Abstract
In Polemonium foliosissimum the amount of available carbon was decreased by defoliating 50% of each plant, while available carbon was enhanced by daily watering and by removing either 50% or 100% of the flower buds. Rates of nectar production per flower were constant across all treatments except for a significant increased in watered individuals. There were no consistent changes in average seed set per flower or per plant across treatment groups. Defoliated and control individuals did not differ significantly from one another with respect to average seed weight, but end-of-season underground biomass was significantly less for defoliated plants. In the year following treatment, no differences were observed in nectar production per flower, seed production per flower or seed production per plant, although a significant difference in rate of growth was observed. Defoliated plants grew least during the 2 yr period, followed by control individuals. Debudded plants increased in size by the greatest margin. Trade-offs between resources allocated to nectar, flowers, seeds and vegetative growth can apparently to expressed in terms of biomass. -from Authors
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 777-789 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Ecology |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1988 |
| Externally published | Yes |