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Feihai Yu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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herbivory induced maternal effects on growth and defense traits in the Clonal Species alternanthera philoxeroides
Science of The Total Environment, 2017Co-Authors: Bicheng Dong, Ting Fu, Feihai YuAbstract:Abstract Plants have evolved a variety of defense traits against foliar herbivory, including the production of primary and secondary metabolites, the allocation of chemical compounds, and morphological plasticity. Using two vegetative generations of the invasive Clonal Species Alternanthera philoxeroides , we investigated the effects of maternal and offspring herbivory by Planococcus minor on the integrative defense strategy of plants. Herbivory severely inhibited leaf, stolon and root growth, as well as the production of primary metabolites (soluble sugars, starch, and total non-structural carbohydrates in stolons), and decreased average leaf area and specific leaf area of the second-generation A. philoxeroides . The changes in growth measures of the first-generation A. philoxeroides with herbivory were consistent with that of the second generation. By contrast, herbivory basically did not affect the concentration of non-structural carbohydrate compounds in the roots, and even increased the concentrations of N and total phenols in taproots. Furthermore, herbivory-induced maternal effects also reduced the growth of the second-generation plants. The results suggest that A. philoxeroides is capable of adapting to herbivory by P. minor , mainly via the allocation of available resources in belowground organs, and that the herbivory effect can persist across vegetative generations. These features may potentially improve the regeneration and tolerance of A. philoxeroides after a short-term herbivory.
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effects of soil nutrient heterogeneity on intraspecific competition in the invasive Clonal plant alternanthera philoxeroides
Annals of Botany, 2012Co-Authors: Jian Zhou, Bicheng Dong, Mingxiang Zhang, Peter Alpert, Hongli Li, Feihai YuAbstract:†Background and Aims Fine-scale, spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrient availability can increase the growth of individual plants, the productivity of plant communities and interspecific competition. If this is due to the ability of plants to concentrate their roots where nutrient levels are high, then nutrient heterogeneity should have little effect on intraspecific competition, especially when there are no genotypic differences between individuals in root plasticity. We tested this hypothesis in a widespread, Clonal Species in which individual plants are known to respond to nutrient heterogeneity. †Methods Plants derived from a single clone of Alternanthera philoxeroides were grown in the greenhouse at low or high density (four or 16 plants per 27.5 × 27.5-cm container) with homogeneous or heterogeneous availability of soil nutrients, keeping total nutrient availability per container constant. After 9 weeks, measurements of size, dry mass and morphology were taken. †Key Results Plants grew more in the heterogeneous than in the homogeneous treatment, showing that heterogeneity promoted performance; they grew less in the high- than in the low-density treatment, showing that plants competed. There was no interactive effect of nutrient heterogeneity and plant density, supporting the hypothesis that heterogeneity does not affect intraspecific competition in the absence of genotypic differences in plasticity. Treatments did not affect morphological characteristics such as specific leaf area or root/shoot ratio. †Conclusions Results indicate that fine-scale, spatial heterogeneity in the availability of soil nutrients does not increase competition when plants are genetically identical, consistent with the suggestion that effects of heterogeneity on competition depend upon differences in plasticity between individuals. Heterogeneity is only likely to increase the spread of monoClonal, invasive populations such as that of A. philoxeroides in China.
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effects of orientation on survival and growth of small fragments of the invasive Clonal plant alternanthera philoxeroides
PLOS ONE, 2010Co-Authors: Bicheng Dong, Mingxiang Zhang, Peter Alpert, Feihai YuAbstract:Background The ability of small Clonal fragments to establish and grow after disturbance is an important ecological advantage of Clonal growth in plants and a major factor in the invasiveness of some introduced, Clonal Species. We hypothesized that orientation in the horizontal position (typical for stoloniferous plants) can increase the survival and growth of dispersed Clonal fragments, and that this effect of orientation can be stronger when fragments are smaller and thus have fewer reserves to support initial growth. Methodology/Principal Findings To test these hypotheses, we compared performance of single-node pieces of stolon fragments of Alternanthera philoxeroides planted at angles of 0, 45 or 90° away from the horizontal position, with either the distal or the proximal end of the fragment up and with either 1 or 3 cm of stolon left attached both distal and proximal to the ramet. As expected, survival and growth were greatest when fragments were positioned horizontally. Contrary to expectations, some of these effects of orientation were stronger when attached stolons were longer. Orientation had smaller effects than stolon length on the performance of fragments; survival of fragments was about 60% with shorter stolons and 90% with longer stolons. Conclusions/Significance Results supported the hypothesis that orientation can affect establishment of small Clonal fragments, suggested that effects of orientation can be stronger in larger rather than smaller fragments, and indicated that orientation may have less effect on establishment than amount of stored resources.
