Based on 13 years of monitoring, the fates of individuals and contributions of size and age to demography through the life-history from seedling to flower were investigated in a monocarpic perennial herb, Cardiocrinum cordatum (Thunb.) Makino var. glehnii (F. Schmidt) H. Hara. Of 6155 seedlings, 5264 (85.5%) and 852 (13.8%) plants died at the seedling and one-leaf stage during the 13 years, respectively. Twelve individuals (0.40%) at the three- to seven-leaf stage reproduced after vegetative growth for 7–11 years, and all of them always showed constant positive growth patterns. Significant differences of sizes were detected between surviving and non-surviving individuals in earlier years at the one- and two-leaf stages. Logistic regression models showed that the survival and stage-increase probabilities increased until 5-years-old but decreased over 6-years-old, suggesting the significance of aging effects. At the four-leaf stage, the flowering probability increased with size, while it increased with leaf-stage but not size at greater stages. Individual growth models then suggested that many plants grew moderately: not only slow-growing but also rapidly-growing individuals tended to die within 7 years. Our study clarified three aspects of the life-history of C. cordatum: longevity of about a decade, constantly positive growth to flowering, and aging effects on growth and survival.
Because monocarpic perennial plants have only one reproductive opportunity in their entire life, they need to ensure offspring production. Some plants reproduce both sexually and vegetatively, and vegetative reproduction could possibly compensate for seed production. Therefore, the role and significance of these reproductive modes is likely to differ between monocarps and polycarps, which can reproduce many times. Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii is a monocarpic perennial that reproduces both sexually and vegetatively (bulblet formation). Here, we investigated the characteristics and contribution to population maintenance of sexual and vegetative reproduction to reveal the significance of these two reproductive modes in this species. First, we found that bulblet formation occurred in plants after the three‐leaved rosette stage. Second, resource allocation experiments revealed that although resources were mainly invested in fruit maturation after the flowering season, resource allocation was switched from sexual reproduction to vegetative reproduction if seed production was insufficient. Third, the outcrossing rate in this species varied greatly according to the environment surrounding the population. However, reproductive assurance by selfing kept seed production stable even if flowers did not receive sufficient pollen for full seed set via outcross pollination, and moreover, there was no intensive inbreeding depression. Finally, genotypic identification of ramets suggested that daughter ramets derived from vegetative reproduction received the space that the mother flowering ramet had occupied until the previous year.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.