Great Basin Naturalist Volume 55 Number 2 Article 3 4-21-1995 Growth and reproduction in an alpine cushion plant: Astragalus kentrophyta var. implexus Wayne R. Owen University of California, Davis and White Mountain Research Station, University of California, Las Angeles Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Owen, Wayne R. (1995) "Growth and reproduction in an alpine cushion plant: Astragalus kentrophyta var. implexus," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 55 : No. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol55/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. Great Basin Naturalist 55(2), © 1995, pp. 117-123 GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION IN AN ALPINE CUSHION PLANT: ASTRAGALUS KENTROPHYTA VAR. IMPLEXUS Wayne R. Owen1 ABSTRACf.-A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate factors hypothesized to affect the reproduc tive potential ofAstragalus kentrophyta var. implexus and to test the importance oftrade-offs between growth and repro duction in this species. Levels of mineral nutrients, water, herbivory, and competition were manipulated. Seed output R."1d growth of individuals in treatment groups were compared against control plants. Neither water nor mineral nutri ents alone were shown to affect growth or reproduction. Herbivory was shown to be similarly unimportant in affecting growth and reproduction. Competition with other species influenced growth but not reproduction. No significant trade offs between growth and reproduction were detected within years.