Do plant species with high relative growth rates have poorer chemical defences?

Abstract

1. Most theories of plant strategies assume the presence of certain ‘trade‐offs’. One such evolutionary trade‐off assumes a decrease in growth rate with increasing investment in chemical defences in species adapted to different levels of habitat fertility. 2. To test this hypothesis, we grew 31 herbaceous species of Asteraceae under controlled conditions of temperature (25 °C), humidity (80%), light (500 μmol m–2 s–1) and photoperiod (16 h day–1) in a modified Hoagland hydroponic solution. The plants grew from seed for 35 days post‐germination and were harvested at 14, 21, 28 and 35 days. Relative growth rate (RGR) was calculated as well as a general measure of potential phytochemical toxicity (LC50) using an alcohol extraction of secondary compounds followed by Brine Shrimp bioassay and an assay of total phenolics. 3. The interspecific correlation between RGR and the potential phytochemical toxicity was weak and non‐significant (rS = 0·12, P = 0·53). The correlation between RGR and total phenolics was weak, positive but significant (rS = 0·40, P = 0·03). 4. These results suggest that such an evolutionary trade‐off does not exist in this group of Asteraceae.