Effects of source reduction(leaf removal)on growth and reproductive fitness of Stellera chamaejasme in alpine grassland
[Objective]The study aimed to explore the effects of source reduction treatment(i.e.,leaf removal)on the vegetative growth and reproductive fitness of Stellera chamaejasme for the purpose of un-derstanding the mechanism of ecological adaptation of S.chamaejasme in alpine grassland from the perspec-tive of resource allocation strategy.[Method]The natural population of S.Chamaejasme in an alpine grass-land was selected as the research subject,which was located on the eastern edge of Qilian Mountains.The effect of different source-reduction treatments on the growth and reproduction of S.chamaejasme were de-termined by removing leaves of individuals and then measuring their height,florets and seed number.[Result]At the individual level,the source reduction treatment had no significant effect on the vegetative growth of S.chamaejasme,but could significantly reduce the reproductive fitness of the individuals(P<0.005).At the branch level,the source reduction treatment could significantly inhibit the vegetative growth and reproduction of the treated branches(P<0.05),but at the same time,the treatment significantly pro-moted the vegetative growth of the controlled branches within the same plant(P<0.05),while reduced the reproductive fitness of the controlled branches to a certain extent.[Conclusion]Under the condition of re-source limitation,S.chamaejasme individuals followed the optimal resource allocation theory,and adopt the life-history strategies of reducing individual reproductive investment to improve their survival at the indi-vidual level;at the branch level,more resources would be allocated to the branches that are conducive to maintaining plant vegetative growth.
万方数据
维普
