Genetic differentiation of Agrostis capillaris in a grassland system with stable heterogeneity due to terricolous ants

Abstract

1 We examined whether two different grassland microhabitats forming a stable mosaic (anthills and surrounding grassland) are colonized by different genotypes of a common grass, Agrostis capillaris, and thus maintain genetic variation in the species.

Keywords

• clonal growth
• functional differentiation
• genetic variation
• isozyme markers
• Lasius flavus
• microhabitats
• reciprocal transplant
• calcareous grasslands
• plant ecology
• clonal integration
• hills
• populations
• history
• burial
• soil
• vegetation
• dispersal