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Sex change in plants: Old and new observations and new hypotheses

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Summary

Evidence is presented that individuals of a large number of dioecious and subdioecious plant species are able to alter their sexual state in response to changes in the ambient environment and/or changes in size or age. We suggest that lability of sexual expression probably has survival value where a significant portion of the females must otherwise bear the cost of fruit production in unfavorable environments. We demonstrate that in patchy environments of the proper scale and variability in quality, labile sexual expression will enhance an individual's genetic contribution to the next generation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Wayne State University, 48202, Detroit, MI

    D. C. Freeman

  2. Department of Botany and Range Science, Brigham Young University, 84602, Provo, Utah

    K. T. Harper

  3. Department of Biology, University of Utah, 84112, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    E. L. Charnov

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  1. D. C. Freeman
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  2. K. T. Harper
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  3. E. L. Charnov
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Freeman, D.C., Harper, K.T. & Charnov, E.L. Sex change in plants: Old and new observations and new hypotheses. Oecologia 47, 222–232 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00346825

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