Abstract
Abstract Polymorphisms in fruit colour are common in nature, but mechanistic explanations for the factor(s) responsible for their maintenance are for the most part lacking. Past studies have focused on frugivore colour preferences and fruit removal rates, but until recently there has been no evidence that these factors are responsible for the maintenance of the polymorphisms. For other types of genetic polymorphisms, habitat heterogeneity has been shown to play a role in their maintenance. Here we test the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis for a polymorphic New Zealand mistletoe. We show that red‐fruited and orange‐fruited morphs of the mistletoe Alepis flavida (Hook. F) Tiegh. (Loranthaceae) differ in their growth, mortality and flowering on forest edges and in forest interior. Red‐fruited morphs, which are preferred by dispersers, grew, survived and flowered as well as orange‐fruited morphs on edges, whereas orange‐fruited morphs had much greater growth, survival, and flowering than red‐fruited morphs in the forest interior. This is the first evidence that habitat‐specific differences in growth and survival may contribute to maintaining fruit‐colour polymorphisms.
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Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
In forest interior, orange-fruited mistletoe morphs had much greater growth, survival and flowering than red-fruited morphs.
- Taxon
- Alepis flavida
Alepis flavidae1 - Material
- orangee2
- Outcome
- growth, survival, and floweringe2
- Direction
- much greatere2
- Comparator
- rede2
- Setting
- forest interiore2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the mistletoe Alepis flavida (Hook. F) Tiegh. (Loranthaceae) differ in their growth, mortality and flowering on forest edges and in forest interior”
e2“whereas orange‐fruited morphs had much greater growth, survival, and flowering than red‐fruited morphs in the forest interior”
Claim · model-written summary
On forest edges, red-fruited mistletoe morphs grew, survived and flowered as well as orange-fruited morphs.
- Taxon
- Alepis flavidaAlepis flavidae1
- Material
- Rede3
- Outcome
- grew, survived and flowerede3
- Direction
- as well ase3
- Comparator
- orangee3
- Setting
- on edgese3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the mistletoe Alepis flavida (Hook. F) Tiegh. (Loranthaceae) differ in their growth, mortality and flowering on forest edges and in forest interior”
e3“Red‐fruited morphs, which are preferred by dispersers, grew, survived and flowered as well as orange‐fruited morphs on edges”
Claim · model-written summary
Habitat-specific differences in growth and survival may contribute to maintaining fruit colour polymorphism in mistletoe.
Verbatim
e1“the mistletoe Alepis flavida (Hook. F) Tiegh. (Loranthaceae) differ in their growth, mortality and flowering on forest edges and in forest interior”
e4“This is the first evidence that habitat‐specific differences in growth and survival may contribute to maintaining fruit‐colour polymorphisms”