Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtq017

J Plant Ecol ›› 2010, Vol. 3 ›› Issue (4): 251-258 .DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtq017

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Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction

Lanke Fu^1,2, Shichang Wang^1,2, Zhenguo Liu³, Ivan Nijs⁴, Keping Ma¹ and Zhenqing Li^1,*

¹ State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; ² Graduate University of Chinese of Academy Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; ³ School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China; ⁴ Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium

Received:2010-04-29 Accepted:2010-05-20 Published:2010-11-04
Contact: Li, Zhengqing

Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction

Abstract

Abstract: Aims To explore whether the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproductive modes is flexible in environments with different amounts of available resources to maintain optimal behaviors.
Methods A transition matrix model was established to determine the optimal trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction in resources–variable habitats.
Important findings The model predicts that plants allocate more resources to seed reproduction when available resources are scarce. With increasing resources, more vegetative propagules are produced. However, if resources keep increasing to a harmful level, plants would switch to seeds again.

Key words: sexual reproduction, vegetative reproduction, trade-off, resource

摘要：
Aims To explore whether the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproductive modes is flexible in environments with different amounts of available resources to maintain optimal behaviors.
Methods A transition matrix model was established to determine the optimal trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction in resources–variable habitats.
Important findings The model predicts that plants allocate more resources to seed reproduction when available resources are scarce. With increasing resources, more vegetative propagules are produced. However, if resources keep increasing to a harmful level, plants would switch to seeds again.

Lanke Fu, Shichang Wang, Zhenguo Liu, Ivan Nijs, Keping Ma, Zhenqing Li. Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2010, 3(4): 251-258.

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Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction

Effects of resource availability on the trade-off between seed and vegetative reproduction

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