Plant trait-mediated interactions between early and late herbivores on common figwort (Scrophularia nodosa) and effects on plant seed set

Ecoscience ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Hambäck ◽  
Johan P. Dahlgren ◽  
Petter Andersson ◽  
Sonja G. Rabasa ◽  
Riccardo Bommarco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Plant Trait ◽  
Scrophularia Nodosa

What determines the number of seed produced in a flowering event? A case study of Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana (Arecaceae)

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul A. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Natural Variation ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Flower Production ◽  
Number Of Seeds ◽  
Female Flowers

Calyptrogyne ghiesbreghtiana Linden ex. H. Wendl. is an understorey palm that occurs at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. In this paper I combine analysis of natural variation and results of experimental manipulations to ask (1) what limits seed production? and (2) what processes cause variation in seed production by C. ghiesbreghtiana? The number of seed produced per inflorescence ofC. ghiesbreghtiana was limited substantially by the loss of female flowers to floral herbivores. Much variation in the number of seed produced perinflorescence of C. ghiesbreghtiana was due to losses of developing fruits to predators. Together these phenomena illustrate the influential role of natural enemies in the reproductive success of this plant. Seed-set efficiency (number of seeds/number of female flowers) was highly variable in this species, and such high levels of variation appear to be common in other species. For species with highly variable seed-set efficiency, the role of resource allocation to flower production in determining differences in seed production among individual plants is likely to be relatively small.

scholarly journals Inter-annual variation in seed production has increased over time (1900–2014)

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1868) ◽  
pp. 20171666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian S. Pearse ◽  
Jalene M. LaMontagne ◽  
Walter D. Koenig
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Mast Seeding ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Subtle Change ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Seed Crops ◽  
Over Time

Mast seeding, or masting, is the highly variable and spatially synchronous production of seeds by a population of plants. The production of variable seed crops is typically correlated with weather, so it is of considerable interest whether global climate change has altered the variability of masting or the size of masting events. We compiled 1086 datasets of plant seed production spanning 1900–2014 and from around the world, and then analysed whether the coefficient of variation (CV) in seed set, a measure of masting, increased over time. Over this 115-year period, seed set became more variable for plants as a whole and for the particularly well-studied taxa of conifers and oaks. The increase in CV corresponded with a decrease in the long-term mean of seed set of plant species. Seed set CV increased to a greater degree in plant taxa with a tendency towards masting. Seed set is becoming more variable among years, especially for plant taxa whose masting events are known to affect animal populations. Such subtle change in reproduction can have wide-ranging effects on ecosystems because seed crops provide critical resources for a wide range of taxa and have cascading effects throughout food webs.

scholarly journals The interplay between ovule number, pollination and resources as determinants of seed set in a modular plant

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina M. Strelin ◽  
Marcelo A. Aizen
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Pollen Limitation ◽  
Rubus Idaeus ◽  
Physiological Integration ◽  
Open Pollination ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Ovule Number

BackgroundA classical dichotomous perspective proposes that either pollination or plant resources limit seed production. However, ovule number could also be limiting when pollination results in complete ovule fertilization and there are more plant resources available than needed to develop seeds. Moreover, this dichotomous view assumes that all flowers of a plant have equal access to a shared pool of resources, although these are frequently compartmentalized within plant modules, for example, inflorescences. How ovule number, pollination and resources affect seed production in physiologically-compartmentalized rather than physiologically-integrated plants has yet to be explored. We used raspberry (Rubus idaeus) to address this question.MethodsWe first assessed if ovule number affected the fraction of ovules that develop into seed (i.e., seed set) and whether this effect related to the extent of physiological integration among flowers within plants. This was achieved by statistically testing predictions on the sign and level of plant organization (i.e., among flowers within inflorescences, among inflorescences within ramets, and among ramets) of the relation between ovule number and seed set given different degrees of physiological integration. We then explored whether the relation between ovule number and seed set was affected by plant age (used here as a surrogate of resource availability) and pollination intensity (open-pollination vs. exclusion).ResultsWithin inflorescences, flowers with more ovules set a larger fraction of seeds. On the other hand, seed set at the inflorescence level was negatively related to the average number of ovules per flower. Seed set increased with ovule number and open-pollination, and decreased with ramet age. However, ovule number explained more variation in seed set than ramet age and pollination treatment. Ramet age affected the strength of the relation of seed set to ovule number, which was stronger in old than young ramets. Pollination did not alter the strength of this relation to any significant extent.DiscussionResults reveal the importance of ovule number as an overriding factor affecting seed set. Within inflorescences, resources appear to be differentially allocated to developing fruits from flowers with many ovules. This is consistent with the fact that in the raspberry a large proportion of the carbon invested in fruit development is fixed by the inflorescence subtending leaf. Differential resource allocation to flowers with many ovules is not affected by pollinator exclusion, being stronger in resource-exhausted ramets. This suggests that the effects of pollen limitation and resource allocation are compartmentalized at the inflorescence level. Consequently, modular plants can be viewed as reproductive mosaics where either ovule number, pollination or resources limit the number of seeds set by different flowers, so that improvements in any of them could increase plant seed production.

