AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF CAREX ANGUSTISQUAMA FRANCHET IN SOLFATARAS : I. COLONY FORMATION

Abstract

Carex angustisquama grow only in solfataras. The author forcussed on the colony formation as the feature of their mode of life, which might contribute to their success of growth under the environment of solfataras. The meaning of the colony formation for the growth of them, and its causal relation were analysed. The results showed that the quantity of leaves and rhizomes were increased with the enlargement of colonies. To analyse the causal relation of these increase, the difference of the quantity of these two characters, which was observed for one-aged ramets in one colony, was chiefly related with the quantity of the rhizomes of their mother ramets. It was clarified that if the mother ramets did not formed over ground parts, the quantity of rhizomes and leaves of one-aged ramets were correlated with that of the rhizomes closely connected to them. Accordingly, it was considered that, as for the increase of the growth with the enlargement of colonies, rhizomes accumulated in colonies might perform important roles.