Benefit versus cost trade‐offs of masting across seed‐to‐seedling transition for a dominant subtropical forest species

Huang, Li; Cheng, Jin; Zhou, Lei; Song, Kun; Qian, Shenhua; Lin, Dunmei; Zhao, Liang; Chen, Bo; Yan, En‐Rong; Michalet, Richard; Yang, Yongchuan

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13722

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Mechanisms through which masting increases fitness have been widely studied (Kelly & Sullivan, 1997; Fletcher et al ., 2010; Rapp et al ., 2013; Ascoli et al ., 2020; Satake et al ., 2021). In contrast, costs are developed theoretically but poorly tested empirically (Waller, 1979; Rees et al ., 2002; Tachiki & Iwasa, 2010; Huang et al ., 2021). Because masting costs are not estimated for majority of systems, our understanding why some plants evolve intense masting while others reproduce regularly is rudimentary (Pearse et al ., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs and benefits of masting: economies of scale are not reduced by negative density‐dependence in seedling survival in Sorbus aucuparia

et al. 2021

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Masting is a widespread reproductive strategy in plants that helps to reduce seed predation and increase pollination. However, masting can involve costs, notably negative densitydependent (NDD) seedling survival caused by concentrating reproduction in intermittent events. Masting benefits have received widespread attention, but the costs are understudied, which precludes understanding why some plant species have evolved intense masting, while others reproduce regularly.We followed seed production, seed predation (both 13 yr), and seedling recruitment and survival (11 yr) in Sorbus aucuparia. We tested whether NDD in seedling survival after mast years can reduce the benefits of pulsed reproduction that come through predator satiation.Seed predation rates were extreme in our population (mean = 75%), but were reduced by masting. The commonly accepted, but untested, assertion that pulsed recruitment is associated with strong NDD was unsupported. Consequently, the proportion of seedlings that survived their first year increased with fruit production. This provides a rare test of economies of scale beyond the seed stage.Our results provide estimation of the costs of mast seeding, and indicate that these may be lower than expected. Low masting costs, if common, may help explain why masting is such a widespread reproductive strategy throughout the plant kingdom.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs and benefits of masting: economies of scale are not reduced by negative density‐dependence in seedling survival in Sorbus aucuparia

et al. 2021

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“…We also found that when the number of recruits was higher, seedling growth was reduced, as we might expect due to increased competition for resources when there were more recruits. A possible reason for increased seedling survival in years of higher recruitment lies in the hypothesis that in years of higher seed production—and therefore higher recruitment—species might not only produce more abundant seed crops but also seeds with higher seed mass and nutrient reserves (Huang et al, 2021; Sork, 1993). However, evidence of this hypothesis is limited and contrasting results have also been reported (Wang & Ives, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This could be due to the satiation of predators (Kelly et al, 2000), which would allow a greater per‐capita seed survival and, therefore, a greater proportion of seeds will enter the seedling stage in masting years (Wright et al, 2005). However, increased seedling recruitment will be reflected in higher seedling densities, which may reduce seedling vital rates due to CNDD and thus cancel out the benefits of high recruitment (Hett, 1971; Huang et al, 2021). On the other hand, seedlings from masting years may perform better than those from poor years due to greater dispersal distances and satiation of predators, which would reduce negative density dependence effects (Kelly, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, years of higher seed production might produce seeds with higher seed mass and nutrient reserves due to greater pollination efficiency, thus increasing seedling survival (Sork, 1993). Whether the predictions of the Economy of Scale hypothesis hold true after the germination phase has been rarely tested (Hett, 1971; Huang et al, 2021; Seget et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whether the predictions of the Economy of Scale hypothesis hold true after the germination phase has been rarely tested (Hett, 1971;Huang et al, 2021;Seget et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in biotic interactions mediates the effects of masting and rainfall fluctuations on seedling demography in a subtropical rainforest

2022

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Seedling dynamics are critical for determining community composition and future forest structure. Two mechanisms are crucial drivers of seedling vital rates: biotic interactions and environmental filtering. Biotic interactions at the neighbourhood scale, such as the Janzen–Connell effect, are considered among the main mechanisms maintaining species coexistence. These effects can show considerable temporal variation because of changes in neighbourhood density (i.e. seedling recruitment following masting years) and weather conditions. However, there is limited evidence of whether interannual variation in these conditions modulates biotic interactions and its potential cascading effects on seedling vital rates. We used seedling data collected over 17 years in a subtropical rainforest in northern Taiwan. We modelled interannual variation in first‐year survival and growth of 12,830 seedlings of 36 species and 47 cohorts using (generalized) linear mixed‐effects models with several crowding indices and abiotic conditions (edaphic and topographic factors) as predictors. The first‐year seedling survival and growth depended on both weather conditions and neighbourhood density. Seedling survival was greater when recruitment was more abundant and in years with greater rainfall, and this was mostly mediated by the interaction with conspecific and heterospecific seedlings. Seedling growth decreased with the increasing abundance of new recruits and increased with annual rainfall. Growth was negatively affected by the basal area of conspecific and heterospecific trees and by the density of conspecific seedlings when the number of new recruits was greater. The abiotic factors had a limited effect on seedling survival and growth compared to biotic factors. Synthesis. Our results show that variation in recruitment abundance due to masting and annual rainfall significantly affects seedling vital rates by changing biotic interactions. These findings are in accordance with the economy of scale hypothesis, which predicts higher per‐capita reproductive success in years of higher seed production. Furthermore, the results support the hypothesis that fluctuations in rainfall can alter biotic interactions in forests. Efforts to predict forest community responses to climate changes should consider the temporal variations in biotic interactions.

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Seed Regeneration in Taxus baccata: Unveiling Ecological Restrictions and Paving the Way for Future Studies

Maleki,

Chmielarz,

Wawrzyniak

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Taxus baccata, commonly known as English yew, is an evergreen tree native to regions ranging from Ireland and Sweden to Morocco, Algeria, and northern Iran. This species is of special concern due to habitat loss from human activities, including forest management, leading to declining populations. A 4‐year monitoring study was conducted to investigate the factors behind the poor seed regeneration of yew. We examined seed germination, dormancy, desiccation tolerance, and seed predation as potential contributors to this issue. Our study proposed potential seed predation by frugivores and granivores, along with morphophysiological dormancy, as primary reasons for poor regeneration. Despite high seed production and seed availability in certain years, germination did not improve, likely due to the small size of the yew seed embryos, which prolongs dormancy. Yew seeds are desiccation‐tolerant, water‐permeable, and lack physical germination barriers, making seed predation a significant limiting factor. In conclusion, the natural regeneration of yew is hampered by potential seed predation, morphophysiological dormancy, and environmental factors such as altered temperature and rainfall patterns, which change the dormancy‐breaking process. Further research is needed to quantify seed predation and explore its impact on seedling survival.

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Benefit versus cost trade‐offs of masting across seed‐to‐seedling transition for a dominant subtropical forest species

Abstract: 1. Masting is a common reproductive strategy regulating seedling regeneration in many perennial plant species. The evolutionary origins and functional benefits

Cited by 16 publications

References 88 publications

Costs and benefits of masting: economies of scale are not reduced by negative density‐dependence in seedling survival in Sorbus aucuparia

Costs and benefits of masting: economies of scale are not reduced by negative density‐dependence in seedling survival in Sorbus aucuparia

Variation in biotic interactions mediates the effects of masting and rainfall fluctuations on seedling demography in a subtropical rainforest

Seed Regeneration in Taxus baccata: Unveiling Ecological Restrictions and Paving the Way for Future Studies

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