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The capture and gratuitous disposal of resources by plants
Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001
DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2001.00488.x
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How to Cite
H., T. and Sadras, V. O. (2001), The capture and gratuitous disposal of resources by plants. Functional Ecology, 15: 3–12. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2001.00488.x
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 20 DEC 2001
- Article first published online: 20 DEC 2001
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Keywords:
- abscission;
- carbon;
- evolution;
- leaf;
- nitrogen;
- photosynthesis;
- root;
- senescence
Summary
- 1Every plant will die if light, water or nutrients are withheld for long enough. It is natural to think of plants in general as having evolved a strong drive for resource acquisition as a survival mechanism. All else being equal, an individual that sequesters more material from the environment than its neighbour must be at a competitive advantage.
- 2But the resource capture imperative seems at odds with the profligacy of some characteristic developmental and metabolic processes in many plants. Here, using leaf senescence as a vantage point, we consider whether a kind of wilful inefficiency of resource use may not be essential for success as a terrestrial autotroph.