Consequences of preformation for dynamic resource allocation by a carnivorous herb, Pinguicula vulgaris (Lentibulariaceae)

• Published in: American journal of botany Vol. 86; no. 8; pp. 1136 - 1145
• Main Authors: Worley, A.C, Harder, L.D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Botanical Soc America 01.08.1999; Botanical Society of America; Botanical Society of America, Inc
• Subjects: asexual reproduction; biomass production; Botany; carnivorous plants; cell differentiation; Flower buds; flower primordia; Flowering; Flowers; Fruiting; Growing seasons; growth; Herbs; Insect reproduction; leaf primordia; Leaves; Lentibulariaceae; Pinguicula vulgaris; nutrient availability; perennials; Pinguicula; Pinguicula vulgaris; plant development; Plant growth; Plant reproduction; Plants; preformation; reproduction; supplemental resources; trade‐offs; vegetative propagation; Reproductive Biology; sexual reproduction; Vegetative propagation; Alberta
• ISSN: 0002-9122; 1537-2197
• DOI: 10.2307/2656977

When resource availability changes frequently and unpredictably, natural selection favors flexible resource allocation; however, such versatility may be compromised in perennial plants that differentiate leaves or flowers a year in advance of their development (preformation). We investigated resource allocation by the carnivorous perennial Pinguicula vulgaris to determine whether increased resource availability changes within-season allocation to growth, vegetative propagation, and reproduction. In response to resource supplementation (feeding with fruit flies), plants attained a mass 60% greater than that of unfed plants after a single growing season. Feeding also enhanced vegetative propagation, which is closely associated with growth, without modifying relations between these two vegetative functions. In contrast, feeding did not alter the size of vegetative rosettes or the within-season incidence of either flowering or fruiting. This lack of immediate responses occurred because floral and leaf primordia differentiated up to 10 mo before resource supplementation and flower development. However, enhanced resource status likely affected future reproduction indirectly through resource effects on plant size. Large plants produced more floral primordia and between-year changes in fruiting status corresponded to changes in plant size. These results illustrate that preformation can delay responses to enhanced resources by perennial plants.