| Abstract: | This study compares the establishment success of cleistogamous (CL, obligately selfed) and chasmogamous (CH, potentially outcrossed) seeds of the neotropical understory herb, Calathea micans (Marantaceae). In this species, CH and CL seeds are morphologically identical and are both dispersed by ants. I measured dispersal distances and analyzed seedling recruitment and seedling size for ant-planted CH and CL seeds, a protocol made possible by the fact that the seed coat of C. micans can be indelibly marked and remains attached to the base of the seedling for a few months. Seeds were taken by ants from experimental depots placed in natural conditions. In a second experiment, I planted CH and CL seeds in gap and understory sites to determine the effects of seed type and light on germination percentage, date of emergence, and seed and seedling survivorship. Ant-planted CH and CL seedlings did not differ in dispersal distance. CH and CL seeds did not differ significantly in recruitment probability and seedling size in either experiment. However, for the ant-planted seedlings, CH recruitment was higher in the understory than in the gap, while CL recruitment was uniform across light environments. In conclusion, I found a difference in the establishment success of CH and CL seeds in this understory herb, only after dispersal by ants in field conditions. |