Variation in seed yield and its components in the Australian native grass Microlaena stipoides as a guide to its potential as a perennial grain crop

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 309 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Davies ◽  
D. L. Waugh ◽  
E. C. Lefroy
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Seed Weight ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Spikelet Number ◽  
Native Grass ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Grain Crop ◽  
Microlaena Stipoides ◽  
Perennial Grain

This research investigated the potential to domesticate an Australian native grass (Microlaena stipoides) to produce a perennial grain crop. Perennial grain crops offer a new solution to the long-standing problems of salinity and soil erosion associated with conventional cropping systems based on annual plants. Seed yield and its components (culm number, spikelet number per culm, seed set, seed weight) were measured in 46 accessions of Microlaena stipoides (microlaena, meadow or weeping rice grass) from Western Australia and New South Wales to quantify potentially useful variation in the species. A high degree of variability was found to exist, with a 20-fold range in seed yield (0.1–2.4 g/plant), 5-fold range in seed weight (129–666 mg per 100 seeds), 2-fold range in spikelet number (14–30 per culm), 8-fold range in seed set (12–98%), and a 5-fold range in culm number (11–59 per plant). Seed yield was positively and significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with culm number, seed set, and seed weight (r > 0.55 for all). No correlation was found between seed yield and spikelet number per culm (r = –0.14). The range in seed yield and its components suggests that there is sufficient variation within microlaena to make selections for higher yielding lines. This variation will enable breeders to exploit genetic diversity more efficiently and identify useful accessions for further work. High priority traits for future work include synchronous maturity and resistance to shattering.

Floral visitation by the Argentine ant reduces bee visitation and plant seed set

Ecology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cause Hanna ◽  
Ida Naughton ◽  
Christina Boser ◽  
Ruben Alarcón ◽  
Keng-Lou James Hung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Argentine Ant ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Floral Visitation

scholarly journals Intraspecific Competitive Interactions Rapidly Evolve Via Spontaneous Mutations

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Nottebrock ◽  
Mao-Lun Weng ◽  
Matthew T. Rutter ◽  
Charles B. Fenster
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Fifth Generation ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Using a mechanistic eco-evolutionary trait-based neighborhood-model, we quantify the impact of mutations on intraspecific spatial interactions to better understand mechanisms underlying the maintenance of genetic variation and the potential effects of these evolved interactions on the population dynamics of Arabidopsis thaliana. We use 100 twenty-fifth generation mutation accumulation (MA) lines (genotypes) derived from one founder genotype to study mutational effects on neighbor responses in a field experiment. We created individual-based maps (15,000 individuals), including phenotypic variation, to quantify mutational effects within genotypes versus between genotypes on reproduction and survival. At small-scale (within 80 cm of the focal plant), survival is enhanced but seed-set is decreased when a genotype is surrounded by different genotypes. At large-scale (within 200 cm of the focal plant), seed set is facilitated by different genotypes while the same genotype has either no effect or negative effects. The direction of the interactions among MA lines suggests that at small scale these interactions may contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation and at large scale contribute to the survival of the population. This may suggest, that, mutations potentially have immediate effects on population and community dynamics by influencing the outcome of competitive and faciliatory interactions among conspecifics.

BEHAVIOUR AND EFFECTIVENESS OF BEES IN POLLINATING LEGUMES

1974 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
I.W. Forster
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Potential Maximum ◽  
Open Fields

One honeybee or bumblebee working on each square metre of white clover or red clover gave adequate pollination. This could be obtained with one hive of honeybees to each three hectares of flowering clover. Lucerne seeding averaged only 10% of the potential maximum in open fields with honey- or bumblebees. In cages where honeybees were forced to gather pollen, this was raised to 30% but it was not possible to increase seed set significantly in the fields.

Agronomic performance of autumn- and winter-cropped Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) in response to varying levels of nitrogen fertiliser

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-95
Author(s):  
Bent Al-Hoda Asghari ◽  
Mohsen Yousefi ◽  
Katarzyna Możdżeń ◽  
Joanna Puła ◽  
Peiman Zandi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Juncea ◽  
Seed Yield ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Indian Mustard ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Plant Seed ◽  
Nitrogen Fertiliser ◽  
Nitrogen Levels ◽  
Cropping Seasons

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern) cultivation is suggested for regions with short seasons and low rainfall. Although there have been many studies conducted on agronomic production of mustard in Iran, the information regarding the interactive impact of cropping seasons and nitrogen fertiliser on growth characteristics and yield quality of mustard plant is still insufficient and requires further investigation. This study focused on the possible implications of different cropping seasons and different nitrogen levels on selected agronomic traits in mustard. In this experiment, five different doses of nitrogen and two sowing periods were used to assess for their combined effects on the growth parameters, seed yield and agronomic characteristics of mustard in the semi-arid climatic conditions of Takestan. The results revealed that cultivation seasons and nitrogen rates had a significant effect on plant height, biomass yield, number of siliques per plant, seed oil content and seed yield.

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