Asymmetric competitions between seedling and clonal ramet promote the evolution of extraordinary long flowering time in monocarpic perennial plants

Abstract One‐sided competition, resulting from size differences, can significantly influence life history strategies in both animals and plants. Theoretical studies have shown that one‐sided competition influences the flowering patterns in both annual and perennial plants. However, in monocarpic perennial plants, which flower and die after prolonged vegetative growth, the role of one‐sided competition in the evolution of flowering habit remains unclear. We constructed a spatially explicit agent‐based model for the population dynamics of monocarpic perennial plants and investigated the evolution of the time from germination to flowering (i.e., flowering interval). In the model, plants undergo clonal growth after germination and then flower at a specific age. We assumed asymmetry in competitive ability between seedlings and clonal ramets, and examined how this asymmetry influenced the evolutionary outcomes of the flowering interval. Our results show that one‐sided competition contributed to the elongation of the flowering interval by reducing the effectiveness of seed reproduction. The evolution of the flowering interval was also affected by spatial factors such as the distance of rhizomatous clonal growth, and we found an interaction between these factors. These findings emphasize the importance of considering size‐asymmetric competition when studying the evolution of flowering strategies.