Positive density-dependent reproduction regulated by local kinship and size in an understorey tropical tree.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Global pollinator declines and continued habitat fragmentation highlight the critical need to understand reproduction and gene flow across plant populations. Plant size, conspecific density and local kinship (i.e. neighbourhood genetic relatedness) have been proposed as important mechanisms influencing the reproductive success of flowering plants, but have rarely been simultaneously investigated.

Methods

We conducted this study on a continuous population of the understorey tree Miconia affinis in the Forest Dynamics Plot on Barro Colorado Island in central Panama. We used spatial, reproductive and population genetic data to investigate the effects of tree size, conspecific neighbourhood density and local kinship on maternal and paternal reproductive succe

SUBMITTER: Castilla AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4724044 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature