Project Detail

o arable weeds evolve in response to crop cultivation?

Name:	o arable weeds evolve in response to crop cultivation?
Researchers:	Malíková Lenka (researcher)
Provider:	GAČR
Number:	P504/12/P540
Realization from:	2012
Realization to:	2014
Summary:	Short-lived weeds are known for their capacity to produce large numbers of seeds and employ avoidance strategy in conditions of recurrent disturbance on arable land, i.e. they finish their life cycle between two severe disturbances. However, there are also annual and biennial weeds able to tolerate disturbance and resprout from adventitious buds located on roots and/or hypocotyl. Do those resprouting weeds evolved in response to speciec disturbance regime connected with crop cultivation? To test this hypothesis we will (1) examine resprouting ability of weeds occurring over gradient of disturbance regimes in different crops; (2) using seeds from field populations, we will establish an experiment, where disturbance and nutrient availability will be manipulated to evaluate whether response of plants is in accord with disturbance regime in home locality, and (3) how transgenerational plasticity is involved in observed pattern. This study aim to contribute to knowledge on short-term evolution of weeds as response to disturbance regime.