Relatedness predicts phenotypic plasticity in plants better than weediness

Cook-Patton, Susan C.; Agrawal, Anurag A.

Relatedness predicts phenotypic plasticity in plants better than weediness

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Abstract

Background: Weedy non-native species have long been predicted to be more phenotypically plastic than native species. Question: Are weedy non-native species more plastic than natives? Organisms: Fourteen perennial plant species: Acer platanoides, Acer saccharum, Bromus inermis, Bromus latiglumis, Celastrus orbiculatus, Celastrus scandens, Elymus repens, Elymus trachycaulus, Plantago major, Plantago rugelii, Rosa multiflora, Rosa palustris, Solanum dulcamara, and Solanum carolinense. Field site: Mesic old-field in Dryden, NY (42°27?49?N, 76°26?40?W). Methods: We grew seven pairs of native and non-native plant congeners in the field and tested their responses to reduced competition and the addition of fertilizer. We measured the plasticity of six traits related to growth and leaf palatability (total length, leaf dry mass, maximum relative growth rate, leaf toughness, trichome density, and specific leaf area). Conclusions: Weedy non-native species did not differ consistently from natives in their phenotypic plasticity. Instead, relatedness was a better predictor of plasticity.

Journal / Series

Evolutionary Ecology Research

Sponsorship

Grants from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Sigma Xi, NSF GRFP to S.C.C. and NSF DEB-0950231 to A.A.A. funded this work.

Date Issued

2011

Publisher

Evolutionary Ecology

Keywords

comparative ecology; competition; fertilization; old-field communities; phenotypic plasticity; plant invasion

Related Version

C. Cook-Patton, Susan & Agrawal, Anurag. (2011). Relatedness predicts phenotypic plasticity in plants better than weediness. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 13: 527-542 .

Types

article