Plant strategies

Plant strategies include mechanisms and responses plants use to reproduce, defend, survive, and compete on the landscape. The term “plant strategy” has existed in the literature since at least 1965, however multiple definitions exist. Strategies have been classified as adaptive strategies (through a change in the genotype), reproductive strategies, resource allocation strategies, ecological strategies, and functional trait based strategies, to name a few. While numerous strategies exist, one underlying theme is constant: plants must make trade-offs when responding to their environment. These trade-offs and responses lay the groundwork for classifying the strategies that emerge.

The concept of plant strategies started gaining attention in the 1960s and 1970s. At this time, strategies were often associated with genotypic changes, such that plants could respond to their environment by changing their “genotypic programme” (i.e., strategy). Around this same time, the r/K selection theory was introduced, which classifies plants by life history strategies, particularly reproductive strategies. In general, plants alter their reproductive strategies (i.e., number of offspring) and their growth rate to respond to their ecological niche. The theory is still popular in the 21st century and frequently taught in science curricula. However, plant strategies really gained notoriety in 1977 with the introduction of Grime’s C-S-R Triangle, which categorizes plants according to how they respond under varying levels of stress and competition. According to Grime, plants develop strategies that demonstrate resource trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and maintenance. The association between genotypic change and strategies was also still present in Grime’s theories, as he noted that the “genotypes of the majority of plants appear to represent compromises between the conflicting selection pressures” that generally classify plants into three strategy types. The C-S-R Triangle remained the dominant plant strategy for several decades. However, in the early 1980s David Tilman introduced the R* theory, which focused on resource partitioning as strategies to deal with competition. More recently, additional strategies have been introduced. In 1998, the L-H-S strategy scheme was introduced as an alternative to Grime’s C-S-R scheme. The L-H-S strategy focuses on leaf and seed mass traits to classify plant strategies, noting that these traits can be measured and compared between species, which cannot easily be done with Grime’s abstract categories. The goal of the L-H-S scheme was to develop an international network that could provide quantifiable comparisons between plant strategies. This started a movement towards incorporating functional traits in plant strategies, and understanding how plant functional traits and environmental factors are related. While Grime’s C-S-R Triangle is still frequently referenced in plant ecology, new strategies are being introduced and gaining momentum in the 21st century.

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