User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My research project is an observation of vegetative bud spacing in wild roses (Rosa acicularis).My hypothesis is that the physical spacing between vegetative buds on Rosa acicularis at the Queen Elizabeth Park duck pond is unrelated to the height of the individual plants. My prediction is that spacing of vegetative buds will be consistent for individual Rosa acicularis plants of all heights. I believe that this will be the case as I believe there is an ideal spacing between the buds as to maximize the amount of sunlight exposure to leaves. I predict tall plants will have vegetative buds in the same density as shorter plants as all plants will follow the same ideal spacing at their highest regions to maximize sunlight capture. The optimal vegetative bud spacing should be determined by maximizing leaf surface area at the highest regions of the stem while limiting self-shading. Plants must balance the above factors with the energy cost of producing supporting branches to most efficiently use carbon resources to position foliage in a process referred to as crown architecture.
Key Words: Self-shading, Light Capture, Crown architecture
