Ramifications of Early life Stress for Plant Life History Traits

by Elyse Johnson
Early life stress can have lasting impacts on plant growth, but the combination of intraspecific competition and stress is less understood. To explore how these variables together affect plant life history traits and resource allocation, I exposed various densities of common garden cress to early and late drought. Early drought always reduces subsequent growth, but high density populations allocate resources to grow taller and recover faster. While shoot height increased with density, total biomass decreased.
Major: 
Biology (conc. ecology)
Exhibition Category: 
Health and Life Sciences
Exhibition Format: 
Poster Presentation
Campus: 
University Park
Faculty Sponsor: 
Katriona Shea
Poster Number: 
65