Roots, Shoots And Reproduction: Sexual Dimorphism In Size And Costs Of Reproductive Allocation In An Annual Herb

In woody plants with separate sexes, females tend to be smaller than males, probably because they invest more heavily in reproduction and thus have fewer resources with which to grow. In this paper, we ask why males tend to be smaller in herbaceous species. We grew males and females of the plant Mercurialis annua but only allowed some to reproduce. We then measured their allocation of carbon and nitrogen to roots, shoots and reproduction.

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Filed under: Biology on August 7th, 2008