New paper: seed predation as an agent of selection for masting in plants

tl;dr: seed predation selects for reproductive variability and synchrony in perennial plants

Our recent paper on pre‐dispersal seed predation as an agent of selection for mast seeding in plants is out in New Phytologist!

Using data from seven plant species (Quercus humilis, Q. ilex, Q. rubra, Q. alba, Q. montana, Sorbus aucuparia, and Pinus pinea), we tested whether seed predation selects for plant phenotypes that mast. We found that predation selected for inter‐annual variability in Mediterranean oaks (Q. humilis and Q. ilex), for synchrony in Q. rubra, and for both inter‐annual variability and reproductive synchrony in S. aucuparia and P. pinea. In contrast, we did not find predation as a selective driver for negative temporal autocorrelation of seed production. Our results suggest that seed predation selects for only some aspects of masting, most importantly high inter‐annual variability of seed production, supporting individual‐level benefits of the population‐level phenomenon of mast seeding.

You can read the paper here. Read also what Michał Bogdziewicz, the leading author, wrote about this study on his page.

Wielkopolska National Park. © Jakub Szymkowiak

Jakub