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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2018, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (12): 79-93.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2018203

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Size?dependent reproductive allocation of Artemisia scoparia in different habitats on the desert steppe

CHEN Lin1,2**, LI Yue?fei1,2**, SU Ying1,2, SONG Nai?ping1,2*, YANG Xin?guo1,2, WANG Lei1,2,BIAN Ying?ying3, YANG Li?na4   

  1. 1.Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration in Northwest China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    2.Key Laboratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Northwest China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    3.School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    4.Biostatistics Department, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey 17033, USA
  • Received:2018-04-03 Revised:2018-05-31 Online:2018-12-20 Published:2018-12-20
  • Contact: E-mail:songnp@163.com

Abstract: The reproductive allocation of plants is an important factor in the theory of life history. The distribution of heterogeneous habitats is an important environmental factor affecting plant species on the desert steppe. To study the reproductive allocation strategies of plants on the desert steppe, we selected Artemisia scoparia growing in heterogeneous habitats (aeolian sandy soil, sierozem soil, and weathering bedrock) and evaluated the biomass characteristics of individuals of different sizes. We analyzed the relationships between biomass and biomass position, and evaluated the absolute inputs to reproductive organs and the characteristics of reproductive allocation. The results showed that aboveground biomass, underground biomass, reproductive organ biomass, vegetative organ biomass, number of reproductive bodies, and weight of reproductive bodies of A. scoparia were lower in plants growing on weathering bedrock than in plants growing in aeolian sandy soil and sierozem soil. There were no significant differences in aboveground biomass, number of reproductive bodies, weight of reproductive bodies, and single capitulum mass among different parts of single plant (P>0.05), suggesting that there was no difference in observed resource input in A. scoparia. The absolute input to reproductive organ biomass (lg R) increased as the size of the individual plant (lg V) increased (P<0.001), indicating that vegetative growth and resource input to reproduction in A. scoparia increased simultaneously. The reproductive thresholds of A. scoparia growing on weathering bedrock, aeolian sandy soil, and sierozem soil were 2.07, 1.96, and 1.99 g, respectively, and there was a negative correlation between reproductive allocation and individual size in the different habitats (P<0.05). There were negative correlations between single capitulum mass and individual size, and between single capitulum mass and the number of capitula on each plant. These differences reflected phenotypic plasticity in the resource allocation of A. scoparia, but there were no significant correlations between these trade?offs (P>0.05).

Key words: desert steppe, different habitats, Artemisia scoparia, individual size, reproductive allocation