Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland
ABSTRACT The reproductive success of plants often depends on their local conspecific densities. The degree of isolation from conspecific plants can mediate an individual's interactions with other organisms. For example, a high density of flowers can attract pollinators and improve seed set, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71491 |
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| author | Eleanor E. Jackson Matthew P. Greenwell James M. Bullock Tom H. Oliver Susie Topple Christopher W. Foster Sofia Gripenberg |
| author_facet | Eleanor E. Jackson Matthew P. Greenwell James M. Bullock Tom H. Oliver Susie Topple Christopher W. Foster Sofia Gripenberg |
| author_sort | Eleanor E. Jackson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT The reproductive success of plants often depends on their local conspecific densities. The degree of isolation from conspecific plants can mediate an individual's interactions with other organisms. For example, a high density of flowers can attract pollinators and improve seed set, and a high density of seeds can attract enemies such as seed predators. It is the joint outcome of positive and negative density‐dependent effects that will determine the spatial distribution of a population, yet they are rarely studied simultaneously. We related two indicators of reproductive success (fruit set and fruit drop) to tree size and the density of neighbouring conspecifics for 32 Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae) individuals in a temperate woodland. Overall, 26% of flowers set seed, but seed set was not density dependent. We found that 25% of fruits were dropped before reaching maturity, and 24% of mature fruits were dropped before the typical dispersal period. The drop of both immature and mature fruits increased with the density of reproductive conspecifics in this system, with potential implications for spatial patterns of seedling recruitment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5b38ff516e14ee3943fff5152eba760 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5b38ff516e14ee3943fff5152eba7602025-08-20T02:43:38ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-06-01156n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71491Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate WoodlandEleanor E. Jackson0Matthew P. Greenwell1James M. Bullock2Tom H. Oliver3Susie Topple4Christopher W. Foster5Sofia Gripenberg6Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UKUK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Wallingford UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UKSchool of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UKABSTRACT The reproductive success of plants often depends on their local conspecific densities. The degree of isolation from conspecific plants can mediate an individual's interactions with other organisms. For example, a high density of flowers can attract pollinators and improve seed set, and a high density of seeds can attract enemies such as seed predators. It is the joint outcome of positive and negative density‐dependent effects that will determine the spatial distribution of a population, yet they are rarely studied simultaneously. We related two indicators of reproductive success (fruit set and fruit drop) to tree size and the density of neighbouring conspecifics for 32 Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae) individuals in a temperate woodland. Overall, 26% of flowers set seed, but seed set was not density dependent. We found that 25% of fruits were dropped before reaching maturity, and 24% of mature fruits were dropped before the typical dispersal period. The drop of both immature and mature fruits increased with the density of reproductive conspecifics in this system, with potential implications for spatial patterns of seedling recruitment.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71491density dependenceHawthornJanzen‐Connell hypothesispollen limitationpollinationpredispersal seed mortality |
| spellingShingle | Eleanor E. Jackson Matthew P. Greenwell James M. Bullock Tom H. Oliver Susie Topple Christopher W. Foster Sofia Gripenberg Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland Ecology and Evolution density dependence Hawthorn Janzen‐Connell hypothesis pollen limitation pollination predispersal seed mortality |
| title | Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland |
| title_full | Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland |
| title_fullStr | Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland |
| title_short | Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland |
| title_sort | density dependent effects on the reproductive ecology of trees in a temperate woodland |
| topic | density dependence Hawthorn Janzen‐Connell hypothesis pollen limitation pollination predispersal seed mortality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71491 |
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