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Deer Florivory Is Associated with Changes in Clonal Structure of the Woodland Plant Bluebead Lily

Authors: Palagi, Jason M; Ashley, Mary;

Deer Florivory Is Associated with Changes in Clonal Structure of the Woodland Plant Bluebead Lily

Abstract

Premise of research. Many plant species balance resource allocation between sexual and asexual reproduction. Ecological factors that alter this balance can have important effects on plant populations. By eliminating flowers, floral herbivory (florivory) reduces sexual reproduction and consequently shifts reproductive allocation toward asexual reproduction. Over time, the clonal structure of the population may change. To investigate long-term effects of florivory, we characterized clonal structure in patches of the woodland herb Clintonia borealis (Liliaceae), or the bluebead lily. Methodology. A common understory species of North American boreal forests, bluebead lily is a favorite spring food of Odocoileus virginianus, or white-tailed deer. We sampled patches of bluebead lily located on islands in the Great Lakes, which either had or did not have white-tailed deer. Genotyping using newly developed microsatellite markers allowed clones to be identified. Pivotal results. The clonal structure, measured as the genet-to-ramet ratio (G∶N) of a patch, averaged 0.104 genets per ramet on islands with deer, compared with 0.458 genets per ramet on islands without deer. The difference was significant, based on a linear mixed effects model (∆AICc = 3:94, Akaike weight = 0.878), and the effect size, as measured by Cohen’s d was 1.995. We also observed significantly lower clonal diversity and clonal evenness on islands with deer, which in turn could further limit sexual reproduction due to self-sterility or inbreeding. Conclusions. While the effects of white-tailed deer on plant community structure have been well documented, our results suggest that they may also have significant effects on the reproductive dynamics of individual plant species.

Keywords

Evolutionary biology not elsewhere classified, Plant biology not elsewhere classified

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
4
Top 10%
Average
Average
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