Floral integration has been deemed an adaptation to increase the benefits of animal pollination, yet no attempts have made estimate its adaptive value under natural conditions. Here, variation in magnitude and pattern phenotypic floral variance-covariance structure traits four species Rosaceae were examined. The intensity selection acting on was also estimated available evidence regarding reviewed. studied had similar degrees integration, although significant differences observed their...

1. Flower nectar robbers which extract flower rewards to pollinators but do not pollinate, may reduce the fitness of plant. In this study we combined field observations and experimental manipulations assess role a primary robber, bird Diglossa baritula, on secretion reproductive output two hummingbird-pollinated plant species with contrasting breeding systems. We used hermaphroditic Salvia mexicana androdioecious Fuchsia microphylla. addition, because distinction between is so sharp,...

Abstract Changes in resource availability, functional demands, hormonal regulation and developmental constraints can promote differences the expression of leaf traits during plant development foster changes targets natural selection. As a consequence, pattern magnitude covariation among traits, therefore their phenotypic integration modularity are equally expected to change throughout ontogeny. However, these have not been described yet. We measured economic, defensive morphological plants...

Summary Plant functional strategies are usually accomplished through the simultaneous expression of different traits, and hence their correlations should be promoted by natural selection. The adaptive value among leaf however, has not been assessed in populations. We estimated intraspecific variation traits related to primary metabolism anti‐herbivore defence a population Turnera velutina . analysed whether selection favoured individual particular combinations or phenotypic integration....

Summary Pollinators prefer flowers with traits that reliably indicate reward quality or quantity, a relationship defining ‘honest signals’. Despite its prevalence in plant–pollinator interactions, genetic variation floral honesty and effects on plant fitness remain poorly understood. Using clonal design, we propagated 41 genotypes of Turnera velutina from natural population to estimate broad‐sense heritability morphological traits, nectar, (i.e. the signal–reward correlation). In factorial...

Seed predation, an omnipresent phenomenon in tropical rain forests, is important determinant of plant recruitment and forest regeneration. Although seed predation destroys large amounts the crop numerous species, many cases individual damage only partial. The extent to which partial affects new individuals population depends on type magnitude alteration germination behavior damaged seeds. We analyzed dynamics 11 woody species subject increasing levels simulated (0–10% mass removal)....

Within-individual variation in floral advertising and reward traits is a feature experienced by pollinators that visit different flowers of the same plant. Pollinators can use to gather information about quality amount rewards, leading evolution signal–reward correlations. As long as plants differ reliability their signals base foraging decisions on this information, natural selection should act within-individual correlations between rewards. Because birds bees cognitive capabilities,...

Because pollinators are unable to directly assess the amount of rewards offered by flowers, they rely on information provided advertising floral traits. Thus, having a lower intra-individual correlation between signal and reward (signal accuracy) than other plants in population provides opportunity reduce investment cheat pollinators. However, pollinators' cognitive capacities can impose limit evolution this plant cheating strategy if punish those with low accuracy. In study, we examined for...

Philopatry over the lifetime and its relationship with reproductive success were examined using longitudinal records of nest location reproduction individual blue-footed boobies. Males showed shorter natal dispersal than females, distance both sexes unrelated to either first or success. Throughout early lifetime, males females nested closer their breeding sites sites, comparison a simulation successive dispersals in random directions that male female boobies are philopatric site. Therefore,...

Ecological restoration in tropical dry forests urgently needs to incorporate experimental evidence increase effectiveness. The main barriers for tree establishment are adverse microenvironmental conditions and competition with exotic grasses. Therefore, management should address such order enhance performance. We evaluated the effect of plastic mulching, grass removal, no on survival after 2 months stem volume canopy size years integrated response index (IRI) plantings 11 native species...

The evolution of plant defenses has traditionally been studied at single ontogenetic stages, overlooking the fact that natural selection acts continuously on organisms along their development, and adaptive value phenotypes can change ontogeny. We exposed 20 replicated genotypes Turnera velutina to field conditions evaluate whether targets different adaptative across development. found low chemical defense was favored in seedlings, which seems be explained by assimilation efficiency ability...

Selection may favour a partial or complete loss of self-incompatibility (SI) if it increases the reproductive output individuals in presence low mate availability. The varying their strength SI also be affected by population density via its affect on spatial structuring and number S-alleles populations. Modifiers increasing levels self-compatibility can selected when self-compatible receive compensation by, for example, seed set and/or they become associated with high fitness genotypes....

• Premise of the study: Even though dioecy is a dominant sexual system among gymnosperms, little known about its evolutionary history. Pinus johannis may represent model because unisexual and monoecious individuals compose populations. The presence in other species consequence lability. Here we determined whether P. represents first example dioecious or nearly reproductive conifers by evaluating stability. Methods: To assess stability expression, quantified proportion male vs. female...

Primates are primary seed dispersers for many tropical tree species. Different species of primates vary considerably in ranging and feeding behaviour, processing, defecation patterns. Here we compare the role two arboreal primate species, howlers ( Alouatta palliata ), white-faced monkeys Cebus capucinus ) as a dry forest Costa Rica. We found that produce smaller defecations, spend shorter times per tree, have longer dispersal distances, more scattered pattern deposition than . In addition,...

The evolution of distyly from tristyly was investigated in populations Oxalis alpina at high elevations throughout the Sky Islands Sonoran Desert. Incompatibility systems tristylous populations, where self‐incompatible short‐, mid‐, and long‐styled morphs occur vary those typical species which each morph is equally capable fertilizing ovules other two morphs, to breeding incompatibility relationships are asymmetric. In these selection against allele controlling expression mid‐styled likely....

In this paper we propose that the role of floral nectar in Croton suberosus is attraction herbivore pr,dators rather than reward for pollinators. The flowers monoecious plant species present several features associated with anemophily and wind prime pollen vector. Furthermore, field, levels damage to leaves are extremely low, even though laboratory tests indicate foliage readily acceptable. Experimental addition plants C. shows Polistes instabilis wasps act as defenders while they forage...

Abstract Although the spatial separation of sexual organs within a flower (herkogamy) has been interpreted as mechanism that promotes efficient pollen transfer, there have few attempts to relate variation in herkogamy probabilities flow. Here, we used heterostylous species with reciprocal test this hypothesis. We measured legitimate and illegitimate flow fluorescent dyes four selected populations Oxalis alpina corresponding extremes previously reported evolutionary gradient from tristyly...

Abstract Background and aims Nectar, a plant reward for pollinators, can be energetically expensive. Hence, higher investment in nectar production lead to reduced allocation other vital functions and/or increased geitonogamous pollination. One possible strategy employed by plants reduce these costs is offer variable amounts of among flowers within plant, manipulate pollinator behaviour. Using artificial flowers, we tested this hypothesis examining how visitation responds inter- intra-plant...

Bees use thoracic vibrations produced by their indirect flight muscles for powering wingbeats in flight, but also during mating, pollination, defence and nest building. Previous work on non-flight has mostly focused acoustic (airborne vibrations) spectral properties (frequency domain). However, mechanical such as the vibration's acceleration amplitude are important some behaviours, e.g. buzz where higher remove more pollen from flowers. Bee have been studied only a handful of species we know...