Ecological correlates of secondary sexual dimorphism in Salix glauca (Salicaceae)

The ecological causation hypothesis for secondary sexual dimorphism was tested in Salix glauca, a dioecious willow shrub. Plants growing in a Colorado Rocky Mountain (USA) krummholz mosaic of mesic and xeric patches were monitored for four consecutive years. Ecological causation is predicated on unique resource demands associated with sexual function. In S. glauca, seeds have twofold higher N and P concentrations compared to pollen. P, but not N, allocation costs differed between sexes at plant and flower scales. Ecological causation also predicts spatial segregation of sexes along underlying habitat gradients. In five populations of S. glauca, sexes displayed significant spatial segregation. The theory also predicts that sexes differ in performance across gradients of environmental stress or resource availability. Consistent with this hypothesis, females had lower drought tolerance than males under years of extreme aridity. Furthermore, over 10 years, annual shoot growth for females was greatest in mesic habitat patches, while males grew at a consistent rate regardless of habitat aridity. Because current shoot growth is correlated with future catkin production, habitat specialization likely provides a fitness payoff in females. Overall, this long-term study provides some of the strongest evidence to date for ecological causation of secondary sexual dimorphism in plants.