Density and reproductive success in wild populations of Diplotaxis erucoides (Brassicaceae)

One possible consequence of low population density, particularly in self-incompatible plants, is reproductive failure. I surveyed seed set per flower in two populations of the self-incompatible annual Diplotaxis erucoides (Brassicaceae) in Jerusalem, Israel. Widely spaced plants had lower fruit set and fewer seeds per filled silique than did plants growing close to conspecific neighbors. Such density-dependent reproductive success could help explain the maintanence of spatial patchiness in plant populations, and could also have implications for population dynamics of rare species.