Cooperation in plant siblings

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18611
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: Yamao Akira 弘前大学, 農学生命科学部, 助教 (50727691)
• Research Collaborator: Mukai Hiromi 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構森林総合研究所, 森林昆虫研究領域, 任期付研究員 (70747766)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 遺伝的類似性 / 遺伝構造 / 種内競争 / 種間競争 / 植物間相互作用 / 協力 / 識別 / 群集構造

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I conducted cultivation experiments used Plantago asiatica and allospecific competitors, and demonstrated that the kin-discrimination in plants is adaptive for both intra- and inter-specific competition. Moreover, I found the seeds of the plant also could discriminate the kin/non-kin via water-soluble chemicals, and alter the germination timing. In addition, my experiments suggested that the advantages of kin-discrimination in interspecific competition are common in various plant taxa.

Free Research Field

生態学