Abstract
Pollen limitation may affect resource allocation patterns in plants, but its role in the selection of seed size is not known. Using an evolutionarily stable strategy model of resource allocation in perennial iteroparous plants, we show that under density-independent population growth, pollen limitation (i.e., a reduction in ovule fertilization rate) should increase the optimal seed size. At any level of pollen limitation (including none), the optimal seed size maximizes the ratio of juvenile survival rate to the resource investment needed to produce one seed (including both ovule production and seed provisioning); that is, the optimum maximizes the fitness effect per unit cost. Seed investment may affect allocation to postbreeding adult survival. In our model, pollen limitation increases individual seed size but decreases overall reproductive allocation, so that pollen limitation should also increase the optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival. Under density-dependent population growth, the optimal seed size is inversely proportional to ovule fertilization rate. However, pollen limitation does not affect the optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival and ovule production. These results highlight the importance of allocation trade-offs in the effect pollen limitation has on the ecology and evolution of seed size and postbreeding adult survival in perennial plants.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Under density-independent growth pollen limitation increases optimal seed size.
- Treatment
- pollen limitatione0
- Outcome
- optimal seed sizee0
- Direction
- increasee0
- Qualifier
- density-independent population growthe0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“under density-independent population growth, pollen limitation (i.e., a reduction in ovule fertilization rate) should increase the optimal seed size”
Claim · model-written summary
Optimal seed size maximizes juvenile survival per resource invested per seed.
- Outcome
- ratio of juvenile survival rate to the resource investment needed to produce one seede0
- Direction
- maximizese0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the optimal seed size maximizes the ratio of juvenile survival rate to the resource investment needed to produce one seed”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen limitation decreases overall reproductive allocation.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“pollen limitation increases individual seed size but decreases overall reproductive allocation”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen limitation increases optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival under density-independent growth.
- Treatment
- pollen limitatione0
- Outcome
- optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survivale0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“pollen limitation should also increase the optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival”
Claim · model-written summary
Under density-dependent growth optimal seed size is inversely proportional to ovule fertilization rate.
- Organ / stage
- seede0
- Outcome
- optimal seed sizee0
- Direction
- inversely proportionale0
- Qualifier
- density-dependent population growthe0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Under density-dependent population growth, the optimal seed size is inversely proportional to ovule fertilization rate.”
Claim · model-written summary
Under density-dependent growth pollen limitation does not affect postbreeding survival allocation.
- Treatment
- pollen limitatione0
- Outcome
- optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survivale0
- Direction
- does not affecte0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“pollen limitation does not affect the optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival and ovule production”
Claim · model-written summary
Under density-dependent growth pollen limitation does not affect ovule production allocation.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“pollen limitation does not affect the optimal allocation to postbreeding adult survival and ovule production”