Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients.

Journal Article (Letter)

Lack of tree fecundity data across climatic gradients precludes the analysis of how seed supply contributes to global variation in forest regeneration and biotic interactions responsible for biodiversity. A global synthesis of raw seedproduction data shows a 250-fold increase in seed abundance from cold-dry to warm-wet climates, driven primarily by a 100-fold increase in seed production for a given tree size. The modest (threefold) increase in forest productivity across the same climate gradient cannot explain the magnitudes of these trends. The increase in seeds per tree can arise from adaptive evolution driven by intense species interactions or from the direct effects of a warm, moist climate on tree fecundity. Either way, the massive differences in seed supply ramify through food webs potentially explaining a disproportionate role for species interactions in the wet tropics.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Journé, V; Andrus, R; Aravena, M-C; Ascoli, D; Berretti, R; Berveiller, D; Bogdziewicz, M; Boivin, T; Bonal, R; Caignard, T; Calama, R; Camarero, JJ; Chang-Yang, C-H; Courbaud, B; Courbet, F; Curt, T; Das, AJ; Daskalakou, E; Davi, H; Delpierre, N; Delzon, S; Dietze, M; Donoso Calderon, S; Dormont, L; Maria Espelta, J; Fahey, TJ; Farfan-Rios, W; Gehring, CA; Gilbert, GS; Gratzer, G; Greenberg, CH; Guo, Q; Hacket-Pain, A; Hampe, A; Han, Q; Lambers, JHR; Hoshizaki, K; Ibanez, I; Johnstone, JF; Kabeya, D; Kays, R; Kitzberger, T; Knops, JMH; Kobe, RK; Kunstler, G; Lageard, JGA; LaMontagne, JM; Leininger, T; Limousin, J-M; Lutz, JA; Macias, D; McIntire, EJB; Moore, CM; Moran, E; Motta, R; Myers, JA; Nagel, TA; Noguchi, K; Ourcival, J-M; Parmenter, R; Pearse, IS; Perez-Ramos, IM; Piechnik, L; Poulsen, J; Poulton-Kamakura, R; Qiu, T; Redmond, MD; Reid, CD; Rodman, KC; Rodriguez-Sanchez, F; Sanguinetti, JD; Scher, CL; Marle, HSV; Seget, B; Sharma, S; Silman, M; Steele, MA; Stephenson, NL; Straub, JN; Swenson, JJ; Swift, M; Thomas, PA; Uriarte, M; Vacchiano, G; Veblen, TT; Whipple, AV; Whitham, TG; Wright, B; Wright, SJ; Zhu, K; Zimmerman, JK; Zlotin, R; Zywiec, M; Clark, JS

Published Date

  • June 2022

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 25 / 6

Start / End Page

  • 1471 - 1482

PubMed ID

  • 35460530

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1461-0248

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1461-023X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1111/ele.14012

Language

  • eng