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RESOURCE LIMITATION AND OFFSPRING SIZE AND NUMBER TRADE‐OFFS IN CIRSIUM ARVENSE (ASTERACEAE)
Author(s) -
Lalonde R. G.,
Roitberg B. D.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1989.tb15094.x
Subject(s) - cirsium arvense , biology , achene , thistle , provisioning , perennial plant , pollination , offspring , asteraceae , forage , botany , agronomy , pollen , pregnancy , telecommunications , genetics , computer science
We employed high and low pollination treatments to examine the effect of varying offspring number on the allocation of resources to individual seeds in 5 female clones of the dioecious perennial, Canada thistle ( Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.). In comparison to high pollination plants, low pollination plants displayed a significantly reduced seed set, an unchanged rate of seed abortion, a significant increase in mean achene weight, and an altered pattern of achene weight allocation across primary, secondary, and tertiary flowerheads. These data do not support theoretical predictions for a uniform level of provisioning to individual seeds and are most consistent with the hypothesis that limitation of available resources constrains the level of provisioning to individual seeds. We discuss some of the assumptions underlying offspring provisioning theory in light of our results and discuss the usefulness of this theory as a descriptor of plant systems.