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Competition and genetic background in a rapid‐cycling cultivar of brassica rapa (Brassicaceae)
Author(s) -
Gurevitch Jessica,
Taub Daniel R.,
Morton Timothy C.,
Gomez Proserpina L.,
Wang IngNang
Publication year - 1996
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.1537-2197.1996.tb12786.x
Subject(s) - biology , interspecific competition , competition (biology) , brassica rapa , intraspecific competition , brassicaceae , botany , cultivar , biomass (ecology) , brassica , ecology
We examined the effects of a slight genetic disadvantage in a competitive situation by comparing the performance of inbred and outcrossed Brassica rapa plants over a range of neighbor densities, using a rapid‐cycling, self‐compatible cultivar of this species. We also examined the genetic correlations in performance among plants grown alone and with intra‐ and interspecific competitors. Competition had a strong effect on biomass and on the number of flowers produced, but differences in biomass between inbred and outcrossed plants were dependent on the competitive environment. Outcrossed plants outperformed those that were selfed only at intermediate densities of neighbors; at high densities and in the absence of competition inbred and outcrossed plants did not differ. For outcrossed families, performance without competitors and in intra‐ and interspecific competition were all highly correlated, but for selfed families, correlations were low, and performance in competition was not predictable from that of plants grown alone. Thus, the phenotypic expression of genetic differences may depend on the density of neighbors with which plants are grown.