Intra and interspecifi c variation in frugivore behaviour can have important consequences for seed dispersal outcomes. However, most information comes from among-species comparisons, and within-species variation is relatively poorly understood. We examined how large intraspecifi c diff erences in the behaviour of a native disperser, blackbuck antelope Antilope cervicapra , infl uence dispersal of a woody invasive, Prosopis julifl ora , in a grassland ecosystem. Blackbuck disperse P. julifl ora seeds through their dung. In lekking blackbuck populations, males defend clustered or dispersed mating territories. Territorial male movement is restricted, and within their territories males defecate on dung-piles. In contrast, mixed-sex herds range over large areas and do not create dung-piles. We expected territorial males to shape seed dispersal patterns, and seed deposition and seedling recruitment to be spatially localized. Territorial males had a disproportionately large infl uence on seed dispersal. Adult males removed twice as much fruit as females, and seed arrival was disproportionately high on territories. Also, because lek-territories are clustered, seed arrival was spatially highly concentrated. Seedling recruitment was also substantially higher on territories compared with random sites, indicating that the local concentration of seeds created by territorial males continued into high local recruitment of seedlings. Territorial male behaviour may, thus, result in a distinct spatial pattern of invasion of grasslands by the woody P. julifl ora . An ex situ experiment showed no benefi cial eff ect of dung and a negative eff ect of light on seed germination. We conclude that large intraspecifi c behavioural diff erences within frugivore populations can result in signifi cant variation in their eff ectiveness as seed dispersers. Mating strategies in a disperser could shape seed dispersal, seedling recruitment and potentially plant distribution patterns. Th ese mating strategies may aid in the spread of invasives, such as P. julifl ora , which could, in turn, negatively infl uence the behaviour and ecology of native dispersers.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic plant processes affect the fate of flowers along an inflorescence in sequentially flowering plants. We investigated whether the intrinsic process of competition for limited resource between fruits and flowers owing to resource preemption or sink strength of basal fruits, or architectural effects due to positional differences in the probability of retaining flowers, explains a lower probability of retaining distal flowers in Yucca glauca. Further, we investigated how the extrinsic process of seed herbivory interacts with the plant’s intrinsic processes of flower retention. We carried out a field experiment to compare flower retention among nine combinations of three inflorescence treatments (basal flowers only, distal flowers only, distal flowers with presence of basal fruits) and three ovule damage treatments (no, low and high) that serve as a cue for potential future seed herbivory. Also, we quantified flower retention in naturally pollinated inflorescences. Experimental results showed that the probabilities of retaining basal and distal flowers in the absence of basal fruits were similar, thus rejecting the architectural effects hypothesis. Further, in the presence of basal fruits that were in their initial stages of growth, the probability of retaining distal flowers decreased, which supports the sink strength hypothesis. We did not see an effect of ovule damage. In naturally pollinated inflorescences, the probability of retaining distal flowers decreased with increasing number of basal fruits. Results suggest that basal fruits constitute strong resource sinks reducing the probability of retaining distal flowers. Previous studies have tested this mechanism in cultivated plants. Our study shows evidence for this mechanism in a wild flower population.

Aim -Secondary pollen presentation in flowers has been described only in a few species across about 25 plant families. The first report of secondary pollen presentation in the Cucurbitaceae family is given here. Key result -Sechium talamancensis, endemic to high elevations in Costa Rica, presents nearly 39% of its pollen secondarily on the distal ends of its petals. The remaining pollen is presented on the anthers, the primary pollen presenters. Significance -Closely related and commercially important congeners of S. talamancensis do not show secondary pollen presentation. Potential selective advantages of the phenomenon that differentiates S. talamancensis from its lower elevation congeners are discussed.

Phytophagous insects use a wide range of indicators or associated cues to avoid laying eggs in sites where offspring survival is low. For insects that lay eggs in flowers, these unsuitable sites may be created by the host plant's resource allocation to flowers. In the sequentially flowering host plant, Yucca glauca, late‐opening distal flowers are more likely to be aborted in the presence of already‐initiated basal fruits because they are strong resource sinks. If flowers are aborted, all eggs of the phytophagous insect, Tegeticula yuccasella, within the flower die. We used the phytophagous insect T. yuccasella that lays eggs in and pollinates host plant Y. glauca flowers to test the hypothesis that phytophagous insect females are less likely to invest eggs in host plant flowers if basal fruits are present because they are more likely to be aborted. We also investigated potential predictors of arrival of T. yuccasella at inflorescences at the onset of flowering. These factors may influence a phytophagous insect's decisions to select oviposition sites. We carried out a behavioral experiment using wild‐caught T. yuccasella females on manipulated inflorescences with distal flowers with basal fruits and without fruits. As potential predictors of T. yuccasella arriving at inflorescences, we used floral display size and day of onset of flowering. In support of our hypothesis, our experimental results showed that T. yuccasella was significantly less likely to oviposit in distal flowers on inflorescences with basal fruits. We also found that T. yuccasella arrival was higher at inflorescences with larger floral display size and earlier in the flowering season. These findings uncover a novel indicator of unsuitable oviposition sites—the presence of basal fruits, that phytophagous insects use to make oviposition decisions. Further, our study contributes to the growing body of evidence that shows that females prefer sites that increase the probability of survival of their offspring.