Experimental ecology of Dryas octopetala ecotypes. V. Field photosynthesis of reciprocal transplants

• Published in: Ecography
• Main Author: McGraw, J. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1987
• Subjects: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Dryas octopetala
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1987.tb00773.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0587.1987.tb00773.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1987.tb00773.x

The response of photosynthesis to reciprocal transplanting was measured in 1980, 1981, and 1986 in two genetically‐distinct populations of Dryas octopetala , a circumpolar dwarf shrub. Contrary to expectation, photosynthetic rates were lowest in “home” environments and highest in “foreign” sites. Also, “native” plants had lower photosynthetic rates than “alien” plants. A “rapid‐transplant” experiment showed that the observed pattern was not caused by environmental differences between sites at the time of measurement, but rather by the long‐term response of transplants to the environment. These results, in combination with the results of an analysis of the fitness response to transplanting (published elsewhere), caution against assuming that a positive relationship always exists between photosynthetic rate and fitness. Integrated measures of carbon gain may be more appropriate as measures of plant performance.