorans. Furthermore it has what is interpreted here as a rostral shell plate, whereas all previously known forms are considered to be without calcereous armament. The existence of what appears to be a rostral plate in the new species has a significant bearing on our understanding of the evolution of the order.

Effect of the Nature of the Substratum on the Force Required to Detach a Common Littoral Alga

It has been shown that the force required to detach the holdfasts of Fucus vesiculosus depends upon the nature of the substratum; adhesion is less to barnacle shells. The loweradhesion appears to be due to a partial dissolution of the shell by acidic material, probably exndates. Growth of germlings on various substrata indicates that thalli and primary rhizoids develop better on calcareous substrata. Some ecological consequences of the phenomena are examined.

Penetration of Calcium Carbonate Substrates by the Boring Sponge,Cliona

Clionid sponges are noted for their capacity to bore into calcareous substrates. During penetration the substrate is gradually destroyed as the sponge hollows out an extensive system of cavities and tunnels. Preliminary studies revealed that these excavations are produced as small fragments of calcareous material are removed by a special type of amoebocyte which exhibits an etching activity. Cellular penetration occurs along the interface where these cells contact the substrate and is characterized by a unique pattern of cell-substrate relationships.Each active cell releases a substance which dissolves the substrate around its edge, forming a linear etching which corresponds in size and shape to the contours of the cell. Deeper etching occurs as the cell edge, moving gradually downward through the initial etching, sinks into the substrate in a noose-like fashion. During this movement the cell border is drawn down through the slit-like crevice cut by the cell edge, while the nucleus remains in position on the surfaceof the substrate within the original etched outline. Eventually the undercutting action is completed and a small chip is freed from the substrate. Penetration is achieved by the precise cellular release of a chemical agent which dissolves the calcareous substrate along restricted zones of contact between cell and substrate.

Distribution, Taxonomy, and Boring Patterns of Marine Endolithic Algae

Penetration of calcareous substrates by algae involves different microenvironments. Endolithic algae include two different life forms: (1) algae colonizing existing spaces within the rock, and (2) algae actively boring within the carbonate substrate. Two species of boring Cyanophyta were studied, and their borings were compared in exposed calcite (Island spar). The size and pattern of borings reflect the corresponding properties of the algae and show taxonomic distinctions. The direction of the tunnels and their wall sculptureare determined by the planes of crystal cleavage and twinning. Algal boring is a dissolution process performed by the terminal cells of endolithic filaments. The space dissolved away by an alga has the shape of a miniature calcite crystal. Dissolution proceeds along the crystal twinning lines diagonally to the previous microcrystal space. Thetunnel represents a sequence of such microcrystal-shaped spaces. Both biological and mineralogical determinants should be considered in the interpretation of algal boring patterns.

The Role of Marine Fungi in the Penetration of Calcareous Substances

All publications dealing with fungi described from marine calcareous substrates are discussed in this survey of the literature. Original investigations of fungi from lime tubesof teredinids are included. Wood-inhabiting marine fungi, especially in warm waters, grow within calcareous linings of teredinid burrows. Fruiting structures of the Ascomycetes, Halosphaeria quadricornuta and Remispora salina, and the Deuteromycete, Periconia prolifica, form cavities in the tube linings, making them brittle and soft. Representatives of Cirrenalia and Humicola sporulate on the surface of calcareous linings. The fungus, Pharcidia balani, sometimes referred to as a lichen, decomposesshells of barnacles and molluscs. Another Ascomycete, Lulworlhia kniepii, parasitizes calcareous algae, probably living on the middle lamellae, not on the calcified cell walls.

Boring Mechanism of PolydorawebsteriInhabitingCrassostrea virginica

The boring mechanisms of species of polydorid polychaetes are little understood due to lack of experimental evidence and direct observations. In the present studies the boring mechanism of adults and metamorphosing larvae of Polydora websteri was investigated by (1) inducing adults and larvae to settle against test substrates, (2) observing behavior in natural burrows and in “artificial blisters” composed of transparent “Pliobond” films surrounding Iceland spar substrates, (3) removing the giant setae of wormsprior to tests of boring, (4) applying the giant setae to substrates, and by (5) testing for production of acid. All the layers of oyster shell, including conchiolin, were bored. Calcareous substrates andIceland spar were penetrated rapidly by adults without the assistance of the giant setae. Nor were these organs essential to the boring of a larva. A characteristic type of behavior involving close contact with the substrate during backwards and forwards movements and periods of immobility always preceded boring. The worms produced acid, probably some common product of metabolism, which can account for these results.