1. Ch. 8: Plant life histories
University of Siena
Italy
2008

2. Ch. 8: Plant life histories

3. Choices: when reproduce?
Perennials
Some monocarpic: 1 reproductive end
Advantages?

4. Monocarpic perennials
Century plants (Agave): U.S. & Mexico deserts
Clonal: ramets make huge inflorescences
Tony Danza!!
Baja California, Mexico

5. Monocarpic perennials
Advantages: 2) predator satiation
Many seeds: predators

6. Monocarpic perennials
Ex, some bamboos
Phyllostachys bambusoides: blooms every 120 yrs (not cued by environment)
Seeds

7. Monocarpic perennials
Giant Panda angle: eats bamboo
Pop’ns fragmented
Danza
as panda

8. Monocarpic perennials
1970s: 3 major spp. flowered
Pandas starved (population declined 14%)
Caused??

9. Monocarpic perennials
Recall ………….(Lab #1)

10. Monocarpic perennials
Recall Arundinaria gigantea
Native bamboo: flowering irregular
Most reprod. clonal

11. Mast years Advantages: predator satiation “Mast years:” some trees
Pines, oaks, hickories, etc.
Relative cone production
Scots Pine

12. Mast years “Mast years” (some trees) Pines, oaks, hickories, etc.
Squirrels
Scots Pine
Relative cone production

13. Life history strategies: Classification
r-selected vs K-selected sp.
Strategies “chosen”
“choice”……

14. Life history strategies: Classification
r-selected vs K-selected sp.
r-selected: for
Emph.
K-selected: for “K”

15. r/K system
r/K for plants

16. r/K system
Benefit:
Drawback:

17. CSR system
CSR system for plants (by Grime)
3 allocation “choices”

18. CSR system
Economic analogy
Supply
Process
Product
Profit

19. CSR system 3 main strategies Competitive: allocate Ruderal: allocate
Stress-tolerant: allocate

20. CSR system
Ex. features

21. CSR system Habitats Competitive sp.: resources Ruderal sp.: resources
Stress-tolerant sp.: resources

22. CSR system
Habitats
Missing:

23. Triangle diagrams Plot spp. in 2D space: Extremes @ corners
Less relative r/K

24. Triangle diagrams Exs: Diamorpha smallii Cladonia subtenuis
Polytrichum commune

25. Applied Life History Traits
Nonnative invasive weed
Nonnative:
Weed:
Invasive: 1)

26. Applied Life History Traits
Nonnative invasives: major conservation problem
Invasive species (plant & animal):

27. Applied Life History Traits
Nonnative invasive weed
Local ex: privet (Ligustrum spp.)

28. Applied Life History Traits
Cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica). Native SE Asia

29. Applied Life History Traits
Which become invasive?
Ex, woody invasive life history traits
Vegetative

30. Ch. 9: Community Properties and Mechanisms