Disturbance-dependent spatial distribution of sexes in a gynodioecious understory shrub |
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| Authors: | Antonio R. Castilla Thorsten Wiegand Conchita Alonso Carlos M. Herrera |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Comenius University in Bratislava, Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Mlynská dolina, 84215 Bratislava, Slovak Republic;2. INRA, UMR LISAH, 2 Place Pierre Viala, 34060 Montpellier-cedex 1, France;3. Technical University Berlin, RG Ecohydrology and Landscape Evaluation, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587 Berlin, Germany;4. KU Leuven, Division of Geography, Department Earth & Environmental Sciences, Celestijnenlaan 200E, P.O. box 2409, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium;5. GEOarch Dr. Markus Dotterweich, Paul-Münch-Str. 3, 76829 Landau, Germany;6. Palacký University in Olomouc, Department of Geography, 17 listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic;1. Center for Ocean Life, DTU AQUA, Charlottenlund Castle, 2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark;2. Aix Marseille Université, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography CNRS/INSU, IRD, UM 110, 13288 Marseille, France;3. Université de Toulon, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, CNRS/INSU, IRD, UM 110, 83957 La Garde, France;4. Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany;5. Department of Theoretical Biology, Vrije Universiteit, de Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;6. CIMAR/CIIMAR — Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal;7. Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg Texel, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Several ecological conditions and processes occurring naturally in plant populations may lead to spatial aggregation of sexes within populations of sexually polymorphic species. In addition, ecological disturbances such as forest management or fire could also affect the spatial distribution of sexes within populations. Spatial aggregation of sexes can have important consequences for the fitness of the individuals in sex-biased patches through increased pollen limitation and/or variation in the male fitness of hermaphrodites. Therefore, spatial aggregation of sexes could be relevant for the maintenance of the sexual polymorphism in plant species. Here, we used point pattern analysis to study the spatial distribution of female and hermaphrodite individuals within a single population of the gynodioecious understory shrub Daphne laureola, inhabiting a young pine reforestation and the adjacent natural undisturbed area. In the undisturbed area, we found that hermaphrodites were distributed randomly whereas females were spatially aggregated at short distances. Such aggregation could result from narrower ecological amplitude, cyto-nuclear determination of sex and limited dispersal and/or increased cloning in females. In the reforested area, females were slightly more abundant and the two sexes were randomly distributed among all plants. Recolonization processes after certain forest disturbances could thus favour the establishment of females and alter the spatial distribution of sexes in this understory species. |
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