Identifying life-history processes behind the abundant-center distribution of a forest herb along a latitudinal gradient

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26840140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Yamagata University
• Principal Investigator: Hiroshi Tomimatsu 山形大学, 理学部, 准教授 (40555398)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YAMAGISHI HIROKI 弘前大学, 白神自然環境研究所, 助教 (40576196) ; OHARA MASASHI 北海道大学, 地球環境科学研究院, 教授 (90194274)
• Research Collaborator: SASAKI SHUN ; KAWAMURA YASUKO
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 緯度 / オオバナノエンレイソウ / 個体群 / 適応度

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We compared the abundance and multiple fitness components across many populations of a forest herb, Trillium camschatcense, along a latitudinal gradient in northern Japan, from central Iwate (southern range limit) to northern Hokkaido. Flowering plant density was highest at the mid-latitude populations (~43 °N) and became progressively lower toward range limits. While the average size of flowering plants and seed production increased with latitude, the average seed mass and proportion of juveniles tended to be greatest at the mid-latitude populations. Although our results suggest that reduced reproduction and recruitment play key roles in restricting the distribution of T. camschatcense at its range limits, the contribution of these processes to population dynamics requires further investigation.

Free Research Field

植物生態学