Umwelt, Morphologie und Wachstumsmuster klonaler Pflanzen : eine Übersicht

In contrast to most animals plants are characterized by a modular construction and respond to changing environmental conditions either by growth or discarding of parts, both of which involve a change in size and form of the organism. Clonal growth occurs especially frequently in herbaceous perennials and may be characterized by the distinctive ability to spread laterally. Some advantages of clonal growth include the ability: to rapidly colonize open habitats, to preemtively occupy space by forming dense patches, to avoid competition by fugitive growth, and to forage for resources which are heterogeneously distributed. Such tactics depend on the morphology of clonal units and their arrangement in space and time. I identify and discuss five clonal growth strategies considering differences in (1) growth form, (2) the maximal relative growth rate, (3) the degree fo physiological integration, and (4) growth plasticity. Each strategy offers benefits under particular environmental conditions. Therefore different strategies will prevail in different habitats. This is illustrated with examples from alpine communities.