Variation in Resource Allocation and Reproductive Effort within a Single Population of Liatris laevigata Nuttall (Asteraceae)

Abstract

Variation in resource allocation and reproductive effort was high in a natural population of Liatris laevigata Nuttall studied in southern Florida. Such variation has typically been ignored in past studies of resource allocation and reproductive effort which were more concerned with average differences between two or more populations. The magnitude of the variation, however, suggests that it is important in the life history of the plant. This may be related to the germination requirements of the seed and temporal changes in the suitability of the habitat for seedling establishment.