In this study, Carman measured shoot and root growth for severely defoliated Schizachyrium scoparium plants, with different tillering rates and leaf lengths. Seeds from plants with short leaves were obtained from sites that had been grazed for 50-150 years and seeds from plants with long leaves were collected from a nearby exclosure. Following defoliation, short-leaved plants had greater leaf regrowth and long-leaved plants had greater root growth. The author suggests that the differences in growth allocation, before and after defoliation, were due to genetic differences resulting from the environments that the plant seeds were collected in, and the grazing tolerance required at those sites.
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