Browsing by Subject "growth"

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread environmental pollutants that have been detected in virtually all environmental compartments. Despite this, research has mainly focused on the impacts of microplastic on shorelines and at sea. The effects of MPs on terrestrial ecosystems has been sparsely investigated, and there are only a few studies on direct effects on terrestrial plants. Although plastic polymers are considered inert and non-hazardous, toxic additives are often added to the polymers during manufacture which may leach out into the environment, displaying ecotoxic effects. In this work, the effects of microplastic particles and microplastic leachate on the germination and growth of Lolium multiflorum (Italian ryegrass) was investigated. High density polyethylene (HDPE), which is one of the plastic polymers with the largest annual production, was chosen as the plastic material for investigation. New MPs, artificially aged MPs, MPs from the Lahti region, and MPs from Port Elizabet, South Africa was used in parallel to compare the effects of ageing and regional environmental factors on the ecotoxicity of MPs. The total germination percentage, mean germination rate, synchronization index, germination index, and time to 50% germination was investigated, as well as the root lengths, shoot lengths, root/shoot ratio, and fresh weights of the seedlings. The results showed that exposure to new and Lahti MPs and leachates severely inhibited the extent and speed of the germination of L. multiflorum, whereas all categories of MPs and leachates inhibited the growth to some extent. Most severe inhibition in germination and growth was seen for the new MP and new leachate, followed by Lahti MP and Lahti leachate. The root growth, shoot growth, and plant biomass were also severely reduced for these exposure media. For the aged and Port Elizabeth material, there were slight but significant (p < 0.05) inhibition in root lengths and fresh weights, but no significant inhibition in the germination parameters. These findings indicate that ageing severely reduces the ecotoxic effects of MPs, and that regional environmental factors affect the ecotoxicity of MPs. Microplastics from Port Elizabeth were significantly less toxic to L. multiflorum than MPs from the Lahti region, possibly due to the warmer climate in South Africa. Another explanation could be that the plastic material collected in Port Elizabeth wast older than the one from Lahti. There was little to no difference in germination and growth between seeds exposed to MPs or leachates of the same origin, indicating that it is the substances leaching out of the MPs that are responsible for their ecotoxicity.

In winter plants are exposed to harsh winter conditions with low temperatures being one of the major challenging factors. Traditionally winter has been considered a period unfavourable for plant growth and activity, but newer findings reveal higher levels of activity than previously assumed possible. Adaptations to different winter conditions are observed between species but also within species between populations which can be expressed in differing phenology between populations. Dormancy is a widespread phenomenon in the plant kingdom with major importance in plant evolution. Dormancy is considered to be present in seeds and buds of a wide spectre of plant groups, but asexual reproductive units like bulbils have been thought to lack the ability to undergo the phenomenon of dormancy. Findings suggest that a dormancy-like phenomenon can also be present in bulbils. Allium oleraceum is a bulb forming geophyte with a widespread distribution in Europe that grows on many differing habitats. The predominate form of reproduction in the species is the vegetative formation of bulbils. The wide distribution has led to adaptation to different environmental conditions, furthermore the species displays six levels of polyploidi partially differing in traits like ecology. The differences between cytotypes are regional and there are large intracytotytpic variations. In Finland tetra- and pentaploid populations have been reported, differing in their distribution patterns. The Finnish cytotypes exhibit differences in morphology but there is also evidence for ecological differences between the cytotypes. In addition, there is an atypical tetraploid population which differ significantly morphologically from other tetraploid populations. The objective of this master’s project was to examine the growth of bulbils from three different origins of Allium oleraceum. Another objective of the experiment was to give information on differences between the cytotypes in Finland, tetra- and pentaploids, but also the atypical tetraploid cytotype. Furthermore, I investigated whether the bulbils exhibit a dormancy-like phenomenon, with a special focal point on dormancy according to Vegis’ theory (1964). Earlier findings have shown considerable capability of growth during winter in Allium oleraceum, which is also examined in this project. The experiment included collected bulbils from two localities. Tetra- and pentaploid bulbils were collected from a mixed population of both cytotypes in Tvärminne, Hangö, and tetraploid bulbils were also collected from the atypical tetraploid population on Sveaborg, Helsingfors. Growth experiments were done outside and in growth chambers with controlled temperature and light conditions. The bulbils were planted outside in early autumn. Of each origin one group was kept outside during the entire winter, one group was put in growth chambers in December and one group was put in growth chambers in February to examine the effect of differing winter length on growth. During the experiment, the timing of growth onset in bulbs and leaf growth was followed up. The origins included in this project exhibited considerable differences. The pentaploid cytotype from Tvärminne had bulbils of greater size than the tetraploid cytotypes, between which there was only an indication of a difference. For the bulbils from the atypical tetraploid population growth onset took place early in the autumn and the vast majority of the bulbils started growing in a short period of time. For the two origins from Tvärminne the growth onset took place later and a considerable number of bulbils started growing in the spring. The tetraploid cytotype from Tvärminne exhibited earlier growth onset and a higher share of bulbils started growing in the autumn than the pentaploid cytotype from Tvärminne. In the growth chambers the differences between the three origins were not as obvious but the two cytotypes from Tvärminne were affected by the timing of the experiment more than the atypical tetraploid cytotype from Sveaborg. The observed differences between the origins in the experiment are thought reflect the different distribution patterns of the cytotypes and could hence be adaptations to different conditions. The atypical tetraploid population could be of Central European origin which would mean that it could have adaptations to mild winters which would explain the big difference between this origin and the two other origins. Between the two experiments in the growth chambers significant differences were observed. The growth was considerably greater in February than in December for all origins, especially in the midmost temperatures. The observed differences between the two experiments signifies that bulbils of Allium oleraceum exhibits a dormancy-like phenomenon and according to Vegis’ theory. In contrary to earlier findings, only little growth was observed during winter. The lack of considerable growth could be explained by the thick snow cover which made the amount of light that reached the plants very low which then led to little growth. The results from this project suggest that there are differences between the three different origins of bulbils included. Further studies are needed to find out if the observer differences are adaptations to local conditions or if there are differences on a higher level between the Finnish cytotypes.