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Quantifying and understanding reproductive allocation schedules in plants.

Elizabeth Hedi Wenk¹, Daniel S Falster¹

¹Biological Sciences Macquarie University NSW 2109 Australia.

Ecology and Evolution

|April 13, 2016

Summary

Reproductive allocation (RA) schedules in perennial plants vary greatly, with some species shifting resources abruptly and others gradually. More data are needed to integrate observations with models of plant energy allocation and growth.

Keywords:

Functional traits growth strategy iteroparous life history maximum height reproductive allocation

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Physiology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Reproductive allocation (RA) schedules link plant life history and energy budgets.
Understanding RA schedules in perennial plants is crucial but data are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To review existing knowledge on RA schedules in perennial plants.
To synthesize data from studies quantifying RA or inferring its shape.
To briefly review theoretical models of RA variation.

Main Methods:

Systematic literature review of studies on perennial plant RA.
Inclusion of studies directly measuring RA or providing inferential data.
Review of theoretical models explaining RA variation.

Main Results:

Identified 34 studies providing data on RA schedules.
Observed significant variation in RA schedules across species, from abrupt to gradual resource shifts.
Maximum energy allocation to reproduction ranges from 0.1 to 1.
Shorter-lived species exhibit higher initial RA and faster increases compared to longer-lived species.

Conclusions:

There is a scarcity of data on perennial plant RA schedules.
Existing data reveal diverse RA strategies among species.
Further data collection is essential for refining models of plant energy allocation, growth, and biogeochemical cycles.