Abstract Detail

Ecology

Wilber, William [1], Farrer, Emily [1].

Stress induced reproductive trait variation in the clonal alpine plant Geum rossii.

Many clonal plant species demonstrate plasticity in their allocation to sexual and asexual reproductive traits in response to external cues, including environmental stress. Because reproductive traits are plastic, climate change related environmental stress may indirectly affect the ability of plant species to reproduce, disperse, and recruit by directly affecting plant reproductive allocations. Previous work has shown that the sexual and asexual reproductive traits of clonal plants can vary independently across environmental stress gradients and contribute differentially to the long-term growth of plant populations. However, little is known about the population level consequences of environmentally induced reproductive trait variation. The objective of this study was to examine how reproductive trait plasticity occurs across a natural stress gradient in the common clonal alpine plant Geum rossii. G. rossii reproduces both sexually through seed and asexually through ramet production. Previous research has shown that both sexual and asexual reproduction are important to the growth of Geum species, and that G. rossii reproductive traits exhibit context dependent variation. I surveyed G. rossii reproductive allocations across a naturally occurring environmental stress gradient to determine whether observed differences in reproductive traits are the result of plastic responses to the environment. The results of this study have implications for the population persistence and genetic diversity of G. rossii populations under an intensifying stress regime.

1 - Tulane University, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 400 Lindy Boggs Building, 6823 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA

Keywords:
Plasticity
clonality
local adaptation
Alpine plants.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Ecology Posters
Location: Arizona Ballroom/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PEC017
Abstract ID:583
Candidate for Awards:None