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Resource Availability and Herbivory Alter Defence-Growth-Reproduction Trade-Offs in a Masting Mediterranean Pine

SSRN, ISSN: 1556-5068
2023
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Article Description

Pairwise trade-offs among the main dimensions of life history of plants, namely growth, reproduction and defence, have been hypothesized and repeatedly tested. Experimental evidences, however, are far from conclusive, probably as a consequence of different methodological approaches, but also of an underlying multivariate complexity that is not considered in pairwise analyses. Relationships between life history dimensions mediate the evolution of reproductive strategies, such as masting, as they are key to understand resource allocation, predator satiation and the response of plants to resource and climate variation.We carried out two long-term field experiments with 81 clonally replicated individuals from 6 genotypes of a masting Mediterranean pine (Pinus pinaster)to assess their response to increased resource availability (fertilization and control treatments) and simulated herbivory (low intensity mechanical wounding, high intensity mechanical wounding, needle clipping, jasmonate application and control treatments).Fertilization increased N and P concentration, consequently reducing C/N ratio. The production of resin and polyphenolics was altered by fertilization, varying with time and tissue. Natural infestation by Pissodes castaneus was more intense on fertilized trees. Fertilization produced an overall increase of reproductive effort and output in terms of quantity but not quality, and increased tree growth.Needle clipping and methyl-jasmonate increased needle resin and phenols concentration shortly after treatment, but mechanical wounding didn’t, while concentrations in phloem remain unaltered. All these changes did not produce any response of herbivores. Generally, needle clipping had the strongest effect on reproductive variables, and mechanical wounding the mildest, with a high variability on intensity and direction of effects. Needle clipping decreased tree growth, while the rest of herbivory treatments did increase it. Complex interactions among life-history dimensions arose, showing that pairwise approaches are too simplistic for unravelling these complexities. This three-way relationship imposes new environmental and physiological constraints to the evolution and maintenance of masting.

Bibliographic Details

Asier R. Larrinaga; Luís Sampedro Pérez; Rafael Zas Arregui

Elsevier BV

Multidisciplinary; Masting; growth; reproduction; defense; fertilization; herbivory

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