RELATIONSHIPS AMONG REPRODUCTION,GROWTH RATES,AND PROTEIN HETEROZYGOSITY IN PONDEROSA PINE

This report summarizes a 6-yr study of male and female cone production in a population of 216 ponderosa pines whose ages, diameters, and genotypes at 7 protein polymorphisms are known. There are different schedules of male and female reproduction. The majority of cones are produced by the same few trees each year. There is a tradeoff between growth rate and female cone production but not pollen production. Differential female (but not male) cone production is associated with protein genotype. The variance of female reproductive effort declines with increasing protein heterozygosity.