Limits to reproduction and seed size-number trade-offs that shape forest dominance and future recovery.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

The relationships that control seed production in trees are fundamental to understanding the evolution of forest species and their capacity to recover from increasing losses to drought, fire, and harvest. A synthesis of fecundity data from 714 species worldwide allowed us to examine hypotheses that are central to quantifying reproduction, a foundation for assessing fitness in forest trees. Four major findings emerged. First, seed production is not constrained by a strict trade-off between seed size and numbers. Instead, seed numbers vary over ten orders of magnitude, with species that invest in large seeds producing more seeds than expected from the 1:1 trade-off. Second, gymnosperms have lower seed production than angiosperms, potentially due to their extra investments in protective woody cones. Third, nutrient-demanding species, indicated by high foliar phosphorus concentrations, have low seed production. Finally, sensitivity of individual species to soil fertility varies widely, limiting the response of community seed production to fertility gradients. In combination, these findings can inform models of forest response that need to incorporate reproductive potential.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Qiu, T; Andrus, R; Aravena, M-C; Ascoli, D; Bergeron, Y; Berretti, R; Berveiller, D; Bogdziewicz, M; Boivin, T; Bonal, R; Bragg, DC; Caignard, T; Calama, R; Camarero, JJ; Chang-Yang, C-H; Cleavitt, NL; Courbaud, B; Courbet, F; Curt, T; Das, AJ; Daskalakou, E; Davi, H; Delpierre, N; Delzon, S; Dietze, M; Calderon, SD; Dormont, L; Espelta, J; Fahey, TJ; Farfan-Rios, W; Gehring, CA; Gilbert, GS; Gratzer, G; Greenberg, CH; Guo, Q; Hacket-Pain, A; Hampe, A; Han, Q; Hille Ris Lambers, J; Hoshizaki, K; Ibanez, I; Johnstone, JF; Journé, V; Kabeya, D; Kilner, CL; Kitzberger, T; Knops, JMH; Kobe, RK; Kunstler, G; Lageard, JGA; LaMontagne, JM; Ledwon, M; Lefevre, F; 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; Redmond, MD; Reid, CD; Rodman, KC; Rodriguez-Sanchez, F; Sanguinetti, JD; Scher, CL; Schlesinger, WH; Schmidt Van Marle, H; Seget, B; Sharma, S; Silman, M; Steele, MA; Stephenson, NL; Straub, JN; Sun, I-F; Sutton, S; Swenson, JJ; Swift, M; Thomas, PA; Uriarte, M; Vacchiano, G; Veblen, TT; Whipple, AV; Whitham, TG; Wion, AP; Wright, B; Wright, SJ; Zhu, K; Zimmerman, JK; Zlotin, R; Zywiec, M; Clark, JS

Published Date

  • May 2022

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 13 / 1

Start / End Page

  • 2381 -

PubMed ID

  • 35501313

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC9061860

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2041-1723

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2041-1723

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/s41467-022-30037-9

Language

  • eng