Size-Dependent Analysis of Allocation to Sexual and Clonal Reproduction inPenthorum sedoidesunder Contrasting Nutrient Levels

Abstract

Reproductive output and reproductive allocation are important factors in the life history of any organism. In clonal plants, however, ''reproductive'' can refer to both sexual and asexual (clonal) replication. When investigating reproductive allocation, it is essential that the size of the plants studied be taken into account and that the direct analysis of ratios (e.g., fruit mass/vegetative mass) be avoided. Using methods that allow the testing of both a minimum size of reproduction and nonlinearity in the reproduction-size relationship, I investigated allocation of resources to both sexual (fruit mass) and clonal (stolon mass, ramet mass, and ramet number) reproduction in Penthorum sedoides under two nutrient treatments and over two generations. Allocation to sexual reproduction was predicted to be higher in the control treatments, while allocation to clonal reproduction should be higher in the nutrient-enriched treatment, in an effort to produce the most fit offspring in a given environment. The hypothesis that allocation to clonal growth would increase in highnutrient environments was supported by the results for stolon and ramet mass but not for ramet number. The hypothesis that sexual allocation would increase in resource-poor environments was supported only in the second year of the experiments.

Plasticity in reproduction and growth among 52 range‐wide populations of aMediterranean conifer: adaptive responses to environmental stress

“…Experiments on herbaceous plants demonstrate that varying environmental factorsnamely resource availability and competitioninduce plasticity in reproductive strategies (Sultan, 2000;Weiner et al, 2009b;Anderson et al, 2011;Nicholls, 2011). In addition, plant populations are often genetically differentiated along environmental clines for size at reproduction and reproductive allometry, that is, the relationship between reproductive output and vegetative size (Lacey, 1988;Alexander et al, 2009;Guo et al, 2012).…”

Effects of Aspect on Clonal Reproduction and Biomass Allocation of Layering Modules of Nitraria tangutorum in Nebkha Dunes

“…buds on the layering that are the primary shoot-producing meristematic organs [34], [35], [36], [37], [38]. The clonal growth of a size-dependent clone is common [33], [38], [39], [40], [41]. One study found that the big Glechoma hederacea clone developed a greater number of ramets under favorable conditions [38].…”

The optimal balance between sexual and asexual reproduction in variable environments: a systematic review

“…In nutrient-poor soils, plants may allocate more resources for sexual structures in L. chinensis (Bai et al 2009), P. sedoides (Nicholls 2011), and Trapella sinensis (Liu et al 2013) (see Table 1) because sexual reproduction has the potential to produce genetic variations, which could increase the survivorship of the plants in the future (Grant 1981;Philbrick and Les 1996). Moreover, seeds may serve as a potential escape mechanism for offspring (Choo et al 2015;Nicholls 2011;van Kleunen et al 2002). The increase in the sexual biomass indicates that the plant might favor from founding new populations instead of expanding the current population through seed dispersal and seed bank under conditions of scarcity of resources.…”