Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017
Weeds represent a major cause of agricultural losses worldwide. Most weedsshare a common set of life history characteristics that predispose them toweediness, two of which are self-compatibility, which allows for ease ofcolonization through reproductive assurance, and high trait plasticity,which allows for tolerance of a wide variety of environments and abioticconditions. However, self-fertilization typically comes at the cost ofinbreeding depression. This study investigates the role of inbreedingdepression and trait plasticity under abiotic stress in the tallmorningglory, a widespread self-compatible agricultural weed in thesoutheastern United States. Results show very little inbreeding depressionin this species, likely due to purging of deleterious alleles throughrepeated founder events in agricultural landscapes. In contrast, abioticstress induced substantial plasticity in ecophysiological traits,reproductive traits, and biomass allocation. In terms of performance,drought sharply impacted reproduction but not vegetative growth, andnitrogen limitation sharply impacted both. These findings are applicable tothe control of weedy morningglory and underscore the usefulness ofevolutionary ecology to weed management.