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Reproductive ecology of Pinus nigra in an invasive population : Individual- and population-level variation in seed production and timing of seed release

Coutts, Shaun R. ; Caplat, Paul LU ; Cousins, Katrina ; Ledgard, Nick and Buckley, Yvonne M. (2012) In Annals of Forest Science 69(4). p.467-476
Abstract

Context: The details of fecundity, such as its distribution and timing, can have important consequences for forest dynamics. Aims: We detail two aspects of the reproductive ecology of an exotic population of Pinus nigra in New Zealand. We compare our findings with those reported for P. nigra in southern France and Britain. Methods: We describe variation in fecundity, both within the population and through time, and relate seed release to climatic conditions. Results: On average, trees entered reproduction earlier than reported in European studies. Although the mean number of cones per tree varied through time, the distribution of cone production among trees was consistently best described using a negative binomial or mixed... (More)

Context: The details of fecundity, such as its distribution and timing, can have important consequences for forest dynamics. Aims: We detail two aspects of the reproductive ecology of an exotic population of Pinus nigra in New Zealand. We compare our findings with those reported for P. nigra in southern France and Britain. Methods: We describe variation in fecundity, both within the population and through time, and relate seed release to climatic conditions. Results: On average, trees entered reproduction earlier than reported in European studies. Although the mean number of cones per tree varied through time, the distribution of cone production among trees was consistently best described using a negative binomial or mixed gamma-exponential distribution. Both distributions are right skewed and trees maintained fecundity hierarchies over time, suggesting that some trees in the population have much higher lifetime reproduction than others. We found that trees released significantly more seeds when conditions were dry and windy, potentially increasing the proportion of seeds that disperse long distances. Conclusion:s Right-skewed fecundity distributions have the potential to slow spread rates, while preferentially releasing seeds in dry windy conditions is likely to increase spread rates. The net effect of these processes is an open question.

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author
; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Cone production, Individual variation, Linear mixed-effects models, Negative binomial distribution, Pinus nigra, Seed abscission, Seed traps
in
Annals of Forest Science
volume
69
issue
4
pages
10 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:84866014809
ISSN
1286-4560
DOI
10.1007/s13595-012-0184-5
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
62ea4e57-a197-47bf-8416-c42f3a931ddd
date added to LUP
2016-04-22 08:37:58
date last changed
2022-02-21 17:43:43
@article{62ea4e57-a197-47bf-8416-c42f3a931ddd,
  abstract     = {{<p>Context: The details of fecundity, such as its distribution and timing, can have important consequences for forest dynamics. Aims: We detail two aspects of the reproductive ecology of an exotic population of Pinus nigra in New Zealand. We compare our findings with those reported for P. nigra in southern France and Britain. Methods: We describe variation in fecundity, both within the population and through time, and relate seed release to climatic conditions. Results: On average, trees entered reproduction earlier than reported in European studies. Although the mean number of cones per tree varied through time, the distribution of cone production among trees was consistently best described using a negative binomial or mixed gamma-exponential distribution. Both distributions are right skewed and trees maintained fecundity hierarchies over time, suggesting that some trees in the population have much higher lifetime reproduction than others. We found that trees released significantly more seeds when conditions were dry and windy, potentially increasing the proportion of seeds that disperse long distances. Conclusion:s Right-skewed fecundity distributions have the potential to slow spread rates, while preferentially releasing seeds in dry windy conditions is likely to increase spread rates. The net effect of these processes is an open question.</p>}},
  author       = {{Coutts, Shaun R. and Caplat, Paul and Cousins, Katrina and Ledgard, Nick and Buckley, Yvonne M.}},
  issn         = {{1286-4560}},
  keywords     = {{Cone production; Individual variation; Linear mixed-effects models; Negative binomial distribution; Pinus nigra; Seed abscission; Seed traps}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{467--476}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Annals of Forest Science}},
  title        = {{Reproductive ecology of Pinus nigra in an invasive population : Individual- and population-level variation in seed production and timing of seed release}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13595-012-0184-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s13595-012-0184-5}},
  volume       = {{69}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}