Propagule size: Its relation to longevity and reproductive capacity

Abstract

Analysis of published data revealed that there was no correlation between propagule size and longevity among 66 species of microorganisms. The correlation coefficient was —0.204 which was not significantly different from zero at P = 0.05. However, there was an inverse relationship between propagule size and number of propagules produced per unit area of nutrient media among 43 identified species of microorganisms tested. The total volumes (volume x number) of propagules produced per unit area were fairly constant and were not correlated with propagule size. Similar correlations were obtained with propagules produced on diseased fruits by 6 pathogenic fungi. There was a good correlation ( r = 0.974) between reproductive capacity and relative abundance in soil among selected microorganisms. It is, therefore, postulated that the higher reproductive capacity of smaller microorganisms, as compared to large microorganisms, is an important factor leading to the inverse size-number relationship among microorganisms in nature.