Abstract
Active foraging for patchy resources is a crucial feature of many clonal plant species. It has been recently shown that plants’ foraging for resources can be facilitated by anticipatory behavior via association of resource position with other environmental cues. We therefore tested whether clones of Fragaria vesca are able to associate and memorize positions of soil nutrients with particular light intensity, which will consequently enable them anticipating nutrients in new environment. We trained clones of F. vesca for nutrients to occur either in shade or in light. Consequently, we tested their growth response to differing light intensity in the absence of soil nutrients. We also manipulated epigenetic status of a subset of the clones to test the role of DNA methylation in the anticipatory behavior. Clones of F. vesca were able to associate presence of nutrients with particular light intensity, which enabled them to anticipate nutrient positions in the new environment based on its light intensity. Clones that had been trained for nutrients to occur in shade increased placement of ramets to shade whereas clones trained for nutrients to occur in light increased biomass of ramets in light. Our study clearly shows that the clonal plant F. vesca is able to relate two environmental factors, light and soil nutrients, and use this connection in anticipatory behavior. We conclude that anticipatory behavior can substantially improve the ability of clonal plants to utilize scarce and unevenly distributed resources.
Highlights
Despite their sessile life style, plants can exhibit very complex and sophisticated behavior for example in foraging for resources, tackling with abiotic or biotic stressors and alike (Karban, 2008)
Our results show that clones of F. vesca have developed an association that nutrient patches are located in environments of particular light intensity
We suggest that similar interplay between information on the light intensity and nutrient quality that alter plant phenotype can occur in clonal plants
Summary
Despite their sessile life style, plants can exhibit very complex and sophisticated behavior for example in foraging for resources, tackling with abiotic or biotic stressors and alike (Karban, 2008). Plants can modify their growth according to expected future competition for resources based on their previous experience with the light quality (Gagliano et al, 2016; Novoplansky, 2016). These are but a few examples describing the ability of plants to memorize past experiences and apply the memory in actual and anticipatory behavior
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