Bicheng Dong - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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herbivory induced maternal effects on growth and defense traits in the Clonal Species alternanthera philoxeroides
Science of The Total Environment, 2017Co-Authors: Bicheng Dong, Ting Fu, Feihai YuAbstract:Abstract Plants have evolved a variety of defense traits against foliar herbivory, including the production of primary and secondary metabolites, the allocation of chemical compounds, and morphological plasticity. Using two vegetative generations of the invasive Clonal Species Alternanthera philoxeroides , we investigated the effects of maternal and offspring herbivory by Planococcus minor on the integrative defense strategy of plants. Herbivory severely inhibited leaf, stolon and root growth, as well as the production of primary metabolites (soluble sugars, starch, and total non-structural carbohydrates in stolons), and decreased average leaf area and specific leaf area of the second-generation A. philoxeroides . The changes in growth measures of the first-generation A. philoxeroides with herbivory were consistent with that of the second generation. By contrast, herbivory basically did not affect the concentration of non-structural carbohydrate compounds in the roots, and even increased the concentrations of N and total phenols in taproots. Furthermore, herbivory-induced maternal effects also reduced the growth of the second-generation plants. The results suggest that A. philoxeroides is capable of adapting to herbivory by P. minor , mainly via the allocation of available resources in belowground organs, and that the herbivory effect can persist across vegetative generations. These features may potentially improve the regeneration and tolerance of A. philoxeroides after a short-term herbivory.
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effects of soil nutrient heterogeneity on intraspecific competition in the invasive Clonal plant alternanthera philoxeroides
Annals of Botany, 2012Co-Authors: Jian Zhou, Bicheng Dong, Mingxiang Zhang, Peter Alpert, Hongli Li, Feihai YuAbstract:†Background and Aims Fine-scale, spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrient availability can increase the growth of individual plants, the productivity of plant communities and interspecific competition. If this is due to the ability of plants to concentrate their roots where nutrient levels are high, then nutrient heterogeneity should have little effect on intraspecific competition, especially when there are no genotypic differences between individuals in root plasticity. We tested this hypothesis in a widespread, Clonal Species in which individual plants are known to respond to nutrient heterogeneity. †Methods Plants derived from a single clone of Alternanthera philoxeroides were grown in the greenhouse at low or high density (four or 16 plants per 27.5 × 27.5-cm container) with homogeneous or heterogeneous availability of soil nutrients, keeping total nutrient availability per container constant. After 9 weeks, measurements of size, dry mass and morphology were taken. †Key Results Plants grew more in the heterogeneous than in the homogeneous treatment, showing that heterogeneity promoted performance; they grew less in the high- than in the low-density treatment, showing that plants competed. There was no interactive effect of nutrient heterogeneity and plant density, supporting the hypothesis that heterogeneity does not affect intraspecific competition in the absence of genotypic differences in plasticity. Treatments did not affect morphological characteristics such as specific leaf area or root/shoot ratio. †Conclusions Results indicate that fine-scale, spatial heterogeneity in the availability of soil nutrients does not increase competition when plants are genetically identical, consistent with the suggestion that effects of heterogeneity on competition depend upon differences in plasticity between individuals. Heterogeneity is only likely to increase the spread of monoClonal, invasive populations such as that of A. philoxeroides in China.
