Abstract
Salt grass is an important pioneer plant in early stages of succession. The sharp-pointed rhizomes with numerous epidermal silica cells, and the aerenchymatous network of the rhizome, leaf sheath, and roots facilitate development of the plant in heavy clays, shales, and inundated soils. In salt marshes of southern Utah, salt grass contributes to a hummock-building process that favors localized removal of salts by capillary action and evaporation. This process provides a narrow strip of soil that is favorable for the rooting of extended rhizomes. In laboratory experiments, maximum growth for Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass, was obtained at 15,000 ppm soluble salts in nutrient solution cultures. Comparable concentrations of salts occurred in soils of the habitat from which plants were taken. Nearly equal concentrations of sodium and potassium were found in the plant tissue where the growth of the plants was optimal; such a ratio was maintained in the plants during most of the growing season. In the field the greatest amount of growth of salt grass takes place when temperatures are cool and soil moisture is quite high during the early spring. During mid-summer as air temperatures rise, crude protein in the plant decreases. During periods of high salt and water stress, morphological and anatomical adaptations of the stomata, salt glands, and trichomes of salt grass are important for survival. Stomata on exposed ridges of vascular bundles, where desiccation is greatest, usually are covered by four epidermal cells. In contrast, stomata found in the grooves between vascular bundles tend to be uncovered. The salt gland is composed of a large basal cell and a cap cell and actively excretes (in a diurnal rhythm) excess sodium, potassium, and chloride ions. A mechanism for salt excretion from this gland is postulated. The silica-containing trichomes on the leaves may play a role in cooling the leaf under conditions of high solar radiation and also serve to protect the plant against attack by herbivores.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
In laboratory culture, Distichlis spicata grew maximally at 15,000 ppm soluble salts in nutrient solution.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicata
.jpg?width=60)
Distichlis spicatae0 - Treatment
- soluble saltse1
- Outcome
- growthe1
- Direction
- maximume1
- Value
- 15,000 ppme1
- Setting
- laboratory experimentse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“In laboratory experiments, maximum growth for Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass, was obtained at 15,000 ppm soluble salts in nutrient solution cultures”
Claim · model-written summary
Salt concentrations in the soils of the habitat were comparable to the concentrations that gave maximum growth in culture.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Outcome
- concentrations of saltse1
- Qualifier
- soils of the habitate1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“Comparable concentrations of salts occurred in soils of the habitat from which plants were taken”
Claim · model-written summary
Sodium and potassium concentrations in Distichlis spicata tissue were nearly equal where growth was optimal.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Organ / stage
- plant tissuee1
- Outcome
- concentrations of sodium and potassiume1
- Direction
- Nearly equale1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“Nearly equal concentrations of sodium and potassium were found in the plant tissue where the growth of the plants was optimal”
Claim · model-written summary
In the field, growth of Distichlis spicata was greatest when temperatures were cool and soil moisture was high in early spring.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Outcome
- growthe1
- Direction
- greateste1
- Qualifier
- when temperatures are cool and soil moisture is quite high during the early springe1
- Setting
- In the fielde1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“In the field the greatest amount of growth of salt grass takes place when temperatures are cool and soil moisture is quite high during the early spring”
Claim · model-written summary
Crude protein in Distichlis spicata decreased during mid-summer as air temperatures rose.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Outcome
- crude proteine1
- Direction
- decreasese1
- Qualifier
- During mid-summer as air temperatures risee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“During mid-summer as air temperatures rise, crude protein in the plant decreases”
Claim · model-written summary
Stomata on exposed ridges of vascular bundles of Distichlis spicata are usually covered by four epidermal cells.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Organ / stage
- exposed ridges of vascular bundlese1
- Outcome
- covered by four epidermal cellse1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“Stomata on exposed ridges of vascular bundles, where desiccation is greatest, usually are covered by four epidermal cells”
Claim · model-written summary
Stomata in the grooves between vascular bundles of Distichlis spicata tend to be uncovered.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Organ / stage
- grooves between vascular bundlese1
- Outcome
- stomata found in the grooves between vascular bundles tend to be uncoverede1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“stomata found in the grooves between vascular bundles tend to be uncovered”
Claim · model-written summary
The salt gland of Distichlis spicata actively excretes excess sodium, potassium and chloride ions in a diurnal rhythm.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Organ / stage
- salt glande1
- Outcome
- actively excretes (in a diurnal rhythm) excess sodium, potassium, and chloride ionse1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“The salt gland is composed of a large basal cell and a cap cell and actively excretes (in a diurnal rhythm) excess sodium, potassium, and chloride ions”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose that a hummock-building process in salt marshes of southern Utah favors localized removal of salts.
- Taxon
- Distichlis spicataDistichlis spicatae0
- Outcome
- localized removal of saltse1
- Qualifier
- hummock-building processe1
- Setting
- salt marshes of southern Utahe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Distichlis spicata, a perennial salt marsh grass”
e1“In salt marshes of southern Utah, salt grass contributes to a hummock-building process that favors localized removal of salts by capillary action and evaporation”
The same questions in other papers
salinity · growth · Distichlis spicata (saltgrass)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- negative
- negative
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.