Morphological responses to local light conditions in clonal herbs from contrasting habitats, and their modification due to physiological integration.

Abstract

Morphological responses to light and effects of physiological integration on local morphological responses are examined for Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Lamiastrum galeobdolon, stoloniferous herbs from open fenlands and forest understoreys, respectively. An assessment was made of whether these clonal herbs of similar morphology but from contrasting habitats show different foraging behaviour for light. In a garden experiment, the plants wer subjected to four levels of light availability, and to a split treatment in which the primary stolons grew along the border of patches of the two intermediate light levels. In this treatment the plant parts on opposite sides of the primary stolons were in contrasting light environments. Petiole extension was more responsive to light conditions in Hydrocotyle than in Lamiastrum, while the opposite was true for leaf area. Both species showed similar responses in stolon internode length and specific leaf area (SLA). Integration did not significantly modify local responses in stolon internode length in either species. Local responses in petiole length, leaf area and SLA of Hydrocotyle ramets were not significantly affected by physiological integration, except for the SLA of ramets in high light which was evened out by integration. In contrast, in Lamiastrum, local responses in petiole length, leaf area and SLA of many ramets in the shaded and/or light patch were significantly evened out by integration. As a result, interconnected ramets in patches of different light supply developed very different morphologies in Hydrocotyle, but not in Lamiastrum. The results indicate that the species differed in ramet morphological responses to light intensity as well as in effects of integration on local morphological responses, and suggest that species from different habitats show different foraging behaviour for light.