The growth characteristics of three Rumex species were determined under different solution oxygen concentrations in hydroculture. These species all occur in a river foreland ecosystem and they were found to differ in their flood tolerance. The flood-tolerant R. maritimus and R. crispus developed a large num ber of new, aerenchymatous roots within a short period under low solution oxygen concent...

Schoenoplectus maritimus (alkali bulrush) has desirable attributes, such as a short growth habit (height of mature stands < 1.5 m) and annual senescence, for a potential alternative to tall (height > 3 m) emergent macrophytes in shallow constructed treatment wetlands treating ammonium-dominated wastewater. The effects of different ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) levels on alkali bulrush growth and it...

Recent research indicates that many ecosystems, including intertidal marshes, follow the alternative stable states theory. This theory implies that thresholds of environmental factors can mark a limit between two opposing stable ecosystem states, e.g. vegetated marshes and bare mudflats. While elevation relative to mean sea level is considered as the overall threshold condition for colonization...

The effect of salinity level and extended exposure to different salinity and flooding conditions on germination patterns of three salt-marsh clonal growth plants (Juncus subulatus, Scirpus litoralis, and S. maritimus) was studied. Seed exposure to extended flooding and saline conditions significantly affected the outcome of the germination process in a different, though predictable, way for eac...

Propagule dispersal is fundamental to the colonization of new habitats, metapopulation connectivity, and gene flow thus enables saltmarsh species cope with global change. In this study, mesocosm flume experiments were used quantify effects different units (i.e. seed, spikelet, inflorescence, plant fragment-containing seeds) abiotic conditions on processes 4 globally distributed species: Salicor...

The Iberian hare Lepus granatensis is a common and abundant species throughout the Iberian Peninsula; however, studies documenting its ecology are scarce. Between August 1996 and September 1997, after a long drought, we studied the effects of a widespread flood on the Iberian hare ecology in ecotone pastures of Doñana National Park. Hares were captured using vertical nets through part of 1996 a...

—In herbivorous birds the processing rate of food is constrained by gizzard capacity. To enhance digestive processes, many species ingest grit to grind the food. Grit ingestion, however, may further limit the capacity of the gizzard. Graylag Geese (Anser anser) wintering in SW Spain fed mainly on Alkali Bulrush (Scirpus maritimus) tubers, showing a preference for small tubers. This preference m...