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Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination
Mercurialis annua has been found to show phenotypic plasticity in terms of their sexual strategies. In androdioecious populations (males coexisting with cosexes), genetically labile males function as cosexes at low densities. At high densities, the frequency of males increases, while cosexes respond...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613291859148800 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Harris, Sue-Re |
| author2 | Pannell, John |
| author_browse | Harris, Sue-Re Pannell, John |
| author_facet | Pannell, John Harris, Sue-Re |
| author_sort | Harris, Sue-Re |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Mercurialis annua has been found to show phenotypic plasticity in terms of their sexual strategies. In androdioecious populations (males coexisting with cosexes), genetically labile males function as cosexes at low densities. At high densities, the frequency of males increases, while cosexes respond by increasing biomass allocation to the female function. Phenotypic plasticity in this species is likely a result of environmental detection. This study investigated possible mechanisms for density detection. Greenhouse experiments showed that Mannua responded to an above ground signal by increasing male frequency and male frequency was related to the proportion female allocation in cosexes. Individuals that were isolated from each other below ground and treated with leachate (collected from high density populations) responded by increasing allocation to female function while male frequency decreased. There is most likely an interaction between below and above ground sensing and response to the environment in M annua. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26663 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:48.261Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26663 Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination Harris, Sue-Re Pannell, John Harris, Mark Midgley, Jeremy J Botany Mercurialis annua has been found to show phenotypic plasticity in terms of their sexual strategies. In androdioecious populations (males coexisting with cosexes), genetically labile males function as cosexes at low densities. At high densities, the frequency of males increases, while cosexes respond by increasing biomass allocation to the female function. Phenotypic plasticity in this species is likely a result of environmental detection. This study investigated possible mechanisms for density detection. Greenhouse experiments showed that Mannua responded to an above ground signal by increasing male frequency and male frequency was related to the proportion female allocation in cosexes. Individuals that were isolated from each other below ground and treated with leachate (collected from high density populations) responded by increasing allocation to female function while male frequency decreased. There is most likely an interaction between below and above ground sensing and response to the environment in M annua. 2017-12-14T12:17:39Z 2017-12-14T12:17:39Z 2006 2017-02-09T10:20:48Z Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26663 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Harris, Sue-Re Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| title_full | Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| title_fullStr | Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| title_short | Phenotypic plasticity in Mercurialis annua : the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| title_sort | phenotypic plasticity in mercurialis annua the role of signal detection and response in sex determination |
| topic | Botany |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26663 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT harrissuere phenotypicplasticityinmercurialisannuatheroleofsignaldetectionandresponseinsexdetermination |