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Abstract Detail



Reproductive biology

Kricsfalusy, Vladimir [1].

Life-history variation in populations of the prairie crocus (Anemone patens L.).

Through increased understanding of the life history of plants, it would be possible to predict the behavior of populations in different habitats to identify crucial stages of the life cycle and to target those stages as part of demographic monitoring. This approach is also highly relevant to conservation managers and decision makers due to its relative simplicity and fairly minimal time and resource requirements. Anemone patens L. is a perennial herb widespread throughout the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, covering a wide range of climatic and habitat conditions. The legal framework supports the conservation of A. patens, being included in the Red Lists of practically every European country where it occurs and in several international regulations. In North America, A. patens is relatively well represented in the United States and Canada and has varying conservation status between the states and provinces of these countries. There is a large body of information about species’ biology and ecology, however, to the best of our knowledge, studies on the life history of A. patens are lacking. Based on our study of the species ontogeny in a variety of natural habitats in Saskatchewan, Canada, eight life stages (seed, seedling, juvenile, immature, vegetative, generative, subsenile, and senile) are distinguished and characterized in detail. The species ontogenetic growth patterns are investigated by using correlation and path coefficient analysis of morphological traits. A comparative study of seed yield parameters of different populations was conducted applying multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results show that a variety of factors can influence level of seed production in A. patens. A. patens has a long life cycle that may last for several decades. The plant ontogeny is simple, with the principal reproductive cycle occurring through seeds, and facultative subsenile vegetative disintegration by weakly rejuvenated individuals. The role of clonality in the species life cycle is analyzed. Different types of ontogenetic development of A. patens are identified: (1) with delay in young age, (2) with an accelerated rate of development, (3) with omission of the generative stage, (4) with retrogression to previous life stages in mature age, (5) with seed reproduction, (6) with vegetative dormancy, and (7) with facultative disintegration in old age. The presence of a range of ontogenetic cycles is a most important adaptive mechanism for A. patens that determines the dynamic heterogeneity of populations and ensures their stability in different environmental conditions and management regimes.


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1 - University of Saskatchewan, 117 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N5C8, Canada

Keywords:
Development
life stages
growth patterns
reproductive biology
life cycle
Anemone patens
Canada.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRP005
Abstract ID:647
Candidate for Awards:None


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