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Sexual reproduction and clonal growth in Reinhardtia gracilis (Palmae), an understory tropical palm
Author(s) -
Mendoza Ana,
Franco Miguel
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.2307/2446436
Subject(s) - biology , understory , inflorescence , sexual reproduction , reproduction , palm , botany , population , tropics , reproductive success , arecaceae , ecology , demography , canopy , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology
Patterns of sexual reproduction and clonal growth were investigated in the understory palm Reinhardtia gracilis var. gracilior over a 3‐yr period. R. gracilis is a very abundant clonal palm in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. Because ramets form clumps, genets are easily identified in the field. Genets were monitored in a 0.5‐ha area, and classified by size according to the number of ramets they possessed. In contrast to clonal growth, sexual reproduction was highly dependent on genet size. The probability of reproduction, the number of inflorescences, and the number of fruits produced were positively correlated with genet size. However, neither the probability of producing a ramet, nor the number of ramets produced per genet were correlated with genet size. Over the 3 yr of study, 55% of the genet population had at least one ramet with reproductive structures, while <1% (a single genet in one year) had six ramets with flowers. Thirty‐two percent of the mature genets reproduced during each of three consecutive years. In contrast, 58% of the genets produced no new ramets during these 3 yr. No evidence was found of a trade‐off between clonal growth and sexual reproduction. Ramet production increases genet size and this in turn increases genet reproductive performance. Clonal growth in this species may be viewed as a growth strategy that tends to maximize genet fitness.