Hamilton的亲缘选择理论认为亲缘个体之间相互合作来提高其适合度.为了验证一年生黑麦草(Lolium multiflorum L.)是否具有亲缘选择及其性状的响应方式,选取来自8个不同母株的该植物子代个体作为研究对象,采用两两配对的竞争设计方式,在植物个体和群组两个水平上分别测度植物表型特征(如株高、叶面积、种子数目等)和生物量特征(如根系生物量和地上各构件生物量)在亲缘处理组和非亲缘处理组的差异.结果显示,在群组水平上,一年生黑麦草植物亲缘组根系生物量显著小于非亲缘组(P=0.007),说明其能够识别亲缘邻居身份,并通过减少根系分配量来减少与亲缘邻居之间的地下竞争.然而植物的地上各构件生物量对亲缘邻居的响应与非亲缘邻居并没有显著差异;在个体水平上,亲缘处理组和非亲缘处理组在株高、叶面积、种子数量等特征和各构件生物量特征方面都没有显著区别.因此,本研究说明一年生黑麦草植物通过降低根系的竞争性分配而提高群组适合度,根系是植物响应亲缘选择的一个重要方式.
Related organisms living together could cooperate with each other according to kin selection theory of Hamilton, even at a cost of individual fitness, which is contrary to the niche partition theory. Previous studies proved the kin selection responses in some plant species. For example, plants show reduction of root distribution and other phenotypic changes to kin neighbors than strangers, in order to deduce competition among kin neighbors. However, since only a few species have been tested, kin responses of many other species remain unknown. In this research, we designed a pair-wise interaction model of each two individuals from 8 families to test whether and how species ofLolium multiflorum L. responded to kin selection. After the plants lifecycle, we measured for individual analysis the trait indexes of each plant including plant height, seed number, length and number of clusters, number and area of leaf, branching number, leaf, stem and reproduction biomass. On the group level we measured group leaf, stem, reproduction and root biomass. Our study showed less roots distribution in kin groups than stranger groups (P = 0.007), but no significant difference in leaf, stem and reproduction biomass on the group level. However, on individual level no significant difference was found between kin and stranger groups in either the measured traits (plant height, seed number, length and number of clusters, leaf number, leaf area, branching number) or biomass (leaf, stem and reproduction biomass). The results indicated that L. multiflorum L. responded positively to kin selection by reducing root competition in kin conditions to increase group fitness, and that root response could be a useful and available indicator to kin selection.