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effects of orientation on survival and growth of small fragments of the invasive Clonal plant alternanthera philoxeroides
PLOS ONE, 2010Co-Authors: Bicheng Dong, Mingxiang Zhang, Peter Alpert, Feihai YuAbstract:Background The ability of small Clonal fragments to establish and grow after disturbance is an important ecological advantage of Clonal growth in plants and a major factor in the invasiveness of some introduced, Clonal Species. We hypothesized that orientation in the horizontal position (typical for stoloniferous plants) can increase the survival and growth of dispersed Clonal fragments, and that this effect of orientation can be stronger when fragments are smaller and thus have fewer reserves to support initial growth. Methodology/Principal Findings To test these hypotheses, we compared performance of single-node pieces of stolon fragments of Alternanthera philoxeroides planted at angles of 0, 45 or 90° away from the horizontal position, with either the distal or the proximal end of the fragment up and with either 1 or 3 cm of stolon left attached both distal and proximal to the ramet. As expected, survival and growth were greatest when fragments were positioned horizontally. Contrary to expectations, some of these effects of orientation were stronger when attached stolons were longer. Orientation had smaller effects than stolon length on the performance of fragments; survival of fragments was about 60% with shorter stolons and 90% with longer stolons. Conclusions/Significance Results supported the hypothesis that orientation can affect establishment of small Clonal fragments, suggested that effects of orientation can be stronger in larger rather than smaller fragments, and indicated that orientation may have less effect on establishment than amount of stored resources.
Dan Yu - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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tolerance and resistance facilitate the invasion success of alternanthera philoxeroides in disturbed habitats a reconsideration of the disturbance hypothesis in the light of phenotypic variation
Environmental and Experimental Botany, 2018Co-Authors: Tong Wang, Jiangtao Hu, Renqing Wang, Dan YuAbstract:Abstract Disturbance has been considered to exert positive, neutral or negative effects on the invasion of exotic plants. Disturbance may enhance the invasion success of alien invasive Species by both increasing their performance and alleviating the harmful effects caused by disturbance via tolerance and resistance, especially in the late phases of the invasion process. However, the tolerance and resistance of invasive plant Clonal populations to disturbance has been mostly neglected. In the present study, we explored the phenotypic responses of Clonal populations of the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and three co-occurring non-invasive Clonal Species, i.e., Alternanthera sessilis, Myriophyllum aquaticum and Jussiaea repens, to different levels of fluctuating flood disturbances using a mesocosm experiment. Different functional traits related to morphology, biomass allocation and physiology were used to evaluate plant performance. We found that A. philoxeroides coped with fluctuating flooding by performing phenotypic maintenance that affected ramet number, stolon length, specific leaf area, leaf mass ratio, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content and non-structural carbohydrate content; additionally, the plant experienced variations in stolon diameter, stolon mass ratio, root mass allocation and maximum fluorescence. In addition, Alternanthera philoxeroides demonstrated several similarities with the three non-invasive Species in terms of the observed phenotypic responses to different disturbance statuses. Furthermore, Alternanthera philoxeroides showed respective advantages in tolerance compared to A. sessilis, photosynthetic capacity compared to M. aquaticum and especially J. repens, and resistance to submergence compared to all three non-invasive Species. Overall, tolerance and resistance facilitated the successful invasion of A. philoxeroides in disturbed habitats. Furthermore, the native constructive Species J. repens was severely harmed by fluctuating flooding; thus, fluctuating flooding could create an empty niche that promotes the expansion of the Clonal populations of A. philoxeroides.
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the invasive stoloniferous Clonal plant alternanthera philoxeroides outperforms its co occurring non invasive functional counterparts in heterogeneous soil environments invasion implications
Scientific Reports, 2016Co-Authors: Tong Wang, Jiangtao Hu, Linlin Miao, Dan YuAbstract:Environmental heterogeneity is considered to play a defining role in promoting invasion success, and it favours Clonal plants. Although Clonality has been demonstrated to be correlated with the invasion success of several Species of Clonal invasive plants in heterogeneous environments, little is known about how the spatial scale of heterogeneity affects their performance. In addition, the factors that distinguish invasive from non-invasive Clonal Species and that enhance the invasive potential of Clonal exotic invaders in heterogeneous environments remain unclear. In this study, we compared several traits of a noxious Clonal invasive Species, Alternanthera philoxeroides, with its co-occurring non-invasive functional counterparts, the native congener Alternanthera sessilis, the exotic Myriophyllum aquaticum and the native Jussiaea repens, in three manipulative substrates with different soil distribution patterns. We found that the invasive performance of A. philoxeroides was not enhanced by heterogeneity and that it was generally scale independent. However, A. philoxeroides showed some advantages over the three non-invasives with respect to trait values and phenotypic variation. These advantages may enhance the competitive capacity of A. philoxeroides and thus promote its invasion success in heterogeneous environments.
