Plasticity and ontogenetic drift of biomass allocation in response to above- and below-ground resource availabilities in perennial herbs: a case study of Alternanthera philoxeroides

Y P Geng; X Y Pan; Cheng Yuan Xu; W J Zhang; B Li; J K Chen

doi:10.1007/s11284-006-0017-9

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Plasticity and ontogenetic drift of biomass allocation in response to above- and below-ground resource availabilities in perennial herbs: a case study of Alternanthera philoxeroides

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Plasticity and ontogenetic drift of biomass allocation in response to above- and below-ground resource availabilities in perennial herbs: a case study of Alternanthera philoxeroides

Y P Geng, X Y Pan, Cheng Yuan Xu, W J Zhang, B Li and J K Chen

Ecological Research, Vol.22(2), pp.255-260

2007

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-006-0017-9

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Abstract

Environmental Sciences

Biological Sciences

biomass allocation

plasticity

ontogenetic drift

perennial

alternanthera philoxeroides

Changes in plant biomass allocation in response to varying resource availabilities may result from ontogenetic drift caused by allometric growth (i.e., apparent plasticity), a true adjustment of ontogenetic trajectories (true plasticity) or both (complex plasticity). Given that the root allocation of annual species usually decreases during the growth, the developmentally explicit model predicts that annual herbs will exhibit true plasticity in root allocation under above-ground resource limitation and apparent plasticity for moderate stress of below-ground resource. For perennial species, the root allocation of which increases during growth, the reverse patterns would be expected. In this study, we tested the developmentally explicit model with a perennial weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. We report its adaptive changes and ontogenetic drift of root allocation in response to different resource levels (i.e., light, water and nutrient availability) by comparing root allocation on both an age and a size basis. The root allocation of A. philoxeroides increased with the size (i.e., ontogenetic drift) during the growth, and exhibited significant changes in response to different resource availabilities. Furthermore, the root allocation in response to water or nutrient availability exhibited typical complex plasticity, while the light stress only slowed down the growth, with the ontogenetic trajectory unchanged (apparent plasticity). The contrasting responses to above-ground and below-ground stresses were consistent with the prediction of the developmentally explicit model.

Details

Title: Plasticity and ontogenetic drift of biomass allocation in response to above- and below-ground resource availabilities in perennial herbs: a case study of Alternanthera philoxeroides
Authors: Y P Geng (Author) - Fudan University, China
X Y Pan (Author) - Fudan University, China
Cheng Yuan Xu (Author) - Columbia University, United States
W J Zhang (Author) - Fudan University, China
B Li (Author) - Fudan University, China
J K Chen (Author) - Fudan University, China
Publication details: Ecological Research, Vol.22(2), pp.255-260
Publisher: Springer Japan KK
Date published: 2007
DOI: 10.1007/s11284-006-0017-9
ISSN: 0912-3814
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450303602621
Output Type: Journal article

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