Variations in the population structure and ecology of Matteuccia struthiopteris

Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate variation in the structure of a population of Matteuccia struthiopteris (L.) Tod. in N–E Poland depending on its location in a river valley and light availability under tree canopies. Ordination statistical methods and structural equation modeling were used to identify ecological relationships in the population. The analysis showed that optimum growth conditions of M. struthiopteris depend on the canopy cover. As the shading increased, the size of trophophyllous leaves and the production of sporophylls decreased. The relationship between the canopy cover and the optimum growth conditions was best expressed by rootstock diameter and, to a lesser extent, by the number and height of trophophylls. An indirect relationship between the number and height of sporophylls and the canopy cover, by rootstock size and trophophyll quantity, was also identified. This relationship may be caused by the predominance of vegetative forms of reproduction. Based on the correlations between the landscape position vs. rootstock diameter and trophophyll height, a difference in the habitat colonization potential of M. struthiopteris could be detected. Three spatial clusters of M. struthiopteris in the river valley were identified: river bank, river terrace, river valley slopes. These relationships and the distribution of other herbaceous plant species occurring at the plots indicate that the distribution pattern of M. struthiopteris in the study area is determined by diverse environmental conditions, however mainly by light conditions.