A test of balanced fitness limitations theory: Pollen limitation in plants.

ABSTRACT: When reproductive success is determined by the relative availabilities of a series of essential, non-substitutable resources, the theory of balanced fitness limitations predicts that the cost of harvesting a particular resource shapes the likelihood that a shortfall of that resource will constrain realized fitness. Plant reproduction through female function offers a special opportunity to test this theory; essential resources in this context include, first, the pollen received from pollinators or abiotic vectors that is used to fertilize ovules, and, second, the resources needed to provision the developing seeds and fruit. For many plants realized reproductive success through female function can be readily quantified in the field, and one key potential constraint on fitness, pollen limitat

SUBMITTER: Rosenheim JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10830348 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature