02427nas a2200193   4500008004100000245009300041210006900134300001300203490000800216520181800224653000802042653001302050653002002063653002802083653002302111100001402134700001902148856006602167       2015                        eng d00aBud bank dynamics and clonal growth strategy in the rhizomatous grass Pascopyrum smithii0 aBud bank dynamics and clonal growth strategy in the rhizomatous   a395 -4050 v2163 a<p>Recruitment of rhizomatous perennial grass ramets primarily occurs from the belowground bud bank. Investment in guerilla versus phalanx growth is determined by bud availability, development, and spatial distribution. The tiller and bud bank dynamics of Pascopyrum smithii, a dominant rhizomatous grass of the northern mixed-grass prairie, were examined in South Dakota throughout an annual cycle to assess the investment in guerilla versus phalanx growth and the role of different bud populations in renewal versus regenerative functions and vegetative spread via rhizomes. Pascopyrum smithii invested substantially in both phalanx and guerilla tiller production. However, investment in rhizome production before tiller recruitment prioritized guerilla over phalanx growth. Annual tiller recruitment of P. smithii was capable of flexible timing, occurring in either spring or fall. Renewal buds, from which rhizomes and tillers were recruited, primarily consisted of the youngest generation of buds borne at the base of tillers. Although rhizome axillary buds and older tiller axillary buds were rarely used in annual tiller recruitment, they provided a sizable reserve (regenerative) bud bank. The spatial distribution of bud development produced the mixed guerrilla&ndash;phalanx growth pattern and flexible tiller recruitment timing of P. smithii. Therefore, P. smithii is capable of employing both conservative and foraging growth strategies which will facilitate its persistence under local neighborhood variability and changing resource availability associated with environmental change. Understanding the spatial distribution of buds as determined by rhizome architecture is essential to understanding the distribution and composition of species within plant communities dominated by clonal species.</p>10aBud10aGuerilla10aPhalanx Rhizome10aVegetative reproduction10aWestern wheatgrass1 aOtt, J.P.1 aHartnett, D.C.  uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11258-014-0444-6