Abstract:Division of labor is an engine of economic progress. A similar phenomenon also exists in clonal plants. The basic conditions for the division of labor in clonal plants includes: environmental heterogeneity, specialization, cooperation, and the potential independence of ramets. According to these conditions, division of labor in clonal plants could be classified into two types, i.e., environmentally induced and developmentally programmed division of labor. Clonal plants can efficiently utilize the heterogeneous resources by means of physiological integration and morphological or physiological plasticity. Division of labor in clonal plants could raise the acquisition efficiency of the local resources, overcome the local resource limitation and enhance the biomass and fitness. These effects could be explained by the theory of marginal cost and scale reward in economics. Division of labor in clonal plants can also enhance the competitive capacity of inter-specific competition, reinforce the efficiency of foraging behavior, and weaken the effects of self-thinning. The risks of division of labor in unstable habitats also exist. The application of the methods of modern biology, the studies on the division of labor in clonal plants will be promoted.
