Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sexual dimorphism, sex ratio and spatial distribution of male and female shrubs in the dioecious speciesPistacia lentiscus L.

  • Published:
Folia Geobotanica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The population sex ratio, spatial distribution, relative growth rate, canopy size and morphology, and nitrogen content of leaves of male and female individuals were compared in seven populations of the dioecious shrubPistacia lentiscus L. occurring in different localities of the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park, Portugal. The expected pattern of male preponderance in stressful habitats was tested.

Less perturbed areas, with a well developed vegetation cover, had male-biased sex ratios, while in former agricultural areas there were no significant differences between the number of male and female plants. Our results failed to reveal any significant differences in the morphological variables between sexes except in the number of basal stems. Male plants also had a significantly higher chlorophyll content (chl a+b) than female plants. But when plants were sorted into large and small individuals, larger plants showed a significantly higher leaf area index and a significantly higher number of basal stems. There were no significant differences in the leaf nitrogen content between male and female plants from June to August, but such differences appeared (P<0.001) in September and October corresponding to the production of mature fruits.

Differences in sex-ratio may be explained by different resource allocation patterns of the two sexes, which favoured male plants in the less perturbed environments. In agricultural areas farmers could also have favoured female plants in former times.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ågren J. (1988): Sexual differences in biomass and nutrient allocation in the dioeciousRubus chamaemorus.Ecology 69: 962–973.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen G.A. &Antos J.A. (1988): Relative reproductive effort in males and females of the dioecious shrubOemleria cerasiformis.Oecologia 76: 111–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aronne G. &Wilcock C.C. (1994): First evidence of myrmecochory in fleshy-fruited shrubs of the Mediterranean region.New Phytol. 127: 781–788.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bawa K.S. &Opler P.A. (1975): Dioecism in tropical forest trees.Evolution 29: 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catarino F.M., Correia O. &Correia A.I. (1982): Structure and dynamics of Serra da Arrábida mediterranean vegetation.Ecol. Medit. 8: 203–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cipollini M.L. &Whigham D.F. (1994): Sexual dimorphism and cost of reproduction in the dioecious shrubLindera benzoin (Lauraceae).Amer. J. Bot. 81: 65–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Correia O. (1988):Contribuição da fenologia e ecofisiologia em estudos da sucessão e dinâmica da vegetação mediterrânica (Phenological and ecophysiological contribution to studies of succession and plant dynamics in mediterranean vegetation). PhD Thesis, University of Lisbon, Lisbon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Correia O., Martins A.C. &Catarino F.M. (1992): Comparative phenology and seasonal foliar nitrogen variation in mediterranean species of Portugal.Ecol. Medit. 18: 7–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox P.A. (1981): Niche partitioning between sexes of dioecious plants.Amer. Naturalist 117: 295–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman D.C., &Klikoff L.G. &Harper K.T. (1976): Differential resource utilization by the sexes of dioecious plants. Science 193: 597–599.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gehring J.L. &Linhart Y.B. (1993): Sexual dimorphism and response to low resources in the dioecious plantSilene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae).Int. J. Pl. Sci. 154: 152–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hancock J.F. &Bringhurst R.S. (1980): Sexual dimorphism in the strawberryFragaria chiloensis.Evolution 34: 762–768.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera C.M. (1984): A study of avian frugivores, bird-dispersed plants and their interaction in Mediterranean shrublands.Ecol. Monogr. 54: 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera C.M. (1988): Plant size, spacing patterns, and host-plant selection inOsyris quadripartita, a hemiparasitic dioecious shrub.J. Ecol. 76: 995–1006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn H. (1971)The adaptive geometry of trees. Princeton University Press, Princeton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordano P. (1989): Pre-dispersal biology ofPistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae): cumulative effects on seed removal by birds.Oikos 55: 375–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohorn L.U. (1994): Shoot morphology and reproduction in Jojoba: advantages of sexual dimorphism.Ecology 75: 2384–2394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohorn L.U. (1995): Geographic variation in the occurrence and extent of sexual dimorphism in a dioecious shrub,Simmondsia chinensis.Oikos 74: 137–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpelainen H. (1991): Sex ratio and spatial segregation of the sexes in populations ofRumex acetosa andR. acetosella (Polygonaceae).Pl. Syst. Evol. 174: 183–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpelainen H. (1992): Patterns of resource allocation in male and female plants ofRumex acetosa andR. acetosella.Oecologia 89: 133–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtenthaler H.K. (1987): Chlorophylls and carotenoids: pigments of photosynthetic biomembranes.Meth. Enzymol. 