Jitka Klimešová - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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disturbance is an important factor in the evolution and distribution of root sprouting Species
Evolutionary Ecology, 2017Co-Authors: Jitka Klimešová, Tomas Herben, Jana MartinkovaAbstract:We address the neglected issue of ecological and evolutionary significance of root sprouting (RS) in plants. RS has been considered a sort of morphological curiosity. However, existing data of the Central European flora show that it occurs in about 10% of Species. These Species are therefore independent of a stem-derived bud bank in their resprouting. As sprouting from roots has been hypothesised to help plants survive disturbance, we used a large data set (2914 Species with data on presence/absence of RS from Central Europe) to perform comparative analyses of its occurrence in disturbed habitats, evolution of RS in response to disturbance, and its distribution among individual plant lineages. To address these questions, we linked the data with Species-level indicator values for disturbance, data on additional functional traits and phylogenetic data. We confirmed that RS ability is more frequent in plants growing in habitats subjected to disturbance, especially in annuals and Clonal Species. This contrasts with Clonality via stem-based organs, which does not promote occurrence in disturbed habitats. Disturbance severity is the most important factor determining RS Species distribution, whereas disturbance frequency plays a smaller role. RS is phylogenetically less conservative than sprouting from the stem-based belowground bud bank and thus can be easily acquired or lost in evolution, although these rates strongly differ between individual lineages. Evolution of RS seems to be driven largely by occurrence in disturbed habitats, and has appeared/disappeared independently of the presence of a stem-derived bud bank. Importantly, the data support the scenario in which colonisation of such habitats occurs prior to acquiring the RS ability, which develops only later. RS is hence a more important ecological trait than hitherto assumed. It constitutes an independent route of response to severe disturbance and its ecological effects and evolutionary patterns differ from stem-based Clonality.
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Clonal growth and sexual reproduction tradeoffs and environmental constraints
Oikos, 2015Co-Authors: Tomas Herben, Božena Sera, Jitka KlimešováAbstract:Clonal growth confers a number of benefi ts on plants, but involves some costs as well. We examined whether seed reproduction is reduced in Clonal plants due to these costs. Further, we investigated whether this relationship diff ers for Species with optima at stressful or low-productivity sites, as a possible indication that Clonality acts as insurance against reduced seed reproduction in such conditions. We evaluated 472 Species for which seed production per unit area had been determined, and employed this information together with data on seed mass, height at maturity, Clonal traits and optimum habitat conditions (using Ellenberg indicator values). Th ere was a strong hyperbolic relationship between seed output and seed mass, with a scaling coeffi cient of – 1, indicative of a simple tradeoff relationship. We performed analyses both with and without taking phylogeny into account. Reproductive output (i.e. the product of seed output and seed size) of was lower in Clonal than in non-Clonal plants (in both with and without phylogeny incorporated in the analyses); within non-Clonal Species, it was high in annuals and monocarpic plants relative to nonClonal perennials. Reproductive output was lower in Clonal plants with extensive lateral spread. Th is may be due to lower mortality of such plants, which should favor reduced reproductive output, but direct resource tradeoff may also be involved. Reproductive output in all Clonal and non-Clonal plants increased with the nutrient status and light level of the Species ’ optimum, and decreased with moisture. Because the proportion of Clonal plants in vegetation is known to decrease along the same gradients, we can infer that as sexual reproduction becomes increasingly diffi cult in terms of these characteristics, Clonal plants may capitalize on their capacity to bypass it. However, the relationships with habitat parameters disappeared in the phylogenetically corrected analysis, indicating that habitat preferences and reproductive output evolved together.
