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Published on February 11, 2009; 10.1104/pp.108.129015

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Received September 1, 2008
Accepted February 4, 2009

Water relations of Chusquea ramosissima and Merostachys claussenii in Iguazu National Park, Argentina

Sonali Saha *, N. M. Holbrook , Lia Montti , Guillermo Goldstein , and Gina Knust Cardinot

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 16 Divinity Avenue Biological Laboratories Cambridge, MA 02138 USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology 16 Divinity Avenue 3119 Biological Laboratories Cambridge, MA 02138 USA; Laboratorio de Ecologia Funcional (Conicet) Departamento de Ecologia Genetica y Evolucion Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pab II 2º piso, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Coordenadora de Pesquisa/Mato Grosso IPAM-Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia IPAM/Canarana Brazil

* Corresponding author; email: saha{at}regionalconservation.org.

Bamboos are prominent components of many tropical ecosystems, yet little is known about the physiological mechanisms utilized by these gigantic forest grasses. Here we present data on the water transport properties of Chusquea ramosissima and Merostachys claussenii, monocarpic bamboo grasses native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Argentina. Chusquea ramosissima and M. claussenii differed in their growth form and exhibited contrasting strategies of water transport. Maximum xylem hydraulic conductivity of C. ramosissima culms was two-fold higher than that of M. claussenii. Chusquea ramosissima cavitated at relatively high water potentials (50% loss of conductivity at > -1MPa), while M. claussenii was more drought tolerant (50% loss at < -3 MPa). Both species exhibited significant loss of hydraulic conductivity during the day, which was reversed overnight due to the generation of root pressure. The photosynthetic capacities of both bamboo species, estimated based on electron transport rates, were moderate, reflecting both the large amount of leaf area supported by culms and diurnal loss of hydraulic conductivity due to cavitation. Leaf hydraulic conductance was also relatively low for both species, congruent with their modest photosynthetic capacities. Within its native range, Chusquea ramosissima is highly invasive, due to its ability to colonize and persist in both forest gaps and land cleared for agriculture. We propose that a highly vulnerable vasculature, coupled with diurnal root pressure and an allometry that allows substantial leaf area to be supported on relatively slender culms are key traits contributing to the ecological success of C. ramosissima.






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