Plants with clonal growth can produce multiple potentially independent units, termed ramets. Clonal growth can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as by increasing probability of reproduction, space monopolization, and regeneration after injury; and by permitting physiological integration of connected ramets. Although clonal growth is widespread among species and habitats, it has received relatively little attention in plant ecology. To introduce this special issue on clonal plant ecology, we first provide a brief background on the topic, noting its importance in areas ranging from evolution to the impacts of climate change on plant communities. We then focus on a set of pressing questions, to highlight both the obstacles and opportunities to more explicitly incorporate clonal growth in research on plant ecology and evolution.

具有克隆生长的植物可以产生多个可能独立的单元，称为分株。克隆生长会产生重要的生态和进化后果，例如增加繁殖，空间垄断和受伤后再生的可能性；并允许相连分株的生理整合。尽管克隆生长在物种和栖息地中很普遍，但在植物生态学中却很少受到关注。为了介绍有关克隆植物生态学的特殊问题，我们首先提供有关该主题的简要背景，并指出其在从进化到气候变化对植物群落的影响等领域中的重要性。然后，我们集中讨论一系列紧迫的问题，