Selective fruit and seed maturation in Asphodelus albus Miller (Liliaceae)

Obeso, José Ramón

doi:10.1007/bf00328966

Cited by 44 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In this hypothetical interaction lattice, it is proposed that pollination aects the proportion of ovules that begin to swell (4±4a), and the proportion of those initially swollen ovules that mature into seeds (4a±4b). These proportions aect the initiation and maturation of fruits (a common eect : Lee 1988;Obeso 1993;O'Donnell and Bawa 1993;Stephenson 1981), and the fate of its fruits aects the survival of an in¯orescence. If an in¯orescence dies early, it condemns to death (or to impeded dispersal) any fruits it bears.…”

Section: Temporal Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fruit and seed production in relation to pollination and resources in bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Corbet¹

1998

Oecologia

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This paper explores spatial and temporal patterns in the interaction of pollination and resources as constraints on the initiation and maturation of fruits and seeds in bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Liliaceae). Field and laboratory experiments showed a degree of self-incompatibility (cross-pollination gave greater seed and fruit numbers than self-pollination), and pollinator limitation (hand cross-pollination gave greater seed and fruit numbers than open-pollination) as well as␣resource limitation. Bud removal, designed to relax interfruit competition for resources in the remaining flowers, increased percent fruit maturation in unpollinated flowers and increased the percent of initiated seeds that matured in cross-pollinated flowers. Clear position effects were also found. In an ovary, ovules near the stylar end showed a higher percent seed maturation than basal ovules. On a raceme, terminal flowers showed lower percent fruit initiation and maturation and lower seed numbers than basal flowers. The balance between resource limitation and pollinator limitation changed with position on the raceme. Temporal patterns involved raceme death and abortion of flowers, fruits or seeds. A lattice diagram schematises the hypothetical modulation by pollination of resource-dependent serial adjustment of maternal investment.

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Section: Temporal Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fruit and seed production in relation to pollination and resources in bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Corbet¹

1998

Oecologia

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“…The primary causes of seed abortion are thought to be resource or pollen limitation (Bierzychudek 1981;Lee and Bazzaz 1982;Campbell 1985;Herrera 1990;Johnston 1991;Obeso 1993;Campbell and Halama 1993). Hypotheses concerning the function of abortion can be placed into three groups, (i) environmental uncertainty about resources, pollen, and flower and seed predation, (ii) the male role of hermaphroditic flowers, and (iii) the improvement of the quality of seed produced through selective abscission (Stephenson 1981).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological causes, function, and evolution of abortion and parthenocarpy inPistacia lentiscus(Anacardiaceae)

Verdú¹,

Garcı́a-Fayos²

1998

Can. J. Bot.

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Parthenocarpy (the production of seedless fruits) and abortion of reproductive structures at different developmental stages are important processes limiting female fecundity in Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae), a Mediterranean endozoochorous dioecious shrub. This paper (i) tests the effects of water and pollen as the ecological causes of abortion and parthenocarpy, (ii) tests the function of abortion and parthenocarpy regarding the uncertainty of resources and predispersal seed predation, and (iii) reviews the evolution of parthenocarpy across the phylogeny of the genus Pistacia and the family Anacardiaceae. Using experimental manipulations, we examined the effects of pollen and water availability on female fecundity. The components of female fecundity were the four sequential developmental stages in the reproductive cycle: (i) flower survival after pollination, (ii) latent ovary survival, (iii) final-sized fruit survival, and (iv) seed viability. The survival of reproductive structures along the four developmental stages in response to pollination was highly variable. The survival of pollen-excluded flowers was negligible. Water addition increased the survival of reproductive structures in the first two developmental stages but this effect was lost in the other two stages. However, irrigation had a delayed effect, significantly increasing the number of viable seeds per number of flowers at the following reproductive season. The irrigated females significantly increased the percentage of viable seeds, whereas nonirrigated females did not. These data support the hypothesis that the adjustment of progeny size to the available resources is an individual feature inherent to the life history of each individual and therefore independent of the present resource level. This adjustment may have an adaptive value in relation to uncertainty of water availability. An advantage for parthenocarpy in terms of reducing seed predation was not found and it may be a nonadaptive plesiomorphic character within the genus Pistacia and within the family Anacardiaceae. A significant negative relationship was found between the rate of seed abortion and predispersal seed predation by wasps, suggesting that abortion reduces insect predation. In support of this hypothesis, we found that fruits with aborted seeds abscised in a lower proportion than expected, while fruits with seeds parasitized by wasps fell in a greater proportion than expected.Résumé : La parthénocarpie (la production de fruits sans graine) et l'avortement des structures reproductrices à différents stades du développement sont des processus importants qui limitent la fécondité femelle chez le Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae), un arbuste endozoochore méditerranéen. Dans ce travail (i) on vérifie les effets de l'eau et du pollen comme causes écologiques de l'avortement et de la parthénocarpie; (ii) on vérifie la fonction de l'avortement et de la parthénocarpie eu égard à l'incertitude des ressources et à la prédation des graines avant la dispersion; et (iii) on revoie l'év...