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plant seedlings in a Species rich meadow effect of management vegetation type and functional traits
Applied Vegetation Science, 2013Co-Authors: Ondřej Mudrak, Jiři Doležal, Leos Klimes, Michal Hajek, Martin Dancak, Jitka KlimešováAbstract:Questions (1) How do various mowing regimes used for the preservation of diverse meadow biota affect the occurrence of plant seedlings? (2) Does the effect of mowing regime on seedlings differ among vegetation types? (3) Are the seedlings occurring under a particular management type characterized by distinct functional traits? (4) Do the traits of seedlings differ from those of resident adult plant Species? Location White Carpathians (Bile Karpaty) Mountains, Czech Republic. Methods In a Species-rich meadow, seedlings (non-graminoids only) were identified to Species and counted in an experiment that included management cessation and five mowing regimes in three types of vegetation for 2 yr. The abundance-weighted averages of functional traits were compared between seedling and adult plant communities. Results Seedling occurrence was suppressed by management cessation (abandonment) but differences among the five mowing treatments were small for all vegetation types. Seedling density and Species richness were highest in vegetation dominated by Bromus erectus, intermediate in vegetation dominated by Molinia arundinacea, and lowest in vegetation dominated by Calamagrostis epigejos. Comparison of functional trait composition of seedlings with that of adult plants revealed that seedlings were largely produced by Species with no or limited Clonal growth and with low stature, and therefore with lower competitive ability. Conclusions The results indicate that short-term alteration of the mowing regime does not change conditions conducive to seedling occurrence, but even short-term abandonment hinders the establishment of small, non-Clonal Species. Rapid changes in Species composition after abandonment in temperate meadows are therefore due not only to competitive exclusion of subordinate plant Species, but also to their inability to establish from seeds.
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Clonal growth forms in eastern ladakh western himalayas classification and habitat preferences
Folia Geobotanica, 2011Co-Authors: Jitka Klimešová, Jiři Doležal, Miroslav Dvorský, Francesco De Bello, Leos KlimesAbstract:Earlier observations that plant Clonality, i.e., production of potentially independent offspring by vegetative growth, increase in importance in cold climates such as in arctic and alpine regions, have been recently questioned. However, lack of data obtained using a comparable methodology throughout different regions limit such comparisons. Here we present a classification of Clonal growth forms for vascular plants from East Ladakh (an arid mountain range in NW Himalaya, India), and assess the relationship of these forms with multiple environmental gradients. Based on field assessment of Clonality in 540 Species we distinguished 20 growth forms, which were then grouped into four broader space occupancy strategies. Occurrence in communities and relationship with environmental characteristics and altitude were analyzed using multivariate methods. The most abundant growth form was represented by non-Clonal perennial Species with a pleiocorm having short branches, prevailing in steppes, Caragana shrubs and screes. The most abundant Clonal Species were those with very short epigeogenous rhizomes, such as turf graminoids prevailing in wet Kobresia grasslands. Two principal environmental gradients, together with several abiotic variables, affected space occupancy strategies: moisture and altitude. Non-spreading integrators prevailed on shaded rocky slopes, non-spreading splitters in wet grasslands and spreading splitters at the wettest sites. Spreading integrators were the least frequent strategy predominantly occurring at the most elevated sites. Because relevance of Clonality decreased with altitude and different communities host different sets of Clonal growth strategies, comparison with other cold climate regions should take multiple environmental gradients into account.
