Masting and Efficient Production of Seedlings: Balancing Costs of Variation Through Synchronised Fruiting

The efficient conversion of tissues into reproductive success is a crucial aspect affecting the evolution of life histories. Masting, the interannually variable and synchronous seed production in perennial plants, is a strategy that can enhance reproductive efficiency by mitigating seed predation and pollen limitation. However, evaluating benefits is insufficient to establish whether efficiency has improved, as such assessments neglect the associated costs of masting, particularly during the critical seed-to-seedling stage. We conducted a parentage analysis of seedlings and adults in a population of 209 Sorbus aucuparia trees, monitored over 23 years, providing pioneering documentation of the effects of masting on the fitness of individual trees beyond the seed stage. Our results show high costs of interannual variation that can be mitigated by high synchrony and reveal the existence of phenotypes that appear to reap the benefits of masting while avoiding its costs through regular reproduction.