MATERNAL EFFECTS AT 4 LEVELS IN SENECIO-VULGARIS (ASTERACEAE) GROWN ON A SOIL NUTRIENT GRADIENT

Maternal plants grown in lower soil nutrients produced: 1) seeds with lower individual mass; 2) seeds that germinated later; 3) seedling offspring that grew into smaller juvenile plants in nutrient-impoverished soil; and 4) seedling offspring that survived longer in the absence of external nutrients. This last type of maternal effect is reported for the first time. Data suggest that a compensatory effect of relatively low maternal soil nutrient level may be conferred on the plant's offspring in the form of a "wait and tolerate' strategy through a longer "seedling dormancy' period. This appears to involve a high seedling tolerance threshold level for external nutrient deprivation. -from Authors