Intraspecific variation in masting across climate gradients is inconsistent with the environmental stress hypothesis
FOEST, Jessie
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
University of Liverpool
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Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
University of Liverpool
FOEST, Jessie
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
University of Liverpool
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
University of Liverpool
BOGDZIEWICZ, Michał
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
< Reduce
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu = Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań [UAM]
Language
en
Article de revue
This item was published in
Ecology. 2025-04, vol. 106, n° 4, p. e70076
Ecological Society of America
English Abstract
<div><p>Year-to-year variation in seed crop size (i.e., masting) varies strongly among populations of the same species. Understanding what causes this variation is vital, as masting affects the ability of tree species to ...Read more >
<div><p>Year-to-year variation in seed crop size (i.e., masting) varies strongly among populations of the same species. Understanding what causes this variation is vital, as masting affects the ability of tree species to regenerate and determines the population dynamics of a wide variety of animals. It is commonly thought that environmental stress is a key driver of masting variability. The environmental stress hypothesis posits that more marginal conditions increase the strength of masting. Using 437 time series from 19 tree species, we find that this hypothesis fails to fully explain how masting varies across marginality gradients. We expected higher interannual variation and less frequent masting events at species margins but instead found that while mast years are indeed less frequent, the interannual variation was lower toward the margins. The observed patterns suggest that populations growing at the margins may invest more resources in low seed production years compared with their conspecifics, hedging their bets in these more challenging environments.</p></div>Read less <
English Keywords
alternate bearing
climate gradients
climate marginality
intraspecific variation
mast seeding
masting
reproductive strategy
ANR Project
Une université Augmentée pour un Campus et un monde en Transition - ANR-20-IDES-0001
Origin
Hal imported