2024-03-28T22:06:47Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/636842012-12-27T23:00:00Zcom_10261_57com_10261_8col_10261_310
Physiological and reproductive differences between hermaphrodites and males in the androdioecious plant Fraxinus ornus
Verdú, Miguel
European Commission
Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (España)
8 páginas, 4 figuras, 1 tabla.
Androdioecy, the co-occurrence of males and hermaphrodites in a breeding population, is a rare reproductive system in the nature. This rarity may be the result of the large fitness gain required for male plants to be maintained by selection. Physiological, vegetative and reproductive characters of males and hermaphrodites of the androdioecious species Fraxinus ornus (Oleaceae) were compared, supporting the hypothesis that males compensate the fitness advantage of hermaphrodites with greater reproductive -but not vegetative- output, with concomitant differences in physiological capacities between the genders. Photosynthetic rate was similar between both genders, but hermaphrodites had lower water potential and carbon isotope discrimination than males. Photosynthesis rates decreased with decreasing water potentials more steeply in males than in hermaphrodites, indicating that hermaphrodites were more drought tolerant than males. Vegetative characters such as current year shoot growth or tree size did not differ between genders. Males produced 1.6 times more inflorescences than hermaphrodites. This difference was consistent across years and populations.
I specially thank to J. Pannell for long
discussions on androdioecy. I thank P. García-Fayos, G. Gleiser, F. Ojeda, J. Pannell, O. Totland and P. Villar for comments on the manuscript. J. A. Bellido, P. Garcí-Fayos, G. Gleiser, R. M. López, and D. Montesinos helped in the field and lab work. The authorities from the Parque Natural del Carrascal de la Font Roja and Parque Municipal La Murta de Alzira provided the permission to work in these areas. This research was supported by the project FEDER 1FD97-0551 and the Programa Ramón y Cajal del Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología.
Peer reviewed
2012-12-28T19:09:54Z
2012-12-28T19:09:54Z
2004-05
artículo
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Oikos - Oxford 105(2): 239-246 (2004)
0030-1299
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/63684
10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12998.x
1600-0706
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006280
en
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12998.x
none
Wiley-Blackwell