Effects of Clonal Integration on Foraging Behavior of Three Clonal Plants in Heterogeneous Soil Environments

Environments are ubiquitously heterogeneous in nature, and clonal plants commonly benefit from both integration foraging responses environments. While many studies have examined separately, few tested the effect of on response to environmental heterogeneity. We grew offspring ramets each three (Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Duchesnea indica, Glechoma longituba) homogeneous heterogenous soil environments severed their stem connection a mother ramet (to prevent ramet) or kept it intact allow integration). Without ramet, heterogeneity had no biomass number for any species. With integration, also D. indica G. longituba, but significantly decreased marginally H. vulgaris. did not demonstrate either shoot root terms total, environment vulgaris responses, longituba demonstrated those when they environment. conclude that can alter plants, this is species-specific. Our results suggest may necessarily growth plants.