Variability in seed cone production and functional response of seed predators to seed cone availability: support for the predator satiation hypothesis

Linhart, Yan B.; Moreira, Xoaquín; Snyder, Marc A.; Mooney, Kailen A.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12231

Cited by 48 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Parallel results at both levels demonstrate the ecological (population level) and evolutionary (individual tree level) benefits of masting in tree species. Finally, our present findings, in combination with previous assessments of this same population (Mooney et al 2011;Linhart et al 2014), indicate that masting behavior has in all likelihood evolved as a response to multiple selective forces, including both pollen limitation and herbivory (Rossi et al 2012).…”

Section: Figsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Most notably, the predator satiation hypothesis states that masting allows escape from local seed predators through herbivore satiation (Janzen 1971, Silvertown 1980. Indeed, an independent analysis based on the same data set used in the present study provides strong support for this hypothesis at both the individual and population levels (Linhart et al 2014). The pollination efficiency and predator satiation hypotheses are based on an economy of scale, where perennial plants benefit from larger and less frequent reproductive efforts instead of more frequent and smaller ones (Norton andKelly 1988, Rossi et al 2012).…”

Section: Figsupporting

confidence: 63%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Masting promotes individual‐ and population‐level reproduction by increasing pollination efficiency

Moreira

Abdala‐Roberts

Linhart

et al. 2014

Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Masting is a reproductive strategy defined as the intermittent and synchronized production of large seed crops by a plant population. The pollination efficiency hypothesis proposes that masting increases pollination success in plants. Despite its general appeal, no previous studies have used long-term data together with population-and individual-level analyses to assess pollination efficiency between mast and non-mast events. Here we rigorously tested the pollination efficiency hypothesis in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), a long-lived monoecious, wind-pollinated species, using a data set on 217 trees monitored annually for 20 years. Relative investment in male and female function by individual trees did not vary between mast and non-mast years. At both the population and individual level, the rate of production of mature female cones relative to male strobili production was higher in mast than non-mast years, consistent with the predicted benefit of reproductive synchrony on reproductive success. In addition, at the individual level we found a higher conversion of unfertilized female conelets into mature female cones during a mast year compared to a nonmast year. Collectively, parallel results at the population and individual tree level provide robust evidence for the ecological, and potentially also evolutionary, benefits of masting through increased pollination efficiency.

show abstract

Section: Figsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Figsupporting

confidence: 63%

Masting promotes individual‐ and population‐level reproduction by increasing pollination efficiency

Moreira

Abdala‐Roberts

Linhart

et al. 2014

Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Secondly, synchronous bouts of high cone production, followed by intervening years of low reproduction, reduced seed cone herbivory through predator satiation (Linhart et al . ). Additionally, we found that production of mature seed cones in this population was strongly influenced by spring (May–July) mean temperature 2 years before cone maturation ( T i ‐2 model hereafter) (Mooney, Linhart & Snyder ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of climate on reproductive investment in a masting species: assessment of climatic predictors and underlying mechanisms

et al. 2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary 1.Mechanisms by which climatic factors drive reproductive investment and phenology in masting species are not completely understood. Climatic conditions may act as a proximate cue, stimulating the onset of reproduction and indirectly increasing fitness through benefits associated with synchronous reproduction among individuals. Alternatively, climatic conditions may directly influence individual-level allocation to reproduction and reproductive success through effects occurring independently of synchronous reproduction. We previously showed that masting in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) population was strongly influenced by spring mean temperature 2 years before seed cone maturation (T i-2 ). However, recent work shows that the difference in temperature between previous growing seasons (DT) is more predictive of reproductive investment in long-lived tree species. 2. Here, we compared four candidate models that predict seed cone production in P. ponderosa based upon different climatic factors (including T i-2 and DT models). After determining the best climatic predictor, we tested for a potential mechanism by which climate might directly influence seed cone production independent of benefits via synchrony, namely effects of temperature on trade-offs between current and past reproduction (determined by underlying resource availability). 3. We found that T i-2 (rather than DT) was the best predictor of seed cone production. We further show that this same climatic factor exerts a direct fitness benefit to individuals by reducing the strength of trade-offs between current and past reproductive efforts. 4. Synthesis. We demonstrate that a single climatic factor provides fitness benefits to individuals directly, by weakening reproductive trade-offs, and indirectly through the benefits associated with synchrony and masting. This suggests a mechanism for the origin and maintenance of masting: individuals initially respond to climatic cues that directly enhance reproduction (e.g. lower reproductive costs through weakened trade-offs) and this dynamic, expressed across multiple individuals, reinforces these benefits through the economies of scale associated with synchrony and masting.

show abstract

“…For instance, a 29‐yr study on Pinus ponderosa showed a markedly lower rate of seed predator attack during mast years compared with years of low seed production (Linhart et al. ). Kelly & Sork () conducted a literature review of 570 mast‐seeding data sets, and found that predator‐dispersed plant species had higher CVs than species dispersed by other animals, supporting the predator satiation hypothesis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation and synchrony of tree species mast seeding in an old‐growth temperate forest

Wang

Zhang

LaMontagne

et al. 2017

J Vegetation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Questions Mast seeding, i.e. synchronous highly variable seed production among years, occurs in many perennial plant species and across diverse plant communities. Two predominant hypotheses for mast seeding are pollination efficiency and predator satiation, with weather conditions as a proximate cause. Little consensus has been achieved regarding the relative impacts of ultimate selection and proximate weather on variation in seed production. Moreover, mast‐seeding studies often focus on a single species or phylogenetically closely related species, while studies on plant communities consisting of tree species with a diversity of reproductive strategies are less common. Location A 25‐ha Changbaishan temperate forest dynamic plot, northeast China. Methods We used 8 yr of seed rain data to characterize patterns and evaluate underlying selective drivers of mast seeding. We employed generalized linear mixed‐effects models (GLMMs) to analyse the relationships between inter‐annual variability of mast seeding and weather conditions. Results All 20 species in this forest community exhibited high variability in annual seed production, but the magnitude of seed production among species was generally asynchronous across years. Wind‐pollinated species had higher inter‐annual variation of seed production than animal‐pollinated species, while species dispersed by seed predators and abiotic modes (e.g. wind and gravity) showed little variation. Species responded individually to weather conditions for both temperature and precipitation, and spring phenology in the same year as seed production had a larger effect among species than both the weather conditions of the same summer and season‐long lags. Conclusions Our findings suggest that pollination efficiency hypothesis had a much stronger effect than predation satiation hypothesis on mast seeding, and weather conditions demonstrated the proximate role of weather drivers in producing the community‐wide mast‐seeding pattern. We emphasize the need to simultaneously assess drivers of mast seeding for multiple species within a plant community.

show abstract

Variability in seed cone production and functional response of seed predators to seed cone availability: support for the predator satiation hypothesis

Cited by 48 publications

References 53 publications

Masting promotes individual‐ and population‐level reproduction by increasing pollination efficiency

Masting promotes individual‐ and population‐level reproduction by increasing pollination efficiency

Effects of climate on reproductive investment in a masting species: assessment of climatic predictors and underlying mechanisms

Variation and synchrony of tree species mast seeding in an old‐growth temperate forest

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About