Journal
PLANT BIOLOGY
Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages 103-111Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872890
Keywords
Pistacia lentiscus; costs of reproduction; phenology; vegetative growth; nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Females of woody dioecious species usually devote more resources to reproduction than males. This may lead to a decrease in female survival and growth. The costs of reproduction, however, can be lightened through a number of mechanisms, as for example avoiding the temporal coincidence of reproduction and vegetative growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether males and females of P. lentiscus differ in the timing of their vegetative growth, and to assess whether the sequencing of vegetative growth and reproduction reduces reproductive costs. We monitored phenology in males and females. We also compared male and female allocation of nutrients and biomass in the branch, and the developmental stability of the growing shoots. We did this both prior to and at the end of the fruiting period. Males and females showed similar vegetative and flowering phenologies. Males invested more biomass in flowering, but the sexes showed equal vegetative biomass and nutrient content prior to the fruiting period. in female branches, no trade-off was found between fruit load and current-year vegetative growth. In P. lentiscus, avoiding the overlap of flowering, vegetative growth and fruiting probably contributes to reduce the immediate costs of reproductive efforts, both in males and females.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available