10.5061/DRYAD.CVDNCJT44
Méndez, Marcos
0000-0002-0144-643X
King Juan Carlos University
Pérez-Martínez, Enrique
King Juan Carlos University
Reproductive allocation in plants in terms of biomass, energy or nutrients
Dryad
dataset
2021
FOS: Natural sciences
2021-04-30T00:00:00Z
2021-04-30T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.03034
103424 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Reproductive allocation (RA), the proportion of total resources that are
invested in reproductive structures, is a key component of plant life
histories. A major methodological issue is to identify the allocation
currency that better estimates RA: biomass, energy or some mineral
nutrient. Despite considerable effort to ascertain whether biomass could
serve as an integrated estimate of the allocation of other resources, no
clear guideline has emerged from the currency issue. Here, we reappraised
this problem at an interespecific scale. We compiled a data base of 38
studies that estimated RA in terms of two or more different resources for
82 plant species. We tested the equivalence of allocation currencies by
means of both bi- and multivariate correlations among currencies. We also
tested for differences in allocation patterns between growth forms. RA was
estimated in 18 different currencies, including biomass, energy and 16
mineral nutrients. Nitrogen, P, K, Mg and Ca were the main nutrients used
as allocation currency. Growth form accounted for 20-30% of differences in
the resource allocation of multiple resources. The six resources most
frequently used as estimates RA were roughly equivalent at an
interspecific scale. Nevertheless, covariation patterns among currencies
suggested that RA in plants should be better considered a multivariate
trait and not estimated using a single currency. In particular,
multivariate estimates of RA can contribute to the ongoing comparative
studies of life histories and functional traits.
Data come from a literature search of relevant papers indicating
reproductive allocation (RA) in plants in at least two currencies: biomass
(dry mass), energy or nutrients. RA data were taken from tables or figures
in the papers (indicated in the dataset). In a few cases, RA were
calculated from primary data on vegetative and reproductive biomass,
energy or nutrients provided in the papers. The dataset includes the
source of data, the plant species (original taxonomy was kept),
treatment/site/year/sex of the data (a single species can have more than
one entry), table or figure from which the data were taken, phenological
moment in which the data were measured (at flowering, at fruiting or
sequentally; if the last, it is indicated which time was used in the
dataset), whether all reproductive structures or only primary (flowers,
seeds) were taken into account, whether all vegetative structures or only
aboveground structures were taken into account, and then the estimates of
RA. When calculations were performed, all formulae have been included in
the corresponding cell.
Some minor differences can exist with respect to the indications in the
published paper, as a result of last minute corrections. Conclusions are
not affected and only very minor quantitative departures are expected as a
result of these minor diferences.