9306179 Kelly Clonality is an extremely important phenomenon in plants. Clonal plant species comprise up to 90% of the higher plant species in alpine and Arctic communities, 60% or more of temperate floras, and even in tropical habitats, the majority of woody species possess the ability to sucker, crown sprout, or develop adventitious roots. Clonality is found in trees, shrubs, and herbs, under terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal conditions, and in both autotrophic and parasitic groups, yet much about this widely successful growth mode remains poorly understood. In clonal plants, sugars and other nutrients are transported from 'mother' plants to 'daughter' offshoots (ramets). Using greenhouse experiments to test theory, the research proposed will examine how variation in resource allocation among ramets affects the life history and contributes to the success of different genetic individuals of the clonal plant dodder (Cuscuta exaltata).%%% Clonal plants have broad economic importance as both crop plants (e.g. strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and asparagus) and noted crop pests such as dodder, which parasitizes crops including alfalfa in both temperate and tropical agriculture. The information provided by this study may prove useful for both crop growth and pest control, offering the data needed to create better schemes for timing and distribution of fertilizers in clonal crops, and reducing the dependence on chemical control of clonal pests.***
