Differences in flowering sex ratios between native and invasive populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea

• DOI: 10.1515/bot-2018-0015
• Publication Date: 2018-07-13T03:00:49Z
• Authors: Hung Manh Nguyen; Periklis Kleitou; Demetris Kletou; Yuval Sapir; Gidon Winters
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; 5. Gender equality; 14. Life underwater; 01 natural sciences

Abstract Deviations from the 1:1 sex ratio are common in dioecious plants. The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea is among an extremely rare group of dioecious plants that are widely recognized as female-biased. Here we report on differences in sex ratios between native (Eilat, northern Red Sea) and invasive (Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea) populations. While H. stipulacea populations were female-biased in their native region, invasive populations were either male- or female-biased. The existence of both sexes simultaneously in the Mediterranean invasive populations might help its ongoing expansion in the Mediterranean, thereby threatening local seagrasses species.