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Botanical Research on the Plant Collections
Research on Ecology and Environmental Concerns
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Research on Ecology and Environmental Concerns
Using aquatic plants to treat water
Conventional wastewater treatment centres are very well suited to the needs of medium-sized or large communities. For smaller communities, however, these technologies are sometimes inefficient or too expensive for their needs. The development of techniques using the filtering abilities of aquatic plants is a very promising solution for the treatment of domestic wastewater.
An experimental natural wastewater treatment system was built into the Biosphere to treat its wastewater. It was decided that a mosaic of plant communities would be used, rather than a single type of plant. The best treatment results have been observed when several aquatic ecosystems are combined in a very specific arrangement, so as to optimize the overall performance of the system. The first pond (400 m²), colonized by Phragmites australis, is a subsurface-flow bed. The second pond (250 m²) is colonized by semi-aquatic species (Scirpus lacustris and Typha latifolia). And in the last pond is Iris pseudacorus, as well as various underwater prairie plants, including Elodea canadensis. Water is constantly flowing above the soil surface in the latter two basins.
The treatment centre has been closely monitored by scientists since it opened in 1995. Thus far, its performance has been excellent, as regards suspended matter, organic matter, nitrogen compounds and disinfection. The project has shown that this type of process is economical, requires no major mechanical equipment or energy investment, and can work efficiently in our climate.
Project head
Jacques Brisson
4101, rue Sherbrooke Est, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2
Tel.: 514-872-1437; Fax 514-872-3765
E-mail: brissoj@magellan.umontreal.ca
Scientific partners
Linda Dumont, Jardin botanique de Montréal
Garba Laouali, Institut de recherche en biologie végétale
Michel Radoux, Fondation Universitaire Luxembourgeoise
Realization partners
Groupe Sodinco inc.
Le Groupe Steica inc.
Soprin Experts-conseil inc.
Financial partners
Centre Québécois de Valorisation de la Biomasse
Environnement Canada
Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune du Québec
Selected publications:
Brisson, J. and J.F. Reynolds. 1997. Effects of compensatory
growth on population processes: A simulation study. Ecology .
Brisson, J., A. Meilleur, M.-J. Fortin and A. Bouchard. 1997. Edge Effects on Vegetation in Rights-of-Way. p. 25-33; in : J. Goodrich-Mahoney (ed.), Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-Way Management. Environmental Sciences, Economics and Engineering series. Blackwell Science Inc.
Brisson, J. and J.F. Reynolds. 1994. The effect of neighbors on root distribution in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) population. Ecology 75:
Seeking a place in the sun, or competition for space among plants
Since plants cannot move about, some key ecological processes such as competition and succession can be understood only by viewing them in the context of "space." Plants compete for resources such as water or light, for instance, only with their immediate neighbours. Two plants close to each other may compete vigorously in the space they share, even if there are plentiful resources available nearby. Nevertheless, it is becoming ever clearer that some plants can partially circumvent this restriction and "compensate" by growing mostly in directions where there is no competition. This compensatory capacity varies according to species, and allows plants to make better use of available space. Precise knowledge of this ability is necessary if we are to properly predict plant dynamics.
In an ongoing project on the blockage of succession by shrubs, we are conducting a study in co-operation with Hydro-Québec, to help us understand how the compensatory ability of certain shrubs allows them to more rapidly expand into the available space and quickly close off the milieu. This work has attractive benefits, in that it will help us inhibit or delay the growth of trees by forming stable shrub communities, for example along hydro-electric rights-of-way. In another study, we are measuring trees' capacity to fill the space created by a newly formed opening in the forest canopy, through directional growth of their foliage.
Competition for space between two plant populations becomes particularly fierce at their common border. Work on plant dynamics at the junction of a forest population and an open plant community allows us to better understand the factors governing the invasion of the forest in an open environment. Another research project is looking at the invasion of a sedge marsh in the Réserve du Lac-Saint-François by white alder (Alnus rugosa). In recent decades, the alder has gradually taken over more and more space, to the detriment of the marsh. However, this marsh is a valuable habitat for a threatened bird species, the yellow rail. We are conducting work in co-operation with the Canadian Wildlife Service to find ways of controlling the white alder and slowing its expansion into the space occupied by the sedge marsh.
Project head
Jacques Brisson
4101, rue Sherbrooke Est, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2
Tel. 514-872-1437; Fax 514-872-3765
E-mail: brissoj@magellan.umontreal.ca
Selected publications:
Brisson J. et J.F. Reynolds. (accepté 16-8-96). Effects of compensatory growth on population processes: A simulation study. Ecology .Brisson, J., A. Meilleur, M.-J. Fortin et A. Bouchard. 1997. Edge Effects on Vegetation in Rights-of-Way. p. 25-33 dans: J. Goodrich-Mahoney (ed.), Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-Way Management. Environmental Sciences, Economics and Engineering series. Blackwell Science Inc. (sous presse).
