Reproductive allocation of two dioecious Rhamnus species in temperate forests of northeast China

Abstract

When a plant increases resource allocation to reproduction from its limited reserves, the allocation to the other functions is reduced. Because of these trade-offs, differences in reproductive allocation are believed to result in relative differences in life history traits. Dioecious plants provide an excellent opportunity for detecting such possible trade-offs in resource allocation. This study aims to present a finding about the gender-based cost of reproductive allocation. The trade-off between reproduction and foliage biomass was examined at different modular levels (shoot/sub-branch, branch, and shrub/tree level). There were no intra-annual trade-offs between reproduction and foliage biomass in either sex of either species at shoot/sub-branch level, branch level and shrub level. Inter-annual trade-offs were detected in females for both species. Inter-annual trade-offs existed at all three different modular levels in R. schneideri females, while the evidence of inter-annual trade-offs was only detected at branch level in R. davurica females. At the population level, the sex ratio was female-biased in 2010, and it did not significantly deviate from 1:1 in 2011 in R. davurica. However, the sex ratios were significantly female-biased in both 2010 and 2011 in R. schneideri. This study has shown that the degree of autonomy of the different plant organs influenced the trade-offs between reproduction and growth, which suggests a species- and sex-dependent modular autonomy

The dynamics of resource allocation and costs of reproduction in a sexually dimorphic, wind‐pollinated dioecious plant

“…Hence, higher female reproductive costs may result in fewer resources available for vegetative growth (Delph & Meagher ; Vaughton & Ramsey ; Wang et al . ). Sex‐specific differences in the cost of reproduction can also be driven by different resource currencies for female and male function (Ashman ).…”

“…Female investment, including the production of fruit and seeds, is thought to be more costly compared to males, which only produce flowers and pollen (Lloyd & Webb 1977;Cipollini & Whigham 1994). Hence, higher female reproductive costs may result in fewer resources available for vegetative growth (Delph & Meagher 1995;Vaughton & Ramsey 2011;Wang et al 2013). Sex-specific differences in the cost of reproduction can also be driven by different resource currencies for female and male function (Ashman 1994).…”

No evident sex-biased herbivory but phenological and interannual variation in Fuchsia parviflora (Onagraceae) a dioecious Neotropical shrub

“…For example, females may have slower growth rates than males since they generally invest more in reproduction ( ower, fruit and seed production; Obeso 2002; Cepeda-Cornejo and Dirzo 2010), and therefore, the cost of photosynthetic tissue loss would be higher compared to males. As a consequence, females would invest more in chemical and/or mechanical defenses (Lloyd and Webb 1997;Delph 1999; Wang et al 2014).…”

Biomass Equations for 24 Understory Species in Coniferous and Broadleaved Mixed Forests in Northeastern China

“…We surveyed understory species based on fixed plots (total area of plots: 130 ha) that were established in 2009-2010 by Zhao and his team [41][42][43] from which we selected twenty shrub species and four tree species representing eleven families as our research objects ( Table 2). The twenty shrub species were divided, by morphology characteristics, to tree-like shrubs that have a single-stem and apparent trunk [10], and typical shrubs that are multi-stemmed, low-branching and not obvious in trunk [14].…”