Introduction. Local sex-ratio dynamics and sexual reproduction: a model for the dioecious liverwort Marchantia inflexa; D.N. McLetchie, et al. Relative contributions of sexual and asexual regeneration strategies in Populus nigra and Salix alba during the first years of establishment on a braided gravel bed river; N. Barsoum. The role of vegetative spread and seed dispersal for optimal life histories of clonal plants: a simulation study; E. Winkler, M. Fischer. Clonal integration enhances survival and performance of Potentilla anserina, suffering from partial sand burial on Ordos plateau, China; F. Yu, et al. Fragmentation of clones: how does it influence dispersal and competitive ability? B. Oborny, Á. Kun. Seasonal patterns of partitioning and remobilization of 14C in the invasive rhizomatous perennial Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decraene); E.A.C. Price, et al. The effects of mowing and fertilization on carbohydrate reserves and regrowth of grasses: do they promote plant coexistence in species-rich meadows? L. Klimes, J. Klimesová. Classifying clonal growth forms based on vegetative mobility and ramet longevity: a whole community analysis; A. Tamm, et al. A simulation study of the effects of architectural constraints and resource translocation on population structure and competition in clonal plants; T. Herben, J.-I. Suzuki. The developmental ecology of mycorrhizal associations in mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, Berberidaceae; M.A. Watson, et al. Age- and stage-based bud demography of Salix arctica under contrasting muskox grazing pressure in the High Arctic; A. Tolvanen, et al. The influence of position on genet growth: a simulation of a population of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) genets undergrazing; C.P.D. Birch. Developmental processes and the evolution of plant clonality; T. Sachs. The loss of sex in clonal plants; C.G. Eckert. Consequences of clonal growth for plant mating; A. Charpentier. Clonal architecture in marine macroalgae: ecological and evolutionary perspectives; L. Collado-Vides. Investigating the community consequences of competition among clonal plants; L. Gough, et al. On the evolution of clonal plant life histories; M. Fischer, M. van Kleunen. Fitness and evolution in clonal plants: the impact of clonal growth; J.J. Pan, J.S. Price.

Spontaneous self-cloning or clonality is a widespread phenomenon in the plant kingdom, and has a wide array of ecological and evolutionary implications. This volume is the outcome of an international workshop on clonal plant biology aimed at illustrating current progress and recent developments in the scientific study of clonality in plants. The first section of this book includes a collection of original research articles which demonstrate the wide variety of approaches and scientific challenges linked to clonality in plants. The topics covered in this section include ecological and evolutionary implications of sexual versus asexual propagation, including life-history evolution and sex-ratio dynamics, the importance of internal resource transport and remobilization of storage products for the invasiveness and competitiveness of clonal plants, a survey of clonal growth forms in grassland communities, and studies on the interactions between clonal plants and animals and fungi. The approaches used range from experimental studies on a broad variety of systems to mathematical modeling of clonal growth and its consequences. The second part features discussion and review papers on a diverse array of subjects, ranging from developmental considerations of clonality, principles of selection and evolution in clonal plants, a survey of clonality in algae, to potential implications of clonality for plant mating, and beyond. This part of the volume aims at presenting novel ideas and hypotheses, and at summarizing existing knowledge in previously under-researched areas, thereby providing directions for future research initiatives.

This book captures ongoing cutting-edge research in the field of clonal plant ecology and evolution. It is directed to anyone from the undergraduate to specialist level who is interested in the biology of the intriguing phenomenon of asexual propagation in plants.