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Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2006; 8(1): 103-111
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872890
Research Paper

Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart KG · New York

Costs of Reproduction as Related to the Timing of Phenological Phases in the Dioecious Shrub Pistacia lentiscus L.

R. Milla1 , P. Castro-Díez2 , M. Maestro-Martínez1 , G. Montserrat-Martí1
  • 1Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (C.S.I.C.), P.O. Box 202, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain
  • 2Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
Further Information

Publication History

Received: April 14, 2005

Accepted: August 30, 2005

Publication Date:
08 November 2005 (online)

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Abstract

Females of woody dioecious species usually devote more resources to reproduction than males. This may lead to a decrease in female survival and growth. The costs of reproduction, however, can be lightened through a number of mechanisms, as for example avoiding the temporal coincidence of reproduction and vegetative growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether males and females of P. lentiscus differ in the timing of their vegetative growth, and to assess whether the sequencing of vegetative growth and reproduction reduces reproductive costs. We monitored phenology in males and females. We also compared male and female allocation of nutrients and biomass in the branch, and the developmental stability of the growing shoots. We did this both prior to and at the end of the fruiting period. Males and females showed similar vegetative and flowering phenologies. Males invested more biomass in flowering, but the sexes showed equal vegetative biomass and nutrient content prior to the fruiting period. In female branches, no trade-off was found between fruit load and current-year vegetative growth. In P. lentiscus, avoiding the overlap of flowering, vegetative growth and fruiting probably contributes to reduce the immediate costs of reproductive efforts, both in males and females.

Key words

Pistacia lentiscus - costs of reproduction - phenology - vegetative growth - nitrogen - phosphorus - potassium.

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R. Milla

Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (C.S.I.C.)

P.O. Box 202

50080 Zaragoza

Spain

Email: rmilla@ipe.csic.es

Email: milla052@umn.edu

Editor: F. R. Scarano