Abstract
Using four populations of the liliaceous perennial Erythronium japonicum, I examined the hypothesis that sex allocation will be female-biased if the duration of sink-limited growth of fruits, during which fruits grow exponentially, is long. I found that all marked fruits in each population had a period of sink-limited growth. Among the four populations, the mean length of sink-limited growth increased, and the mean dry mass ratio of the sum of the corolla and androecium/fruit decreased, in a consistent order. Thus, plants in populations where the duration of sink-limited growth was long allocated relatively more of their resources to their female functions. This result was consistent with the above hypothesis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 391-395 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Oecologia |
Volume | 117 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1998 Dec 1 |
Keywords
- Erythronium japonicum
- Female-biased sex allocation
- Hermaphroditic plants
- Sink-limited fruit growth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics