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Light availability affects sex lability in a gynodioecious plant
Sandra Varga1, Minna-Maarit Kytöviita2
1Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland svarga@lincoln.ac.uk sandravarga30@hotmail.com.
American Journal of Botany
|November 20, 2016
Summary
Plant sex expression is flexible, changing with light availability. In Geranium sylvaticum, sex lability did not increase reproductive output, suggesting it may be more common in gynodioecious plants than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Plant reproductive biology
- Ecology and evolution
Background:
- Sex lability, or gender diphasy, is often linked to higher resource demands of female reproduction (seed production) versus male reproduction (pollen production).
- While documented in dioecious plants, environmental influences on sex lability in gynodioecious species remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if environmental conditions, specifically light availability, induce sex lability in the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum.
- To assess the impact of light-induced sex lability on reproductive output and potential fitness gains.
Main Methods:
- A four-year field transplantation experiment involving reciprocal planting of Geranium sylvaticum between high and low light habitats.
- Monitoring of individual plant sex expression and reproductive output over the experimental period.
Main Results:
- Plant sex expression demonstrated lability throughout the study.
- Light levels significantly influenced both sexual expression and reproductive output, with reduced output in low-light conditions.
- The origin habitat of transplanted plants did not impact measured parameters.
Conclusions:
- Sex expression in Geranium sylvaticum is environmentally labile, directly correlating with light availability.
- No apparent fitness advantage, such as increased seed or pollen production, was observed in sexually labile individuals.
- Sex lability may be more prevalent in gynodioecious plants than recognized, as its detection requires longitudinal data on individual plants, which is infrequently collected for herbaceous species.
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