148: 350–382.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd D.G. (1973): Sex ratios in sexuality dimorphicUmbelliferae.Heredity 31: 239–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marion C. &Houle G. (1996): No differential consequences of reproduction according to sex inJuniperus communis var.depressa (Cupressaceae).Amer. J. Bot. 83: 480–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naveh Z. &Lieberman A. (1993):Landscape ecology. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Obeso J.R. (1997): Costs of reproduction inIlex aquifolium: effects at tree, branch and leaf levels.J. Ecol. 85: 159–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orshan G. (ed.) (1989):Plant pheno-morphological studies in mediterranean type ecosystems. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oyama K. &Dirzo R. (1988): Biomass allocation in the dioecious tropical palmChamaedora tepejilote.Pl. Spec. Biol. 3: 27–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Philips D.L. &Macmahon J.A. (1981): Competition and spacing patterns in desert shrubs.J. Ecol. 69: 97–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Popp J.W. &Reinartz J.A. (1988): Sexual dimorphism in biomass allocation and clonal growth ofXanthoxylum americanum.Amer. J. Bot. 75: 1732–1741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quezel P. (1981): Floristic composition and phytosociological structure of sclerophyllous matorral around the Mediterranean. In:di Castri F., Goodall D.W. &Specht R.L. (eds.),Mediterranean-type shrublands, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam, pp. 107–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rouskas D. (1996): Conservation strategies ofPistacia genetic resources in Greece. In:Paludosi S., Caruso T. &Barone E. (eds.),Taxonomy, distribution, conservation and uses of Pistaciagenetic resources, IPGRI, Rome, pp. 85–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahvit P. (1978):Auto-ecological studies of Pistacia lentiscusin Israel. PhSc Thesis, Fac. of Agricultural Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakai A.K. (1990): Sex ratios of red maple (Acer rubrum) populations in Northern Lower Michigan.Ecology 71: 571–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakai A.K. &Weller S.G. (1991): Ecological aspects of sex expression in subdioeciousSchiedea globosa (Caryophyllaceae).Amer. J. Bot. 78: 1280–1288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shea M.M., Dixon P.M. &Sharitz R.R. (1993): Size differences, sex ratio, and spatial distribution of male and female water tupelo,Nyssa aquatica (Nyssaceae).Amer. J. Bot. 80: 26–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdú M. &García-Fayos P. (1994): Correlation between the abundance of fruits and frugivorous birds: the effect of temporal autocorrelation.Acta Oecol. 15: 791–796.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verdú M. &García-Fayos P. (1996): Nucleation process in a Mediterranean bird-dispersed plant.Funct. Ecol. 10: 275–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdú M. &García-Fayos P. (1998a): Ecological causes, function, and evolution of abortion and parthenocarpy inPistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae).Canad. J. Bot. 76: 134–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verdú M. &García-Fayos P. (1998b): Female biased sex ratios inPistacia lentiscus L. (Anacardiaceae).Pl. Ecol. 135: 95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace C.S. &Rundel P.W. (1979): Sexual dimorphism and resource allocation in male and female shrubs ofSimmondsia chinensis.Oecologia 44: 34–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb C.J. (1992): Sex ratios from seed in six families ofScandia geniculata (Apiaceae).New Zealand J. Bot. 30: 401–404.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departmento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Apartado 1095, 41080, Sevilla, Spain

    Mari Cruz Díaz Barradas

  2. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Secção de Ecologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2, Campo Grande, 1700, Lisboa, Portugal

    Otilia Correia

Authors
  1. Mari Cruz Díaz Barradas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Otilia Correia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mari Cruz Díaz Barradas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barradas, M.C.D., Correia, O. Sexual dimorphism, sex ratio and spatial distribution of male and female shrubs in the dioecious speciesPistacia lentiscus L.. Folia Geobot 34, 163–174 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803082

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803082

Keywords

Search

Navigation