Evidence for the Existence of Three Primary Strategies in Plants and Its Relevance to Ecological and Evolutionary Theory
1977/11/01 by J. P. Grime · 5,753 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Biology #Dominance (genetics) #Ecological succession #Ecology #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Geography #Habitat #Plant Parasitism and Resistance #Plant and animal studies #Plant evolution #Ruderal species #Selection (genetic algorithm) #Vegetation (pathology)
paper · doi:10.1086/283244
published in The American Naturalist 111(982), 1169-1194 (University of Chicago Press)
openalex publication_date 1977/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract
It is suggested that evolution in plants may be associated with the emergence of three primary strategies, each of which may be identified by reference to a number of characteristics including morphological features, resource allocation, phenology, and response to stress. The competitive strategy prevails in productive, relatively undisturbed vegetation, the stress-tolerant strategy is associated with continuously unproductive conditions, and the ruderal strategy is characteristic of severely disturbed but potentially productive habitats. A triangular model based upon the three strategies may be reconciled with the theory of r- and K-selection, provides an insight into the processes of vegetation succession and dominance, and appears to be capable of extension to fungi and to animals.
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