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An evolutionary constraint between reproduction and growth in a clade of Miconia (Melastomataceae)

E. K. Nery,M. K. Caddah,F. Michelangeli,A. Nogueira

Published 2025 in Botanical journal of the Linnean Society

ABSTRACT

The reproductive allocation (RA) theory posits that investment in reproductive structures reduces resources for other plant body parts, imposing an intrinsic trade-off between sexual reproduction and vegetative growth. Under this theory, evolving greater reproductive structures would impose an evolutionary constraint upon vegetative growth, regardless of environmental conditions. However, this theoretical expectation has never been tested at the macroevolutionary scale until now. Based on herbarium specimens, we measured seed mass and specific leaf area (SLA), a proxy for vegetative growth, from Miconia species inhabiting rainforests and open-vegetation habitats in the Neotropics, representing different conditions for photosynthesis. We contrasted distinct scenarios of evolutionary correlation between seed mass and SLA values via phylogenetic comparative methods. We found similar support for two scenarios of evolutionary correlation. Under the most likely scenario, seed mass and SLA values evolved under a negative evolutionary correlation with steady magnitude in rainforest and open-vegetation habitats. Under the second-most likely scenario, seed mass and SLA values evolved under a negative evolutionary correlation only in open-vegetation habitats. The first scenario indicated that sexual reproduction imposed an evolutionary constraint upon plant growth regardless of environmental conditions, fully supporting the RA theory. Nonetheless, the second scenario highlights that environmental conditions can determine the emergence of photosynthate trade-offs within plant bodies, consequently changing the evolutionary correlation between sexual reproduction and growth. Regardless of environmental effects, our study indicates that sexual reproduction can impose evolutionary constraints to vegetative growth, thus impacting the evolution of plant economic strategies.

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