Shade Avoidance and Light Foraging of a Clonal Woody Species, Pachysandra terminalis.

ABSTRACT: (1) Background: A central subject in clonal plant ecology is to elucidate the mechanism by which clones forage resources in heterogeneous environments. Compared with studies conducted in laboratories or experimental gardens, studies on light foraging of forest woody clonal plants in their natural habitats are limited. (2) Methods: We investigated wild populations of an evergreen clonal understory shrub, Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis Siebold & Zucc.), in two cool-temperate forests in Japan. (3) Results: Similar to the results of herbaceous clonal species, this species formed a dense stand in a relatively well-lit place, and a sparse stand in a shaded place. Higher specific rhizome length (i.e., length per unit mass) in shade resulted in lower ramet population density in shade

SUBMITTER: Iwabe R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8074284 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature