Plants that allocate more resources to flower production yield more fruit at local and global scales
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/3gksvn66Keywords:
flowers;, fruits; , Colombia;, selective abortion; , pollinator attractionAbstract
Introduction: The internal mechanisms of plants and their interactions with the environment determine flower and fruit production. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these processes, emphasizing resource limitations, interactions with pollinators, selective abortion, the characteristics and positions of hermaphroditic flowers, and the influence of environmental variables on plant function. Objectives: This research aims to evaluate whether a high allocation to flowers positively affects the fruit production of hermaphroditic plants, as predicted by the pollinator attraction hypothesis, or whether it negatively correlates, as suggested by the selective abortion hypothesis. Methods: Both a local (Medina, Colombia) and a global database, based on the biomass of flowers and fruits collected using fruit traps were used to determine the possible relationship between the variables. The Medina database included data from 5-10 individuals for each of the seven plant species studied, with entire flowering and fruiting periods monitored. The global dataset encompassed 92 locations across 10 counties in Latin America, 2 in Europe, 2 in Africa, 2 in Asia and 1 in Oceania. This database compiled information on the total biomass of flowers and fruits of different plant species produced over at least one annual cycle. Results: The plant species studied and the global analysis revealed a positive relationship between flower and fruit production, supporting the pollinator attraction hypothesis. Although we did not quantify the biomass of aborted fruits, we found no evidence to suggest that high flower production results in an excess of ovules that cannot develop, as predicted by the selective abortion hypothesis. Conclusions: These findings suggest that plants have evolved allocation mechanisms for flower production that align with the potential for fruit development.
Downloads
References
Arroyo, M. T. K., Armesto, J. J., & Primack, R. B. (1985). Community studies in pollination ecology in the high temperate Andes of central Chile II. Effect of temperature on visitation rates and pollination possibilities. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 149(3), 187–203.
Ayre, D. J., & Whelan, R. J. (1989). Factors controlling fruit set in hermaphroditic plants: Studies with the Australian Proteaceae. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 4(9), 267–272.
Baskin, J. M., & Baskin, C. C. (2019). Effect of selective abortion on seed germination and post-germination performance of offspring. Seed Science Research, 29(3), 210–214.
Bawa, K. S., & Webb, C. J. (1984). Flower, fruit, and seed abortion in tropical forest trees: Implications for the evolution of paternal and maternal reproductive patterns. American Journal of Botany, 71(5), 736–751.
Bennett, J. M., Steets, J. A., Burns, J. H., Burkle, L. A., Vamosi, J. C., Wolowski, M., Arceo-Gómez, G., Burd, M., Durka, W., Ellis, A. G., Freitas, L., Li, J., Rodger, J. G., Sazatornil, F. D., Simmons, L. W., Tihelka, S., Rosas-Guerrero, V., Aguilar, R., & Ashman, T. L. (2020). Land use and pollinator dependency drives global patterns of pollen limitation in the Anthropocene. Nature Communications, 11(1), 1–6.
Bogdziewicz, M., Pesendorfer, M., Crone, E. E., Pérez‐Izquierdo, C., & Bonal, R. (2020). Flowering synchrony drives reproductive success in a wind‐pollinated tree. Ecology Letters, 23(12), 1820–1826.
Bueckert, R. A., Wagenhoffer, S., Hnatowich, G., & Warkentin, T. D. (2015). Effect of heat and precipitation on pea yield and reproductive performance in the field. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 95(4), 629–639.
Burd, M. (1998). "Excess" flower production and selective fruit abortion: A model of potential benefits. Ecology, 79(6), 2123–2132.
Charlesworth, D., & Charlesworth, B. (1981). Allocation of resources to male and female function in hermaphrodites. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 15(1), 57–74.
Dinesh, M. R., & Reddy, B. M. C. (2012). Physiological basis of growth and fruit yield characteristics of tropical and sub-tropical fruits to temperature. In B. R. Sthapit, V. R. Rao, & S. R. Sthapit (Eds.), Tropical fruit tree species and climate change (pp. 45–70). Bioversity International.
Ehrlén, J., & Lehtilä, K. (2002). How perennial are perennial plants? Oikos, 98(2), 308–322.
Eckhart, V. M. (1991). The effects of floral display on pollinator visitation vary among populations of Phacelia linearis (Hydrophyllaceae). Evolutionary Ecology, 5(4), 370–384.
Ezoe, H. (2018). Excessive flower production as an anti-predator strategy: When is random flower abortion favored? Population Ecology, 60(3), 275–286.
Gao, L., Yu, G., Hu, F., Li, Z., Li, W., & Peng, C. (2021). The patterns of male and female flowers in flowering stage may not be optimal resource allocation for fruit and seed growth. Plants, 10(12), 2819.
Gregg, W. W., & Casey, N. W. (2004). Global and regional evaluation of the SeaWiFS chlorophyll data set. Remote Sensing of Environment, 93(4), 463–479.
Hehnen, D., Hanrahan, I., Lewis, K., McFerson, J., & Blanke, M. (2012). Mechanical flower thinning improves fruit quality of apples and promotes consistent bearing. Scientia Horticulturae, 134, 241–244.
Holland, J. N., Bronstein, J. L., & DeAngelis, D. L. (2004). Testing hypotheses for excess flower production and low fruit-to-flower ratios in a pollinating seed-consuming mutualism. Oikos, 105(3), 633–640.
Hokche, O., & Ramírez, N. (2006). Biología reproductiva y asignación de biomasa floral en Solanum gardneri Sendth. (Solanaceae): Una especie andromonoica. Acta Botánica Venezuelica, 29(1), 69–88.
Kabacoff, R. I. (2015). R in action: Data analysis and graphics with R. Manning Publications.
Levin, S. A. (1992). The problem of pattern and scale in ecology: The Robert H. MacArthur award lecture. Ecology, 73(6), 1943–1967.
Lundgren, M. R., & Des Marais, D. L. (2020). Life history variation as a model for understanding trade-offs in plant–environment interactions. Current Biology, 30(4), R180–R189.
Nogueira Ferraz, E. M., Nogueira Rodal, M. J., & Sampaio, E. V. S. B. (2003). Physiognomy and structure of vegetation along an altitudinal gradient in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Phytocoenologia, 33(1), 71–92.
Ogaya, R., & Peñuelas, J. (2007). Species-specific drought effects on flower and fruit production in a Mediterranean holm oak forest. Forestry, 80(3), 351–357.
Pinel-Ramos, E. J., Bello-Rodríguez, J. A., Monroy-García, S. J., Nassar Arboleda, A., & Stevenson, P. R. (2026). Variation in diurnal primate biomass at different altitudinal levels in the Eastern Andes of Colombia: the role of fruit productivity. Primates, 67(1), 101–113.
Pyke, G. H. (1981). Effects of inflorescence height and number of flowers per inflorescence on fruit set in waratahs (Telopea speciosissima). Australian Journal of Botany, 29(4), 419–424.
R Core Team. (2024). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.r-project.org/
Rodrigo, J., & Herrero, M. (2002). Effects of pre-blossom temperatures on flower development and fruit set in apricot. Scientia Horticulturae, 92(2), 125–135.
Siegel, S., & Castellan, N. J. (1988). Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Stephenson, A. G. (1981). Flower and fruit abortion: Proximate causes and ultimate functions. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 12, 253–279.
Stevenson, P. R., Castellanos, M. C., Cortés, A. I., & Link, A. (2008). Flowering patterns in a seasonal tropical lowland forest in Western Amazonia. Biotropica, 40(5), 559–567.
Stevenson, P. R., & Obregón, M. P. (2024). Plant diversity reduces the length of food scarcity periods for frugivorous animals. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4819201
Sutherland, S. (1986). Patterns of fruit‐set: What controls fruit‐flower ratios in plants? Evolution, 40(1), 117–128.
Sutherland, S. (1987). Why hermaphroditic plants produce many more flowers than fruits: Experimental tests with Agave mckelveyana. Evolution, 41(4), 750–759.
Teixido, A. L. (2014). Indirect costs counteract the effects of pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection on corolla size in the Mediterranean shrub Halimium atriplicifolium. Journal of Plant Ecology, 7(4), 364–372.
Teixido, A. L., Méndez, M., & Valladares, F. (2011). Flower size and longevity influence florivory in the large-flowered shrub Cistus ladanifer. Acta Oecologica, 37(5), 418–421.
Ter Steege, H., Ballarin, C. S., Pinto, C. E., Valadão-Mendes, L. B., Stevenson, P., Correa, D. F., ... & de Lima, R. A. (2026). Pollination and dispersal networks in the Amazonian tree flora. Communications Biology, 9(1), 486.
Wittich, B., Horna, V., Homeier, J., & Leuschner, C. (2012). Altitudinal change in the photosynthetic capacity of tropical trees: A case study from Ecuador and a pantropical literature analysis. Ecosystems, 15(6), 958–973.
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Biología Tropical
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0)
Attribution (BY) • (BY) You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
