Abstract
Premise of research. The prevalence of sexual dimorphisms, which evolve due to contrasting strategies to maximize reproductive success in males and females, is variable among dioecious plant species. In the Salicaceae, many traits have been assessed across many studies, but direct or indirect associations between these traits and reproductive allocation are often neglected. Given the dynamic evolution of sex determination systems and the strong interest in wood production in the family, we wondered whether sexual dimorphisms related to reproduction may have gone unreported. Here, we assess sexual dimorphism in reproductive traits in two species of Salix. Recognition of reproductive sexually dimorphic traits will contribute to understanding the evolution of sex determination systems in the Salicaceae. Methodology. We conducted observational studies in natural populations to assess the presence of sexual dimorphisms in early spring bud density, catkin number, and flower number per catkin across four sampling periods in Salix exigua. We also analyzed flower number and catkin number per flower in Salix nigra. Pivotal results. We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra. Conclusions. Higher flower numbers in males compared to females are consistent with expectations from intrasexual selection among males. The presence of reproductive sexual dimorphisms in Salix suggests that sexual selection may affect the evolution of mating strategies in Salix species and the evolution of the sex determination system within this genus.
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Claims 4
Claim · model-written summary
Salix exigua showed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch compared with females.
- Taxon
- S. exigua
Salix exiguae1 - Outcome
- preseason buds per branche1
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede1
- Comparator
- femalese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra”
Claim · model-written summary
Males produced more flowers per catkin than females in both Salix exigua and Salix nigra.
- Taxon
- S. exigua and S. nigra
Salix nigraSalix exiguae1 - Outcome
- flowers per catkine1
- Direction
- moree1
- Comparator
- femalese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra”
Claim · model-written summary
Males produced more catkins per branch than females in both Salix exigua and Salix nigra.
- Taxon
- S. exigua and S. nigraSalix nigraSalix exiguae1
- Outcome
- catkins per branche1
- Direction
- moree1
- Comparator
- femalese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher flower numbers in males are consistent with intrasexual selection among males.
- Taxon
- S. exiguaSalix exiguae1
- Outcome
- Higher flower numbers in malese2
- Qualifier
- intrasexual selection among malese2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra”
e2“Higher flower numbers in males compared to females are consistent with expectations from intrasexual selection among males”