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Seed provisioning in gynodioeciousSilene acaulis (Caryophyllaceae)
L F Delph1, M F Bailey, D L Marr
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405.
American Journal of Botany
|June 18, 2011
Summary
In gynodioecious species, female plants do not provision seeds better than hermaphrodites. Instead, females produce more seeds, which may explain performance differences in Silene acaulis.
Area of Science:
- Plant reproductive biology
- Evolutionary ecology
- Gynodioecious plant systems
Background:
- Gynodioecious species feature female and hermaphrodite individuals.
- Outcrossed seeds from females often show superior performance compared to hermaphrodite seeds.
- Seed size does not explain this performance disparity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if female Silene acaulis provision seeds better than hermaphrodites.
- To investigate nutrient allocation differences between female and hermaphrodite plants.
- To explore alternative hypotheses for seed performance variation in gynodioecious species.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of seed provisioning (mass, embryo/endosperm, nitrogen, phosphorus, energy content).
- Assessment of fruit set proportion in female and hermaphrodite morphs.
- Study conducted on Silene acaulis in a natural population.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in seed provisioning measures (mass, nutrients, energy) between female and hermaphrodite seeds.
- Seeds from females contained equivalent or slightly less provisioning than hermaphrodite seeds.
- Females exhibited a significantly higher fruit set proportion than hermaphrodites.
Conclusions:
- Female Silene acaulis do not provision individual seeds more than hermaphrodites.
- The hypothesis of enhanced seed provisioning by females is not supported.
- Higher fruit production in females, not seed quality, may explain observed performance differences.
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