The Ecological Significance of Clonal Growth in the Understory Tree, Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
نویسندگان
چکیده
We evaluated three possible functions of clonal growth related to genet persistence in the root-suckering understory tree pawpaw, Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal: (1) risk spreading through multiplication of stems, (2) enhanced establishment and survival of new stems, and (3) horizontal expansion growth of patches. The number, diameter growth, and spatial distribution of annual stem recruits were examined over three years in a natural population of pawpaw. The rate of stem recruitment was consistently higher than stem mortality. We found no difference in stem turnover rate for patches of different size, indicating that stem production is more than high enough to avoid patch extinction. Although newly formed stems were considerably smaller than previously established stems, they grew and survived as well as established stems. We found no evidence for clonal growth contributing to extensive horizontal expansion of patches. Our results suggest that ensuring survivorship of new stems is the main ecological role of clonal growth in pawpaw.
منابع مشابه
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The pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal, Annonaceae] tree produces the largest edible tree fruit native to the United States (Darrow 1975; Layne 1996). This fruit, known commonly as the “poor man’s banana,” may reach up to 1 kg in size. Pawpaws grow wild in the mesic hardwood forests of 26 states in the eastern United States, ranging from northern Florida to southern Ontario (Canada) and as far ...
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1 Co-Investigator of Horticulture, Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601-2355 2 Principal Investigator of Horticulture and Curator, USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Asimina species, Atwood Research Facility, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY 40601-2355. To whom reprint requests should be addressed. Abstract Pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Duna...
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