Amphicarpy in Trifolium argentinense: morphological characterisation, seed production, reproductive behaviour and life strategy

Abstract

Trifolium argentinense Speg. is an amphicarpic species that occurs naturally in native pastures of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Amphicarpy is a rare mode of reproduction in which aerial and subterranean seeds are produced by the same individual. In the present paper, we compare morphology, anther number, pollen viability, seed production and mode of reproduction of T. argentinense flowers, and comment on the life strategy of the species. Plants grown from aerial seeds and from the regrowth of storage roots of aerial plants had longer stolons and a larger plant diameter than did those grown from subterranean plants. Plants grown from seeds were also taller than plants grown from storage roots. More resources were allocated to subterranean reproduction in plants of subterranean origin than in those of aerial origin. Aerial flowers produced more seeds, presented more anthers and produced more pollen grains than did the subterranean ones. T. argentinense is a versatile species, self- and cross-pollinated, consistent with the values of high polymorphism information content. T. argentinense adopts the ‘pessimistic strategy’ (early allocation of energy to large subterranean propagules), common in amphicarpic species when growing in disturbed habitats, such as the native pastures of Rio Grande do Sul, where intense grazing and trampling, as well as long seasonal dry spells, may periodically destroy the aerial plants, thus assuring survival by germination of subterranean seeds and regrowth of storage roots.