Effects of leaf removal on reproductions vs. belowground storage in Trillium grandiflorum
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Authors: A. E. Lubbers, and M. J. Lechowicz
Date: 1989
Journal: Ecology
Volume: 70
Number: 1
Pages: 85-96
Summary of Methods: The objective of this study was to examine flexibility in allocation to storage and reproduction with respect to loss of leaf area in Trillium grandiflorum, a perennial herb of temperate deciduous forests in eastern North America. Natural pollination limited seed set in one year but not another at the study site near Montreal, Quebec; it is likely that year-to-year variation in pollinator availability is the norm. Removal of leaf or floral bract tissues did not affect mean seed set, but leaf removal did reduce allocation of biomass and nonstructural carbohydrates to rhizomes. As the level of defoliation increased, the correlation between reproduction and storage within plants became increasingly negative. Although the mean seasonal leaf conductance of partially defoliated plants was greater than that of intact plants, any compensatory increases in photosynthesis that may have occurred were apparently insufficient to prevent the reduced allocation to belowground storage. The allocation of resources to current reproduction at the expense of survival and future reproduction possibly reflects the selective effects of unpredictable availability of pollinators for this spring ephemeral.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: deciduous forest, defoliation, reproductive biology, resource allocation, spring ephemeral, total nonstructural carbohydrates, trillium grandiflorum
Annotation: In 1983, the relative effects of supplemental pollination and 50% leaf removal on seed production were tested using a 2-way design. Twelve 2 x 2 m2 blocks were divided into quadrats. 2 plants were selected randomly in each quadrat, and both were given one of the following combinations of treatments: 1) pollen addition, 50% leaf removal; 2) pollen addition, no leaf removal; 3) natural pollination, 50% leaf removal; and 4) natural pollination, no leaf removal (control). Season of use is not specified.
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