The effect of branching angle on adaptive growth in patchy environments

Benedek, Veronika; Englert, P.; Oborny, Beáta

doi:10.1007/s10682-016-9873-0

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…However, the effect was weak in general. The only exception occurred at extremely high ramet mortality ( d i and d t > 0.8), when the ramet density behind the spreading front was low, and thus, immediate backtracking became feasible (Benedek et al 2016). In this recent study, we did not use these extremely high ramet mortality values, as for these, the proportion of quasi-steady-state cases was zero in the homogeneous environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We tested the effects of ramet mortality on clonal plant growth using some of these parameter combinations too, and we found that our results are valid in a considerable range of the parameter space (data not shown). Our further studies tested clonal plant growth also in a heterogeneous environment (Benedek et al 2016; Oborny et al 2017), and we varied the scale of habitat patchiness compared to the scale of growth (Oborny et al 2017). However, without field studies, these do not yet provide a full picture of environmental controls and growth rules internal to the plant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of ramet mortality on clonal plant growth

Benedek

Englert

2019

Theory Biosci.

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Clonal plants grow horizontally by producing multiple physiological individuals (ramets). We studied clonal growth in a homogeneous environment using a dynamic spatial model based on a stochastic cellular automaton. We investigated different growth forms from the aspect of ramet mortality. Non-steady-state and quasi-steady-state cases were defined, and we determined the number of steps suitable for making a reliable difference between these two types of cases. This given number of steps was used when testing for the proportion of quasi-steady-state cases in 1000 repetitions. We also tested the efficiency of occupation in these cases. Our expectation was that higher occupation would be associated with lower ramet mortality. The results only partially verified this hypothesis. Though with increasing ramet mortality, the average number of ramets tended to decrease, it was not the lowest ramet mortality that resulted in the highest occupation. Our results showed that very low ramet mortality was unfavourable for the plant, as the spreading front and the area behind this front were so packed that the plant was not able to return and recolonize the vacated sites in the central area. This resulted in a lower proportion of quasi-steady-state cases and lower occupation in these cases. Our results may contribute to a deeper understanding of clonal plant growth and its limiting factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of ramet mortality on clonal plant growth

Benedek

Englert

2019

Theory Biosci.

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“…Plasticity of stolon and rhizome internode (hereafter also referred to as "internodes" for brevity) length allows clonal plants to have a higher opportunity to encounter resource-rich patches, and consequently a greater ability to adapt to heterogeneous environments (de Kroon and Hutchings 1995;Gao et al 2012;Roiloa et al 2014;van Kleunen and Fischer 2001;Xue et al 2018c;Ye et al 2006). In general, clonal plants would produce shorter internodes to utilize adequate resources in favorable habitats, while longer ones can help to "escape" from unfavorable patches (Benedek et al 2017;de Kroon and Schieving 1990;Dong 1993;Si et al 2020;Oborny and Cain 1997;Ye et al 2006). This morphological response in clonal plants has been extensively linked to external environmental factors such as nutrient, water and light availabilities (Dong 1993;Hagiwara et al 2010;Wijesinghe et al 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting Effects of Plant-Soil Feedbacks on Growth and Morphology of Two Clonal Plants

Xue

Huang

Sheng

et al. 2021

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AimSoil abiotic and biotic conditions are often spatially variable, challenging plants with a heterogeneous environment consisting of favorable and unfavorable patches of soil. Many stoloniferous clonal plants can escape from unfavorable patches by elongating stolon internodes, but aggregate in favorable ones through shortening stolon internodes. However, whether these plants can use their stolons to respond to plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) is largely unknown. MethodsIn the conditioning phase, we grew either Hydrocotyle vulgaris or Glechoma longituba clonal plants separately in mesocosms to condition bulk soil. In the feedback phase, we grew connected mother and daughter ramets of each species in soil inoculated with the unsterilized or sterilized soil conditioned by conspecifics. We grew the plants for 12 weeks and measured the growth of the mother and daughter ramets separately. ResultsThe daughter ramets of H. vulgaris produced more biomass but shorter stolon internodes when grown in soil with sterilized inocula than with unsterilized inocula. However, no difference was found between the daughter ramets of G. longituba grown in soil with unsterilized and sterilized inocula. For both species, no significant difference was found between the mother ramet or between the daughter ramets when the mother ramet was grown in soil with sterilized and unsterilized inocula. ConclusionsThe daughter ramets rather than the mother ramet of H. vulgaris experienced negative biotic PSFs. However, PSF had no effects on the daughter or mother ramet of G. longituba. Moreover, physiological integration or plasticity in stolon internode lengths cannot help H. vulgaris alleviate the negative PSFs.

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