Resource allocation and phenology of two species of Aster (Asteraceae) and their hybrid

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Abstract
The phenology and the partitioning of resources were analyzed in 16 populations of 2 spp. of Aster and their hybrid: A. acuminatus, a forest understory species; A. nemoralis, a bog species; and A. .times. blakei. These populations were all found within a 2-km radius in southwestern Quebec (Canada). The 3 taxa were relatively synchronous in their flowering periods, although A. acuminatus and A. .times. blakei initiated flowering 10 days earlier than A. nemoralis. Reproductive effort was lower in A. nemoralis (4%) than in A. acuminatus (14%) and A. .times. blakei, although considerable variability for this trait was found among the last 2 taxa. A higher proportion of energy was directed towards stem production in A. nemoralis but its foliar biomass was similar to A. acuminatus and A. .times. blakei. The lower number of leaves per plant and their disposition in A. acuminatus determine a higher effective leaf area in this taxon. This trade-off appears to be an adaptive shift to enhance photosynthetic efficiency under the light-limiting conditions of the forest understory.

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