plant production

Question 1

Reproductive Restraint

Answer 1

If all individuals in a population try to have the maximal amount of offspring but the resources are limited:
Overexploitation of resources
=> increased risk of extinction

“group selection”

Question 2

Problem with Group Selection

Answer 2

selfish reproducing individual appears in
an altruistic restraining population

higher fitness

genes will spread and turn it into a selfish
population.

no evolutionary law against cheating

Question 3

competition among crop plants

Answer 3

genotype that gives the highest individual yield is not the genotype that gives the highest population yield.

Question 4

Agronomy

Answer 4

The concept of the “communal crop plant”
- has features in accord with success of community rather than the plant itself

Question 5

what are the “selfish” behaviors that increase individual fitness but reduce population yield

Answer 5

1. Root proliferation in response to neighboring root (game theory, soy beans)
2. “Shade Avoidance Response”

Question 6

Some forms of phenotypic plasticity can be a disadvantage in agricultural systems where

Answer 6

(1) we want to maximize population, not individual, performance
and
(2) the farmer controls, in part, the environment.

Question 7

when are there possibilities to
improve on nature.

Answer 7

When natural selection and group selection are in different directions

Question 8

breeders and genetic engineers can

Answer 8

• alter patterns of allocation
• find not needed capabilities and “trade them off” for higher yield
• alter plants’ reactions to biotic interactions
• transfer existing mechanisms for drought or salt tolerance from wild plants to crops
• alter yield quality