• Perennial herbs of seasonal climates invest carbon into belowground storage organs (e.g. rhizomes) to support growth when photosynthetic acquisition cannot cover demands. An alternative explanation interprets storage allocation as surplus carbon that is undeployable for growth when plants are limited by nutrients/water. We analysed relative investments to rhizomes to see to which of these explanations they align, and asked whether they scale with biomass of aboveground organs in individual species and whether clonal growth traits, phenology or environmental conditions explain investment among populations or species.
• We measured biomass of rhizomes, aboveground stems and leaves in 20 temperate herbaceous perennial species, each at two localities, establishing allometric relationships for pairs of organs. We correlated relative rhizome investment with clonal traits, environmental gradients and phenology, across species.
• For pairs of organs, biomass typically scales isometrically. Interspecific allocation differences are largely explained by phenology. Neither interspecific nor intraspecific differences were explained by clonal traits or environment.
• Storage organs of perennial herbs do not comprise deposition of carbon surplus, but receive greater allocation in capital breeders (early-flowering), than among income breeders (late-flowering) relying on acquisition during growing season. Capital and income breeders in plants deserve further examination of benefits/costs.

中文翻译：

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草药中的资本和收入育种者：进入储存器官的相对生物量分配与克隆性状、物候和环境梯度的关系

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  季节性气候的多年生草本植物将碳投入地下储存器官（例如根茎），以便在光合作用获取无法满足需求时支持生长。另一种解释将储存分配解释为当植物受到养分/水的限制时，无法用于生长的剩余碳。我们分析了对根茎的相对投资，看看它们与哪些解释一致，并询问它们是否与单个物种的地上器官的生物量成比例，以及克隆生长特征、物候或环境条件是否解释了种群或物种之间的投资。
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  我们测量了 20 种温带多年生草本植物的根茎、地上茎和叶的生物量，每个物种位于两个地点，建立了器官对的异速生长关系。我们将相对根茎投资与不同物种的克隆性状、环境梯度和物候相关联。
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  对于成对的器官，生物量通常呈等距缩放。种间分配差异主要由物候学解释。种间和种内差异都不能用克隆性状或环境来解释。
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  多年生草本植物的储存器官不包括碳盈余的沉积，但在资本育种者（早花）中获得的分配比在生长季节依赖收购的收入育种者（晚花）得到的分配更大。植物的资本和收入育种者值得进一步检查收益/成本。