THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SEASONAL VARIATION IN LIGHT INTENSITY,RAMET SIZE,AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL POPULATIONS OF ASTER ACUMINATUS (COMPOSITAE)

We conducted experiments to evaluate the effects of different patterns of seasonal light availability on ramet size and sexual reproduction in the understory herb, Aster acuminatus. In April 1982, 200 potted rhizomes were divided equally between a high light and a shaded site. Twice during the growing season subsets of pots were reciprocally transferred between the sites, resulting in eight different light treatments. There was significant variation among treatments in mean ramet weight (0.41–1.21 g), height (15.0–23.4 cm), number of flowers (0.4–7.9) and percentage of ramets flowering (14–95). Periods of high light increased ramet height, weight, rhizome production and flowering, but high light earlier in the season increased ramet height more than did high light later in the season, while high light later had pronounced effects on the other three traits. Measurements taken in nine natural patches experiencing different patterns of seasonal light availability are consistent with the experimental results. The results provide new insights into the general phenomenon of size-dependent reproduction in herbs and illustrate how the phenology of biomass allocation can affect growth and reproduction.