Title: | Resource manipulation through experimental defoliation has legacy effects on allocation to reproductive and vegetative organs in Quercus ilex |
Author(s): | Le Ronce I; Toigo M; Dardevet E; Venner S; Limousin JM; Chuine I; |
Address: | "CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ. Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France. Laboratoire de Biometrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR 5558, Universite de Lyon, Universite Lyon 1, CNRS, Villeurbanne, France" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1095-8290 (Electronic) 0305-7364 (Print) 0305-7364 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In plants, high costs of reproduction during some years can induce trade-offs in resource allocation with other functions such as growth, survival and resistance against herbivores or extreme abiotic conditions, but also with subsequent reproduction. Such trade-offs might also occur following resource shortage at particular moments of the reproductive cycle. Because plants are modular organisms, strategies for resource allocation to reproduction can also vary among hierarchical levels. Using a defoliation experiment, our aim was to test how allocation to reproduction was impacted by resource limitation. METHODS: We applied three levels of defoliation (control, moderate and intense) to branches of eight Quercus ilex trees shortly after fruit initiation and measured the effects of resource limitation induced by leaf removal on fruit development (survival, growth and germination potential) and on the production of vegetative and reproductive organs the year following defoliation. KEY RESULTS: We found that defoliation had little impact on fruit development. Fruit survival was not affected by the intense defoliation treatment, but was reduced by moderate defoliation, and this result could not be explained by an upregulation of photosynthesis. Mature fruit mass was not affected by defoliation, nor was seed germination success. However, in the following spring defoliated branches produced fewer shoots and compensated for leaf loss by overproducing leaves at the expense of flowers. Therefore, resource shortage decreased resource allocation to reproduction the following season but did not affect sex ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the idea of a regulation of resource allocation to reproduction beyond the shoot scale. Defoliation had larger legacy effects than immediate effects" |
Keywords: | Flowers Fruit Plant Leaves *Quercus Seeds Quercus ilex Defoliation recovery allocation shifts fruit production primary growth seed germination sex allocation trade-offs; |
Notes: | "MedlineLe Ronce, Iris Toigo, Maude Dardevet, Elia Venner, Samuel Limousin, Jean-Marc Chuine, Isabelle eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/07/21 Ann Bot. 2020 Nov 24; 126(7):1165-1179. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcaa137" |