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“…In many hermaphroditic plants, fruit and seed set decline between early-formed or proximal fruits (located closest to the sources of nutrients) and laterformed or more distal fruits (Stephenson 1981, Bawa and Webb 1984, Holtsford 1985, McKone 1985, Solomon 1985, Nakamura 1986, Nicholls 1987, Lee 1988, Thomson 1989, Byrne and Mazer 1990, Diggle 1991, Kang and Primack 1991, Karoly 1992, Obeso 1993, Guitian 1994. A decrease in fruit and seed set in later or more distal flowers has often been suggested to be associated with resource limitation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male Reproductive Success and Variation in Fruit and Seed Set in Aquilegia Caerulea (Ranunculaceae)

Brunet¹

1996

Ecology

103

151

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The timing of fruit initiation and the proximity of fruits to resources influence the probability of fruit and seed initiation in many hermaphroditic plants. In two populations of Aquilegia caerulea, both fruit and seed set decreased significantly between early and late flowers. Low fruit and seed set of late flowers was not due to pollen limitation. Fruit and seed set of late flowers remained low when extra pollen was added to these flowers (pollen quantity), or when all flowers on an inflorescence received self or outcross pollen (pollen quality). While competition for resources occurred among flowers, resource limitation was not responsible for the low fruit and seed set of late flowers. Indeed, preventing pollination of late flowers significantly increased both fruit and seed set of early flowers, but fruit and seed set of late flowers remained low when early flowers were prevented from setting fruits. Late flowers were not just smaller or larger replicates of early flowers, as they allocated more reproductive resources to male function relative to early flowers. Neither herbivory nor architectural constraints could explain the low fruit and seed set of late flowers. While previously published adaptive explanations proposed to explain the low fruit and seed set of late flowers have emphasized a positive aspect to female reproductive success, it is suggested here that both male and female functions should be considered. Morphological data and estimates of male and female reproductive success demonstrate how, both morphologically and functionally, late flowers on inflorescences of A. caerulea specialize as males, early flowers as females. It will be argued that protandry in this sequential bloomer is expected to select for an increase in relative male allocation between early and late flowers, and that the observed pattern of resource allocation and the decrease in fruit and seed set between early and late flowers is consistent with this prediction.

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Selective fruit and seed maturation in Asphodelus albus Miller (Liliaceae)

Cited by 44 publications

References 45 publications

Fruit and seed production in relation to pollination and resources in bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Fruit and seed production in relation to pollination and resources in bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Ecological causes, function, and evolution of abortion and parthenocarpy inPistacia lentiscus(Anacardiaceae)

Male Reproductive Success and Variation in Fruit and Seed Set in Aquilegia Caerulea (Ranunculaceae)

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