Relative Growth Rates of Cohorts of Ramets Cloned from a Single Genet

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Abstract
Mean relative growth rates (RGR) were estimated for a series of cohorts of 3-leaved ramets of Carex flacca cloned from a single genet taken from a grassland in N. Derbyshire [UK]. The cohort with the most vigorous growth had a mean RGR 2.18 times that of the least vigorous cohort. Mean RGR was normally distributed against the logarithms of mean initial fresh weight per ramet (P < 0.01). The fitted distribution predicted that individuals with an initial weight equal to that of the sample mean would have a mean RGR 1.13 times that of the sample mean; at 2 SD away from mean initial weight, mean RGR would be reduced to 0.71 of that of the sample mean. Existing information, when combined with the present data, indicated that the extreme variation in mean RGR between species grown under productive conditions was about 10-fold, whereas variation between populations, genets and ramets was perhaps 2-fold. The distributions of mean RGR within the 4 levels of organization are discussed and the probabilistic implications of these distributions are briefly explored.