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Effects of population density on male and female reproductive success in the wind-pollinated, wind-dispersed tree species Betula maximowicziana

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Abstract

The effects of population density on male and female reproductive success of Betula maximowicziana were evaluated in two mixed and two post-fire stands, with various population densities, ranging from 1.9 to 300.0 trees per ha, in central Hokkaido, Japan. First, we investigated ecological determinants of reproductive success (seed set and germination) of both seeds collected from the trees (tree seeds) and dispersed seeds collected from seed traps (dispersed seeds). We then evaluated the effects of population density on seed set and germination of tree seeds and dispersed seeds using a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Subsequently, we genotyped 950 seeds collected from mother trees and 940 seeds trapped after dispersal derived from tree seeds and dispersed seeds, respectively, using eleven microsatellite loci. Using the acquired data, we then evaluated the outcrossing rate and effective number of pollen donors (N ep) of the tree seeds, and the genetic structure of both pollen pools and dispersed seed populations. The seed set and germination rate of dispersed seeds was significantly lower both in the lowest-density stand and in the highest-density stand. The GLMM revealed that seed set and germination rates of dispersed seeds may be maximal at approximately 120 trees per hectare (optimal density). Outcrossing rates were consistently high (t m = 0.995), regardless of the population density. In contrast, N ep was lower in the lowest-density stands. Significant genetic structure of the dispersed seed population was found in two low-density stands, probably due to the limitation of overlapping seed shadows.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the contribution of Y. Takahashi and staff of the Tokyo University Forest in Hokkaido. We are also grateful to Dr. Y. Tsuda of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, and Y. Saito of the Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Studies, Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo for helpful comments. A part of this study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 19380082) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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  1. Laboratory of Forest Ecosystem Studies, Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Kentaro Uchiyama & Yuji Ide

  2. University Forest Experimental station at Tanashi, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Midori-cho 1-1-8, Nishitokyo-shi, Tokyo, 188-0002, Japan

    Susumu Goto

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  1. Kentaro Uchiyama
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Correspondence to Kentaro Uchiyama.

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Uchiyama, K., Goto, S. & Ide, Y. Effects of population density on male and female reproductive success in the wind-pollinated, wind-dispersed tree species Betula maximowicziana . Conserv Genet 10, 1265–1275 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-008-9694-y

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