Biomass allocation to sexual and asexual reproduction in a leafy hepatic Lophozia silvicola Buch

Abstract

Allocation of biomass to sexual and asexual reproduction was studied in a population of a dioicous leafy hepatic species Lophozia silvicola Buch in southern Finland. A higher cost of reproduction in females was indicated in this haploid gametophytic plant. Females of L. silvicola allocated 24% of their biomass to sexual reproduction while males allocated only 2.3%. Sexual reproduction affects vegetative growth by reducing stem length and modifying the branching pattern in gametangial shoots. The average numbers of asexual gemmae present on shoots at the time of study ranged from 800 in females to 1360 in males and 2100 in asexual shoots. Thus, numbers of asexual propagules present on shoots were, on average, almost three times higher in asexual shoots than in females, indicating a possible trade-off between allocation to sexual and asexual reproduction in the three sexual morphs of L. silvicola.