Developmental instability and plant potential fitness in a Mediterranean perennial plant, Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss

• Published in: Acta oecologica (Montrouge) Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 43 - 48
• Main Authors: Fungairiño, S.G., Fernández, C., Serrano, J.M., López, F., Acosta, F.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier Masson SAS 2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; Developmental stability; Fitness components; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Modular growth; Plants and fungi; Developmental stability; Modular growth; Fitness components; Phenotype; Leguminosae; Mediterranean vegetation; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Perennial plant; Development; Environmental factor; Instability; Spermatophyta; Ecophysiology; Fitness

Developmental instability is manifested as developmental errors reflected in exaggerated intra-individual variation in repeated traits and patterns. Plants, as organisms with modular construction, are very suitable subjects for detecting developmental instability caused by environmental disturbance....