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Influence of slope orientation on sex ratio and size distribution in a dioecious plant Bursera fagaroides var. purpusii (Brandeg.) McVaugh and Rzed. (Burseraceae)

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Abstract

It has been hypothesized that environmental variability can influence the sex ratio of a plant population, and it has been observed that in stressful environments, male plants are more abundant than females. However, it is unknown whether this is due to differential mortality rates between males and females. In this study, we analyzed sex ratio, mortality, and size distribution in a population of the neotropical tree/bush Bursera fagaroides in two different environments (east- and west-oriented slopes) over a 10-year period. We determined that the sex ratio favored males in the more stressful environment (east-facing slope) and that females were significantly larger in the less stressful environment (west-facing slope). Despite a significant difference in size between sexes by slope aspect, the difference in sex ratio cannot be explained by slope or by mortality during the 10 years of observation.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are extended to Jessica Bravo, Doroteo Reyes, Edith Mauricio, and Omar Napoles for their help in field work; to Teresa Pulido for comments on an early version of this article; to Nadja Weisshaupt, Margaret Schroeder, and Bob Straus for English revision; and to CONACyT-Hidalgo (project FOMIX 200643761) and CONACyT (Apoyo Complementario SNI 1, 89992 and 91069) for the financial support. This article was finished while ROP was supported by a CONACyT grant during a sabbatical at the Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta (Tlaxcala, México).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, A.P. 69, Pachuca, Hidalgo, 42001, México

    Raúl Ortiz-Pulido & Numa P. Pavón

  2. Laboratorio de Ecología de la Conducta, Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta UAT-UNAM, Carretera Tlaxcala-Puebla km 1.5 Colonia Xicohtencatl S/N, 90070, Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México

    Raúl Ortiz-Pulido

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  1. Raúl Ortiz-Pulido
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  2. Numa P. Pavón
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Correspondence to Raúl Ortiz-Pulido.

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Ortiz-Pulido, R., Pavón, N.P. Influence of slope orientation on sex ratio and size distribution in a dioecious plant Bursera fagaroides var. purpusii (Brandeg.) McVaugh and Rzed. (Burseraceae). Plant Ecol 208, 271–277 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9704-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9704-2

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