Bird-mediated selection on fruit display traits in Celtis ehrenbergiana (Cannabaceae)
Background: In mutualistic interactions of fleshy-fruited plants and seed-dispersing birds, dispersers act as natural selection agents on fruit display traits. Bird-mediated phenotypic selection on maternal and seed level plant traits has been postulated to be uncoupled. However, this key step in th...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2014 |
| País: | Argentina |
| Institución: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repositorio: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/14475 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/14475 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Phenotypic Selection Natural Selection Plant-Animal Interactions Mutualism Seed Dispersal Selection Gradients Coevolution Maternal And Offspring Levels https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1 |
| Sumario: | Background: In mutualistic interactions of fleshy-fruited plants and seed-dispersing birds, dispersers act as natural selection agents on fruit display traits. Bird-mediated phenotypic selection on maternal and seed level plant traits has been postulated to be uncoupled. However, this key step in the understanding of the co-evolutionary processes has seldom been explored. Goals: To study the pattern and strength of phenotypic selection exerted by birds on two different plant life stages: maternal (mean and within-plant variation of fruit traits) and offspring (individual seed size) levels. Organism: The one-seeded fleshy-fruited tree, Celtis ehrenbergiana (Klotzsch) Liebm. Field site: Natural forests of the Biosphere Reserve ‘Parque Costero del Sur’, near the shore of the Río de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Methods: We sampled 24 randomly selected trees. For each focal tree, we recorded bird visits and behaviour, and fruit-related traits. Dispersed seeds were collected at the same location. Results: At the maternal level, birds exerted positive directional selection on mean sugar concentration. Sub-individual variation in fruit traits was not observed to be a target of bird-mediated selection. At the individual seed level, birds exerted positive directional selection on seed size. Conclusions: While birds exert selection pressures on reward-related traits, plants obtain an advantage through a larger seed size. |
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