Journal
BOTANY
Volume 88, Issue 1, Pages 13-19Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/B09-095
Keywords
allometry; Corispermum macrocarpum; biomass allocation; apparent plasticity; true plasticity
Categories
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2009CB421303]
- National Key Technologies Support Program of China [2006BAC01A12, 2006BAD26B02]
- National Nature Science Foundation of China [40601008]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The allometric effects of Corispermum macrocarpum Bunge in response to soil nutrient content, water content, and population density were compared in a greenhouse experiment. The results showed that biomass allocation was size-dependent. The plasticity of roots, leaf allocation, and reproductive effort was true plasticity (i.e., changing biomass allocation in response to environmental conditions regardless of plant size), and no plasticity was detected in stem allocation in response to soil nutrient variation. At a low soil nutrient content, C. macrocarpum allocated more resources to reproductive organs than to roots and leaves at equivalent plant size, but the value of root allocation was consistent because of the trade-off between the effects of plant size and soil nutrient content. In the response to soil water variation, the plasticity of root allocation and reproductive effort was true plasticity, the plasticity of stem allocation was apparent plasticity (i.e., changing biomass allocation in response to plant size regardless of environmental conditions), which was caused by plant size, but there was no plasticity in leaf allocation. Except for the true plasticity of root allocation, there was no plasticity in stems, leaves, and reproductive organs in response to population density.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available