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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Inter-sexual competition in a dioecious grass.

Charlene A Mercer¹, Sarah M Eppley

¹Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA.

|June 10, 2010

Summary

Spatial segregation of the sexes in Distichlis spicata does not affect juvenile growth. However, intra-sexual competition leads to larger plants, suggesting niche partitioning in this dioecious grass.

Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Spatial segregation of the sexes (SSS) is common in dioecious plants, but its fitness consequences for males and females are poorly understood.
Distichlis spicata, a dioecious grass, exhibits extreme SSS, making it an ideal model for studying sex-specific ecological dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the fitness advantages of SSS in Distichlis spicata by examining sex-specific responses to microhabitats and competition.
To determine if juvenile male and female plants of D. spicata have differential resource requirements or responses to competition.

Main Methods:

Reciprocal transplantation of male and female Distichlis spicata seedlings.
Experimental manipulation of microhabitats (male- vs. female-majority) and competition (intra-sexual vs. inter-sexual).

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Measurement of plant growth and size as indicators of fitness.

Main Results:

Juvenile D. spicata seedlings showed equal growth in both male- and female-majority habitats when grown without competitors, indicating no differential resource needs at this stage.
Plants experiencing intra-sexual competition were significantly larger than those experiencing inter-sexual competition.
This suggests that niche partitioning may occur within sexes in D. spicata.

Conclusions:

SSS in D. spicata may not confer immediate juvenile fitness benefits through differential habitat suitability.
Competition dynamics, particularly intra-sexual competition, appear to be a significant factor influencing plant size and potentially fitness in D. spicata.
Niche partitioning within sexes could be an important mechanism driving the evolution and maintenance of SSS in this species.