Phylogenetic meta-analysis of the functional traits of clonal plants foraging in changing environments.

ABSTRACT: Foraging behavior, one of the adaptive strategies of clonal plants, has stimulated a tremendous amount of research. However, it is a matter of debate whether there is any general pattern in the foraging traits (functional traits related to foraging behavior) of clonal plants in response to diverse environments. We collected data from 97 published papers concerning the relationships between foraging traits (e.g., spacer length, specific spacer length, branch intensity and branch angle) of clonal plants and essential resources (e.g., light, nutrients and water) for plant growth and reproduction. We incorporated the phylogenetic information of 85 plant species to examine the universality of foraging hypotheses using phylogenetic meta-analysis. The trends toward forming longer spacers and fewe

SUBMITTER: Xie XF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4162570 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature