caa a22 4500 477112072 CHVBK 20180405111612.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170330e19960501xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF00029062 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF00029062 Biere Arjen Department of Plant Biology, Laboratory for Plant Ecology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands aut Intra-specific variation in relative growth rate: impact on competitive ability and performance of Lychnis flos-cuculi in habitats differing in soil fertility [Elektronische Daten] [Arjen Biere] Plant species from unproductive or adverse habitats are often characterized by a low potential relative growth rate (RGR). Although it is generally assumed that this is the result of selection for specific trait combinations that are associated with a low rate of net biomass accumulation, few studies have directly investigated the selective (dis-)advantage of specific growth parameters under a set of different environmental conditions. Aim of the present study was to quantify the impact of inherent differences in growth parameters among phenotypes of a single plant species, Lychnis flos-cuculi, on their performance under different soil nutrient conditions. Growth analysis revealed significant variation in RGR among progeny families from a diallel cross between eight genotypes originating from a single population. Differences in RGR were due to variation in both leaf area ratio (LAR) and in net assimilation rate (NAR). A genetic trade-off was observed between these two components of growth, i.e. progeny families with high investment in leaf area had a lower rate of net biomass accumulation per unit leaf area. The degree of plasticity in RGR to nutrient conditions did not differ among progeny families. Inherent differences in growth parameters among progeny families had a significant impact on their yield in competition with Anthoxanthum odoratum and Taraxacum hollandicum. In nutrient-rich conditions, progeny families with an inherently high leaf weight ratio (LWR) achieved higher yield in competition, but variation in this trait could not explain differences in competitive yield under nutrient-poor conditions. Inherent differences in growth parameters among progeny families were poorly correlated with differences in survival and average rosette biomass (a good predictor of fecundity) among these progeny families sown in four field sites along a natural gradient of soil fertility. In the more productive sites none of the growth parameters was significantly correlated with rosette biomass, but in the least productive site progeny families with an inherently high specific leaf area (SLA) tended to produce smaller rosettes than low-SLA families. These results are consistent with the view that a selective advantage may accrue from either high or low values of individual RGR components, depending on habitat conditions, and that the selective advantage of low trait values in nutrient-poor environments may results in indirect selection for low RGR in these habitats. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996 competitive ability nationallicence leaf area ratio nationallicence Lychnis flos-cuculi nationallicence net assimilation rate nationallicence phenotypic selection nationallicence relative growth rate nationallicence Plant and Soil Kluwer Academic Publishers; gopher://gopher.wkap.nl 182/2(1996-05-01), 313-327 0032-079X 182:2<313 1996 182 11104 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029062 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029062 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Biere Arjen Department of Plant Biology, Laboratory for Plant Ecology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Plant and Soil Kluwer Academic Publishers; gopher://gopher.wkap.nl/ 182/2(1996-05-01), 313-327 0032-079X 182:2<313 1996 182 11104 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer