Competition for Environmental Resources by Component Characters1

Abstract

Do component traits such as numbers of heads/area, seeds/head and weight/kernel compete for the same environmental resources? If so, how can this competition be measured objectively? The general case of two trait competition was examined. When each trait competes more severely with itself than with others, stable equilibria will be found. At some point in development it becomes more difficult for the plant to add, say, another head than to add more seeds per head. The conclusions regarding two competing traits were extended to three traits and applied to the components of yield in oats (Avena sativa L.). The findings seemed to Imply that stable equilibria existed for the three environments and the 36 lines tested. The analysis showed that the component traits shared a common pool of environmental resources but that also certain resources were trait specific. The practical aspects of these findings were discussed.