Pollen Allocation in Wild Radish: Variation in Pollen Grain Size and Number

Abstract

The vast majority of the world’s plant species are hermaphroditic, but until the very recent past, plant population biologists have focused almost exclusively on maternal reproduction through seeds. Disregarding male reproductive success leads to an incomplete (and potentially misleading) picture of fitness hierarchies within plant populations, as an individual’s success as a male need not be correlated with its success as a female (Bertin, 1982). Accordingly, recent studies have increasingly emphasized male fitness achieved through the successful fertilization of ovules on other individuals (e.g. Queller, 1983).