Abstract

CARRILLO-ANGELES, Israel Gustavo  and  MANDUJANO, María del Carmen. Spatial distribution patterns in clonal plants. Bol. Soc. Bot. Méx [online]. 2011, n.89, pp.1-18. ISSN 0366-2128.

Clonal plants are predominantly associated with a clumped distribution of ramets. However, propagation by unlinked means generates a mixed arrangement instead of a clumped one found by linked propagules and intermingled arrangements of genets favor outcrossing. This paper reviews 53 studies on clonal plants to assess the influence of the production of clonal offspring by different means on the spatial arrangement of genets and ramets. We also evaluate the assumption that mixed arrangements promote outcrossing, under the hypothesis that populations where outcrossing is common would have higher levels of genotypic diversity. The studies that were consulted showed a strong bias towards rhizomatous perennial herbs. Clumped distribution patterns predominate in which patches consist of discrete groups of ramets from one or more genets that do not spatially mix. Populations having both types of propagation (linked and unlinked) and species that only have linked propagation have a higher spatially mixed genet and ramet distribution pattern than species that only have unlinked propagation. However, using genotypic diversity indices, we did not find a consistent pattern between the spatial arrangement and outcorssing rates. The reproductive and genetic consequences of the spatial arrangement of genets and ramets continues to be a difficult task, due to a range of factors such as the variety of methods, the lack of good comparative numeric estimations to describe the spatial arrangements and the lack of studies in species that propagate through unlinked propagules.

Keywords : clonality; distribution; diversity; growth; outcrossing.