Search results for "gynodioecy"
showing 10 items of 15 documents
Light availability affects sex lability in a gynodioecious plant.
2016
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Sex lability (i.e., gender diphasy) in plants is classically linked to the larger resource needs associated with the female sexual function (i.e., seed production) compared to the male function (i.e., pollen production). Sex lability in response to the environment is extensively documented in dioecious species, but has been largely overlooked in gynodioecious plants. METHODS: Here, we tested whether environmental conditions induce sex lability in the gynodioecious Geranium sylvaticum. We conducted a transplantation experiment in the field where plants with different sex expression were reciprocally transplanted between high light and low light habitats. We measured pla…
An electrochemical analysis suggests role of gynodioecy in adaptation to stress in Cortaderia selloana
2018
Cortaderia selloana is an invasive, gynodioecious species prevalent in Mediterranean area which contains both female and hermaphrodite specimens in the wild population. Using voltammetric data we show that the female and hermaphrodite specimens exhibit differential electrochemical response. Cortaderia selloana leaves from two different provenances in the Valencia Mediterranean area, Sueca and Cullera (Comunitat Valenciana, Spain), in the surroundings of the Albufera Natural Park, a peculiar ecosystem containing unspoilt dune beaches and forests, were studied to determine correlation of flower morphology with the plant's ability to adapt to stress conditions. Our data suggests that gynodioec…
Prolonged stigma and flower lifespan in females of the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum
2017
tIn gynodioecious plants females need a reproductive advantage over hermaphrodites to be maintainedin the same population. Generally, three main proximate causes for a female advantage are considered:inbreeding avoidance, different resource allocation patterns, and differences in ecological interactions.A mechanism potentially causing a female advantage that is rarely discussed is a difference in flo-ral longevity between the genders. Females may have a longer stigma lifespan than hermaphrodites,which can affect pollination. Stigma and flower lifespan are rarely documented in gynodioecious species,although it is a common observation in dioecious species that female plants flower longer than…
Sexes in gynodioeciousGeranium sylvaticumdo not differ in their isotopic signature or photosynthetic capacity
2017
• In gynodioecious plants, females are expected to produce more or better seeds than hermaphrodites in order to be maintained within the same population. Even though rarely measured, higher seed production can be achieved through differences in physiology. • In this work, we measured sexual dimorphism in several physiological traits in the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum. Photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductivity, transpiration rate, water use efficiency and isotopic signatures were measured in plants growing in two habitats differing in light availability. • Females have been reported to produce more seeds than hermaphrodites. However, we did not observe any significant difference…
Paternal effects on functional gender account for cryptic dioecy in a perennial plant.
2004
7 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tabla.
Variable mycorrhizal benefits on the reproductive output ofGeranium sylvaticum, with special emphasis on the intermediate phenotype
2012
In several gynodioecious species, intermediate sex between female and hermaphrodite has been reported, but few studies have investigated fitness parameters of this intermediate phenotype. Here, we examined the interactions between plant sex and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal species affecting the reproductive output of Geranium sylvaticum, a sexually polymorphic plant species with frequent intermediate sexes between females and hermaphrodites, using a common garden experiment. Flowering phenology, AM colonisation levels and several plant vegetative and reproductive parameters, including seed and pollen production, were measured. Differences among sexes were detected in flowering, fruit …
Transgenerational effects of plant sex and arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
2013
In gynodioecious plants, females are predicted to produce more and/or better offspring than hermaphrodites in order to be maintained in the same population. In the field, the roots of both sexes are usually colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Transgenerational effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis are largely unknown, although theoretically expected. We examined the maternal and paternal effects of AM fungal symbiosis and host sex on seed production and posterior seedling performance in Geranium sylvaticum, a gynodioe- cious plant. We hand-pollinated cloned females and hermaphrodites in symbiosis with AM fungi or in nonmycorrhizal conditions and measured seed number and mass, and see…
Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and maternal plant sex on seed germination and early plant establishment.
2015
Premise of the study: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi usually enhance overall plant performance, yet their effects on seed germi- nation and early plant establishment, crucial steps in plant cycles, are generally overlooked. In gynodioecious species, sexual dimorphism in these traits has been reported, with females producing seeds that germinate at a faster rate than seeds from hermaphrodites. • Methods: Using the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum, I investigated in a greenhouse experiment whether the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal spores affects seed germination and early plant establishment, examining at the same time whether the sex of the mother producing the seeds also influence…
Sex-specific patterns of antagonistic and mutualistic biotic interactions in dioecious and gynodioecious plants
2013
a b s t r a c t A major transition in flowering plants has been the evolution of separate sexes from hermaphroditism via gynodioecy which is considered to be the most important route. Biotic interactions, both antagonist and mutualistic, have been proposed to influence this transition which is generally accompanied by the evolution of sexual dimorphism in secondary sexual traits. While some researchers have studied sex- specific patterns in herbivory and pollination, less attention has been paid to pathogens/parasites and a limited number of studies have revised sex-specific patterns in mycorrhizal symbiosis. In this article, we explore sex-specific interactions in dioecious and gynodioecio…
Mycorrhizal benefit differs among the sexes in a gynodioecious species
2010
Both plant sex and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis influence resource acquisition and allocation in plants, but the interaction between these two components is not well established. As the different plant sexes differ in their resource needs and allocation patterns, it is logical to presume that they might differ in their relationship with AM as well. We investigate whether the association with AM symbiosis is different according to the host plant sex in the gynodioecious Geranium sylvaticum, of which, besides female and hermaphrodite plants, intermediate plants are also recognized. Specifically, we examine the effects of two different AM fungi in plant mass allocation and phosphorus …