Article contents
Towards an appreciation of fern edaphic niche requirements
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2011
Synopsis
This assessment of selected literature on pteridophyte edaphic adaptation is presented in three parts: (1) pH and general soil nutrient background, (2) growth responses to specific inorganic ions and frond mineral content, and (3) collected works on Pteridium aquilinum edaphic adaptations. In this report, a case is made for the overriding effect of both soil pH and inorganic ion content in determining pteridophyte occurrence. Recommendations are made for more field and laboratory co-ordinated studies, especially as they pertain to the determination of species-specific amplitudes of adaptation, and for the initiation of physiological and metabolic investigations into the basis of these edaphic adaptations.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1985
References
- 2
- Cited by