LIFE HISTORY VARIATION IN CIRSIUM PALUSTRE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE POPULATION DEMOGRAPHY IN VEGETATION SUCCESSION

摘要

The objective of the study was to describe the life-history pattern of the biennial species Cirsium palustre. It has been demonstrated that under optimum conditions in the greenhouse individuals live 1.5 to 2 years, in a mown meadow 2 to 3 years, and during the plant succession in abandoned meadows they prologn their life to several years. This is accompanied by a gradual decrease of C. Palustre population size. A relationship between the life-history pattern differences during a plant succession and the population abundance dynamics has been found.