The allometry of reproduction within plant populations

作者：Jacob Weiner, Lesley G. Campbell, Joan Pino, Laura Echarte · 发表于：Journal of Ecology · 年份：2009 · DOI：10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01559.x · 被引用次数：345 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Plant and animal studies、Forest ecology and management

Summary 1. The quantitative relationship between size and reproductive output is a central aspect of a plant’s strategy: the conversion of growth into fitness. As plant allocation is allometric in the broad sense, i.e. it changes with size, we take an allometric perspective and review existing data on the relationship between individual vegetative ( V , x ‐axis) and reproductive ( R , y ‐axis) biomass within plant populations, rather than analysing biomass ratios such as reproductive effort ( R /( R + V )). 2. The allometric relationship between R and V among individuals within a population is most informative when cumulative at senescence (total R – V relationship), as this represents the potential reproductive output of individuals given their biomass. Earlier measurements may be misleading if plants are at different developmental stages and therefore have not achieved the full reproductive output their size permits. Much of the data that have been considered evidence for plasticity in reproductive allometry are actually evidence for plasticity in the rate of growth and development. 3. Although a positive x ‐intercept implies a minimum size for reproducing, a plant can have a threshold size for reproducing without having a positive x ‐intercept. 4. Most of the available data are for annual and monocarpic species whereas allometric data on long‐lived iteroparous plants are scarce. We find three common total R – V patterns: short‐lived, herbaceous plants and clonal plants usu...