Brisson J. et J.F. Reynolds 1994. The effect of neighbors on root distribution in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) population. Ecology 75:
Planting high-value species and restoring habitats
The quantity and quality of hardwood species have been declining in the forests of southern Québec. Abandoned farmland now offers an opportunity to rebuild forests consisting of species with high commercial value. Since 1986, researchers have been looking at different problems involved in growing hardwoods. This work will allow us to better understand these species' needs and to suggest approaches to guarantee successful intervention. The effects of site preparation, weed control and edaphic conditions on the growth of different species have been examined through experimental projects on actual abandoned farmland.
Our understanding of how hardwood species develop under a variety of growing conditions led us to attempt to restore a number of disturbed sites. Although residents and planners call for vegetation to be planted in urban and suburban areas, soil conditions there are often poor. In this respect, the research looked at how soil conditions can be improved prior to planting, and studied different species' ability to grow in extreme situations. The use of different organic residues to improve the soil at low cost and an analysis of the growth and nutrition of a range of species allowed us to suggest possible approaches.
Project head
Alain Cogliastro
4101, rue Sherbrooke Est, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2
Tel. 514-872-9029; Fax 514-872-3765
E-mail: cogliasa@magellan.umontreal.ca
Scientific partners
André Bouchard, Département de Sc. biol., Université de Montréal
Daniel Gagnon, GREF, Université du Québec à Montréal.
Financial partners
Natural Resources Canada
Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune du Québec
Communauté urbaine de Montréal
Selected publications: :
Cogliastro, A., D. Gagnon and A. Bouchard. 1997. Experimental determination
of soil characteristics optimal for the growth of 10 hardwood
planted on abandonned farmland. Forest Ecology and Management
Cogliastro, A., D. Gagnon and A. Bouchard. 1997. Is site preparation necessary for bur oak receiving post-planting weed control ? Annales des Sciences Forestières 54: 107-116.
Cogliastro, A., B. Lanctôt et S. Daigle. 1997. Reboisement de sites dégradés en milieu urbain par l'utilisation des bois raméaux fragmentés et des boues de station d'épuration des eaux. Déposé au ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune. Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, 55 p.
Sludge and willows: a new way of growing trees
Fast-growing species such as willows have very attractive potential for solving environmental problems. Willows grow with exceptional speed and easily provide cuttings, characteristics very useful for quickly restoring sites, stabilizing shores and banks or simply producing large quantities of biomass.
For several years now, different research projects have drawn on this potential. The largest one is the production of wood biomass through short-rotation intensive culture of willows. This technique consists of planting willows very densely (20,000 plants/hectare) and harvesting the branches produced, every two or three years. Since the roots remain in the soil, the stumps can produce new shoots that will in turn be harvested after two or three years. The biomass produced in this way can be used for energy purposes or substituted for the ligneous material normally used by pulp and paper mills or in making panelboard. Planting fast-growing trees on disturbed land of little agricultural use allows more rational use of the land, with very positive consequences for the environment and the conservation of our forest resources.
Willows were also used in an experiment to very quickly grow plant cover in the degraded areas of certain urban zones. In this case, the fast growth characteristics of willows were combined with the fertilizing capability of treatment-plant sludge. This addition of organic material encouraged the rooting and growth of the trees.
Research is being carried out to study the trees' growth dynamics, development and nutrition and to obtain the highest yield with minimal intervention.
Project head
Michel Labrecque
4101, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2
Tel.: 514-872-1862; Fax: 514-872-3765
E-mail: michel_labrecque@ville.montreal.qc.ca
Project executive
Traian Ion Teodorescu
Scientific partners:
Jacques Valade
Centre de recherche en pâtes et papiers
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Angela Maria Soares
Lavras University, Brazil
Financial partners:
Natural Resources Canada
Centre Québécois de Valorisation de la Biomasse
Hydro-Québec
Société montérégienne de développement
MRC du Haut Saint-Laurent
Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune
Selected publications:
Labrecque, M., T.I. Teodorescu, A. Cogliastro and S. Daigle. 1993.
Growth patterns and biomass productivity of two Salix species
grown under short-rotation, intensive-culture in south western
Quebec. Biomass & Bioenergy 4 (6): 419-425.
Labrecque, M., T.I. Teodorescu, P. Babeux, A. Cogliastro and S. Daigle. 1994. Impact of herbaceous competition and drainage conditions on the productivity of willows under short-rotation intensive culture. Can. J. For. Res. 24(3): 493-501.
Labrecque, M., T.I. Teodorescu and S. Daigle. 1995. Effect of wastewater sludge on growth and heavy metal bioaccumulation on two Salix species. Plant and Soil 171: 303-316.
Labrecque, M., T.I. Teodorescu andt S. Daigle. 1996. Sludge fertilization of willow under short-rotation culture: biomass productivity and environmental impact. In Proceedings of the Canadian energy plantation workshop. Gananoque, Ontario, 2-4 May 1995. Ed. by Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service. 1996. pp. 53-66.
Valade, J., K.N. Law, M. Labrecque et C.Z. Hong. 1996. Utilisation du saule à courte rotation dans la production de pâte à carton ondulé. In: Proceedings Conférence Technologique Estivale 1996. Québec. 29-31 mai 1996. 43-60 pp.
