Is Clonal Integration a Buffer for the Stress of Resource Acquisition Depletion in Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) Ramets?

Natural selection favors the allocation of finite resources to different functions maximizing fitness. In this sense, some functions may decrease whereas others increase when resources are limited in a process called a trade-off. However, a great variety of situations may obscure trade-off detection in clonal plants, such as the ability to generate offspring by clonal growth that represents opportunities for resource uptake. The aim of this work was to evaluate if clonal integration and resource availability mediate biomass allocation patterns in E. crassipes through a greenhouse experiment. We set ramets in clonal and isolated conditions, and with and without leaf blades, and compared the relationship of biomass proportion allocated to each vegetative organ. We found that biomass allocation to vegetative structures in E. crassipes is primarily shaped by resource pools and is enhanced by clonal integration as attached ramets invest more in growth and vegetative structures. In this sense, regarding trade-off patterns in biomass allocation among vegetative organs and under resource depletion, clonal integration may represent a way to stabilize biomass allocation patterns and may decrease trade-off importance. We discuss trade-offs and clonal integration as evolutionary strategies that allow plant persistence and improve plants fitness. These findings may support aquatic plant management and control efforts while highlighting the evolutionary significance of clonal integration for plant life strategies.