Abstract
We investigated reproduction of the clonal tree Robinia pseudoacacia in a Pinus thunbergii windbreak. Microsatellite polymorphism analysis revealed that asexual reproduction through horizontal root elongation and ramet formation was the primary mode of reproduction in this population. Germination experiments indicated that the inability of established genets to produce viable seeds inhibited sexual reproduction. The boundaries between genet areas were relatively distinct, indicating that ramets within genets spatially excluded one another. Analyses of the number of annual rings and thickness of excavated horizontal roots provided new insight regarding photosynthate transfer through horizontal roots. The number of annual rings and thickness were highest for horizontal roots near the base of ramets and decreased along portions far from ramets. This result indicates that the new horizontal root is supplied with photosynthate from the mother ramet for a few years only, and that resource translocation between neighboring ramets within the same clone ceases after several years. Hypotheses about horizontal root expansion and cessation were considered to explain the exclusive distribution pattern of the horizontal root between genets.
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