Labrecque, M., T.I. Teodorescu and S. Daigle. 1996. Site-specific early performance and nutrition of two Salix species in SRIC in southern Quebec (Canada). In: Proceedings of the seventh national bioenergy conference. Eds. The Southeastern Regional Biomass Energy Program. September 15-20 1996. 956-964.
There is a strong trend these days toward reducing pesticide use, for a number of reasons: the growing resistance of many pathogenic micro-organisms and crop pests, as well as widespread awareness of the health problems linked to the use of pesticides. Biological pest control has been around for quite a long time, but is now becoming a necessary tool. At the Montréal Botanical Garden, researchers are trying to better understand how pathogenic micro-organisms work and to develop biological pest-control techniques, including the use of micro-organisms with direct or indirect effects on the undesirable organism. The microbes normally living in the rhizosphere or phyllosphere (root and leaf environments) are ideal candidates, since they are already part of the balance between the host plant, the parasite and the environment.
Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizia (VAM) fungi are among the most promising for treating root diseases. The VAM symbiosis is an association between a filamentous fungus and a plant's roots. This type of association, which has existed for 400 million years, occurs naturally in more than 90% of plants on Earth. Now it is even thought that these fungi may have played a decisive role in plants' transition from water to land. Both the plant and the fungus benefit from this arrangement: it allows plants to make more efficient use of the soil to absorb the minerals they need to grow, reduces the incidence of parasitic diseases and increases resistance to certain types of stress, including cold and drought.
One important dimension of the research is aimed at improving our understanding of the effects of VAM symbiosis on the development of plant diseases and, more specifically, the processes involved in the complex interaction between a host plant, VAM fungus and a pathogenic organism. Another aspect is to develop production methods for plants that draw on the potential benefits of these organisms. In particular, researchers are looking at the production of ornamental trees for planting in urban environments. They are also attempting to identify the means of action of pathogenic fungi in trees and other associated microbial species. The goal in this case is not only biological control of diseases, but also the use of parasites as biological pesticides for controlling undesirable plant growth.
Project head
Marc St-Arnaud
410, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, QC, Canada, H1X 2B2
Tel: 514-872-1439; Fax: 514-872-3765
E-mail: marc.st-arnaud@umontreal.ca
Scientific partners
J. André Fortin, Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Montréal
Denis Charlebois, I.R.B.V., Montréal
Vladimir Vujanovic, I.R.B.V., Montréal
Chantal Hamel, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
Yolande Dalpé, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa
Peterjurgen Neumann, Université de Montréal
Financial partners
Agriculture Canada, Ottawa
Hydro-Québec, Montréal
Texel, St-Elzéar-de-Beauce
Premier Tech., Rivière-du-Loup
Selected publications:
St-Arnaud, M., C. Hamel, M. Caron and J.A. Fortin. 1994. Inhibition
of Pythium ultimum in roots and growth substrate of mycorrhizal
Tagetes patula colonized with Glomus intraradices. Can. J. Plant
Pathol. 16: 187-194.
Benhamou, N., J.A. Fortin, C. Hamel, M. St-Arnaud and A. Shatilla. 1994. Resistance responses of mycorrhizal Ri T-DNA transformed carrot roots to infection by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi. Phytopathology 84: 958-968.
St-Arnaud, M., C. Hamel, M. Caron et J.A. Fortin. 1995. Endomycorhizes VA et sensibilité des plantes aux maladies: synthèse de la littérature et mécanismes d'interaction potentiels. pp.51-87 in Fortin, J.A., C. Charest et Y. Piché (Éds.) La symbiose mycorhizienne État des connaissances. Éditions Orbis, Frelighsburg, Québec, Canada.
St-Arnaud, M., C. Hamel, B.Vimard, M. Caron, et J.A. Fortin. 1995. Altered growth of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. chrysanthemi in an in vitro dual culture system with the vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices growing on Daucus carota transformed roots. Mycorrhiza 5: 431-438.
St-Arnaud, M., B. Hamel, B.Vimard, M. Caron, et J.A. Fortin. 1996. Enhanced hyphal and spore production of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices in an in vitro system in the absence of host roots. Mycological Research 100: 328-332.
St-Arnaud, M., B. Hamel, B.Vimard, M. Caron, et J.A. Fortin. 1997. Inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi in the nonVAM species Dianthus caryophyllus by co-culture with Tagetes patula companion plants colonized by Glomus intraradices. Can. J. Bot. 75.
Vujanovic, V., M. St-Arnaud ET P. Neumann. 1997. Biodiversity inventories of fungi taxa associated with three differents pine crown ecological niches in the Jardin botanique de Montreal (JBM). In : Abstracts of the Botanical Society of America meeting, Montréal, august 3-7, 1997. Amer. J. Bot. 84: 127.
Vujanovic, V., M. St-Arnaud ET P. Neumann. 1997. Choanatiara lunata DiCosmo & Nag Raj on autochthonous and allochthonous Pinus species in Canada, in : Abstracts of the Botanical Society of America meeting, Montréal, august 3-7, 1997. Amer. J. Bot. 84: 128.
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