Olivier Honnay - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Traits related to Species persistence and dispersal explain changes in plant communities subjected to habitat loss
Diversity and Distributions, 2012Co-Authors: Lorenzo Marini, Hans Henrik Bruun, Jochen Krauss, Ingolf Kühn, Regina Lindborg, Risto K Heikkinen, Aveliina Helm, Olivier Honnay, Meelis Partel, Riccardo BommarcoAbstract:Aim Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of biodiversity loss but it is insufficiently known how much its effects vary among Species with different life-history traits; especially in plant communities, the understanding of the role of traits related to Species persistence and dispersal in determining dynamics of Species communities in fragmented landscapes is still limited. The primary aim of this study was to test how plant traits related to persistence and dispersal and their interactions modify plant Species vulnerability to decreasing habitat area and increasing isolation. Location Five regions distributed over four countries in Central and Northern Europe. Methods Our dataset was composed of primary data from studies on the distribution of plant communities in 300 grassland fragments in five regions. The regional datasets were consolidated by standardizing nomenclature and Species life-history traits and by recalculating standardized landscape measures from the original geographical data. We assessed the responses of plant Species richness to habitat area, connectivity, plant life-history traits and their interactions using linear mixed models. Results We found that the negative effect of habitat loss on plant Species richness was pervasive across different regions, whereas the effect of habitat isolation on Species richness was not evident. This area effect was, however, not equal for all the Species, and life-history traits related to both Species persistence and dispersal modified plant sensitivity to habitat loss, indicating that both landscape and local processes determined large-scale dynamics of plant communities. High competitive ability for light, annual life cycle and animal dispersal emerged as traits enabling Species to cope with habitat loss. Main conclusions In highly fragmented rural landscapes in NW Europe, mitigating the spatial isolation of remaining grasslands should be accompanied by restoration measures aimed at improving habitat quality for low competitors, abiotically dispersed and perennial, Clonal Species.
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A meta-analysis of the relation between mating system, growth form and genotypic diversity in Clonal plant Species
Evolutionary Ecology, 2008Co-Authors: Olivier Honnay, Hans JacquemynAbstract:Next to its well-described ecological advantages, Clonal growth in plants may incur fitness costs, which are associated with the effects of typically large Clonal individuals on the patterns of pollen dispersal. These fitness costs include increased selfing and inbreeding depression in self-compatible Species, and reduced mate availability in self-incompatible Species. Although fitness costs may affect mating system evolution, there is currently no strong evidence available that either self-compatibility or self-incompatibility is associated with Clonality. One reason for this may be the variety in growth forms (from guerrilla to phalanx habits) within Clonal Species, and the fact that growth form may strongly affect mating patterns. We present the results of a formal meta-analysis of 72 published studies, aiming at reporting genotypic diversities across studies and at relating mating system with Clonal growth form and genotypic diversity. We found lower genotypic diversities in Clonal self-incompatible Species compared to self-compatible Species, suggesting that mate availability may indeed be reduced in Clonal self- incompatible Species. We also cannot confirm that mating system is associated with Clonal growth form.
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consequences of prolonged Clonal growth on local and regional genetic structure and fruiting success of the forest perennial maianthemum bifolium
Oikos, 2006Co-Authors: Olivier Honnay, Hans Jacquemyn, Isabel Roldanruiz, Martin HermyAbstract:The balance between Clonal propagation and sexual reproduction varies among Species. Although theory predicts an impact of Clonal growth on both, within and between population genetic structure, most empirical evidence available to date does not reveal sharp differences between sexually reproducing and Clonal Species. This has been attributed mainly to the fact that even low levels of sexual recruitment can maintain high levels of genetic diversity. Here we study the effects of prolonged Clonal growth and very low rates of sexual recruitment on the genetic structure of the perennial Maianthemum bifolium , an outcrossing understorey Species of temperate forests. Average genotypic diversity (0.37) of the populations, as revealed by AFLP, was above the average values reported for Species of similar characteristics, but some populations were extremely poor in genotypes. Fruiting success was positively correlated with genotypic diversity, probably as a result of shortage in mating types and compatible pollen in populations poor in genotypes. This was confirmed by a pollination experiment. Fruiting success increased by a factor three when individuals were hand-pollinated with pollen from a nearby population compared to hand-pollinations with pollen from the own population. Furthermore, the fruiting success after natural pollination (control individuals) was positively related to number of nearby populations which could act as pollen sources. Given the limited colonization capacity of the Species (no seed flow), and the long time since fragmentation of the forest fragments studied, between-population genetic differentiation was relatively low (Fst /0.14). Lack of genetic drift due to long generation times and very limited sexual recruitment is probably responsible for this. Our results show that prolonged Clonal growth and lack of sexual recruitment may affect within and between population genetic structure and the capability for sexual reproduction.